Silicon Laboratories UG291 User Manual
UG291: WGM110 Wi-Fi® Expansion Kit
User's Guide
The WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit is an excellent way to explore
and evaluate the WGM1
10 Wi-Fi Module with an EFM32 MCU for
your embedded application.
The kit contains a Wireless Expansion Board (BRD8016A) and a WGM110 Wi-Fi Module Radio Board (BRD4320A). The WGM110 Wi-Fi Module is an easy to use and easy
to interface Wi-Fi Network Co-Processor (NCP). Most of the associated complexity of
Wi-Fi and the protocol stack is offloaded to the module and allows for easy Wi-Fi integration into any embedded system.
The kit easily integrates and brings Wi-Fi connectivity to a compatible Silicon Labs
MCU Starter Kit through the expansion header. The Wireless Expansion Board has also been designed after the Raspberry Pi Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) board specification, allowing the WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit to connect to a Raspberry Pi.
WIRELESS EXPANSION BOARD FEATURES
• EXP connector for interfacing Silicon
Labs Starter Kits
• Common feature set, including SPI,
UAR
T, and I2C
• Allows board detection and
identification
• Radio Board connectors for inserting
Silicon Labs Wireless Radio Boards
• Mini Simplicity debug connector
• Supports programming and debugging
the module firmware
• LDO for high-power radio boards
• Raspberry Pi compatible HAT
• Unpopulated header
• HAT EEPROM for identification
WGM110 WI-FI MODULE RADIO BOARD FEATURES
• WGM110A Wizard Gecko Wi-Fi Module
• Integrated chip antenna
802.11b/g/n compliant
•
• TX power: 16 dBm
• RX sensitivity: -98 dBm
• CPU core: 32-bit ARM® Cortex-M3
• Flash memory: 1 MB
• RAM: 128 kB
• Module certification: FCC, IC, Japan
and Korea
• CE compliant
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ................................
1.1 Kit Contents ..............................3
1.2 Getting Started .............................3
3
2. Hardware Overview .............................4
2.1 Hardware Layout .............................4
3. Wi-Fi Expansion Kit .............................5
3.1 Board Setup ..............................5
3.2 Board Identification ............................6
3.3 Host Interfaces .............................6
3.3.1 UART ..............................6
3.3.2 SPI ...............................7
3.3.3 STK Pin Mapping...........................8
4. Wireless EXP Board .............................9
4.1 EXP Header ..............................9
4.1.1 Pass-through Expansion Header .....................10
4.1.2 Expansion Header Pinout ........................10
4.2 Raspberry Pi Connector ..........................11
4.2.1 Raspberry Pi Connector Pinout ......................12
4.3 Mini Simplicity Connector ..........................13
4.3.1 Mini Simplicity Connector Pinout .....................14
4.4 Power Supply ..............................15
5. Reconfiguring the Wi-Fi Module Firmware ................... 17
5.1 Building the Module Firmware ........................17
5.2 Programming the Module Firmware ......................18
6. Schematics, Assembly Drawings, and BOM ................... 20
7. Kit Revision History ............................ 21
7.1 SLEXP4320A Revision History ........................21
8. Document Revision History ......................... 22
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UG291: WGM110 Wi-Fi® Expansion Kit User's Guide
Introduction
1. Introduction
The WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit (OPN: SLEXP4320A) contains a Wireless Expansion Board (BRD8016A) and a WGM110 Wi-Fi
Module Radio Board (BRD4320A) that plug directly into each other. The core of the kit is a WGM110 Wizard Gecko Wi-Fi Module which
makes this kit an excellent starting point for adding Wi-Fi connectivity to a compatible Silicon Labs MCU Starter Kit.
The kit connects and works out-of-the box by inserting it into the expansion header of one of these Silicon Labs MCU Starter Kits
(STKs):
• EFM32 Pearl Gecko PG12 Starter Kit - SLSTK3402A
• EFM32 Pearl Gecko PG1 Starter Kit - SLSTK3401A
• EFM32 Giant Gecko GG11 Starter Kit - SLSTK3701A
Note: The kit is sold without a Silicon Labs MCU STK.
