Si4455 EZRadio 2-Way Link Demo Kit User's Guide

S i 4 4 5 5 - 2 Wa y L i n k - D E M O
S i4455 E Z R ADIO ® TWO - W AY L INK D EMO K IT
U SER ’ S G U ID E
1. Kit Overview
This user's guide describes Silicon Labs' Si4455 EZRadio® Two-Way Link demo kit. The kit contains two RF nodes
based on the RFStick board to support evaluation and development of sub-GHz RF links with the Si4455 EZRadio
IC. The kit has three versions: one for the 434-MHz band, one for the 868-MHz band, and one for the 915-MHz
band. The content of the different kits are listed in Table 1. These kits are built with the B1A version of the Si4455
IC. RFSticks that are built with the latest C version of the Si4455 ICs can be ordered from Silicon Labs individually
under the part numbers Si4455CLED-434-PER, Si4455CLED-868-PER, and Si4455CLED-915-PER.
 The
RFStick has four LEDs to display information and four push-buttons to receive user commands.
Additionally, the Silicon Labs’ Toolstick Base Adapter is provided in the kits to connect the RFStick to the PC for
downloading and debugging user applications.
 The kits support use of the Wireless Development Suite (WDS) for setting radio parameters and managing
sample codes.
 The kits support the use of the Silicon Labs Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for software debugging
and the use of the Keil C compiler, assembler, and linker toolchain.
Table 1. Kit Contents
Qty
Part Number
Description
EZR-LEDK2W-434
Si4455 EZRadio Two-Way Link Demo Kit 434 MHz
2
4455-LED-434-PER
2
Toolstick_BA
2
USB-XTEN-01
4
AAA
Toolstick Base Adapter
USB extender cable (USBA-USBA)
AAA alkaline battery
EZR-LEDK2W-868
2
4455-LED-868-PER
2
Toolstick_BA
2
USB-XTEN-01
4
AAA
Si4455 EZRadio Two-Way Link Demo Kit 868 MHz
Si4555 RFStick 868 MHz EZRadio transceiver board
Toolstick Base Adapter
USB extender cable (USBA-USBA)
AAA alkaline battery
EZR-LEDK2W-915
Rev. 0.4
Si4555 RFStick 434 MHz EZRadio transceiver board
2
4455-LED-915-PER
2
Toolstick_BA
2
USB-XTEN-01
4
AAA
Si4455 EZRadio Two-Way Link Demo Kit 915 MHz
Si4555 RFStick 915 MHz EZRadio transceiver board
Toolstick Base Adapter
USB extender cable (USBA-USBA)
AAA alkaline battery
Copyright © 2014 by Silicon Laboratories
Si4455-2WayLink-DEMO
Si4455-2WayLink-DEMO
2. Software Setup
There are two software tools provided by Silicon Labs to aid in EZRadio® software development: the Wireless
Development Suite (WDS) and the Silicon Labs Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The recommended
starting point for EZRadio development is the WDS software tool. This tool is able to identify the connected boards
by reading their identification memories (EBID) and provides valuable help by greatly simplifying radio
configuration, evaluation, and application development.
2.1. Hardware and Software Requirements for WDS
XP® or later
 Microsoft .NET framework 3.5 or later
 Silicon Labs CP210x VCP driver
 WDS v3.1.9.0 or later
The lack of the .NET framework and VCP driver are recognized during the WDS installation. The install wizard will
install the missing components after prompting the user for permission.
 Windows
2.2. Download WDS
WDS can be obtained from the Silicon Labs web site free of charge. For more information, see link in Chapter 4.
"Useful Documents" on page 3.
2.3. Installation Steps
Note: Before installing this software, local administration rights must be obtained from your network administrator.
1. Start WDS3-Setup.exe
2. Click “Next” to start the installation process
3. Accept the license agreement by clicking the check box, and then press the “Next” button.
4. Select the installation folder.
Using the default folder is recommended, C:\Program Files\Silabs\WDS3
5. When your settings are confirmed, click “Install” to continue.
6. Click “Finish” to close the WDS Installer.
3. Hardware Setup
After checking the kit contents against Table 1, the kit can be put into operation by performing the steps listed
below for both nodes.
1. Select the USB port as power source by setting the S6 power selector switch to the “Adapter” position.
2. Connect the J1 connector of the RFStick to the Toolstick Base Adapter.
3. Start the WDS on your PC.
4. Connect the Toolstick Base Adapter to a USB port of the PC.
5. Wait for Windows to install the driver of the Toolstick Base Adapter, if necessary.
6. WDS must identify the connected board and open an Application Manager window that lists information
about the identified board.
