Intermediate
20 min

Create your own gateway to energy-efficient IoT networks with ETRX357 and PIC18F57Q43

Power your IoT dreams with ZigBee magic!

ZigBee Click with Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Published Feb 13, 2024

Click board™

ZigBee Click

Dev. board

Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F57Q43

Discover the potential of our ZigBee Radio module, meticulously designed to conserve power while delivering robust wireless connectivity, ideal for IoT applications demanding efficiency and reliability.

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

ZigBee Click is based on the ETRX357, a low power Zigbee Radio module integrating a 2.4 GHz compliant transceiver with many advanced peripherals from Silicon Labs. The ZigBee protocol is a set of standards for wireless connectivity for usage between any devices over short to medium distances. It uses the IEEE 802.15.4 radio specification running on the 2.4GHz band, plus three additional layers for networking, security, and applications. What makes this module unique is its use of a mesh network architecture which, in bucket chain style, passes data from one node to the next until it lands at its destination. The ETRX357 module is pre-loaded with a standalone bootloader that supports over-the-air bootloading as well as serial bootloading of the new firmware, using the FW pin on the ZigBee Click. The module is controlled using the default firmware consisting of simple AT commands. Parameters that define the functionality of the module and also allow standalone functionality are saved in non-volatile memory organized in so-called S-Registers.

The commands and responses pass through the serial port of the ETRX357 as ASCII text, so a simple terminal application will usually suffice. The industry-standard serial wire, JTAG programming, and debugging interfaces together with the standard ARM system debug components help to streamline any custom software development. In addition to this, several MAC functions are also implemented in hardware to help to maintain the strict timing requirements imposed by the ZigBee and IEEE802.15.4 standards. The module is also able to act as a coordinator and Trust Centre through external host control. The AT-style command line supplies all the tools required to set up and manage a Zigbee network by allowing easy access to the low-level functionality of the stack. ZigBee Click communicates with MCU using the UART interface as its default communication protocol, but it is also left the option for the user to use other interfaces such as SPI and I2C if he wants to configure the module and write the library by himself. The selection

between UART and I2C can be done by positioning SMD jumpers labeled as COMM SEL to an appropriate position. Note that all the jumpers must be placed to the same side, or else the Click board™ may become unresponsive. Additional functionality such as reset and interrupt are provided and routed at RST and INT pins of the mikroBUSTM, as well as serial UART connections CTS and RTS, routed on the CS and PWM mikroBUSTM pins. To simplify deployment, the Click boardTM features the CMT-8540S-SMT magnetic buzzer controlled by the ZigBee module used for audible signalization and notification. You can create different sound patterns using the Sound library supported in our compilers. Signal frequency determines the sound pitch, and the duty cycle determines the amplitude (sound volume). This Click board™ is designed to be operated only with a 3.3V logic level. A proper logic voltage level conversion should be performed before the Click board™ is used with MCUs with different logic levels.

ZigBee Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity Nano evaluation kit is a cutting-edge hardware platform designed to evaluate microcontrollers within the PIC18-Q43 family. Central to its design is the inclusion of the powerful PIC18F57Q43 microcontroller (MCU), offering advanced functionalities and robust performance. Key features of this evaluation kit include a yellow user LED and a responsive

mechanical user switch, providing seamless interaction and testing. The provision for a 32.768kHz crystal footprint ensures precision timing capabilities. With an onboard debugger boasting a green power and status LED, programming and debugging become intuitive and efficient. Further enhancing its utility is the Virtual serial port (CDC) and a debug GPIO channel (DGI

GPIO), offering extensive connectivity options. Powered via USB, this kit boasts an adjustable target voltage feature facilitated by the MIC5353 LDO regulator, ensuring stable operation with an output voltage ranging from 1.8V to 5.1V, with a maximum output current of 500mA, subject to ambient temperature and voltage constraints.

PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity Nano double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

PIC

MCU Memory (KB)

128

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

48

RAM (Bytes)

8196

You complete me!

