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How to include a PC into Zigbee Network

Choucha
Prodigy 140 points
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: CC2531, CC2531EMK, CC2430

Hello everybody,

I'm actually trying to manage a Zigbee network with a computer.

To do it, i need a USB dongle, isn't it ? Is it fully programmable, and how ?

I want to make my own window application (in Java/C#/C++) to reach my goal.

 

Do you have any ideas on the way to do ?

Which dongle is the best for this kind of application ?

 

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

  • 0
    TI__Expert 3370 points

    Hi Choua,

    To use a USB dongle with ZigBee support and plug it into a computer is a good way to do this.

    As a development tool, TI offers a single-chip USB dongle with the CC2531F256, two push buttons and two LEDs. It is a system-on-chip solution with integrated 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.15.4-compatible radio and full-speed USB 2.0 interface. This chip is fully programmable, but you will need an external adapter to program it or to debug software on it. You can either use a CC Debugger adapter for this, or if you already have a SmartRF05EB Evaluation Board that comes as a development board in various RF development kits, you can use that too (one such kit is e.g. the CC2530DK which also includes one CC2531 USB dongle).

    One way to do it is to implement the very all-round, generic USB class called Communication Device Class (CDC) and let the USB dongle appear as a virtual serial port ("virtual COM port" on Windows). Most operating systems comes with USB drivers for this class out of the box, so no additional drivers are necessary. Since the USB device will appear as a serial on your computer, the code in your PC application will be very much identical to accessing a real/physical serial port. On the web page for the CC2531EMK you can find some USB firmware examples, where one of them ("rf_modem") implements this USB class. You can check out its documentation for more details.

  • 0 in reply to esy
    Prodigy 140 points

    Hello esy,

    I already have a dongle made by another company (but with TI components)

    Its a Z101 from Netvox, the SoC used inside is a CC2430.

    I have also a CC2430DB, and, if I am not wrong, I can program with that board.

     

    The Z101 also appear like a serial port (COM) on the pc.

    In fact, I'll have to do a window application which will "communicate" with the "dongle application" which will be connected to the network ?

     

    But I'm always trying to get useful information about the way to connect my CC2430 to a network, I used some example application for the CC2430DB but I'm far from the end (and far to understand it easily).

    I started to work on Zigbee protocol 3 weeks ago, so I know that it won't come that easy. [:'(]

     

    Moreover, it seems that the CC2530DK is unavailable in Belgium (or Europe) so I must work with my old CC2430DB and my Z101 dongle [:P]

     

    I will search documentation about the programmation of the CC2430DB and how to communicate with Zigbee and with the COM PORT of the dongle, can you help me ?

     

    Anyways, I want to thank you because your help is really helpful.

     

    Have a nice day, it's near the end of mine now !

     

    Choucha.

     

     

     

  • 0 in reply to Choucha
    TI__Expert 3370 points

    Yes, you should be able to program an external CC2430 via the CC2430DB as programming/debugging adapter. This setup is not described in the CC2430 User's Guide, so I will try to explain it for you here:

    You will have to detach the CC2430DB's onboard CC2430 from the USB MCU by removing the three jumpers for Debug Data (DD), Debug Clock (DC) and RESETN on the P5 header (to look at the CC2430DB schematics can be helpful: CC2430DB reference design ). Then, to use the onboard USB MCU as your emulator for your external chip, you will have to connect these three signals (they are P5-pin1, P5-pin3, P5-pin5) from the USB MCU to the external CC2430. NOTE: The CC2430DB uses VDD = regulated 3.3 V when using USB/DC as power source, so you will need to ensure that the external CC2430 is powered with the same voltage level for these signal levels to "match". This can be done by powering the external CC2430 from the CC2430DB by strapping VDD and GND from CC2430DB (e.g. P4-pin1 and P4-pin9, respectively) over to the external CC2430 (and not power it from any other power source, to avoid conflicts). If set up correctly, the USB MCU will detect the external CC2430 when you turn the CC2430DB on and the CC2430DB should be listed as having a CC2430 in the SmartRF Studio, SmartRF Flash Programmer or IAR EW8051.

    I am not familiar with the Netvox Z-101, but you might get some more help on software questions over in the "Low Power RF ZigBee Software & IEEE 802.15.4" section. Good luck.

  • 0 in reply to esy
    Prodigy 140 points

    Ok, I will ask there.

     

    In fact, with your method, the extern CC2430 wil simly replace the CC2430 on the CC2430DB ?

     

     

  • 0 in reply to Choucha
    TI__Expert 3370 points

    Choucha said:
    In fact, with your method, the extern CC2430 wil simly replace the CC2430 on the CC2430DB ?

    Yes, that was the idea :-)

  • 0 in reply to Choucha
    Prodigy 190 points
    This is a very old thread but do you have the datasheet or user manual to the Z101 dongle?

    Thanks