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Need help choosing wireless components for my project

Malin Edvardsen
Prodigy 20 points
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: MAX232, CC1101, CC2530

Hi!

I am working on a project where I will attempt to create a poker playing robot. So far I have made the computer vision program needed to get live playing card detection from a web camera as well as an application that uses this information to play poker(Texas Hold'em). This application now takes input from the human players over virtual com ports on the computer, where the player modules are simulated in a separate application.

The plan is to run the main program (playing texas holdem using computer vision) on a beagle board. The issue is then how the beagle board should communicate with the player modules. The plan is that the robot will include 4 player modules, with opportunity to buy extra separate units. But it is also planed to create an app for smart phones that will work like the current simulators, so that every smartphone is a potential player module.

A normal full poker table consists of 10 players, so this is an expected amount of nodes. So. For this it sounds as if OpenLink would be perfect for me to use! As I have never worked with wireless communication before, I was hoping you could help me a bit on what components I should by for my prototyping? I was looking at your Zigbee and Bluetooth components, but got a bit confused on what I actually need to start making my prototypes? (I am mainly a software girl ;)

For now, I was planning on using an atmega32 to run the player modules, but that choice was only made as this was something I had available with easy access to a display an some buttons needed for the prototype(E-Blocks).

So to sum up. What wireless components do you recommend that I buy to achieve communication between a beagle board and about 10 other nodes (planned to run on an atmega32)?

btw: the user module will need 6 buttons, a small display(currently using 2X16 LCD display but am planning to maybe add a graphical display) an some way to communicate, so if there are other (better) solutions than using E-Blocks for my prototype, I'm all ears =)

  • 0
    Intellectual 355 points

    It's not TI gear, but take a look at the XBee Series 2 modules from Digi. You can load ZigBee and other 802.15.4 protocol firmware on those modules. As well as a UART for IO to a MCU they have a hand full of IO lines that can do digital input/output/PWM/ADC. There is AT command set API which can be used to configure them and to issue remote control commands to other nodes on the network. Also they are FCC pre-certified as modules. Only annoying thing for from a prototyping standpoint is the non-standard 2mm pin pitch. See the book "Building Wireless Sensor Networks" from O'Reilly for a introduction to those modules (although the book concentrates on the older Series 1 modules which only do basic 802.15.4 -- not ZigBee).   Microchip do a MRF24J40MA/B/C which is a 802.15.4 radio module. Again pre-certified. 

    BTW: I'd be interested to know of good TI based chipset modules commercially available.

    Joe.


  • 0 in reply to Joe Desbonnet
    Prodigy 20 points

    Thank you for your help! I have been reading a bit about this now, and am thinking that the XBee series 1 may be better for me. This is supposed to be a bit simpler to work with, and I only need point to multi point communication anyway =) Or is there some clever reason for why I would like to user the series 2, that I have not been thinking about? 

    And as far as I can see, I just connect the DIN, DOUT pins directly to the ATmega and via some MAX232 chip for the beagleboard. Add some 3.3V and GND and I should be good to go using normal UART?

    As mentioned before, I am really bad at this stuff, so if there is something I haven't considered, please tell me!

    Malin

  • 0 in reply to Malin Edvardsen
    Intellectual 355 points

    Sounds like Series 1 will be sufficient for your needs. You can always upgrade simply by unplugging the modules and dropping in new ones. There are clones of the XBee eg the RFBee from SeeedStudio. Same form factor and API but different wireless protocol (based on the TI CC1101 RF transceiver).

  • 0 in reply to Joe Desbonnet
    Prodigy 170 points

    I'm doing my first project on Zigbee module.Please help me to choose the right on which will cost me less.Here range is not a problem.But cost should be effective

  • 0 in reply to brolin p john
    Guru 735695 points

    HI John,

    My suggestion is to start from ZStack example running on CC2530.

  • 0 in reply to YiKai Chen
    Prodigy 170 points

    i would like to know wether CC2530 is the microcontroller to be used in zigbee module or a zigbee module.

  • 0 in reply to brolin p john
    Guru 735695 points

    CC2530 is a soc with 8051 MCU and 2,4G RF integrated inside. You can program and run Zigbee stack on it without adding extra MCU or RF chip, 

  • 0 in reply to YiKai Chen
    Prodigy 170 points

    That means,i will have to program and use only CC2530 module instead of other MCU interfaced with another zigbee module.So i will need only 2 CC2530 module and program them accordingly for communication between them.

  • 0 in reply to brolin p john
    Guru 735695 points

    Yes, you only need 2 CC2530 to serve your purpose.

  • 0 in reply to YiKai Chen
    Prodigy 170 points

    This information was very valuable.Thanks a lot.