DR-TRC105-DK Development Kit User’s Guide DR-TRC105-304-DK DR-TRC105-315-DK DR-TRC105-345-DK DR-TRC105-372-DK DR-TRC105-390-DK DR-TRC105-403-DK DR-TRC105-434-DK DR-TRC105-450-DK www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 1 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Introduction The DR-TRC105 series development kits can be used to evaluate TRC105 radio technology, and to prototype applications that will use the TRC105 RFIC. These development kits include the necessary hardware, firmware and utility software to support efficient TRC105 evaluation and system development. This user’s guide covers the following development kits: Development Kit Part Number DR-TRC105-304-DK DR-TRC105-315-DK DR-TRC105-345-DK DR-TRC105-372-DK DR-TRC105-390-DK DR-TRC105-403-DK DR-TRC105-434-DK DR-TRC105-450-DK Operating Frequency Range 303.325 - 307.300 MHz 310.000 - 319.500 MHz 342.000 - 348.000 MHz 365.000 - 380.00 MHz 382.000 - 398.000 MHz 402.000 - 407.300 MHz 418.000 - 434.790 MHz 447.000 - 451.000 MHz Table 1 - Development Kit Part Numbers Each DR-TRC105 development kit contains the following items: • • • • • • • • 2 DR-TRC105 Radio Boards 2 DR-TRC103/105 Interface Boards 2 Dipole Antennas 2 USB 2.0 A/B Cables 2 Universal Wall-plug Power Supplies, 4.5 V 2 AA Battery Packs 4 AA Batteries CD Containing: RFIC Design Assistant Software Kit Firmware C Source Code User’s Guides The DR-TRC105 development kits provide the following features: • • • • • • • • • • Supports TRC105 Evaluation and Application Development Facilitates TRC105 Parameter Configuration USB or RS232 Interface Options Wall-plug Power Supply or Battery Power Options Includes Example Firmware and PC Utility Software Integrated Firmware Range Test Function Up to 200 kb/s RF Data Rate Out-of-the-box Operation 64-byte Packet Handling Compatible with SiLabs C8051F310 Development Tools (sold separately) www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 2 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 DR-TRC105 development kits are designed to facilitate the configuration of all TRC105 transmitter, receiver and interface functions, and to support application firmware and system development. The development kits can be controlled using the RFIC Design Assistant utility software. Two-way communication link testing is also supported by the data terminal program built into the RFIC Design Assistant utility. In addition, a stand alone range test function is included in the radio board firmware to allow roaming range tests. Figure 1 shows a development kit interface board with a radio board installed. Figure 1 - DR-TRC105-DK Radio and Interface Board Set The antennas included in each development kit match the operating frequency of the kit, and may be a different length than the 434 MHz antenna shown above. Antennas should always be installed before turning on a radio board. www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 3 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Figure 2 - DR-TRC105-DK Interface Board Connectors and Controls Figure 2 shows the locations of the interface board DC power connectors, user controls and LED indicators. Normally an interface board is powered from one of the 4.5 volt universal wall-plug power supplies provided in the development kit, as shown in the left panel of Figure 3. For roaming range testing and field testing, the interface board can be powered from a 9 volt battery as shown in the right panel of Figure 3. Note - do not install a 9 volt battery while the interface board is connected to the wall-plug power supply. Use only one power source at a time. Power input pins are also provided for connection to a regulated 4.5 to 12 volt lab supply. When connecting to these pins, take care with the polarity. The pin closest to the power connector is the positive input. Figure 3 - Power Options www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 4 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 The power switch shown in Figure 2 connects the output of the 3 volt regulator on the interface board to the POWER ON LED, the serial communication interface circuitry and the radio board. Note that there is a small current draw from the regulator when the power switch is in the off position, and this will eventually discharge a 9 volt battery if it is left installed. The radio RESET button on the interface module allows the user to reset the radio board to a know state from any mode the radio board is in. Figure 4 - DR-TRC105-DK Interface Board Serial Connectors Figure 4 shows the serial communication connectors on the interface board. The kit includes two USB 2.0 A/B cables for connection to a PC. When a USB cable is plugged into an interface board, it automatically disables the RS232 interface circuitry. Note that the interface board is not designed to powered from the USB interface, so DC power must be supplied separately as discussed above. The kit CD includes the PC drivers needed to make the interface board USB connection appear as a virtual COM port. Refer to the USB Virtual COM Ports section of the RFIC Design Assistant User’s Guide on the CD for driver installation details. To configure the interface board for RS232 operation, remove the serial jumpers shown in Figure 4. Use a 9-pin “external modem cable” (straight through, not null modem) to connect the interface board to the PC. The left panel in Figure 5 shows USB operation, the right panel shows RS232 operation. Note the serial jumpers have been removed for RS232 operation. www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 5 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Figure 5 - USB and RS232 Serial Connection Options Initial Kit Testing Using the Range Test Function 1. Install the antennas and then the 9 volt batteries in both board sets. No PC connection is required for the range test function. 