Atmel ATAB542X-X-WB User Manual
User Guide
“Wireless BlackBird” Transceiver Demonstration Kit
ATAB542X-X-WB
Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of the Atmel® ATAB542x “Wireless BlackBird” Transceiver Demonstration Kit. This kit is built around the ATA542x RF transceiver IC and the
ATmega3290 AVR
This User Guide describes the Demonstration Kit features and provides two versions of the
menu system in the demo software – (1) an abridged version which gives the top two tiers
of the menu, and (2) an exhaustive version which gives the menu in full detail, including the
resulting action from all possible joystick movements at each point in the menu.
For the most rapid path to executing a working demo with the transceiver pair, see the
Quick Start Card included in the package. It shows how to execute the Link Quality demo –
a demo in which each transceiver in the pair measures and displays the relative signal
strength of the other transceiver’s RF transmission.
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microcontroller.
Purpose
The Wireless BlackBird kit, consisting of a pair of transceivers, was designed with a positive out-of-the-box experience in mind. Using the Quick Start Card included in the package,
an end-user can, within a matter of minutes, have a demonstration running. This User's
Guide outlines the demo-software menu, providing a complete, single document which the
end-user can reference while becoming intimately familiar with the many features of the
demo.
Equally so, this kit is suitable for a developer who wishes to explore the full capabilities of
the ATA542x radio and the AVR micro-controller. Through the ISP, UART, or JTAG interface, the developer has complete control.
Description
The Atmel Wireless BlackBird is a 2" x 3.5" PC-board transceiver using the ATA542x UHF
transceiver IC and the ATmega3290 AVR micro-controller, as shown in Figure 1-1. It is
offered in five frequencies: 315, 345, 434, 868, and 915MHz. The BlackBird is UART-, ISP, and JTAG- ready. It has a custom LCD display, a 4-way joystick, and is powered by 2
AAA batteries.
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The UART, ISP, and JTAG I/Os allow end-users to load software into the AVR® and to interface with the ATA542x radio.
With the joystick, the end-user can navigate through menus and select functions to execute. The LCD displays the menus,
as well as showing transceiver activity during each of the various demo functions.
The BlackBird is capable of up to 20Kbit/s Manchester FSK modulation, or 10Kbit/s ASK. Its fractional-N frequency
synthesizer gives a nice 800Hz RF resolution. An internal TX/RX switch controls the single-ended RF I/O which is capable of
up to 10dBm (adjustable) output.
The Atmel
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part numbers for the different frequency versions are:
● ATAB5423-3-WB for 315MHz
● ATAB5425-3-WB for 345MHz
● ATAB5428-4-WB for 434MHz
● ATAB5428-8-WB for 868MHz
● ATAB5429-9-WB for 915MHz
Performance Characteristics
Some typical characteristics for the ATA542x BlackBird transceiver board are:
Sensitivity: approximately –102dBm FSK and –105dBm ASK
Data Rate: up to 20Kbit/s FSK and 10Kbit/s ASK
Frequency/Channels: Multi-channel operation over ±2.5MHz with 800Hz resolution
Temperature Range: –40°C to +85°C
Power Output: ~0 to ~10dBm (switchable)
Supply Current:
● OFF mode: < 1µA
● RX mode: 12mA
● TX mode at ~0dBm: 12mA
● TX mode at ~8dBm: 21mA
Voltage Requirement: 3 or 6 VDC
Range: ≥1000 feet
The specifications for the ATA542x transceiver IC are included in its Data Sheet on the accompanying CD.
Note: The user is responsible for compliance with their respective Government's Regulations regarding RF transmit-
ting devices.
Kit Contents
The ATAB542x kit contains two ATAB542x transceivers (with batteries), as determined by the Atmel part number ordered, a
Quick Start Card, and a CD. The kit is complete, the software is preloaded, and it is ready for immediate use. Figure 1 on
page 3 shows the kit contents.
Included on the accompanying CD are:
1. User Guide
2. Bills of Material
3. Data Sheets
4. schematic and layout files
5. IAR
6. a *.hex file for the Demo software
7. a Quick Start Guide
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source code
Figure 1. Wireless BlackBird Transceiver
Figure 2. Wireless BlackBird Demonstration Kit
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1. Operating the Transceivers
This section contains remarks about how the Menu Guides, both abridged and exhaustive, are set-up and how to use them.
Then, both versions of the Menu Guide, respectively, are given.
1.1 Menu Guide Description
These menu guides are intended to provide the user with two views of the demo-software menu. First, the abridged version
shows a top-level view of only the first two tiers of the menu system. At a glance, the user can see what features are
demonstrated in the pre-loaded software. Second, in the exhaustive version, the user has a simple-to-navigate outline with
complete details about each feature in the software. Additionally, in the exhaustive version, short instructions are given for
the demonstrations whose execution is not intuitively clear from simply the outline material alone.
The following are comments important to understanding these guides and navigating the Demo software menu:
1. anything that appears on the LCD display is highlighted in the outline with bold text. This helps the user to more
quickly spot the place in this outline that corresponds to the current position in the menu system while using the
Wireless BlackBird.
2. there are 5 possible movement of the joystick:
P - press
L - move left
R - move right
U - move up
D - move down
that result in some action. Each is described in the exhaustive version.
3. where reasonable, a few sentences of explanation either complement or replace the abbreviated descriptions of
the joystick movements.
4. unless otherwise stated, these actions apply to each menu item:
L - backs out of the menu item
P - starts/ends/selects the menu item
So, a very important action that the user MUST remember is: only by press ing (P) the joystick will a selected
menu item be stored in memory!
5. the letters “X” or “x” are used in this outline to indicate display of a number that has a variable value.
