Silicon Laboratories EZRadioPRO, MSC-WMB93X, UPPI-930-RF, MSC-AT50 series User Manual

EZRadioPRO Dev Kit UG

EZRADIOPRO® DEVELOPMENT KITS USER’S GUIDE

1. Kits Overview

This user's guide describes the development kit s of the new EZRadioPRO wireless development kit family . Each kit
contains two RF nodes based on the Wireless Motherboard to support evaluation and development of sub-GHz RF
links with the different EZRadioPRO devices. RF pico board content of the different kits is listed in Table 1, and
content common to all kits is listed in Table 2.

Table 1. RF Pico Boards of the EZRadioPRO Development Kits

Qty Description Part Number

Si4060/Si4362 Development Kit 868 MHz 4060-868-PDK

1 Si4060 RF Transmitter Pico Board 868 MHz, 10 dBm 4060-PCE10B868-EK
1 Si4362 RF Receiver Pico Board 868 MHz 4362-PRXB868-EK

Si4063/Si4362 Development Kit 915 MHz 4063-915-PDK

1 Si4063 RF Transmitter Pico board 915 MHz, 20 dBm 4063-PCE20B915-EK
1 Si4362 RF Receiver Pico board 915 MHz 4362-PRXB915-EK

Si4461 Development Kit 868 MHz 4461-868-PDK
Si4438 Development Kit 490 MHz 4438-490-PDK

2 Si4438 RF Transceiver Pico board 490 MHz, 20 dBm, direct tie 4438-PCE20D490
2 Si4461 RF Transceive r Pico board 868 MHz, 14 dBm, direct tie 4461-PCE14D868-EK

Si4463 Development Kit 915 MHz 4463-915-PDK

2 Si4463 RF Transceiver Pico Board 915 MHz, 20 dBm, switched 4463-PCE20C915-EK

Table 2. Content Common to Every Kit

Qty Description Part Number

2 Wireless Motherboard MSC-WMB93X
2 C8051F930 MCU Pico Board UPPI-930-RF
2 USB cable (USBA-USB mini)
2 Antenna with SMA connection MSC-AT50-XXX
1 Kit user guide

Rev. 0.1 12/12 Copyright © 2012 by Silicon Laboratories EZRadioPRO Dev Kit UG

EZRadioPRO Dev Kit UG

2. Software Setup

There are two software tools provided by Silicon Labs to aid in EZRadioPRO software development, the Wireless
Development Suite (WDS) and the Silicon Labs Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The recommended
starting point for EZRadioPRO development is the WDS software tool. This tool is able to identify the connected
boards by reading their identification memories (EBID) and provides valuable help by greatly simplifying radio
configuration, evaluation, and application development.

2.1. Hardware and Software Requirements for WDS

The following hardware and software is required to run the WDS:

Windows XP or later
Microsoft .NET framework 3.5 or later
Silicon Labs CP210x VCP driver
MCR v7.14 or later (Matlab compiler runtime for the modem calculator)
WDS v3.1.9.0 or later

The lack of the .NET framework and VCP driver are recognized during the WDS installation. The install wizard will
install the missing components after prompting the user for consent.

2.2. Download WDS

WDS can be obtained from the Silicon Labs web site free of charge at

http://www.silabs.com/Support%20Documents/Software/WDS3-Setup.exe

2.3. Installation Steps

If WDS is already installed on your machine, skip this section.

Note: Before installing this software, local administration rights must be obtained from your network administrator.

1. Start WDS3-Setup.exe.

2. Click “Next” to start the installation process.

3. Accept the license agreement by clicking the check box, and then press the “Next” bu tton.

4. Select the installation folder.
It is recommended to use the default folder, C:\Program Files\Silabs\WDS3

5. When your settings are confirmed, click “Install” to continue.

6. Click “Finish” to close the WDS Installer.

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3. Hardware Setup

After checking the kit contents against Tables 1 and 2, the kit can be put into operation by performing the steps
listed below.