2. Turn on the board sets by sliding the Power switch on the interface board to the ON position. All LED’s on the radio board will flash and the MODE LED will be green. 3. See Figure 6 below. On one board, briefly press and release the RANGE button. The RANGE LED will illuminate continuously. This is the “receiving” board. 4. On the other board, press and hold the RANGE button until the LED’s begin flashing. This board is the “transmitting” board. 5. If the radios are receiving good packets, then the green Good Packet LEDs will be flashing alternately on each board (plus various yellow LEDs). Figure 10 details the locations of the LEDs. 6. To verify that the radio boards are operating properly, disable the “receiving” board by pressing and releasing the RANGE button twice. The RANGE LED will turn off. On the transmitting board, you should observe the red Packet Error LED flashing. This indicates that the transmitter sent a packet but did not receive an acknowledgment back from the “receiving” radio board. www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 6 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Figure 6 - Initial Testing Using Range Test Function Kit Testing using the RFIC Design Assistant 1. Install the RFIC Design Assistant utility program from the kit CD. If you are using the USB interface, install the virtual COM port drivers. Refer to the USB Virtual COM Ports section of the RFIC Design Assistant User’s Guide on the CD for driver installation details. 2. If installed, remove the 9 volt batteries from the board sets. Install the antennas as needed and then connect a 4.5 volt wall-plug power supply to each board set. 3. Connect one of the board sets to the PC. Turn on the board set by sliding the Power switch on the interface board to the ON position. All LED’s on the radio board will flash and the MODE LED will be green. 4. Start the RFIC Design Assistant utility program as shown in Figure 7. Select the COM port or virtual COM port assigned to the board set from the drop-down menu at the top of the utility program screen. The COM port can be determined from Windows® as follows: Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager > Ports (COM & LPT). 5. Select the TRC105 from the TRC drop-down menu as shown in Figure 8. This will launch the TRC105 multi-tab dialog window as shown in Figure 9 6. Select the Main Menu tab and click on the Read Configuration button. A hex dump of the current TRC105 configuration parameters should appear in the text box above the button as shown in Figure 9. This confirms the development board set is communicating with the utility program. Test the other development kit board set in the same manner. The development kit is now ready to use. www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 7 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Figure 7 - Starting RFIC Design Assistant Figure 8 - Selecting TRC105 Operation Figure 9 - Read Configuration Test www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 8 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Figure 10 - DR-TRC105 Radio Board LED Indicators Radio Board Details The DR-TRC105 radio board LED indicator names and locations are shown in Figure 10. Table 2 summarizes the functions of the DR-TRC105 radio board connectors, user controls and LED indicators. Component I/O Connector Battery Connector Battery Power Switch Mode Switch Range Switch TX Power Adj Pot Antenna Connector Current Monitor Pins Serial/PLL LED TRC105 SPI LED Packet Error LED Good Packet LED MODE LED RANGE LED Low Battery LED Designator J2 J3 SW1 SW2 SW3 R7 RF-IO J1 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 Function 20-pin connector for power and logic signal I/O (bottom of board) Radio board “battery” power connector, 2.7 to 3.6 volts On/off switch, in line with battery connector Used to set the radio mode Used to set up range testing and data terminal functions Transmitter power adjustment potentiometer 50 ohm antenna connector, standard SMA Remove jumper from these pins to measure TRC105 current Yellow LED blinks to indicate serial activity with external host Yellow LED blinks to indicate SPI activity to/from the TRC105 Red LED blinks to indicate received packet failed CRC check Green LED blinks to indicate received packet passed CRC check Green/yellow LED color indicates mode of operation Yellow LED blinks to indicate range test or data terminal operation Red LED illuminated to indicate low battery (must be configured) Table 2 - DR-TRC105 Radio Board Connector, Control and Indicator Functions www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 9 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 When a DR-TRC105 radio board is initially power on, it is configured as follows: Operating Frequency: DR-TRC105-304-EV DR-TRC105-315-EV DR-TRC105-345-EV DR-TRC105-372-EV DR-TRC105-390-EV DR-TRC105-403-EV DR-TRC105-434-EV DR-TRC105-450-EV 303.825 MHz 315.000 MHz 345.000 MHz 372.250 