RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide 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.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide Object of Declaration: RN131/171 Evaluation Kit 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide NOTES: 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 EVALUATION KIT USER’S GUIDE Table of Contents Preface ........................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1. Overview 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 13 1.2 RN131/171 Evaluation Kit Features ............................................................. 13 1.3 RN131/171 Evaluation Kit Contents and Part Details .......................
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide NOTES: DS50002183A-page 6 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 EVALUATION KIT USER’S GUIDE Preface NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS All documentation becomes dated, and this manual is no exception. Microchip tools and documentation are constantly evolving to meet customer needs, so some actual dialogs and/or tool descriptions may differ from those in this document. Please refer to our web site (www.microchip.com) to obtain the latest documentation available. Documents are identified with a “DS” number.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide • Chapter 3. “Application Design Concerns” – This chapter provides design concerns related to powering the evaluation board, sensor interface settings, Ad hoc mode, and restoring factory settings. • Appendix A. “RN131 and RN171 Evaluation Kits Schematic” – This appendix provides the RN131 and RN171 Evaluation Boards schematic, PCB layout and Bill of Materials (BOM).
Preface WARRANTY REGISTRATION Please complete the enclosed Warranty Registration Card and mail it promptly. Sending in the Warranty Registration Card entitles you to receive new product updates. Interim software releases are available at the Microchip web site. RECOMMENDED READING This user’s guide describes how to use the RN-131-EK and RN-171-EK Evaluation Boards. Other useful documents are listed below. The following Microchip documents are available and recommended as supplemental reference resources.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide THE MICROCHIP WEB SITE Microchip provides online support through our web site at http://www.microchip.com. This web site is used as a means to make files and information easily available to customers.
Preface DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY Revision A (August 2013) This is the initial released version of the document. 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide NOTES: DS50002183A-page 12 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 EVALUATION KIT USER’S GUIDE Chapter 1. Overview 1.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter describes the RN131/171 Evaluation Kits that are used for demonstrating the RN131 and RN171 module capabilities. These boards have the flexibility to connect directly to computers/laptops through a standard USB interface or to embedded controllers through the serial UART interface. These evaluation boards contain two push buttons, namely RESET and FN.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide 1.2.2 RN171 Evaluation Board Features The RN171 Evaluation Board has the following features: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1.3 Supports FCC/CE/IC certified 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.
Overview FIGURE 1-1: EVALUATION KIT CONTENTS RN-131-EK • RN131 Evaluation Board • USB cable RN-171-EK • RN171 Evaluation Board • USB cable 1.4 RN131 AND RN171 EVALUATION KITS CONTENT Figure 1-2 and Figure 1-3 illustrate the components of RN131 and RN171 Evaluation Boards, respectively. Table 1-2 and Table 1-3 depict the RN131 and RN171 Evaluation Board LED indicators. 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide FIGURE 1-2: TABLE 1-2: RN131 EVALUATION BOARD COMPONENTS RN131 EVALUATION BOARD LED INDICATORS Condition Blue LED Red LED Yellow LED Green LED On Solid Not Used — — Connected over TCP Fast Blink Not Used Not Associated RX/TX Data Transfer No IP address Slow Blink Not Used Associated, no internet — IP address OK Off Not Used Associated, internet OK — — DS50002183A-page 16 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
Overview FIGURE 1-3: Note 1: TABLE 1-3: Condition On Solid RN171 EVALUATION BOARD COMPONENTS The RN171 module drives GPIO8 HIGH on power-up, which overrides software configured power-up values, such as set sys value 0x0000 on GPIO8.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide Table 1-4 provides an overview of the RN131/171 Evaluation Kit Hardware. TABLE 1-4: RN131/171 EVALUATION KIT HARDWARE Hardware Description Evaluation Board Contains the WiFly module and connectors. Power Up Interface for powering up the evaluation boards. RN-131-EK RN-171-EK For RN131 Module For RN171 Module USB USB/Battery Pack LEDs To indicate status and for debugging. Available Available Push Buttons For launching applications.