1.2 The Abridged Menu Guide
There are 6 main menus:
● DIAGNOSTICS
● LINK QUALITY
● TEMPERATURE SENSOR
● LIGHT SENSOR
● FREQ HOPPER
● SYSTEM SETUP
They are accessible by moving the joystick downward (not to be confused with pressing it) or upward after power-up. At
each main menu which has sub-menus, these sub-menus can be accessed by pressing the joystick. Moving the joystick
leftward backs out of the currently-selected sub-menu.
These 6 main menus and each one’s sub-menu are described here:
DIAGNOSTICS - provides transmit and receive functions for testing and evaluation. The sub-menus are:
MARK - transmits a continuous logic “1” (the upper FSK frequency)
SPACE - transmits a continuous logic “0” (the lower FSK frequency)
TOGGLE - generates a continuous square wave by toggling between MARK and SPACE (FSK mode)
RSSI - indicates received signal strength
PKT TX - transmits packet data
PKT RX - receives packet data
S LINK - serial link mode; permits two PCs to communicate over an RF link
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LINK QUALITY - two transceivers exchange data packets with one-another. Each transceiver displays the relative strength
of the signal it receives.
TEMPERATURE SENSOR - two transceivers exchange with one-another the temperature measurement made by each’s
on-board sensor. The temperature measured by a transceiver’s own sensor, as well as that reported by the other
transceiver, is displayed.
LIGHT SENSOR - two or more transceivers exchange with one-another the light intensity measurement made by each’s on-
board sensor. This is a multi-transceiver demonstration with a single MASTER and one or more REMOTEs. The intensity
measured by a transceiver’s own sensor, as well as that reported by the other transceiver, is displayed.
Note: The REMOTEs communicate only with the MASTER – not with other REMOTEs.
FREQ HOPPER - two transceivers exchange data packets, in either single or continuous mode, as they hop among pre-set
channels.
SYSTEM SETUP - various functions
PWR DWN - puts the transceiver in one of two different sleep modes
CHANNEL ADJUST - adjusts/trims the frequency of the selected channel
UNIT ID ADR - assigns a unit ID to the transceiver
SET DATE/TIME - sets the date and time of the internal clock
PWR LVL - sets the power output (LO ~0dBm, HI ~8dBm)
LCD SEG ON - displays all segments on the LCD
A/D TST - shows that the A/D converter works
CLK OUT - outputs a square wave at the RC oscillator frequency
TIME - displays day/date/time information
RF MODULE SELECT - loads pre-set register data for each RF frequency
1.3 The Exhaustive Menu Guide
To power-up the transceiver, slide the white-and-black switch downward. The text ATMEL WIRELESS BLACKBIRD scrolls
across the screen. The AVR
P - displays VERSION X.XX, the current version of the demo software
P,L,R,U,D - goes to power-up display (ATMEL SMARTRF...)
U,D - scrolls through the main menu (DIAGNOSTICS, LINK QUALITY, ...)
P - selects desired menu item
1.3.1 DIAGNOSTICS
Contains seven transmit/receive functions
sub-menus: MARK, SPACE, TOGGLE, RSSI, PKT TX, PKT RX, S LINK
P - accesses sub-menus
L - goes to power-up display (ATMEL SMARTRF...)
U,D - scrolls through main menu (DIAGNOSTICS, LINK QUALITY, ...)
1.3.1.1 MARK
Transmits a continuous logic “1” (the upper FSK frequency)
P - accesses menu items
L - goes to DIAGNOSTICS
U,D - scrolls thru menu (MARK, SPACE, ...)
CH x - sets radio channel (0 to 9)
P - goes to PWR LVL
L - goes to PWR LVL
U - increments channel
D - decrements channel
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logo and the device part number (542x) are also displayed. At this point:
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PWR LVL - sets TX power level
MARK (blinking), channel number, AVR
START - exits or re-starts TX mode
1.3.1.2 SPACE
Same as the MARK menu, except it transmits a continuous logic “0” (the lower FSK frequency)
1.3.1.3 TOGGLE
Generates a continuous square wave by toggling between MARK and SPACE (FSK mode)
P - accesses menu items
L - goes to DIAGNOSTICS
U,D - scrolls thru menu (MARK, SPACE, ...)
CH x - sets radio channel (0 to 9)
FSK - sets transmitter to ASK or FSK
x KBPS - sets data rate, dependent on modulation chosen
TOGGLE, AVR logo, antenna icon, and CH x - radio is transmitting, indicated by AVR logo and antenna icon
START - exits or re-starts TX mode
EXIT - exits TX mode
P - sets selected power level (LO/HI) and goes to MARK
L - goes to MARK
U - selects HI power
D - selects LO power
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logo, antenna icon, and P LO (or, P HI)
radio is transmitting, indicated by AVR logo and antenna icon
P,L,R,U,D - goes to START and stops transmitting
P - re-starts TX mode
L - goes to MARK (main menu)
U,D - goes to EXIT
EXIT - exits TX mode
P,L - goes to MARK (main menu)
U,D - goes to START
P - sets channel and goes to FSK
L - goes to FSK
U - increments channel
D - decrements channel
P - sets mode and goes to x KBPS
L - goes to x KBPS
U,D - toggles between ASK and FSK
P - goes to TOGGLE
U,D - changes data rate (1,5,10Kbps for ASK; 1,5,10,20,40Kbps for FSK)
P,L,R,U,D - goes to START and stops transmitting
P - re-starts TX mode
L - goes to TOGGLE (main menu)
U,D - goes to EXIT
P,L - goes to TOGGLE (main menu)
U,D - goes to START
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