7. Select “Radio Configuration Application” and click “Select Application”.
8. From the Radio Configuration Application window, select “Standard Packet TX” for one node and “Standard
Packet RX” for the other node.
9. Leave the default parameter settings untouched; simply click “Download project”.
Now, the simple TX/RX sample project is running on the boards. When pressing one of the SW1 to SW4 buttons on
the TX board, packets are sent, and the corresponding LED of LED1 to LED4 lights up during the transmission. On
the RX side LED1 is always on, while different combinations of LED2 to LED4 lights up during successful packet
reception, according to the button pressed.
2
Rev. 0.4
Si4455-2WayLink-DEMO
4. Useful Documents
For general information on the EZRadio® Si4455 IC, see the data sheet:
Si4455 Data Sheet
For detailed information on example codes and how to program the EZRadio ICs, refer to the following documents:
AN692: Si4355/4455 Programming Guide and Sample Codes
EZRadio API Documentation
Available Tools:
8-bit Microcontroller Studio (including Silabs IDE)
WDS3 installer
For hardware design guidance, see the following application notes:
AN685: Layout Design Guide for the Si4455/4355 RF ICS
AN686: Antennas for the Si4455/4355 RF ICs
AN693: Si4455 Low-Power PA Matching
For detailed information on lab measurements, data sheet parameter verification and how sample codes can be
configured and downloaded to the RFStick from WDS, refer to the following documents:
AN655: Range Test Application for the EZRadio and EZRadioPRO devices
AN796: Wireless Development Suite General Description
AN797: WDS User’s Guide for EZRadio Devices
More useful documents can be accessed via the EZRadio web pages
Rev. 0.4
3
Si4455-2WayLink-DEMO
5. The RFStick Platform
Figure 1. RFStick
The RFStick is a basic demo system for the evaluation of the EZRadio chips. The board has two main parts, the
MCU part and the radio part. The MCU part of the board contains a Silicon Labs C8051F930 MCU and basic
human interface devices (four push-buttons, four LEDs, four switches and a buzzer). The radio part contains the
EZRadio chip, the matching circuit, and the antenna. The RF output is selectable via a 0  resistor between a PCB
antenna and an optional (unpopulated) 50  SMA output connector. The MCU is connected to the EZRadio chip
via an SPI bus and some other GPIOs (see Table 2). The RF section of the board can be broken off along a
perforation between the two rows of J3 and installed in the user’s own hardware as a radio module by utilizing the
remaining row of J3.
Table 2 contains the signal connections between the EZRadio chip and the MCU:
Table 2. Connections between the EZRadio Chip and the MCU
Si4355, Si4455
RFStick
C80C51F930
Pin Number
Pin Name
Pin Function
Connections
across J3
Signal Name
Pin Name
EP, 1, 6, 9
GND
Ground
3–4
GND
GND
7, 8
VDD
Supply Voltage input
1–2
VDD
VDD
12
NIRQ
Interrupt output,
active low
19–20
NIRQ
P1.4
2
SDN
Shutdown input,
active high
5–6
SDN
P1.5
16
NSEL
SPI select input
11–12
NSEL
P1.3
13
SCLK
SPI clock input
17–18
SCLK
P1.0
15
SDI
SPI data input
13–14
MOSI
P1.2
14
SDO
SPI data output
15–16
MISO
P1.1
10
GPIO_0
General Purpose I/O
23 x 24
GPIO_0/PB1
P0.0
11
GPIO_1
General Purpose I/O
21 x 22
GPIO_1/PB2
P0.1
19
GPIO_2
General Purpose I/O
9 x 10
GPIO_2/PB3
P0.2
20
GPIO_3
General Purpose I/O
7x8
GPIO_3/PB4
P0.3
The four GPIO signals’ primary function is push button input to the MCU (PB1–PB4), so these signals are not
4
Rev. 0.4
Si4455-2WayLink-DEMO
connected to the EZRadio chip by default (represented by x in the table above). The user can connect them by
soldering in jumpers across the appropriate pins of J3.
5.1. Setting up and Connecting the RFStick to a PC
The power source of the board can be selected with the power-supply selector switch (S6). If S6 is in the Adapter
position, supply voltage is provided by a Toolstick Base Adapter that is connected to the J1 PCB edge connector. If
S6 is in the Battery position, the supply voltage is provided by two AAA batteries in the battery holder on the bottom
side of the board. Current consumption of the RF part (RFVDD) can be measured on J6. Since J6 is shorted by a
PCB track on the bottom side of the board, the user must cut the track if this feature is used.