MHz 390.000 MHz 403.500 MHz 433.920 MHz 450.000 MHz Power: +10 dBm Frequency Deviation: ±50 kHz Data Rate: 25 kb/s Receiver Baseband Bandwidth: 100 kHz The radio board is also initially configured in Receive Continuous Mode (see the TRC105 datasheet for an explanation of continuous mode, buffered data mode, packet data mode, etc.). In receive continuous mode, the MODE LED will be green. Receive continuous mode allows the user to connect a modulated signal from a signal generator source onto the board through a short, coaxial cable and verify the demodulated signal with an oscilloscope through the DAT pin. Briefly pressing the MODE button once configures the board into Transmit Continuous Mode. The Mode LED will change color from green to yellow. This mode turns on the transmitter. The frequency and output power may be verified on a spectrum analyzer. A square-wave modulating signal may be applied to the DAT pin and modulation observed on the spectrum analyzer. Briefly pressing the MODE button again configures the board into Sleep Mode. The Mode LED will turn off. By connecting an ammeter across the terminals of J1, with the jumper removed, the user can verify the very low sleep current of the TRC105 device. As shown in Figure 11, potentiometer R7 can be used to adjust the transmit power level. To increase the output power, rotate the potentiometer screw clockwise. To decrease the power, rotate the potentiometer screw counterclockwise. The transmit power is divided into 8 levels. Adjusting R7 adjusts the voltage level to the A-to-D converter (ADC) in the host microcontroller. The microcontroller periodically samples R7 for a change, and updates the transmit power register when it detects a change in voltage level. Each time the microprocessor updates the transmit power register the SPI LED D2 will flash indicating an SPI write. www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 10 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Figure 11 - DR-TRC105 Radio Board TX Power Adjustment Two AA battery packs are supplied in the development kit to power the radio boards when they are removed from the interface boards, as shown in Figure 12. Alternately, a regulated power supply in the range of 2.7 to 3.6 volts can be used to power the radio boards. Note - there are no voltage regulators on the radio boards. Applying a voltage outside the specified power supply range can damage the boards. Do not attempt to power a radio board directly through its battery connector using one of the 4.5 volt wallplug power supplies. The 4.5 volt power supplies are used to power the development kit interface boards, which in turn provide regulated 3 volts to the radio boards. The AA battery packs should only be used to power stand alone radio boards. They do not provide enough voltage to reliably power the interface boards. Do not attempt to power a radio board through its battery connector when it is plugged into an interface board. Figure 12 - Powering the Stand-alone Radio Boards www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 11 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Figure 13 - DR-TRC105 Radio Board Test Points Referring to Figure 13, test points are provided to monitor signals to/from the TRC105 RFIC in real time. Test point details are listed in Table 3: PCB Symbol SCK SDO SDI SSC SSD CLK DAT IRQ0 IRQ1 PLK C2D C2K GND J1 Function SPI clock SPI data from TRC105 SPI data to the TRC105 SPI configuration select SPI data select Buffered/divided clock from crystal Input/output data (disabled in buffered and packet modes) Interrupt 0 output Interrupt 1 output PLL lock indicator output Processor programming Processor programming Ground Remove the jumper from these pins to measure the TRC105 current Table 3 - DR-TRC105 Radio Board Test Points www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 12 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Figure 14 - DR-TRC103/105 Interface Board Details Interface Board Details Figure 14 and Table 4 summarizes the functions of the DR-TRC103/105 interface board connectors, user controls and LED indicators. Also note that many of the radio board test points are duplicated on the edge of the interface board prototyping area. Component Radio Connector Micro Connector RS232 Connector Power Connector Power Input Pins USB Connector Battery Connectors Serial Monitor Pins Designator J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7-J8 J9 TX Serial Jumper J10 RX Serial Jumper J11 POWER Switch Radio RESET Switch POWER LED USB ON LED SW1 SW2 D1 D2 Function 20-pin radio board interface connector 10-pin microprocessor programming connector, SiLabs compatible RS232 9-pin D connector Coaxial power connector, 4.5 to 12 volts Alternate power input pins, 4.5 to 12 volts Type B USB Connector 9 volt battery connectors Monitoring pins for logic-level serial data Routes logic-level serial data to USB converter, remove for RS232 operation Routes logic-level serial data from USB converter, remove for RS232 operation Regulated 3 volt power switch Radio firmware reset switch Green LED illuminates when POWER switch is on Green LED illuminates when USB is active Table 4 - DR-TRC103/105 Interface Board Connector, Control and Indicator Functions www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 13 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 RESET Figure 15 - Mode Switches and LEDs Radio Board