Accessories

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards is a versatile hardware extension platform created to streamline the integration between Curiosity Nano kits and extension boards, tailored explicitly for the mikroBUS™-standardized Click boards and Xplained Pro extension boards. This innovative base board (shield) offers seamless connectivity and expansion possibilities, simplifying experimentation and development. Key features include USB power compatibility from the Curiosity Nano kit, alongside an alternative external power input option for enhanced flexibility. The onboard Li-Ion/LiPo charger and management circuit ensure smooth operation for battery-powered applications, simplifying usage and management. Moreover, the base incorporates a fixed 3.3V PSU dedicated to target and mikroBUS™ power rails, alongside a fixed 5.0V boost converter catering to 5V power rails of mikroBUS™ sockets, providing stable power delivery for various connected devices.

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards accessories 1 image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

FW Update
PA0
AN
Reset
PA7
RST
UART RTS
PD4
CS
SPI Clock
PC6
SCK
SPI Data OUT
PC5
MISO
SPI Data IN
PC4
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
UART CTS / SPI Chip Select
PB0
PWM
Interrupt
PA6
INT
UART TX
PC3
TX
UART RX
PC2
RX
I2C Clock
PB2
SCL
I2C Data
PB1
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

ZigBee Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43 as your development board.

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards front image hardware assembly
Barometer 13 Click front image hardware assembly
PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity Nano front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Curiosity Nano with PICXXX 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 image step 5 hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity MCU Step hardware assembly
Necto No Display image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Debug Image Necto Step hardware assembly

Track your results in real time

Application Output

1. Application Output - In Debug mode, the 'Application Output' window enables real-time data monitoring, offering direct insight into execution results. Ensure proper data display by configuring the environment correctly using the provided tutorial.

2. UART Terminal - Use the UART Terminal to monitor data transmission via a USB to UART converter, allowing direct communication between the Click board™ and your development system. Configure the baud rate and other serial settings according to your project's requirements to ensure proper functionality. For step-by-step setup instructions, refer to the provided tutorial.

3. Plot Output - The Plot feature offers a powerful way to visualize real-time sensor data, enabling trend analysis, debugging, and comparison of multiple data points. To set it up correctly, follow the provided tutorial, which includes a step-by-step example of using the Plot feature to display Click board™ readings. To use the Plot feature in your code, use the function: plot(*insert_graph_name*, variable_name);. This is a general format, and it is up to the user to replace 'insert_graph_name' with the actual graph name and 'variable_name' with the parameter to be displayed.

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for ZigBee Click driver.

Key functions:

  • zigbee_send_at - Function merges two string and sends it to device.

  • zigbee_resp - Function checking driver buffer string.

  • zigbee_set_pin_rst - Function setting RST pin status.

Open Source

Code example

The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.

/*!
 * @file main.c
 * @brief ZigBee Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This is an example that demonstrates the use of the ZigBee Click board.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initialization of driver, UART ISR and then configures device. 
 * Depending on previous selected device mode it creates new PAN network or joins to one.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Host mode: Broadcasts message 'MikroE' every 3 seconds.
 * User mode: Checks if something is received.
 *
 * ## Additional Function
 * - void zigbee_clear_app_buf ( void ) - Clearing application buffer function.
 * - void resp_wait ( zigbee_t *ctx ) - Function for waiting for complete response.
 *
 * @author Stefan Ilic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "zigbee.h"

static zigbee_t zigbee;
static log_t logger;

uint8_t dev_mode;
uint8_t app_mode;

static char app_buf[ ZIGBEE_DEV_BUFFER_MAX ] = { 0 };

char AT_BCAST_MSG[ 15 ] = ":00,MikroE";

char AT_HOST_CFG1[ 10 ] = "00=6314";
char AT_HOST_CFG2[ 20 ] = "0A=0914;password";
char AT_HOST_CFG3[ 50 ] = "09=5A6967426565416C6C69616E63653039;password";

/**
 * @brief ZigBee clearing application buffer.
 * @details This function clears memory of application buffer and reset it's length and counter.
 */
void zigbee_clear_app_buf ( void );

/**
 * @brief ZigBee wait response.
 * @details This function is used for waiting for complete response.
 */
void resp_wait ( zigbee_t *ctx );

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    zigbee_cfg_t zigbee_cfg;  /**< Click config object. */

    /** 
     * 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 " );
    app_mode = ZIGBEE_APP_INIT;
    dev_mode = ZIGBEE_DEV_USER;