Figure 2. How to Connect the RFStick to the PC
Steps for connecting to a PC:
 Select
the desired power source with S6 power selector switch.
 Connect the J1 connector of the RFStick to the Toolstick Base Adapter.
 Connect the Toolstick Base Adapter to the USB port of the PC.
 Wait for Windows to install the driver of the Toolstick Base Adapter, if necessary.
The RFStick is available in three different frequency band versions from Silicon Labs as part of several EZRadio
kits.
Rev. 0.4
5
CA
Rev. 0.4
TRX
R19
N.F.
0R
R18
2
1
2
1
VPP
270pF
CC1
Figure 3. Si4455-LED-434 Schematic 1
U3
A0 VCC
A1
WP
A2
SCL
VSS SDA
8
7
6 EBID_SCL
5 EBID_SDA
100nF
24AA64T-I/MNY
1
2
3
4
C11
VPP
8.2pF
RF EBID
CM2
15pF
CM3
LM
18nH
LM1
18nH
Antenna matching for 434MHz
with multilayer inductors
PCB antenna
10pF
CM
6.2pF
C0
C3
100pF
100nF
2.2uF
4R7
R7
LC
220nH
C2
56nH
L0
270pF
C9
RFVDD
CR1
5.1pF
LR1
56nH
C1
RFVDD
56nH
LR2
2.7pF
CR2
RF_SDN
33pF
C4
1
2
3
4
5
100nF
C5
GND
SDN
RXP
RXN
TX
U1
Q1
SDI
SDO
SCLK
NIRQ
GPIO_1
Si4455
30MHz
RF_NSEL
RF_GPIO_3
RF_GPIO_2
20
19
18
17
16
GPIO_3
GPIO_2
XIN
XOUT
NSEL
GND
VDD
VDD
GND
GPIO_0
6
7
8
9
10
EP
6
EP
RF Section
R
Size
A3
TITLE:
DATE:
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
J3
RFP2
RFP1
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
J6
2
1
J2
2
MCU_SDN
MCU_GPIO_3
MCU_GPIO_2
MCU_NSEL
MCU_SDI
MCU_SDO
MCU_SCLK
MCU_NIRQ
MCU_GPIO_1
MCU_GPIO_0
MCU_SDA
MCU_SCL
GND
1
VDD
VDD
To MCU Section
EBID_SDA
VPP
RFVDD
RF_GPIO_1
RF_GPIO_3
RF_MISO
RF_NSEL
RF_SDN
REV:
1V3
4455-LED-434
SHEET:
1
OF 2
SILICON LABORATORIES
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
RFVDD
RF_SDN
RF_GPIO_3
RF_GPIO_2
RF_NSEL
RF_MOSI
RF_MISO
RF_SCLK
RF_NIRQ
RF_GPIO_1
RF_GPIO_0
EBID_SDA
EBID_SCL
VPP
Mar/09/2012
SILICON LABS
RF_GPIO_0
15
RF_MOSI
14
RF_MISO
13
RF_SCLK
12
RF_NIRQ
11 RF_GPIO_1
VPP
EBID_SCL
RFVDD
RF_GPIO_0
RF_GPIO_2
RF_MOSI
RF_SCLK
RF_NIRQ
Si4455-2WayLink-DEMO
6. Schematics
Schematics of the RFstick boards of the kit can be seen on the following pages.
Complete manufacturing file pack with CAD/CAM files and BOMs can be found at silabs.com.
