MRF24XA Radio Utility Driver Program AN1552 Author: INTRODUCTION Sushma Myneni Microchip Technology Inc. The MRF24XA Radio Utility Driver Program provides design engineers with a development and testing platform for the MRF24XA RF transceiver. Microchip s MRF24XA is an IEEE 802.15.4-compliant, low-power transceiver, which also supports additional capabilities when operating in proprietary mode. For more information about the list of features supported by the MRF24XA RF transceiver, please refer to the MRF24XA Data Sheet (DS70005023), which is available for download from the Microchip web site (www.microchip.com/wireless). The MRF24XA Radio Utility Driver Program can be used to test Transmit (TX), Receive (RX), Sleep, and other capabilities of the transceiver. The MRF24XA Radio Utility Driver Program was designed to operate with the following Microchip development boards through a PICtail board connector: PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Development Board (PIC18F87J11) Explorer 16 Development Board (PIC24F128GA010) 8-bit Wireless Development Board (PIC18F46J50) TX, RX and other options can be chosen using a terminal emulator by connecting the chosen development board to the PC s serial port using a RS-232 cable. See the Getting Started section for setup information. The MRF24XA Radio Utility Driver Program source code and hex files are available in an archive file (see Section Appendix A: Source Code ), which can be downloaded from the product page at: www.microchip.com/mrf24xa For additional materials, please refer to the References section. GETTING STARTED Use the following procedure to set up your hardware: 1. Insert the MRF24XA RF transceiver daughter board into the desired development board. Refer to one of the following sections for the board in use: Using the PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Development Board Using the Explorer 16 Development Board Using the 8-bit Wireless Development Board 2. Connect the power cord for the development board. 3. Connect an RS-232 cable between the development board and the PC that will display the MRF24XA Radio Utility Driver Program user interface. 4. Program the development board by choosing the appropriate hex file located in the PreCompiled HEX folder within the project folder. Note: If you are new to Microchip development tools, please refer to Section 5.5 Loadable Projects and Files in the MPLAB X IDE User s Guide (DS52027). 5. Using a terminal emulation program, set the serial port communication parameters using the information listed in Table 1. TABLE 1: The hex files for each of the development boards are different. SERIAL PORT SETTINGS Parameter Setting Bits per second 19200 or 115200 (1) Data bits 8 Parity None Stop bits 1 Flow control None Note 1: Use a higher baud rate setting when using a higher clock with the PIC microcontroller. The name of the precompiled hex file indicates the appropriate selection for the baud rate. 2013 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00001552A-page 1
Using the PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Development Board The MRF24XA daughter board can be connected to the PICtail board connector, J3, on the PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Development Board. This connection supports 3-wire SPI, interrupts, and other MRF24XA handshake signals between the PIC microcontroller and the MRF24XA daughter board. Figure 1 provides an example of this setup. FIGURE 1: CONNECTING THE MRF24XA DAUGHTER BOARD TO THE PICtail BOARD CONNECTOR (J3) ON THE PICDEM PIC18 EXPLORER DEVELOPMENT BOARD DS00001552A-page 2 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
Using the Explorer 16 Development Board The MRF24XA daughter board s PCB edge connector can be used to connect to the PICtail Plus connector of the Explorer 16 Development Board. This connection supports 3-wire SPI, interrupts, and other MRF24XA handshake signals between the PIC microcontroller and the MRF24XA daughter board. The setup between the Explorer 16 Development Board and the MRF24XA daughter board is shown in Figure 2. FIGURE 2: CONNECTING THE MRF24XA DAUGHTER BOARD TO THE PICtail PLUS CONNECTOR ON THE EXPLORER 16 DEVELOPMENT BOARD 2013 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00001552A-page 3
Using the 8-bit Wireless Development Board The MRF24XA daughter board can be connected to the PICtail board connector, J201, on the 8-bit Wireless Development Board. This connection supports 3-wire SPI, interrupts, and other MRF24XA handshake signals between the PIC microcontroller and the MRF24XA daughter board. Figure 3 provides an example of this setup. FIGURE 3: CONNECTING THE MRF24XA DAUGHTER BOARD TO THE PICtail BOARD CONNECTOR (J201) ON THE 8-BIT WIRELESS DEVELOPMENT BOARD DS00001552A-page 4 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