The firmware and demo that is available with the kit targets applications where the MCU on the STK serves as a host that drives the
application and tells the WGM110 Wi-Fi Module what to do. The picture below shows the kit connected to a Silicon Labs MCU STK
through the Expansion Header.
Figure 1.1. WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit Connected to a Silicon Labs MCU STK
Although the main connectivity path for the kit is to a Silicon Labs MCU STK through the Expansion Header, the kit can also connect to
a Raspberry Pi and function as a Raspberry Pi HAT
Note: Do not connect the kit to both a Silicon Labs MCU STK and a Raspberry Pi at the same time.
1.1 Kit Contents
The following items are included in the box:
• 1x Wireless Expansion Board (BRD8016A)
• 1x WGM110 Wi-Fi Module (BRD4320A)
1.2 Getting Started
Detailed instructions for how to get started can be found on the Silicon Labs web pages:
http://www.silabs.com/start-efm32-wifi
. To do so, a dual row, female socket, 0.1" pitch connector must be soldered in.
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2. Hardware Overview
EXP-header for
Starter Kits
Power switch
Pass-through EXP-header
Not mounted
Mini Simplicity
connector
Raspberry Pi connector
Not mounted
Radio Board connectors
Wireless
Expansion Board
WGM110 Wi-Fi
Module Radio Board
WGM110 Wi-Fi Module
WGM110 Wi-Fi
Expansion Kit
Wireless Expansion Board
WGM110 Wi-Fi
Module Radio Board
2.1 Hardware Layout
The layout of the WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit is shown in the figure below.
UG291: WGM110 Wi-Fi® Expansion Kit User's Guide
Hardware Overview
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Figure 2.1. WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit Hardware Layout
UG291: WGM110 Wi-Fi® Expansion Kit User's Guide
Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
3. Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
The Wizard Gecko WGM110 is an all-inclusive Wi-Fi Module targeted for applications where good RF performance, low power consumption, and easy application development, together with fast time to market, are key requirements. WGM110 has excellent RF performance and can provide long range with robust wireless connectivity. The WGM110 Module integrates all of the necessary elements
required for an IoT Wi-Fi application, including an 802.11b/g/n radio, integrated chip antenna, certifications, a microcontroller, Wi-Fi and
IP stacks, an HTTP server, and multiple protocols, such as TCP and UDP.
WGM110 can act as a Wi-Fi client or be used as a Wi-Fi access point, making the provisioning of the device as easy as surfing on the
web. WGM110 can host BGScript end user applications, which means applications can be designed without relying on an external microcontroller. Alternatively, the Wi-Fi Module can run in Network Co-Processor (NCP) mode, leaving the complexity of TCP/IP networking to the Module so that the customer’s own host controller can be fully dedicated to processing the customer application tasks.
The Wi-Fi expansion kit provides the ability to pair up the WGM110 Wi-Fi Module with an EFM32 host running the user application,
using the module as a network co-processor. The kit provides the Wireless EXP Board and a WGM110 Wi-Fi Module Radio Board, and
should be used together with a Silicon Labs MCU Starter Kit, such as the EFM32 Pearl Gecko PG12 STK. NCP mode of operation is
the primary focus of this kit. For standalone application development, the Wizard Gecko Wi-Fi Module Wireless Starter Kit
(SLWSTK6120A) is recommended instead.
Figure 3.1. WGM110 Wi-Fi Module as a Network Co-Processor (NCP)
The WGM110 Wi-Fi Module in the kit is pre-configured as a network co-processor, requiring no additional programming of the module
itself in
interface, over a UART or SPI interface. (UART with RTS/CTS flow control is enabled by default).
All Wi-Fi and network actions are performed through this interface, and the user can focus on developing the application on the host
MCU. The module application programming interface is described in detail in the WGM110 API Reference Manual.
3.1 Board Setup
A detailed quick start guide is described in QSG145: WGM110 SLEXP4320 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit Quick-Start Guide.
