ModalAI Microhard pDDL Carrier USB Dongle (MDK-M0048-2-01) USB carrier for pDDL and pMDDL modems

The Microhard pDDL Carrier USB Dongle (MDK-M0048-2-01) is a stand-alone USB carrier dongle from ModalAI for Microhard pDDL and pMDDL modem modules, used as the ground end of a long-range, point-to-point drone data link (LOS link). It puts the radio side of the ground station on a laptop or tablet, so no carrier board or vehicle is needed at the ground station. The Microhard modem module is sold separately and must be added by the integrator.

Plug in the Microhard module of your choice, connect the dongle to a Linux PC or Android device over USB, and the host sees a standard network interface. The dongle presents a USB-to-Ethernet networking device and also acts as a USB hub, which expands the host's USB access at the same time. Because the host communicates with the modem over a network interface rather than a serial port, the modem is configured and addressed like any other networked device on the ground station.

The dongle weighs 12 g, which keeps the ground-end hardware light and easy to carry with a laptop. It runs from an external 5 V supply that is not included in the kit. Its power draw varies with the configuration, the installed modem, the modem's transmit setting and the peripherals attached to the hub, so the supply should be sized for the modem and every device connected to the hub. The carrier itself uses no radio frequencies. The frequency band is set by the installed modem, and the supported modules span three bands, two of them MIMO models.

On the host side, the dongle connects through a Micro-USB port using the included stub cable. A vertical JST GH connector provides the USB host ports of the hub and supports up to two USB clients, and optional cables adapt it to a USB Type A female or a Micro USB female connector. The antenna connector is UFL-R-SMT-110, and the dev kit includes an antenna kit, a DC power cable for the external supply and a socket lid for the modem. A LAN7500 Ethernet controller handles the network side for compatibility with Android hosts. Status LEDs show wireless transmit and receive traffic, received signal strength, CPU state and USB port power, and a configuration button resets the module to the default settings required for a slave unit.

The dongle is on the Blue UAS Framework list and is RoHS compliant. Its country of origin is the USA. The export classification is EAR99 without a modem and changes once a Microhard modem is installed, so integrators should check the classification of the complete assembly for their program.

Typical use is the development and operation of long-range drone data links from a laptop or tablet running Linux or Android, with the hub function adding USB access to the same ground-station host.