Using the MRF24XA Radio Utility Driver Program The MRF24XA Radio Utility Driver Program can be operated through the user interface that is displayed in the terminal emulator window. Table 2 lists the available menu options. TABLE 2: MENU ITEMS Main Menu Available Options 0: Configure 1: Set Channel 2: Set Packet Loop 3: Set Packet Interval in ms 4: Set Real-Time Display for Received Packet 5: Set Real-Time Count for Received Packet 7: Set TX Power 8: Set MRF24XA to Deep Sleep Mode 9: Change Data Rate 1: Transmit 1: Transmit Standard Packet 2: Transmit 20 Byte Packet 3: Transmit Custom Packet 4: Transmit Turnaround Packet 5: Transmit Pseudo-random Packet Sequence 2: Receiver 1: Reset Received Packet Counter 2: Maximum Input Power Level 3: Energy Detection Test 4: Clear Channel Assessment 5: Sensitivity RX ON/OFF 3: Turnaround Time 1: Set ACK time to 180 µs 2: Set ACK time to 192 µs 3: Set ACK time to 204 µs 4: Continuous Transmit 1: Continuous (CW) Mode 2: Packet Mode 3: Sequential Transmit on all Channels 5: PER Test Between Two Units 1: Set as Transmitter 2: Set as Receiver 3: Set PER Package Count to 1000 and Interval to 100 ms 9: MRF24XA Register Access 1: Register Get 2: Register Set 3: Dump Registers 4: Dump Private Registers 5: Dump RX Buffer 6: Dump TX Buffer 2013 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00001552A-page 5
CONFIGURE MENU The Configuration menu can used to set the configuration parameters of the transceiver, as well as the configuration options for the driver. FIGURE 4: CONFIGURE MENU Set Channel: This option can be used to change the channel of the transceiver. The default value is channel 11. The MRF24XA supports channels 11-26. Set Packet Loop: This option can be used to set the counter for the number of times a packet needs to be transmitted. This option should also be used with transmit options 1 through 5. Set Packet Interval in ms This option can be used to configure the delay between transmissions. This option should also be used with Set Packet Loop and transmit options 1 through 5. DS00001552A-page 6 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
Set Real-Time Display for Received Packet This option allows the user to start or stop the realtime display of the received packet. The contents of the entire RX packet with the packet counter will be output to the terminal emulator window. Figure 5 provides an example of the output. FIGURE 5: REAL-TIME DISPLAY OF RECEIVED PACKET EXAMPLE 2013 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00001552A-page 7
Set Real-Time Count for Received Packet This option displays only the packet count of the received packets. This option can be used instead of Set Real-Time Display for Received Packet in those instances when it is not necessary to view the contents of the packet in the terminal emulator window. Figure 6 provides an output example. FIGURE 6: REAL-TIME PACKET COUNT Set TX Power This option allows the user to select a number between 0 and 31, where 0 indicates the minimum setting and 31 indicates the maximum transmit power setting. Set MRF24XA to Deep Sleep Mode This option allows the user to test the Sleep mode current for the device. Change Data Rate This option allows the user to choose between 125 kbps, 250 kbps (default, IEEE 802.15.4), 500 kbps, 1 Mbps, or 2 Mbps data rates. By default, the receiver is enabled to receive only 250 kbps frames; therefore, also apply the same setting for the receiver. DS00001552A-page 8 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
TRANSMIT MENU: The transmit menu allows the user to select data with a different payload size or to use a different mode for transmission. Transmit Standard Packet This option allows on-air IEEE 802.15.4 packet transmission. Transmit 20 Byte Packet This option can be used to transmit an on-air packet with a length of 20 bytes. Transmit Custom Packet This option allows the user to enter, in hex, the packet data to be transmitted on-air. The maximum length of the packet is limited to 127 bytes. Transmit Turnaround Packet This option allows the user to transmit a packet with the Acknowledgment bit set in the frame control field. The recipient node will transmit back the acknowledgment. Transmit Pseudo Random Packet Seq This option allows the user to transmit an on-air pseudo-random packet. FIGURE 7: TRANSMIT MENU 2013 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00001552A-page 9
RECEIVER MENU The Receiver menu options provide the flexibility to set the receiver parameters, such as LNA Gain, RX Sensitivity, and CCA. Reset Received Packet Counter This option resets the received packet counter to zero. The received packet counter keeps track of the incoming packet count. Maximum Input Power Level This option sets the LNA gain setting to a low value. Energy Detection Test This option outputs the results of energy detection in each channel from channel 11 through channel 26. Clear Channel Assessment This option allows the user to configure the CCA to one of three available settings and will output the results to the terminal emulator window. For more information on CCA, please refer to the MRF24XA Data Sheet (DS70005023). Sensitivity RX ON/OFF This option enables the user to test the sensitivity of the receiver. The receiver packet counter will be updated based on the sensitivity test results instead of the actual RX packet count. FIGURE 8: RECEIVER MENU DS00001552A-page 10 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
