Beginner
10 min

Make your devices communicate flawlessly across many standards using MRF24J40MA and STM32F410RB

Where protocols converge, we connect!

BEE Click with Nucleo 64 with STM32F410RB MCU

Published Oct 08, 2024

Click board™

BEE Click

Dev. board

Nucleo 64 with STM32F410RB MCU

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F410RB

Upgrade your IoT projects with an IEEE802.15.4-compliant 2.4GHz RF transceiver, offering ZigBee, MiWi, MiWi P2P, and proprietary wireless networking for seamless connectivity and endless innovation

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

BEE Click is based on the MRF24J40MA, a 2.4GHz RF transceiver module from Microchip. It operates at ISM Band from 2.405 to 2.48GHz over an integrated PCB antenna and matching circuitry. You can set one of the 16 channels in the frequency range. With up to 36dB of TX power control range, it can achieve data rates of up to 250Kbps. The module integrates the PHY and MAC functionality and can create a low-cost, low-power, and low-data-rate Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN). To reduce the load on the host MCU, the module

features automatic packet retransmission, automatic acknowledgment, energy detection, CSMA-CA algorithm, three CCA modes, security encryption and decryption, and more. To communicate with the host MCU, the BEE Click uses a standard 4-Wire SPI serial interface and supports SPI mode 0 only, which requires that SCK idles in a low state. In addition, BEE Click features other functionalities, such as the RST pin for resetting the module with active Low. The WA pin is an external wake-up trigger disabled by default

and should be enabled in the software. This pin is in conjunction with the sleep mode. In addition, the module can signal one of eight interrupt events over the INT pin. 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.

BEE Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

Nucleo-64 with STM32F410RB MCU offers a cost-effective and adaptable platform for developers to explore new ideas and prototype their designs. This board harnesses the versatility of the STM32 microcontroller, enabling users to select the optimal balance of performance and power consumption for their projects. It accommodates the STM32 microcontroller in the LQFP64 package and includes essential components such as a user LED, which doubles as an ARDUINO® signal, alongside user and reset push-buttons, and a 32.768kHz crystal oscillator for precise timing operations. Designed with expansion and flexibility in mind, the Nucleo-64 board features an ARDUINO® Uno V3 expansion connector and ST morpho extension pin

headers, granting complete access to the STM32's I/Os for comprehensive project integration. Power supply options are adaptable, supporting ST-LINK USB VBUS or external power sources, ensuring adaptability in various development environments. The board also has an on-board ST-LINK debugger/programmer with USB re-enumeration capability, simplifying the programming and debugging process. Moreover, the board is designed to simplify advanced development with its external SMPS for efficient Vcore logic supply, support for USB Device full speed or USB SNK/UFP full speed, and built-in cryptographic features, enhancing both the power efficiency and security of projects. Additional connectivity is

provided through dedicated connectors for external SMPS experimentation, a USB connector for the ST-LINK, and a MIPI® debug connector, expanding the possibilities for hardware interfacing and experimentation. Developers will find extensive support through comprehensive free software libraries and examples, courtesy of the STM32Cube MCU Package. This, combined with compatibility with a wide array of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), including IAR Embedded Workbench®, MDK-ARM, and STM32CubeIDE, ensures a smooth and efficient development experience, allowing users to fully leverage the capabilities of the Nucleo-64 board in their projects.

Nucleo 64 with STM32C031C6 MCU double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

128

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

64

RAM (Bytes)

32768

You complete me!

