This thread has been locked.

If you have a related question, please click the "Ask a related question" button in the top right corner. The newly created question will be automatically linked to this question.

WL1837MODCOM8I: trouble connecting the beagle-bone to RTTT

Part Number: WL1837MODCOM8I

Team,

we are having trouble connecting the beagle-bone to RTTT. we suspect the IRQ_WL since it it goes from 1 to 0 after 30 seconds.

my understanding is this IRQ_WL needs to be 1 in order to be in debug mode vs operational mode to enable the WLAN debug UART. probing the UART lines we can see data coming from RTTT but nothing coming out from the module. we have a 10kohm pull-up on IRQ_WL. we disconnected all 6 SDIO lines to prevent firmware download from host. but we cannot get it to work. 

conditions:

UART_DBG_BT = 1.8V

AUD_OUT_BT = 0V

IRQ_WL = ~1.6V and then after ~30 seconds goes to 0V.

why is IRQ_WL going low after 30 seconds? is WLAN_IRQ and IRQ_WL the same?

Thanks,

Kevin 

  • Hi Kevin,

    The WLAN_IRQ signal is required to be pulled up in order to put the device in debug mode. Once the device initializes, this pin is pulled low, which is why you see the zero.

    Are you selecting the correct COM port? It is the third of the four that's listed on device manager.

    The baud rate should also be 921600. Does the problem still persist after confirming these settings?

    BR,

    Seong 

  • Hi Seong,

    Yes. we wired up an FTDI cable (TTL-232RG-VREG1V8-WE) that creates a virtual COM port via USB connection to PC.

    Yes, I configured the baud rate to 921600 on the virtual COM port. Is 8 data bits, none for parity and 1 stop bit correct?

    Thanks,

    Kevin 

  • Kevin,

    I will look into this and get back to you shortly.

    BR,

    Seong

  • Hi Seong,

    ok thanks. please let me know soon. 

    -Kevin 

  • Kevin,

    I may require some more time to figure this one out. I'll keep you posted.

    BR,

    Seong

  • Hi Kevin,

    Section 3.3 in the RTTT User's Guide states that on Linux platforms, the WLAN firmware is downloaded by the SDIO driver to the WiLink 8 device while in operaitonal mode. RTTT operational mode provides a debug connection to the IC using the dedicated RS-232 interface to read and write registers.

    Are you selecting the Operational mode in the Settings?

    BR,

    Seong

  • Hi Seong,

    Kevin has been assisting me with this issue. I had the connection setting set to "Serial" however it still fails if I set it to "Operational." 

    This is the output I get:

    [11:39:55] [WLAN 18xx FW]: ts18.API_Connect(1,3,921600,1000,2,1)
    [11:39:55] [WLAN 18xx FW]: ts18.Calling_ConnectDevice(1,3,921600,1000,2,1)
    [11:39:58] [WLAN 18xx FW]: Error: Connection failed: Calling_ConnectTarget returned 4
    [11:39:58] [WLAN 18xx FW]: ts18.SaveSettings('C:\Users\SteJon\AppData\Roaming\RTTT\ts18gui.ini')

  • Hi Jonathan,

    Thanks for the update. Okay, we are looking into this and may take a few days before I have any updates.

    BR,

    Seong

  • UPDATE: In my last response, I had SDIO disconnected from the module. I reconnected SDIO and now I'm able to connect to RTTT via the 2 wire WLAN RS232 port. RTTT now shows "Connected without FW" highlighted in yellow, and the Connectivity Status is "Connected." However, the WLAN firmware has already been loaded into the module by the host, so I'm afraid to click the LOAD button in RTTT in the Firmware File section. Not sure if that would cause an issue to reload firmware? That's why I had originally disconnected SDIO to prevent the host from loading the firmware since I wanted to do that via RTTT. In the current state, I don't have access to the TX and RX tabs so can't perform manual TX/RX testing. Please advise on how to proceed.

    Thanks,

    -Jon

  • Hi Jon,

    Glad to hear you figured out the issue.

    It is normal to see "Connected without FW" after you connect. The next step is to click "Load" button. Please see Section 4 in the RTTT User's Guide

    BR,

    Seong

  • Hi Seong,

    I loaded the FW (wl18xx-fw-4.bin) and INI file and it now shows "Connected with FW" in green color.

    The issue I'm having now is that when I load the FW I get an error pop up message stating: [WLAN 18xx FW]: Error: Failed to get MAC Firmware version. Calling_GetFW_Version() returned -13108

    Then if I click OK in the pop up, and try to do anything such as change the channel, I get the following errors:

    [16:40:50]  [WLAN 18xx FW]: Error: ts18.Calling_ATE_SetAntennaMode_24G failed with error code -858993460

    [16:41:06]  [WLAN 18xx FW]: Error: ts18.Calling_ATE_Channel_Tune failed with error code -13108

    I can see under the "Connect" button in RTTT that the "MAC fw version:" is empty and "PHY fw version:" shows (FDSP: ERR) 

    Please advise. Thanks.

    -Jon

  • Jonathan,

    Before we debug this further, why are you needing to use RTTT? Have you considered using the Calibrator Tool instead? The WL8 Linux driver provides an easy tool Calibrator to configure the WiLink8 devices for different TX operations and measure the output performance as well as measure the RX performance.

    BR,

    Seong

  • Hi Seong,

    I actually figured out my HW was faulty. I have working HW now and am able to connect to RTTT without issue. I was not aware of the Calibrator tool. I browsed through the documentation and it seems that the Calibrator tool is a better way to run TX and RX tests for RF verification. Looks like I can also use it for production line testing and as a tool for the FCC cert test lab to perform their testing. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

    Thanks,

    -Jon

  • Hi Seong, 

    Is there an equivalent WL8 Linux driver tool for testing Bluetooth TX/RX validation? OR do I have to use HCI Tester via HCI UART connection?

    Thanks,

    -Jon

  • Hello Jon,

    You can use the command line interface from console to issue the RF testing commands. If you are using BluetopiaPM stack, you can use ‘ss1tool’ or with Bleuz, ‘hcitool’ from console. Below is a link to access the WL18xx BluetopiaPM RF testing guide. 

    https://txn.box.com/s/onpyyes8c3h305x4pgs52g89l5g7fs7n

    BR,

    Seong