TURNAROUND TIME MENU This menu provides options that enable the user to configure the turnaround time of the transmit by setting the ACK to 180 µs, 192 µs, or 204 µs. FIGURE 9: CHANGING THE TRANSCEIVER TURNAROUND TIME 2013 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00001552A-page 11
CONTINUOUS TRANSMIT MENU Using Continuous (CW) mode, the user can observe the center frequency and signal quality on an oscilloscope. Appropriate selection for the channel setting, data rate and transmit power levels must be done before choosing any of the options available through the Continuous Transmit menu. To stop continuous transmit after choosing either CW mode or Packet mode, press the <ESC> key to return to the main menu. Continuous (CW) Mode This option allows to user to set the transceiver to transmit in Continuous (CW) mode, and to observe the frequency and the oscillator signal output on a spectrum analyzer. The output signal is an unmodulated signal. Packet Mode This option sets the transceiver to transmit continuous packets with a minimum delay and to observe a continuous modulated signal on a spectrum analyzer. Sequential Transmit on all Channels This option allows the user to continuously transmit on all channels in the frequency band. The modulated signal can be observed on a spectrum analyzer. FIGURE 10: CONTINUOUS TRANSMIT DS00001552A-page 12 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
PER MODE MENU This option enables the user to set one node as the transmitter and the other node as the receiver for the purpose of observing the packet error rate (PER). The PER test requires two MRF24XA transceiver units, with each one running the MRF24XA Radio Utility Driver Program and both set to the same operating channel. Steps for setting up a PER test: 1. Configure Unit 1 as the receiver by selecting Set as Receiver in the PER test menu. 2. Configure Unit 2 as the transmitter by selecting Set as Transmitter in the PER test menu. 3. Unit 1 performs an energy scan on all of the channels and outputs the values in the terminal emulator window. Using the energy scan results, the user has the choice to conduct the experiment under less interfering environments as opposed to the noisy channels. To choose a less noisy channel, select the channel reporting the lowest energy scan value. Enter this channel number on both Unit 1 and Unit 2. 4. Unit 1 reports the number of packets received and the PER percentage. The PER percentage can be calculated as: {(Number of Lost Packets / Package Size) * 100} 5. Unit 2 reports the number of packets sent. Note: The default number of packets in each burst is set to 100. To set this value to 1000, choose option 3 Set PER Package Count to 1000 and Interval to 100 ms. FIGURE 11: PER RECEIVER (UNIT 1) 2013 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00001552A-page 13
FIGURE 12: PER TRANSMIT (UNIT 2) DS00001552A-page 14 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
REGISTER ACCESS MENU The Register Access menu options allow the user to Set or Get the MRF24XA register values, as well as the ability to output (i.e., dump) register values and the contents of the TX and RX buffers. Register Get This option allows the user to read back a particular register value. Register Set This option allows the user to set a register value. Dump Registers This option allows the user to output the standard set of register values (0x00-0x67) to the terminal emulator window. Dump Private Registers This option allows the user to output the private set of register values (0x80-0xFF) to the terminal emulator window. Dump RX Buffer Outputs the contents of the RX Buffer (0x301 <0x301 + packetlen>). The packet length (packetlen) for the receiver buffer is available at the physical memory location, 0x300. Dump TX Buffer Outputs the contents of the TX Buffer (0x201 <0x201 + packetlen>). The packet length (packetlen) of the transmit buffer is available at the physical memory location, 0x200. FIGURE 13: REGISTER ACCESS 2013 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00001552A-page 15
REFERENCES The following documents can be used to support the MRF24XA Radio Utility Driver Program and are available for download from the Microchip web site (www.microchip.com): Explorer 16 Development Board User s Guide (DS51589) PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Demonstration Board User s Guide (DS51721) 8-bit Wireless Development Kit User s Guide (DS70654) MRF24XA Data Sheet (DS70005023) DS00001552A-page 16 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