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order to be used with an MCU Starter Kit. Wi-Fi functionality is exposed to the host MCU on the Starter Kit through the BGAPI
1. Insert the WGM110 Wi-Fi Module Radio Board into the radio board connectors on the Wireless EXP board.
2. Plug the Wireless EXP Board into the EXP header of the MCU Starter Kit.
3. Place the MCU power switch in the "AEM" position, and the Wireless EXP Board power switch in the "High Power (LDO)" position.
4. Insert the USB cable to power up the kit and connect it to a computer.
3.2 Board Identification
EXP
Header
WGM1
10
Wi-Fi
Module
EXP14 (UAR
T_RX)
EXP12 (UAR
T_TX)
EXP5
EXP3
Ra
spberry Pi HAT
Connector
GPIO15 (UART_RXD0)
GPIO14 (UAR
T_TXD0)
GPIO16
GPIO17
GPIO23
PE10 (US0_TX)
PE1
1 (US0_RX)
PE12 (US0_CTS)
PE13
(US0_RTS)
14
12
5
3
10
8
36
11
RESETn
EXP7
7
16
UG291: WGM110 Wi-Fi® Expansion Kit User's Guide
Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
The Starter
Kit and Wireless EXP board provide identification of all the connected boards. This detection and identification is used by
the Simplicity Studio tool to present the correct documentation and software examples.
The kit is able to detect which radio board is inserted, but requires the board to be inserted at power-on. It is therefore important to
always connect the boards together before inserting the USB cable into the starter kit (powering on the boards).
3.3 Host Interfaces
There are two available host interfaces on the WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit, one of which can be used to connect the WGM110 Wi-Fi
Module to an external host. The production firmware on the WGM110 Wi-Fi Module uses UART with RTS/CTS flow control as the default host interface. For information on how to reprogram the firmware on the WGM110 Wi-Fi Module, see Section 5. Reconfiguring the
Wi-Fi Module Firmware.
3.3.1 UART
UART with RTS/CTS flow control is enabled by default on the production firmware of the WGM110 Wi-Fi Module. The UART peripheral
routing is illustrated in the figure below.
Figure 3.2. UART Peripheral Routing on the WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
The table below shows the features of the UART host interface. The WGM110 Wi-Fi Module
under default value.
Table 3.1. UART Host Interface Features and Default Values
Parameter Features / Supported
UART baud rate 9600 bps - 6 Mbps 115200 Kbps
Flow control RTS/CTS Enabled
Data bits 8 or 9 8
Parity none, odd, even None
Stop bits 1 or 2 1
Host protocol BGAPI serial protocol BGAPI serial protocol
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Ranges
comes programmed with the settings listed
Default Value
EXP Header
WGM1
10
Wi-Fi
Module
EXP4 (SPI_MOSI)
EXP6 (SPI_MISO)
EXP8 (SPI_SCLK)
EXP10 (SPI_CS)
GPIO10
(SPI_MOSI)
GPIO19
(SPI_MISO)
G
PIO11 (SPI_SCLK)
GPIO8 (SPI_CE0_N)
Ra
spberry Pi HAT
Connector
PD0 (US1_TX)
PD1 (US1_RX)
PD2 (US1_CLK)
PD3 (US1_CS)
4
6
8
10
19
21
23
24
P
A2 (Notify)
EXP1
1
GPIO4
7
11
RESETn EXP7
7
16
GPIO23
UG291: WGM110 Wi-Fi® Expansion Kit User's Guide
Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
3.3.2 SPI
one of two host interfaces available on the Wireless Expansion Board. In order to use SPI as the connection between the
SPI is
WGM110 Wi-Fi Module and a host, the module must be reprogrammed. For more information about how to do this, see Section 3. Wi-
Fi Expansion Kit. The SPI peripheral routing is illustrated in the figure below.
Figure 3.3. SPI Peripheral Routing on the WGM110 Wi-Fi Expansion Kit
The table below shows the features of the SPI host interface.
Parameter Features (Value Ranges)
SPI mode SPI slave
Bit rates 9600 bps - 6 Mbps
Bit order MSB first
Clock polarity and phase Configurable
Host protocol BGAPI serial protocol
Table 3.2. SPI Host Interface Features
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