Customization of a NFC Controller Development Kit

[meekeech]

Hello - I'm currently working on the customization of a PNEV7462C board and I had some high level questions I was hoping to get answered. I'm aware that any changes to the evaluation board with respect to the RF design requires a re-certification of the FCC-ID (ie a class II permissive change). We're looking to change the antenna design to a 40x40mm so this will definitely apply. With that in mind:

• What other regulatory considerations need to be considered in this approach? Is EMVCO a standard that needs to be adhered to or is that only in specific applications related to payment technology?
• What level of effort is needed to get the impedance matching and AGC tuning circuit correct? 
• Do we need to measure the impedance at different frequencies (using a vector network analyzer) as part of any of the regulatory certifications mentioned?

Thank you for your help,

Marko

[meekeech]

Hi Fabian!

Thanks so much for your reply, greatly appreciated. Thank you also for the resources I've stumbled upon some of these already since my post but you've pointed me to even more. A few more questions below:

• If we keep a majority of the PNEV7462C design but add a CAN controller/transceiver and some connectors, does that make it possible to keep the FCC ID? There may be some small adjustments like reorientation or removal of non-RF components (ie the matching and EMI circuit will be the exact same) 
• Is there an FCC ID associated to the rectangular antenna that's provided in the OM27462CDKP kit?
• For the testing, do you recommend the mini VNA pro as adequate (as mentioned in the video and guide) or would using an expensive version be more advisable? 
• Can you speak about ISO 14443 and the associated testing guide? I suspect that these are device level certifications but I wonder if we do not test to these standards (or NFC Forum), is there a chance we won't successfully communicate with something like an Infineon tag or a MIFARE or something? 

[Fabian_R · Accepted solution]

Hello, my name is Fabian, I've been assigned to support your case.

I appreciate your interest in our products.

This is correct sir, any modification will require a new certification. Also, as you mention, EMVCo is only required for payment solutions.

In order to successfully implement a matching circuit, you will need to follow the next points:

•   the Antenna Design Guide that we provide.
• Our new online tool that I'm sure will help you with the correct start of the matching circuit.
• it is also highly recommended to use a VNA for adapting the calculations to a real-world implementation

All of this is shown in the following Video Series: NFC Antenna Design | NXP Semiconductors

I hope this information may have been useful.