Accessories

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 comes equipped with two proprietary mikroBUS™ sockets, allowing all the Click board™ devices to be interfaced with the STM32 Nucleo-64 board with no effort. This way, Mikroe allows its users to add any functionality from our ever-growing range of Click boards™, such as WiFi, GSM, GPS, Bluetooth, ZigBee, environmental sensors, LEDs, speech recognition, motor control, movement sensors, and many more. More than 1537 Click boards™, which can be stacked and integrated, are at your disposal. The STM32 Nucleo-64 boards are based on the microcontrollers in 64-pin packages, a 32-bit MCU with an ARM Cortex M4 processor operating at 84MHz, 512Kb Flash, and 96KB SRAM, divided into two regions where the top section represents the ST-Link/V2 debugger and programmer while the bottom section of the board is an actual development board. These boards are controlled and powered conveniently through a USB connection to program and efficiently debug the Nucleo-64 board out of the box, with an additional USB cable connected to the USB mini port on the board. Most of the STM32 microcontroller pins are brought to the IO pins on the left and right edge of the board, which are then connected to two existing mikroBUS™ sockets. This Click Shield also has several switches that perform functions such as selecting the logic levels of analog signals on mikroBUS™ sockets and selecting logic voltage levels of the mikroBUS™ sockets themselves. Besides, the user is offered the possibility of using any Click board™ with the help of existing bidirectional level-shifting voltage translators, regardless of whether the Click board™ operates at a 3.3V or 5V logic voltage level. Once you connect the STM32 Nucleo-64 board with our Click Shield for Nucleo-64, you can access hundreds of Click boards™, working with 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels.

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 accessories 1 image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

External Wake-up Trigger
PC0
AN
Global Hardware Reset
PC12
RST
SPI Chip Select
PB12
CS
SPI Clock
PB3
SCK
SPI Data OUT
PB4
MISO
SPI Data IN
PB5
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
Interrupt
PC14
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

BEE Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Nucleo 64 with STM32F410RB MCU as your development board.

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 front image hardware assembly
Nucleo 64 with STM32F401RE MCU front image hardware assembly
EEPROM 13 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Nucleo-64 with STM32XXX MCU MB 1 Mini B Conn - 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
Clicker 4 for STM32F4 HA 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 BEE Click driver.

Key functions:

  • bee_read_rx_fifo - Read RX FIFO function

  • bee_write_tx_normal_fifo - Write TX normal FIFO function

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 
 * \brief Bee Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of an BEE click board by showing
 * the communication between the two click boards.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and configures the click board.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Depending on the selected application mode, it reads all the received data or 
 * sends the desired message every 3 seconds.
 * 
 * \author MikroE Team
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "bee.h"

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

// Comment out the line below in order to switch the application mode to receiver
#define DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER

static bee_t bee;
static log_t logger;

static uint8_t short_address1[ 2 ] = { 0 };
static uint8_t short_address2[ 2 ] = { 0 };
static uint8_t long_address1[ 8 ] = { 0 };
static uint8_t long_address2[ 8 ] = { 0 };
static uint8_t pan_id1[ 2 ] = { 0 };
static uint8_t pan_id2[ 2 ] = { 0 };
static uint8_t rx_data_fifo[ BEE_DATA_LENGHT ] = { 0 };
static uint8_t rx_data_fifo_old[ BEE_DATA_LENGHT ] = { 0 };
static uint8_t data_tx1[] = { 'M', 'i', 'k', 'r', 'o', 'E', 0 };
static uint8_t data_tx2[] = { 'B', 'E', 'E', ' ', ' ', ' ', 0 };
static uint8_t tx_data_fifo[ BEE_DATA_LENGHT + BEE_HEADER_LENGHT + 2 ] = { 0 };

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

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    bee_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 ----" );

    //  Click initialization.

    bee_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    BEE_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    bee_init( &bee, &cfg );
    
    for ( uint8_t cnt = 0; cnt < 2; cnt++ )
    {
        short_address1[ cnt ] = 1;
        short_address2[ cnt ] = 2;
        pan_id1[ cnt ] = 3;
        pan_id2[ cnt ] = 3;
    }

    for ( uint8_t cnt = 0; cnt < 8; cnt++ )
    {
        long_address1[ cnt ] = 1;
        long_address2[ cnt ] = 2;
    }

    log_printf( &logger, "    Reset and WakeUp     \r\n"  );
    bee_hw_reset( &bee );
    bee_soft_reset( &bee );
    bee_rf_reset( &bee );
    bee_enable_immediate_wake_up( &bee );

