CC2538: Unable to test the RF signal strength using CC2538 & the Smart RF Studio 7

shiv patil

Part Number: CC2538
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: Z-STACK, CC1352R, CC1352P, CC2592, , , SMARTRFTM-STUDIO, CC2652P

Hello Community,

I am working on the CC2538 Zigbee device with the SmartRF06 Evolution Board.

I am trying to test the transmission & reception power between the 2 CC2538 devices using the Smart RF Studio 7.

I referring the following document,

https://www.ti.com/lit/ug/swru194b/swru194b.pdf?ts=1595397320175&ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F

I have done the following steps,

1. Connected CC2538 module to the SmartRF06 Evolution Board.
2. Connected the SmartRF06 Evolution Board to the PC.
3. Verified the evolution board drivers are installed.
4. Flash both the CC2538 module with the ZNP firmware application.
5. Started smart RF Studio 7.
6. opened the configuration window of the connected devices.
7. Selected easy mode. Assigned one RF board as Tx & other as Rx.
8. Set the same freq, channel & power settings. Also the selected beacon packet on both sides.
9. Started the transmission & reception.

But,
I am unable to get the packet on the Rx side of the Smart RF Studio 7.
Is there anything wrong I am doing?

Will you please help me to know how can I test the RF strength for the CC2538 devices.

Regards,
Shiv Patil.

over 5 years ago

0 YiKai Chen over 5 years ago

Guru 735685 points

I see it use 22dbm as output power but CC2538 cannot output such high TX power.

0 shiv patil over 5 years ago in reply to YiKai Chen

Genius 3356 points

Hello YiKai Chen,

I have tested successfully the RF strength of the CC2538 Zigbee devices.
there is a firmware issue, I resolve it & now I am able to send & receive the packet using Smart RF Studio 7.

Now I am able to test the device over a distance of 5-10 meters.

But I would like to know,

What are the standard dBm value & the register configuration to achieve a full range of the Zigbee network?

Can we maximize the ZigBee range up to 25-30 meters?

Regards,

Shiv Patil.

0 YiKai Chen over 5 years ago in reply to shiv patil

Guru 735685 points

I remember default TX power of CC2538 in Z-Stack is set to 5dbm and it’s no problem to have at least 30 meters in line-of-sight test.

0 shiv patil over 5 years ago in reply to YiKai Chen

Genius 3356 points

Hello YiKai Chen,

Will you please tell me, what will be the maximum line-of-sight distance covered through the CC2538 & CC1352 devices over the Zigbee network.

Is there any difference between them?

which one is more reliable & serves long-distance for the Zigbee network?

Regards,
Shiv Patil.

0 YiKai Chen over 5 years ago in reply to shiv patil

Guru 735685 points

There won’t be big difference between CC2538 and CC1352R. It depends on what TX power you set and antenna performance. I would suggest you to do field test to know limit of your own HW.

0 shiv patil over 5 years ago in reply to YiKai Chen

Genius 3356 points

Thanks, YiKai Chen

I would also like to know,

1. What kind of configuration we have to make on both (ZNP & end device) stack to extend the range.
2. what is maximum possible power in terms of dBm for CC1352.

Regards,

Shiv Patil.

0 YiKai Chen over 5 years ago in reply to shiv patil

Guru 735685 points

1. If I remember correctly, Z-Stack already set ZNP and all examples of different SOC to max TX power available.

2. The max Zigbee TX power of CC1352R is 5 dbm.

0 Toby over 5 years ago in reply to shiv patil

TI__Mastermind 35030 points

Hi,

Agreed with YK's points.

In addition, you can refer to CC1352P, which has integrated PA (power amplifier), up to 20 dBm tx.

Regards,
Toby

0 Ryan Brown1 over 5 years ago in reply to YiKai Chen

TI__Guru**** 217737 points

Hello Shiv,

Are you using CC2538EMK or CC2538-CC2592EMK boards? This determines the SMARTRFTM-STUDIO range extender settings you should be using. Also, it does not matter what Zigbee firmware is currently programmed onto the CC2538 when evaluating RF performance in Smart RF Studio. If you have CC2592 PAs connected then make sure your firmware includes the HAL_PA_LNA_CC2592 definition and take note of the following Known Issue. I recommend the CC2652P for up to +20 dBm output TX power.

Regards,
Ryan

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CC2538: Unable to test the RF signal strength using CC2538 & the Smart RF Studio 7