    // Click initialization.
    zigbee_cfg_setup( &zigbee_cfg );
    ZIGBEE_MAP_MIKROBUS( zigbee_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( UART_ERROR == zigbee_init( &zigbee, &zigbee_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
    log_printf( &logger, " Restarting Device \r\n" );
    zigbee_restart( &zigbee );

    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
    log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : AT \r\n", app_buf );
    zigbee_send_cmd( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_AT );
    resp_wait( &zigbee );

    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
    log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : AT + DASSL \r\n", app_buf );
    zigbee_send_cmd( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_AT_DASSL );
    resp_wait( &zigbee );

    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
    log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : ATZ \r\n", app_buf );
    zigbee_send_cmd( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_ATZ );
    resp_wait( &zigbee );

    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
    log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : ATI \r\n", app_buf );
    zigbee_send_cmd( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_ATI );
    resp_wait( &zigbee );

    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
    log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : AT + N \r\n", app_buf );
    zigbee_send_cmd( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_AT_N );
    resp_wait( &zigbee );
    
    if ( ZIGBEE_DEV_HOST == dev_mode )
    {
        // Setting the device into host mode and creating a network for other devices to connect.
        log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
        log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : AT + HOST CFG 1 \r\n", app_buf );
        zigbee_send_at( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_ATS, &AT_HOST_CFG1[ 0 ] );
        resp_wait( &zigbee );
        log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
        log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : AT + HOST CFG 2 \r\n", app_buf );
        zigbee_send_at( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_ATS, &AT_HOST_CFG2[ 0 ] );
        resp_wait( &zigbee );
        log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
        log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : AT + HOST CFG 3 \r\n", app_buf );
        zigbee_send_at( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_ATS, &AT_HOST_CFG3[ 0 ] );
        resp_wait( &zigbee );
        log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
        log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : AT + EN \r\n", app_buf );
        zigbee_send_cmd( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_AT_EN );
        resp_wait( &zigbee );
    }
    else if ( ZIGBEE_DEV_USER == dev_mode )
    {
        // Setting the device into user mode and joining the existing network.
        log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
        log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : AT + JN \r\n", app_buf );
        zigbee_send_cmd( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_AT_JN );
        resp_wait( &zigbee );
    }

    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
    log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : AT + IDREQ \r\n", app_buf );
    zigbee_send_cmd( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_AT_IDREQ );
    resp_wait( &zigbee );

    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
    log_printf( &logger, " Sending command : AT + N \r\n", app_buf );
    zigbee_send_cmd( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_AT_N );
    resp_wait( &zigbee );

    Delay_ms( 1000 );
    app_mode = ZIGBEE_APP_TASK;
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    if ( ZIGBEE_DEV_HOST == dev_mode )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
        zigbee_send_at( &zigbee, ZIGBEE_CMD_AT_BCAST, &AT_BCAST_MSG[ 0 ] );
        resp_wait( &zigbee );
        Delay_ms( 3000 );
    }
    else if ( ZIGBEE_DEV_USER == dev_mode )
    {
        resp_wait( &zigbee );
        log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------------\r\n", app_buf );
    }
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

void zigbee_clear_app_buf ( void ) 
{
    memset( app_buf, 0, ZIGBEE_DEV_BUFFER_MAX );
}

void resp_wait ( zigbee_t *ctx )
{
    uint8_t resp_flag;
    for ( ; ; )
    {  
        zigbee_generic_read( &zigbee, app_buf, ZIGBEE_DEV_BUFFER_MAX );
        Delay_ms( 50 );
        resp_flag = zigbee_resp( ctx, app_buf );

        if ( ( ZIGBEE_APP_TASK == app_mode ) && ( ZIGBEE_DEV_USER == dev_mode ) )
        {  
            if ( ( ZIGBEE_OP_WAIT != resp_flag ) )
            {   
                
                log_printf( &logger, " %s ", app_buf ); 
                zigbee_clear_app_buf(  );
            }
        }
        else
        {  
            if ( ( ZIGBEE_OP_OK == resp_flag ) || ( ZIGBEE_OP_ERROR == resp_flag ) )
            {
                log_printf( &logger, "%s", app_buf );
                log_printf( &logger, "\r\n" );
                zigbee_clear_app_buf(  );
                break;
            }
        }

    }
}

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

Additional Support

Resources

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