R1
LED1
R9
MCU_GPIO_0
C10
VDD
100nF
MCU_SDA
MCU_SCL
PB1
330R
Yellow
1k
330R
Green
4
R4
R3
5
C2CK/RST
6
P2.7/C2D
9
P1.5
8
P1.6/XTAL3
7
P1.7/XTAL4
14
P1.0/CP0+
13
P1.1/CP011
P1.2
10
P1.3
MCU_GPIO_3
C8051F981-GM
P0.0/VREF
P0.1/AGND
P0.2/XTAL1
P0.3/XTAL2
P0.4/TX
P0.5/RX
P0.6
P0.7/IREF0
VDD
U4
MCU EBID
MCU_GPIO_2
3
12 GND
GND
2
1
20
19
18
17
16
15
1k
330R
Yellow
1k
330R
Red
1k
R2
LED2
R10
PB2
R13
BZ1
100nF
VDD
R6
VDD
100pF
EBID_C2CK
6
16
15
14
13
12
11
8
7
2
3 Y0
Z 4
2
GND
Z 4
2
GND
74LVC1G3157GW
3 Y0
1
U6
VCC 5
S 6
Y1
74LVC1G3157GW
1
MCU_C2CK
MCU_C2D
SW1-C
U5
VCC 5
S 6
Y1
EBID_C2CK
EBID_C2D
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
32
31
30
29
28
27
26
25
10
XTAL3
9
XTAL4
P1.0/AD0
P1.1/AD1
P1.2/AD2
P1.3/AD3
P1.4/AD4
P1.5/AD5
P1.6/AD6
P1.7/AD7
P0.0/VREF
P0.1/AGND
P0.2/XTAL1
P0.3/XTAL2
P0.4/TX
P0.5/RX
P0.6/CNVSTR
P0.7/IREF0
C8051F930
RST/C2CK
P2.0/A8
P2.1/A9
P2.2/A10
P2.3/A11
P2.4/ALE
P2.5/RD
P2.6/WR
P2.7/C2D
GND
4
DCEN
5
VBAT
3
VDD/DC+
1
GND/DC-
SW1-A
LED3
R11
PB3
1
2
C8
SW1-B
LED4
R12
PB4
3
4
C7
1k
R5
MCU_SCLK
MCU_SDO
MCU_SDI
MCU_NSEL
MCU_NIRQ
MCU_SDN
MCU_SDA
MCU_SCL
MCU_GPIO_0
MCU_GPIO_1
MCU_GPIO_2
MCU_GPIO_3
5
TCK_C2DAT
VDD
TDI_C2CK
VDD
6
10uF
6.3V
0R
R8
R16
SW1-D
C6
4.7k
7
8
U2
Q3
R
Size
A3
DATE:
TS_TX
1
1
1
GPIO0_RTS 1
GPIO1_CTS 1
TS_RX
MEC-8
J1
VDD
4
6 TCK_C2DAT
8
10 TS_RX
12 GPIO1_CTS
14
2
2
VDD
S6
3
1
REV:
1V3
4455-LED-434
SHEET:
2
OF 2
SILICON LABORATORIES
TP_GND
TP_GP1
TP_GP0
TP_TS_RX
TP_TS_TX
Toolstick
Connector
Mar/09/2012
SILICON LABS
TITLE:
1
3
5
7
TS_TX
9
GPIO0_RTS 11
13
TDI_C2CK
To RF Section
32.768kHz
TZ1006A
MCU_GPIO_1
MCU Section
BAT
VDD
4.7k
N.F.
R17
Rev. 0.4
10k
2
1
VDD
Si4455-2WayLink-DEMO
Figure 4. Si4455-LED-434 Schematic 2
7
Si4455-2WayLink-DEMO
DOCUMENT CHANGE LIST
Revision 0.1 to Revision 0.2
 Changed
Figure 6 from RF section to MCU section.
Revision 0.2 to Revision 0.3.
 Added
description of software setup.
details to hardware description.
 Removed description of obsolete range test demo
code.
 Added links to other documents
 Added
Revision 0.3 to Revision 0.4
 Updated
8
Kit Overview paragraph on page 1.
Rev. 0.4
Simplicity Studio
One-click access to MCU and
wireless tools, documentation,
software, source code libraries &
more. Available for Windows,
Mac and Linux!
IoT Portfolio
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Support and Community
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Disclaimer
Silicon Laboratories intends to provide customers with the latest, accurate, and in-depth documentation of all peripherals and modules available for system and software implementers
using or intending to use the Silicon Laboratories products. Characterization data, available modules and peripherals, memory sizes and memory addresses refer to each specific
device, and "Typical" parameters provided can and do vary in different applications. Application examples described herein are for illustrative purposes only. Silicon Laboratories
reserves the right to make changes without further notice and limitation to product information, specifications, and descriptions herein, and does not give warranties as to the accuracy
or completeness of the included information. Silicon Laboratories shall have no liability for the consequences of use of the information supplied herein. This document does not imply
or express copyright licenses granted hereunder to design or fabricate any integrated circuits. The products must not be used within any Life Support System without the specific
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thereof, "the world’s most energy friendly microcontrollers", Ember®, EZLink®, EZMac®, EZRadio®, EZRadioPRO®, DSPLL®, ISOmodem ®, Precision32®, ProSLIC®, SiPHY®,
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