Figure 1. Wireless Motherboard Top Markings

1. Insert an RF Pico board into the connectors labeled as CON1 and CON2 on the Wireless Motherboard
(WMB).

2. Insert a UPPI-930-RF MCU Pico Board into the connectors, J5, J6, J7, and J8, on the WMB. The dotted
corner of the F930 MCU has to point to the triangle symbol on the WMB.

3. Connect the antenna to the SMA connector on the RF Pico Board.

4. Set the SUPPLY SELECT switch to the USB position.

5. Set the MCU DC/DC switch to the OFF position.

6. Ensure that all the CURRENT MEASUREMENT jumpers are in place.

7. Start the WDS on your PC.

8. Using one of the USB cables in the kit, connect the WMB to the PC.

9. If necessary wait for Windows to install the debug interface driver.

10. WDS must identify the connected board and open an Application Manager window that lists information
about the identified board.

11. Boards can be shipped without preloaded software, or the software on the board can be out of date; so,
upon first use or whenever the WDS is updated, it is advised to upgrade the firmware in the MCU of the
MCU Pico Board. Press the “Firmware Upgrade” button of the Application manager window.

12. Press “Continue” in the next window.

13. Select “Range test” in the next window and press the “Download” button. WDS downloads the new
firmware.

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Figure 2. WDS Application Manager Window

Repeat steps 1 to 11 for the other node of the kit.
The two nodes are now ready for the range test. For more details about the board’s operation, see "5. Wireless

Motherboard Hardware Platform" on page 6 and "6. Wireless Motherboard Schematics" on page 11.
A detailed description of the Range Test Application can be found in the application notes listed in “4. Useful

Documentation”.
The following is a quick-step guide to performing the Range Test:

1. Leave both nodes powered from USB as described above.

2. Button functions are always displayed on the bottom line of the LCD, directly above the buttons.

3. On the start screen that displays the chip type, press GO.

4. On the next screen, accept the default Function setting by pressing “” (right arrow).

5. Accept the default Frequency and Modulation setting by pressing “”.

6. Accept the default Data Rate and Deviation setting by pressing “”.

7. Accept the default Output Power setting by pressing “”.

8. Accept the default Packet settings by pressing “”.

9. Set the Destination ID to the Self ID of the other node by pressing “+”.

10. Accept ID setting by pressing “”.

11. Accept the default RSSI setting by pressing “”.

12. Press TX ON on the transmitter node; the other node will be the receiver.

In transceiver kits, the user defines which node will be the transmitter in the test by pressing TX ON on one of the
nodes. The boards start the test. The transmitter and transceiver nodes will display the number of packets sent; the
transceiver and receiver nodes will display the number of packets received and the PER value. If the PER value is
zero, the link is working correctly.

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4. Useful Documentation

For general information on the EZRadioPRO chips, see the following d ata sheets:

Si406x Data Sheet
Si4362 Data Sheet
Si446x Data Sheet

For hardware design guidance, see the following application notes:

AN627: Si4460/61 Low-Power PA Matching
AN629: Layout Design Guide for the Si4460/61/63/64 RF ICs
AN643: Si446x RX LNA Matching
AN648: Si4463/64 TX Matching

For detailed information on lab measurements and data sheet parameter verification, refer to the following
application notes:

AN655: Range Test Application for the EZRadioPRO Devices
AN632: WDS User Guide for Si446x and Si102x/3x Devices

For detailed information on programming the radio, re fer to the following documents:

Si406x API Descriptions
Si4362 API Descriptions
Si446x API Descriptions
AN633: Programming Guide for EZRadioPRO devices
Download WDS3 installer
Download Silicon Laboratories IDE installer

More useful documents can be accessed via the EZRadioPRO web pages at

http://www.silabs.com/products/wireless/EZRadioPRO/Pages/default.aspx

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5. The Wireless Motherboard Hardware Platform

The wireless motherboard platform is a demo, evaluation, and development platform for EZRadioPRO radio ICs. It
consists of a wireless motherboard and interchangeable MCU and RF pico boards.

Figure 3. 8-bit Wireless Motherboard Platform

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