Beginner
10 min

Open the door to a world of IoT opportunities with DTCR-76DA and STM32F767BI

Transcend limits, transmit brilliance

IQRF click with Fusion for ARM v8

Published Nov 02, 2023

Click board™

IQRF click

Dev Board

Fusion for ARM v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F767BI

Experience the next level of wireless excellence with our RF transceiver designed for the 868/916 MHz ISM band, ensuring unparalleled reliability and range for your applications.

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

iqRF Click is based on the DCTR-76DA, an RF transceiver from iqRF, operating in the 868/916 MHz frequency. The click is designed to run on a 3.3V power supply. It communicates with the target microcontroller over SPI or UART interface, with additional functionality provided by the following pins on the mikroBUS™ line: AN, RST, PWM, INT. DTCR-76DA is an RF transceiver operating in the 868/916 MHz license-free ISM (Industry, Scientific, and Medical) frequency band.

Its highly integrated ready-to-use design containing MCU, RF circuitry, serial EEPROM, and optional onboard antenna requires no external components. RF transceiver modules DCTR-72DA fit in the SIM connector. They are fully programmable under the IQRF OS operating system and allow the utilization of hardware profiles under the DPA framework. To upload application codes in DCTRs and configure DCTR parameters, a CK-USB-04A kit is intended. When

the application is uploaded to the IQRF, it can be put in the mikroBUS™ socket and communicate with it with MCU. This Click board™ can be operated only with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. Also, it comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

IQRF Click top side image
IQRF Click bottom side image

Features overview

Development board

Fusion for ARM v8 is a development board specially designed for the needs of rapid development of embedded applications. It supports a wide range of microcontrollers, such as different ARM® Cortex®-M based MCUs regardless of their number of pins, and a broad set of unique functions, such as the first-ever embedded debugger/programmer over WiFi. The development board is well organized and designed so that the end-user has all the necessary elements, such as switches, buttons, indicators, connectors, and others, in one place. Thanks to innovative manufacturing technology, Fusion for ARM v8 provides a fluid and immersive working experience, allowing access anywhere and under any

circumstances at any time. Each part of the Fusion for ARM v8 development board contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. An advanced integrated CODEGRIP programmer/debugger module offers many valuable programming/debugging options, including support for JTAG, SWD, and SWO Trace (Single Wire Output)), and seamless integration with the Mikroe software environment. Besides, it also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development board. It can use a wide range of external power sources, including a battery, an external 12V power supply, and a power source via the USB Type-C (USB-C) connector.

Communication options such as USB-UART, USB HOST/DEVICE, CAN (on the MCU card, if supported), and Ethernet is also included. In addition, it also has the well-established mikroBUS™ standard, a standardized socket for the MCU card (SiBRAIN standard), and two display options for the TFT board line of products and character-based LCD. Fusion for ARM v8 is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem for rapid development. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping and development thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.

Fusion for ARM v8 horizontal image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Type

8th Generation

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M7

MCU Memory (KB)

2048

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

208

RAM (Bytes)

524288

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Analog Output
PF3
AN
General-Purpose I/O
PI9
RST
SPI Chip Select
PC3
CS
SPI Clock
PI1
SCK
SPI Data OUT
PI2
MISO
SPI Data IN
PI3
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
General-Purpose I/O
PF6
PWM
Interrupt
PA4
INT
UART TX
PD8
TX
UART RX
PD9
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Schematic

IQRF click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Fusion for PIC v8 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Fusion for ARM v8 as your development board.

Fusion for PIC v8 front image hardware assembly
Buck 22 Click front image hardware assembly
SiBRAIN for PIC32MZ1024EFK144 front image hardware assembly
v8 SiBRAIN MB 1 - upright/background hardware assembly
Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
Necto image step 3 hardware assembly
Necto image step 4 hardware assembly
NECTO Compiler Selection Step Image hardware assembly
NECTO Output Selection Step Image hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
Necto image step 7 hardware assembly
Necto image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Necto PreFlash Image hardware assembly

Track your results in real time

Application Output

After pressing the "FLASH" button on the left-side panel, it is necessary to open the UART terminal to display the achieved results. By clicking on the Tools icon in the right-hand panel, multiple different functions are displayed, among which is the UART Terminal. Click on the offered "UART Terminal" icon.