Firmware Details Table 5 summarizes the switch-selectable modes supported by the radio board firmware. Figure 15 shows the location of the mode selection switches and LEDs. Mode Mode Selection Reset Cycle power or press the RESET switch on the interface board. All LEDs on the radio board will flash, and the MODE LED will illuminate green. The default operating frequency and firmware version message is output on the serial connection. Receive Continuous Default mode following a reset. MODE LED is green. Transmit Continuous Following a reset, press the MODE button briefly. MODE LED is yellow. Sleep Cycle Following a reset, press the MODE button twice briefly. MODE LED is off. Serial/PLL LED will periodically flash. Range Test Receive (Packet Receive) Range Test Transmit Terminal Following a reset, press the RANGE button briefly. The RANGE LED will illuminate yellow. The message RX MODE is output on the serial connection. Following a reset, press and hold the RANGE button until several LEDs begin flashing. Following a reset, press the RANGE button briefly twice, with about one second between the first and second button press. On the first press, the The message RX MODE is output on the serial connection. On the second button press, the message TERM MODE is output on the serial connection. Table 5 - DR-TRC105 Firmware Switch-selectable Modes www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 14 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 The firmware includes several command formats that are used by the RFIC Design Assistant utility program to read and write parameters to the TRC105 configuration registers and to send and receive terminal mode messages. Table 6 summarizes several commands that are useful for proof-of-concept testing. Command Format Wrrdd or wrrdd Write Register Write register rr with data dd, where rr and dd are two character hex values. For example, write 0x80 to register 0x01 is formatted as W0108. 02msg03 The DR-TRC105 radio board must be in terminal mode, as discussed in Table 5 above. The user’s message, up to 63 bytes, must be preceded with an ASCII 0x02 start-of-text character, and followed by an ASCII 0x03 end-of-text character. For example, the string of hex characters to send Hello in ASCII is: 0248656C6C6F03 02msg030D0A When the example string above is output by the receiving node, an ASCII carriage return - line feed is added as follows: 0248656C6C6F030D0A Terminal Mode Send Terminal Mode Receive Example Table 6 - DR-TRC105 Firmware Serial Commands Figure 16 - DR-TRC103/105 Interface Board Connector for Firmware Development Support Custom Firmware Development Support The 10-pin programming header on the interface board is compatible with the Silicon Labs development tools for the C8051F310 microcontroller. This allows the user to develop and test custom firmware for use with the TRC105. www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 15 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Firmware should be loaded and tested with the interface board powered on. The C source code for the firmware shipped in the development kit is included on the CD for reference. Radio Board Interface Connector Figure 17 shows the pin numbering detail of connector J2 on the edge of the DRTRC105 radio boards. Figure 17 can be used with the schematics in the last section of this manual to design a custom application interface for the radio boards. Note that all signal levels into and out of this connector are nominally 3 volt logic level. Attempting to use RS232 signal levels to directly interface the radio board can damage it. J 2 p in n u m b e r in g a s v ie w e d fr o m th e to p o f a D R -T R C 1 0 5 r a d io b o a r d (c o n n e c to r p o in ts d o w n ) 4 2 1 3 6 5 8 7 1 0 1 2 1 4 1 6 1 8 2 0 9 1 1 1 3 1 5 1 7 1 9 J 2 J 2 is a S A M T E C S F M L -1 1 0 -T 1 -S -D -L C T h e m a tin g c o n n e c to r fo r J 2 is a S A M T E C T F M L -1 1 0 -0 1 -S -D -L C J 3 Figure 17 - DR-TRC105 Radio Board Connector Detail Development Kit Documentation The schematics of each radio board and the interface board with the top assembly views are provided on the following pages. Also see the RFIC Design Assistant utility software and related User’s Guide, the DR-TRC105-EV Evaluation Kit User’s Guide, and the TRC105 Data Sheet. The latest versions of the Data Sheet, User’s Guides, and the RFIC Design Assistant utility software can be downloaded from RFM’s web site, www.rfm.com. www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 16 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 17 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 18 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 19 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 20 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 21 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 22 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 23 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 24 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 Circuit board dimensions: 1.00 x 2.80 x 0.65 inches (25.4 x 71.1 x 16.5 mm) www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 25 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 26 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10 www.RFM.com ©2009-2010 by RF Monolithics, Inc. Technical support +1.800.704.6079 E-mail: [email protected] Page 27 of 27 DR-TRC105-DK - 04/05/10