E-Blocks Mobile Communications Bundle

Transcription

1 Page 1 Communications Bundle Cover Page

2 Page 2 Flowcode Installing Flowcode Instruction for installing Flowcode can be found inside the installation booklet located inside the Flowcode DVD case. Before starting with the course it is recommended to update your version of Flowcode to the latest released version. This allows for the latest bug fixes and components to run on your machine. The latest version of Flowcode can be found by visiting the Matrix TSL website and clicking on the Flowcode page. Getting Started with Flowcode There is a free online course available for helping with getting started with learning Flowcode. This course covers basic principals through to designing your own programs and programming the devices. It is recommended that you take time to go through this course before proceeding with the bundle exercises to give you a better grasp of what the Flowcode program is doing. The online course is available from the learning centre on our website or by visiting the following address: Flowcode Examples A number of pre-made example files are available for download from the main Flowcode page on the Matrix TSL website. These files are also located on the Flowcode CD. Before the example files can be used you must first copy them into a folder on your hard drive. The example programs referenced in this bundle can be found at the following web address: Or by clicking the bundle manuals link from the Learning Centre area of our website. Flowcode Help There is a help file available that covers all the main features of Flowcode. This help file can be accessed by clicking the question mark icon in the main Flowcode toolbar or alternatively clicking the help menu and selecting contents. There are also help files available for each and every component in Flowcode which explain the functionality of the component and the component macros. The component help files can be found by selecting the component on the panel and the clicking the Help button in the properties toolbar. General Support Support for frequently encountered problems can be found online on our FAQ s site. Our online forums can also be used as a general discussion area or for help or advice.

3 Wiring & Testing Page 3 To setup your E-Blocks for use with the example programs you must perform the following actions: Remove the 16F88 Device from the EB006; Insert the 16F877A into the EB006; Connect up the E-Blocks as shown on the right. The RS232, and LCD E-Blocks all need to be connected to the +V on the EB006 via single core wire. The GSM modem has its own power supply which will also need to be connected. The GSM modem also requires a standard pay and go SIM card. Before you can begin you must install the driver for the EB006 using the ELSAM CD or by visiting the Matrix TSL website: The system can be tested by compiling and sending one of the example programs to the hardware. This is done by opening one of the example files in Flowcode and then clicking the compile to chip button. The example Flowcode files contain a correct configuration so you will not have to modify the configuration to allow them to run on the hardware. Any program you create from scratch will have to be configured as shown on the left. The configuration is specified by clicking the Chip -> Configure menu icon Flowcode and then if you need more options click the switch to expert config screen button. Example file 1 is a good test file as it allows a text message to be sent using the GSM modem. This confirms that the GSM modem is working with your SIM card and also that your SIM card has credit. Please note that the SIM card must be pay and go.

4 RS232 Component Page 4 The Flowcode RS232 component can be added to your program by finding the component in the Comms section of the Flowcode component toolbar. RS232 Component Icon Once the component has been added to your program you will find that the RS232 component icon has been added to your panel. The RS232 component properties page is laid out as shown on the left. The GSM modem requires hardware flow control to allow the data to wait until the microcontroller is available to process the incoming data. A hardware UART is recommended as this allows for hardware buffering of the incoming data. The software UART can be used if your hardware UART is unavailable. The GSM modem requires a baud of 9600 for communications to work correctly. The RS232 functionality is called in Flowcode by using a component macro icon. The functions available are as follows: Send Char Transmits a single 8-bit byte over the serial connection. Send String Transmits a number of 8-bit bytes in one transaction. Receive Char Checks to see if a single incoming byte is available. Returns the data if it is available or 255 if no data was available. Receive String Checks to see if a number of incoming bytes are available. Returns the data if it is available or a blank string if no data was available.

5 Example 1 Page 5 The component macro functions that go with the Flowcode RFID component may not all be suitable for your RFID device. Please refer to this list to see if a particular function is available for the device you are using. The recipient mobile phone number is specified at the start of the program by initializing an array of byte variables with the numeric data. The text content of the message is specified next in the program. The array must be large enough to allow for the complete contents of the message to be initialized. The number 32 represents an ASCII space character and the number 0 represents a string termination. A line feed would be a number 10 and a carriage return would be a number 13. The GSM modem uses a command terminology known as AT commands. The AT commands always start with the characters A and T to bring the remote device to attention. Sending a number 13 to represent a carriage return has the effect of allowing the AT command to be executed on the GSM modem. Here we simply send the command AT. If the command was successful then we should receive an OK back from the modem using the GSM_RCEVE macro. The GSM_DELAY macro simply allows for a delay in between commands.

6 Example 1 Page 6 Example 1 starts up the GSM modem by sending some basic AT commands and collecting the response. The INIT_GSM macro is responsible for issuing the following start up commands. The first command is a simple AT which is used to ensure that the modem is present and communicating correctly. Next we send the command AT+CSMP which is responsible for defining the text mode parameter. The AT+CSDH command controls the default header in text mode. The AT+CMFG command defines the message format as text mode. Each command is terminated by issuing a number 13 to represent a carriage return and each command should be acknowledged by a message OK. Once we have set the modem up ready to send a text message we are ready to start the process of sending out the message details to the modem. The SEND_SMS macro is responsible for passing information to the GSM modem such as the phone number to send the message to as well as the message itself. The AT+CMGS command defines the recipient s mobile number as well as the data for the message. The following routine steps through the bytes of the phone number array passing each byte onto the modem. There is then a similar routine which is used to step through the bytes of the message until the end terminating 0 is detected. When all of the number and message data has been passed to the modem the message is automatically sent.