RN131/171 EVALUATION KIT USER’S GUIDE Chapter 2. Getting Started 2.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter describes the RN131/171 Evaluation Kit board as an independent development board for exploring the ASCII command set and prototyping of embedded systems. Certain hardware and software/utilities are essential to support the development of demo applications. This chapter discusses the following topics: • Hardware Requirements • Software/Utility Requirements • Module Configuration 2.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide 2.3 FIGURE 2-1: RN131 EVALUATION BOARD HARDWARE SETUP FIGURE 2-2: RN171 EVALUATION BOARD HARDWARE SETUP SOFTWARE/UTILITY REQUIREMENTS The following software tools/utilities are required to run the demo applications: • Terminal Emulator Application such as TeraTerm (for Windows OS) or CoolTerm (for MAC OS) Note: Terminal Emulator program is used to send the configuration commands to the module over a UART interface.
Getting Started • Once the FTDI drivers are installed, the COM port is automatically assigned based on the active connection. 2.4 MODULE CONFIGURATION The RN131/171 module operates in two modes: • Data mode (default) • Command mode 2.4.1 Data Mode In Data mode, the RN131/171 module is essentially a data pipe. When the module receives data over Wi-Fi, it strips the TCP/IP headers and trailers, and passes the user data to the UART.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide 2.4.3 Configuration Using a USB Cable The evaluation board uses a USB cable to allow the host computer to communicate with the RN131/171 module on the evaluation board. The following instructions describe how to use a terminal emulator to go into Configuration mode, send commands to find networks, associate with an access point and save configuration. 2.4.3.
Getting Started FIGURE 2-4: 2.4.3.2 FINDING THE COM PORT NUMBER IN WINDOWS ENTER COMMAND MODE The following are the steps to enter the Command mode in a terminal emulator: 1. Type $$$ on the keyboard sequentially with no additional characters before or after each $ sign. The module replies with CMD (on terminal emulator) to indicate it is in Command mode. 2. Type show net to display the current network settings (Figure 2-5 shows the current network settings for the version 2.28).
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide Commands to the module is first sent with a keyword followed by an optional parameter. Spaces are not allowed to use as parameters. The commands are case sensitive. Use a $ to indicate a space (For example, MY NETWORK must be written as MY$NETWORK). Additionally, short form for the parameters can be used. For example, the following commands are equivalent: set uart baudrate 115200 set uart b 115200 set u b 15200 Note: Short forms are not used for command keywords.
Getting Started FIGURE 2-6: AVAILABLE NETWORKS THROUGH SCAN COMMAND 2.4.3.4 ASSOCIATE WITH AN ACCESS POINT Use the join keyword to associate with an open access point. Figure 2-6 shows roving1 as an open access point in the scan list. To associate with an access point, type the following commands: join roving1 or join # 1 To disconnect from a network, type leave . The Red LED blinks quickly when the RN131/171 module is not associated with an access point.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide FIGURE 2-7: CONNECT TO A SECURE NETWORK 2.4.4 Configuration Using AP Mode AP mode released as part of the standard firmware replaces Ad hoc mode. AP mode provides several advantages over Ad hoc mode. In AP mode: • The module creates a soft AP network to which Android devices (smartphones and tablets) can join. (Android devices do not support ad hoc networking.
Getting Started 2.4.5 Enabling AP mode There are two methods for enabling AP mode, hardware and software, as described in the following sections. 2.4.5.1 ENABLE IN HARDWARE To enable AP mode in hardware, hold GPIO9 high at 3.3V and then reboot (or power cycle) the module. The module boots up in AP mode with the DHCP server enabled. Note: For more details on programming/configuring the module, refer to the documentation of module used on the Support page from the Microchip web site at http://www.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide 2.4.6 Using AP Mode The following sections describe how to use AP mode, including connecting to the module, checking for the last device connected over TCP, viewing associated devices, enabling the link monitor and routing data between clients. 2.4.6.1 CONNECT TO THE MODULE Once the module boots up in AP mode, any client device can associate with the network the module is broadcasting.
RN131/171 EVALUATION KIT USER’S GUIDE Chapter 3. Application Design Concerns 3.1 INTRODUCTION This section provides the design concerns related to powering the evaluation board, sensor interface settings, Ad hoc mode and restoring factory settings. 3.1.1 Powering the Module The RN131/RN171 Evaluation Board is powered using the USB cable or through the battery pack, which holds two AAA batteries. However, RN131 Evaluation Board can also be powered using air-wiring. Note: 3.1.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide Once the module boots, other Wi-Fi-enabled devices (such as, computers, iPhones, iPads, android tablets, etc.) are able to find the module when access points are scanned. 3.1.3.2 FACTORY RESET In the Factory Reset mode, the module is restored to the factory defaults. Perform the following steps to restore the defaults: 1. Put the module into default AP mode as described in AP Mode. 2. Press the AP Mode push button 5 times (with 1 or more seconds between presses).
