Texas Instruments 2500EM Users Manual

1. Kit Contents

2 x CC2500 Evaluation Modules
2 x Antennas (Pulse W1010, 2 dBi) *
Documentation

The RF boards in this kit are FCC and IC certified
and they are tested to comply with ETSI/R&TTE
over temperatures from 0 to +35°C.

FCC/IC Regulatory Compliance
FCC Part 15 Class A Compliant
IC ICES-003 Class A Compliant

(*) Picture may deviate!

2. How to use the modules

The CC2500EM boards can be plugged into
several development boards from Texas
Instruments. Most notably, you can use the
SmartRF04EB, which is included in the
CC2500DK. This board lets you run a packet
error rate (PER) test, control the device from

SmartRF™ Studio and it can be used as a

development platform.
The board can also be plugged into the SmartRF

TrxEB (included in e.g. CC1120DK and
CC1200DK) and the MSP430 Experimenter’s
Boards.

For prototyping with other microcontrollers, plug

the EM into the “SoC Battery Board”

(www.ti.com/tool/soc-bb).
This guide will show how to use the modules

together with SmartRF04EB.

3. Plug EM into SmartRF04EB

Insert a CC2500EM (EM) with an antenna into
the SmartRF04EB (EB). Connect the antenna
firmly to the SMA connector on the EM.

Caution! The kit contains ESD
sensitive components. Handle with care
to prevent permanent damage.

4a. Power: Battery

There are three different ways of applying power
to the EB:

The first method involves using an alkaline non­rechargeable battery, either a 9V or a 4xAA
battery pack connected to the battery connector
on the bottom side of the board

Warning! To minimize risk of personal injury or
property damage, ONLY use alkaline non­rechargeable batteries. Never use rechargeable
batteries to power the board.

4b. Power: DC/External

The second method applies DC power using
the DC input jack (right in picture, centre is +,
sleeve is ground), or by connecting a 4-10V
voltage source between the 4-10V and 0V
terminals of the power connector (left in
picture). It is also possible to connect a 3.3V
voltage source between the 3.3V and 0V
terminals. The on-board voltage regulators will
be bypassed in this case.

External Power Supply1 Requirements:
Nom Voltage: 6 VDC
Max Current: 800 mA
Efficiency Level V

4c. Power: USB

The EB can also be powered from the USB bus.
Make sure that the SmartRF™ Studio software is
installed before connecting the EB to the PC;
otherwise you may experience problems in
installing it later due to driver issues.

Note that if multiple power sources are
connected, the source with the highest voltage
will power the EB. This means that you should

disconnect any attached battery when using a
lab supply or USB power; otherwise the
battery will be drained.

5. Set Power Switch

If a 3.3V source is used as described in 4b
above, the switch should be set to the leftmost
position. For all other cases, the switch should
be set to the rightmost position. This switch can
be used to turn off the EB by switching it to the
opposite position of that used to turn it on

Do not leave the board powered when
unattended.

6. Packet Error Rate Test

When power is applied to the board, the PER test
program will start. You should see the text shown
above on the LCD display on both evaluation
boards.

Press the button marked S1 (lower right corner)
to continue.

7. Set Frequency Band

Select the desired frequency band of operation by
using the joystick. The frequency should match
the evaluation module and antenna you are
using.

Note that the value shown in the display is also
the selected value. There is no need to press a
button to select or activate the selection.

1

CC2500EMK Quick Start Guide

Opening the box and using the modules with SmartRF04EB

December 2013

When using an external power supply, make sure it meets the listed requirements in addition to complying with applicable regional product regulatory and

safety certification requirements such as UL, CSA, VDE, CCC, and PSE

Web sites: www.ti.com/lprf
E2E Forum: www.ti.com/lprf-forum

Make sure to subscribe to the Low-Power RF
Newsletter to receive information about updates to
documentation, new product releases, and more.
Sign up on the TI web pages.

8. Set Network ID

Push the joystick down to display the screen
shown above. This lets you set the ID of the node
in case you need to run several PER tests
simultaneously and you have multiple
development kits. Leave this set to 1 for now.

9. Packet Length

Push the joystick down to display the screen
shown above. This lets you set the length of the
packets to be transmitted. The packet length will
affect the measured packet error rate. Push the
joystick left or right to select the packet length you
want to use.

10. Number of Packets

Push the joystick down to display the screen
shown above. This lets you set the number of
packets to be transmitted. Set this to the desired
value using the joystick.

11. Select RF Settings

Push the joystick down to display the screen
shown above. This lets you select preset RF
configurations, including modulation and data rate
Preset 0: 2-FSK, 2.4 kBaud
Preset 1: 2-FSK, 10 kBaud
Preset 2: MSK, 250 kBaud
Preset 3: MSK, 500 kBaud

12. Select Mode

Push the joystick down to display the screen
shown above. Use the joystick to select master
mode. The EB you have configured now will be
the master in the PER test.

13. Configure 2nd EB

Perform steps 3 through 11 on the second EB.
Push the joystick down until you get the display
shown above. Leave this EB in slave mode.

14. Start PER

Push the joystick down on both EBs, and the
screen shown above is displayed. Push the
joystick right on the slave EB first, and then push
the joystick right on the master EB. The PER test
will start when the two nodes have successfully
connected.

15. Run PER Test

The uppermost line of the LCD will show the PER
for packets transmitted from the slave to the
master, while the second line will show the PER
for packets transmitted from the master to the
slave.

The PER test will end when the number of
packets you selected in step 10 is reached or if
100 consecutive packets are lost.

16. References

Please visit www.ti.com and

http://www.ti.com/tool/cc2500emk

Download the CC2500DK User Manual, the

SmartRF™ Studio software, examples, as well as

datasheets, reference designs and application
notes.

You will also find a lot of information on the TI
E2E forum at http://e2e.ti.com

We hope that you will enjoy working with the
CC2500 device.

1. Download and Install

Before connecting the EB to your PC, download
SmartRF™ Studio from www.ti.com/smartrfstudio.
Install the program and follow the instructions in
the wizard.

Connect the EB with a CC2500EM to the PC
using the USB cable and install the USB driver as
described in the manual.

2. Launch SmartRF Studio

Launch SmartRF Studio and double click on the
highlighted CC2500 device icon to get complete
control of the device from the PC.

3. Configure the Radio

You can now configure the radio, run tests, export
register settings and run link tests with another
CC2500 on a SmartRF04EB connected to the
PC.

SmartRF™ Studio