APPENDIX A: SOURCE CODE All of the software covered in this application note is available as a single WinZip archive file. This archive can be downloaded from the Microchip corporate Web site at: www.microchip.com 2013 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00001552A-page 17
NOTES: DS00001552A-page 18 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
Note the following details of the code protection feature on Microchip devices: Microchip products meet the specification contained in their particular Microchip Data Sheet. Microchip believes that its family of products is one of the most secure families of its kind on the market today, when used in the intended manner and under normal conditions. There are dishonest and possibly illegal methods used to breach the code protection feature. All of these methods, to our knowledge, require using the Microchip products in a manner outside the operating specifications contained in Microchip s Data Sheets. Most likely, the person doing so is engaged in theft of intellectual property. Microchip is willing to work with the customer who is concerned about the integrity of their code. Neither Microchip nor any other semiconductor manufacturer can guarantee the security of their code. Code protection does not mean that we are guaranteeing the product as unbreakable. Code protection is constantly evolving. We at Microchip are committed to continuously improving the code protection features of our products. Attempts to break Microchip s code protection feature may be a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If such acts allow unauthorized access to your software or other copyrighted work, you may have a right to sue for relief under that Act. Information contained in this publication regarding device applications and the like is provided only for your convenience and may be superseded by updates. It is your responsibility to ensure that your application meets with your specifications. MICROCHIP MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WRITTEN OR ORAL, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, RELATED TO THE INFORMATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ITS CONDITION, QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR PURPOSE. Microchip disclaims all liability arising from this information and its use. Use of Microchip devices in life support and/or safety applications is entirely at the buyer s risk, and the buyer agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Microchip from any and all damages, claims, suits, or expenses resulting from such use. No licenses are conveyed, implicitly or otherwise, under any Microchip intellectual property rights. QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFIED BY DNV == ISO/TS 16949 == Trademarks The Microchip name and logo, the Microchip logo, dspic, FlashFlex, KEELOQ, KEELOQ logo, MPLAB, PIC, PICmicro, PICSTART, PIC 32 logo, rfpic, SST, SST Logo, SuperFlash and UNI/O are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. FilterLab, Hampshire, HI-TECH C, Linear Active Thermistor, MTP, SEEVAL and The Embedded Control Solutions Company are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. Silicon Storage Technology is a registered trademark of Microchip Technology Inc. in other countries. Analog-for-the-Digital Age, Application Maestro, BodyCom, chipkit, chipkit logo, CodeGuard, dspicdem, dspicdem.net, dspicworks, dsspeak, ECAN, ECONOMONITOR, FanSense, HI-TIDE, In-Circuit Serial Programming, ICSP, Mindi, MiWi, MPASM, MPF, MPLAB Certified logo, MPLIB, MPLINK, mtouch, Omniscient Code Generation, PICC, PICC-18, PICDEM, PICDEM.net, PICkit, PICtail, REAL ICE, rflab, Select Mode, SQI, Serial Quad I/O, Total Endurance, TSHARC, UniWinDriver, WiperLock, ZENA and Z-Scale are trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. SQTP is a service mark of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. GestIC and ULPP are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Germany II GmbH & Co. & KG, a subsidiary of Microchip Technology Inc., in other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are property of their respective companies. 2013, Microchip Technology Incorporated, Printed in the U.S.A., All Rights Reserved. Printed on recycled paper. ISBN: 9781620773840 Microchip received ISO/TS-16949:2009 certification for its worldwide headquarters, design and wafer fabrication facilities in Chandler and Tempe, Arizona; Gresham, Oregon and design centers in California and India. The Company s quality system processes and procedures are for its PIC MCUs and dspic DSCs, KEELOQ code hopping devices, Serial EEPROMs, microperipherals, nonvolatile memory and analog products. In addition, Microchip s quality system for the design and manufacture of development systems is ISO 9001:2000 certified. 2013 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00001552A-page 19
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