RN131/171 EVALUATION KIT USER’S GUIDE Appendix A. RN131 and RN171 Evaluation Kits Schematic A.1 INTRODUCTION This appendix provides the RN131 and RN171 Evaluation Boards schematic, PCB layout and Bill of Materials (BOM). • • • • A.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide RN131 EVALUATION BOARD SCHEMATIC DS50002183A-page 32 FIGURE A-1: 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN171 EVALUATION BOARD SCHEMATIC 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide A.3 RN131 AND RN171 EVALUATION KITS PCB LAYOUT AND ASSEMBLY DRAWINGS The RN131/171 Evaluation Board is a 2-layer, FR4, 0.062 inch, plated through a hole PCB construction. Figure A-3 through Figure A-14 show the PCB constructions and Assembly Drawings. FIGURE A-3: RN131 EVALUATION BOARD TOP SILKSCREEN FIGURE A-4: RN131 EVALUATION BOARD BOTTOM SILKSCREEN DS50002183A-page 34 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
Appendix A FIGURE A-5: RN131 EVALUATION BOARD TOP COPPER FIGURE A-6: RN131 EVALUATION BOARD BOTTOM COPPER 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide FIGURE A-7: RN131 EVALUATION BOARD TOP ASSEMBLY FIGURE A-8: RN131 EVALUATION BOARD BOTTOM ASSEMBLY DS50002183A-page 36 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
Appendix A FIGURE A-9: RN171 EVALUATION BOARD TOP SILKSCREEN FIGURE A-10: RN171 EVALUATION BOARD BOTTOM SILKSCREEN 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide FIGURE A-11: RN171 EVALUATION BOARD TOP COPPER FIGURE A-12: RN171 EVALUATION BOARD BOTTOM COPPER DS50002183A-page 38 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
Appendix A FIGURE A-13: RN171 EVALUATION BOARD TOP ASSEMBLY FIGURE A-14: RN171 EVALUATION BOARD BOTTOM ASSEMBLY 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide A.4 RN131 AND RN171 EVALUATION KITS BILL OF MATERIALS TABLE A-1: RN131 EVALUATION BOARD BILL OF MATERIALS (BOM) Reference Value Description C1, C2, C3 100 nF Yageo CC0402ZRY5V7BB104 C4 100 nF Yageo CC0603ZRY5V7BB104 D1 Red Lite-On Inc LTST-C150CKT D2 Yellow Lite-On Inc LTST-C150YKT D3 Green Cap ceramic, -20%, 80%, 16V, Y5V, 0402 Cap ceramic, -20% / 80%, 16V, Y5V, 0603 Clear, Red LED, 10 mA, 1.
Appendix A TABLE A-2: Reference RN171 EVALUATION BOARD BILL OF MATERIALS (BOM) Value Description C1 100 nF C2, C3, C11 10 uF C4, C5, C6 100 nF Cap ceramic, -20% / 80%, 16V, Y5V, 0603 Cap ceramic, 20%, 6.3V, X5R, 0603 Cap ceramic, -20%, 80%, 16V, Y5V, 0402 Clear, Red LED, 10 mA, 1.8V, 638 nm, 130 degrees, 1206 Clear, Yellow LED, 10 mA, 2.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide A.5 RN131 AND RN171 EVALUATION KITS PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS Figure A-15 and Figure A-16 show the physical dimensions of the RN131 and RN171 Evaluation Boards. FIGURE A-15: DS50002183A-page 42 RN131 EVALUATION BOARD PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
Appendix A FIGURE A-16: RN171 EVALUATION BOARD PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 Evaluation Kit User’s Guide NOTES: DS50002183A-page 44 2013 Microchip Technology Inc.
RN131/171 EVALUATION KIT USER’S GUIDE Index A S Ad hoc parameters................................................... 24 Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC)........................... 29 ASCII commands ..................................................... 13 Assembly Drawings.................................................. 34 SMA Connectors ...................................................... 18 SoftAP mode ............................................................ 13 T Bill of Materials (BOM) ....
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