7 Example 2 Page 7 Exercise 2 is more advanced text message sending program which allows you to specify both the mobile phone number and the text data using the keypad E-Block. The Get_Phone_Number macro is used to collect a phone number into a byte array using the keypad E-Block. This array is exactly the same as shown in example 1 but this time we are creating a routine to allow the array to be populated rather then simply hard coding the array. The code shown on the left scans the keypad for a keypress and then checks to see if no keys are pressed 255 or if the keypress is the same as the previous keypress which means that the key is being held down. If the key is not being held down and there is a valid press then we check for the * or # keys being pressed. These keys have the functionality of finishing or resetting the numeric data entry process. Finally if none of the above are true then we know that we have a single data byte which can be added to the array.

8 Example 2 Page 8 When entering the data for the text message content there has to be a way of entering ASCII data. As the keypad only has numeric buttons we have implemented a routine similar to the routine used on a standard mobile phone. That is to map the ASCII alphabet characters onto the numeric keys. Multiple presses of a key in quick succession will act to step through the letters associated with that key allowing you to enter any amount of text you require. The letter association used by the keypad E-Block is shown on the image to the left. The number 0 can be used to insert a space into the message. The number 1 is used to insert a few standard non alphanumeric characters into your message such as full stops and commas. Again the star and hash keys are used to restart or end the text entry process. Once the phone number data buffer and the text message data buffer have been populated we use the same method as shown in example 1 to forward the data to the GSM modem and in turn send the message. Before the message is sent you will be asked to confirm the mobile number and the data that will be sent. This allows you to ensure that everything is correct before proceeding as we all know that SMS messages are not free. Pressing the # key allows the program to move onto the next stage. This program also shows the AT commands on the LCD E-Block as they are being fired out to the GSM modem. This helps you to see how the data you have entered plug into the commands that are then passed to the modem.

9 Example 3 Page 9 Exercise 3 allows the GSM modem to be used as a phone for voice messages. The phone number to ring is hard coded into the Flowcode program to allow the device to be setup as say an auto dial for emergency reasons. A good example of this functionality would be for use with a fire or burglar alarm system that rings you when an alarm is triggered. Again we are hard coding the phone number into a byte array. You could replace this with the function shown in example 2 that allows you to manually enter a phone number using the keypad. In the program we wait for the # key to be pressed on the keypad. Once this has been detected we send the commands to the GSM modem to initiate the phone call. Once the phone call has been established we go back into a loop that again checks the keypad. This time the phone is disconnected once the # key is detected.

10 Example 3 Page 10 The phone call is established by using the ATD command. This allows you to dial any number specified in the phone number byte array. The phone number must be terminated with a ; and a 0 to allow the ATD functions to work correctly. The test message AT commands do not need this. Therefore if you wanted to send text messages and make phone calls in your program then you would need to change the ATD functionality to add the semi colon to the end of the phone number. The GSM Receive macros are scattered in the function to ensure that any incoming data from the modem is read before it fills the RS232 buffer and causes the UART to have an error. An error on the RS232 bus will cause the transmissions to fail so we must check quite regularly to ensure this does not happen. The phone call is disconnected by calling the ATH command. This command requires no additional parameters. Please note that there are connectors included with the GSM modem that allow you to connect a stereo headset with a microphone for use with voice communications. If you want to use audio then you can use the headset included in the kit by plugging this directly into the GSM unit.

11 Troubleshooting Page 11 If you are having any problems getting up and running with any of the examples or any of the Flowcode components then the first port of call is to ensure you have your boards plugged together and wired correctly. As a rule of thumb any board with a screw terminal and a +V marking should be connected via a single core wire to the +V screw terminal on the corresponding Multiprogrammer. If you do run into any problems then there is help and advice available from our online user forums located here: The Articles section contains quite a few examples, as well as hints and tips to aid in your applications There is also an online video demonstrating Flowcode, available from the videos section of our website:

12 Other Products Page 12 Matrix TSL is a leading global technology company. Over the years we have developed a portfolio of award-winning products which have applications in Education, Industry and in the home. Learning is at the heart of much of what our company does, and the philosophy of all Matrix learning products is based on learning by doing. Each year Matrix spends around 25% of turnover on research and development to ensure that our learning and development resources are world class. MIAC PLC MIAC (Matrix Industrial Automotive Controller) is an industrial grade control unit which can be used to control a wide range of different electronic systems including sensing, monitoring and automotive. It has a number of applications in industry and learning. Formula Flowcode Formula Flowcode is a robot vehicle which is used to teach robotics, and to provide a platform for competing in robotics events. ECIO ECIO devices are powerful USB programmable microcontrollers with either 28 or 40 pin standard DIL (0.6 ) footprints. They are perfect for student use at home, project work and building fully integrated embedded systems. FlowKit The FlowKit allows for in circuit debugging directly from within Flowcode. This is the same ICD debugging feature that is included with our version 7 EB006 Multiprogrammer boards. Flowcode + E-Block Technology bundles Matrix TSL technology bundles are based on a combination of two of our most popular products, E-Blocks and Flowcode. Other bundles in the range Easy Mobile Communications Pack Easy Zigbee Pack Easy RFID Easy Internet Easy CAN Bus Easy GPS Easy USB Build your own PC Interface Build your own PLC Build your own Data-logger