#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    // Transmitter mode
    log_printf( &logger, " Application Mode: Transmitter\r\n" );
    tx_data_fifo[0]  = BEE_HEADER_LENGHT;
    tx_data_fifo[1]  = BEE_HEADER_LENGHT + BEE_DATA_LENGHT;
    tx_data_fifo[2]  = 0x01;                        // control frame
    tx_data_fifo[3]  = 0x88;
    tx_data_fifo[4]  = 0x23;                        // sequence number
    tx_data_fifo[5]  = pan_id2[1];                  // destinatoin pan
    tx_data_fifo[6]  = pan_id2[0];
    tx_data_fifo[7]  = short_address2[0];           // destination address
    tx_data_fifo[8]  = short_address2[1];
    tx_data_fifo[9]  = pan_id1[0];                  // source pan
    tx_data_fifo[10] = pan_id1[1];
    tx_data_fifo[11] = short_address1[0];           // source address
    tx_data_fifo[12] = short_address1[1];
    memcpy( &tx_data_fifo[ 13 ], &data_tx1[ 0 ], BEE_DATA_LENGHT );
    
    log_printf( &logger, "    Set address and PAN ID  \r\n" );
    bee_set_long_address( &bee, &long_address1 );
    bee_set_short_address( &bee, &short_address1 );
    bee_set_pan_id( &bee, &pan_id1 );
#else
    log_printf( &logger, " Application Mode: Receiver\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "    Set address and PAN ID  \r\n" );
    bee_set_long_address( &bee, &long_address2 );
    bee_set_short_address( &bee, &short_address2 );
    bee_set_pan_id( &bee, &pan_id2 );
#endif
    log_printf( &logger, "    Init ZigBee module:    \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set nonbeacon-enabled \r\n" );
    bee_nonbeacon_init( &bee );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set as PAN coordinator\r\n" );
    bee_nonbeacon_pan_coordinator_device( &bee );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set max TX power\r\n" );
    bee_set_tx_power( &bee, 31 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - All frames 3, data frame\r\n" );
    bee_set_frame_format_filter( &bee, 1 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set normal mode\r\n"  );
    bee_set_reception_mode( &bee, 1 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Device Wake Up\r\n"  );
    bee_hw_wake_up( &bee );
    bee_read_byte_short( &bee, BEE_INTSTAT ); // clears status register
    
    Delay_1sec( );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    // Transmitter mode
    memcpy( &tx_data_fifo[ 13 ], &data_tx1[ 0 ], BEE_DATA_LENGHT);
    bee_write_tx_normal_fifo( &bee, 0, &tx_data_fifo[ 0 ] );
    log_printf( &logger, " - Sent data :   " );
    log_printf( &logger, "%.6s \r\n", data_tx1 );
    Delay_ms( 3000 );
    memcpy( &tx_data_fifo[ 13 ], &data_tx2[ 0 ], BEE_DATA_LENGHT );
    bee_write_tx_normal_fifo( &bee, 0, &tx_data_fifo[ 0 ] );
    log_printf( &logger, " - Sent data :   " );
    log_printf( &logger, "%.6s \r\n", data_tx2 );
    Delay_ms( 3000 );
#else
    // Receiver mode
    bee_read_rx_fifo( &bee, &rx_data_fifo[ 0 ] );
    
    if ( memcmp( &rx_data_fifo_old[ 0 ], &rx_data_fifo[ 0 ], BEE_DATA_LENGHT ) )
    {
        memcpy( &rx_data_fifo_old [ 0 ], &rx_data_fifo[ 0 ], BEE_DATA_LENGHT );
        log_printf( &logger, " - Received data :   " );
        log_printf( &logger, "%.6s \r\n", rx_data_fifo );
        Delay_ms( 1500 );
    }
    Delay_ms( 500 );
#endif
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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