UART Application Output Step 1

Once the UART terminal is opened, the window takes on a new form. At the top of the tab are two buttons, one for adjusting the parameters of the UART terminal and the other for connecting the UART terminal. The tab's lower part is reserved for displaying the achieved results. Before connecting, the terminal has a Disconnected status, indicating that the terminal is not yet active. Before connecting, it is necessary to check the set parameters of the UART terminal. Click on the "OPTIONS" button.

UART Application Output Step 2

In the newly opened UART Terminal Options field, we check if the terminal settings are correct, such as the set port and the Baud rate of UART communication. If the data is not displayed properly, it is possible that the Baud rate value is not set correctly and needs to be adjusted to 115200. If all the parameters are set correctly, click on "CONFIGURE".

UART Application Output Step 3

The next step is to click on the "CONNECT" button, after which the terminal status changes from Disconnected to Connected in green, and the data is displayed in the Received data field.

UART Application Output Step 4

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for IQRF Click driver.

Key functions:

  • iqrf_generic_single_read - This function read one byte data.

  • iqrf_generic_multi_write - This function writes data.

Open Source

Code example

This example can be found in NECTO Studio. Feel free to download the code, or you can copy the code below.

/*!
 * \file 
 * \brief iqRF Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * IQRF Click carries the RF transceiver, operating in the 868/916 MHz frequency.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Application Init performs Logger and Click initialization.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * Checks if new data byte has received in RX buffer ( ready for reading ),
 * and if ready than reads one byte from RX buffer. In the second case, 
 * the application task writes message data via UART. Results are being sent 
 * to the Usart Terminal where you can track their changes.
 * 
 * \author Mihajlo Djordjevic
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "iqrf.h"

// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES

//#define DEMO_APP_RECEIVER
 #define DEMO_APP_TRANSCEIVER


static iqrf_t iqrf;
static log_t logger;

static const char demo_message[ 9 ] = { 'M', 'i', 'k', 'r', 'o', 'E', 13, 10, 0 };
static char rx_message[ 10 ];
static uint8_t idx;

// ------------------------------------------------------- ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS


// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    iqrf_cfg_t cfg;

    /** 
     * Logger initialization.
     * Default baud rate: 115200
     * Default log level: LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG
     * @note If USB_UART_RX and USB_UART_TX 
     * are defined as HAL_PIN_NC, you will 
     * need to define them manually for log to work. 
     * See @b LOG_MAP_USB_UART macro definition for detailed explanation.
     */
    LOG_MAP_USB_UART( log_cfg );
    log_init( &logger, &log_cfg );
    log_info( &logger, "---- Application Init ----" );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    //  Click initialization.

    iqrf_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    IQRF_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    iqrf_init( &iqrf, &cfg );
    
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------------------\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "------------ iqRF  Click -----------\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------------------\r\n" );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    
    iqrf_default_cfg ( &iqrf );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, "---------- Initialization ----------\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------------------\r\n" );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    char tmp;
    
#ifdef DEMO_APP_RECEIVER

    // RECEIVER - UART polling

    tmp =  iqrf_generic_single_read( &iqrf );
    log_printf( &logger, " %c ", tmp );
        
#endif
        
#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSCEIVER

    // TRANSMITER - TX each 2 sec
        
    uint8_t cnt;
        
    for ( cnt = 0; cnt < 9; cnt ++ )
    {
        iqrf_generic_single_write( &iqrf, demo_message[ cnt ] );
        Delay_ms( 100 );
    }
    
    Delay_ms( 2000 );
       
#endif
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

    for ( ; ; )
    {
        application_task( );
    }
}

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END

Additional Support

Resources