Intermediate
30 min

Combine XB3-24Z8UM and STM32F091RC to create an embedded cellular and mesh networking applications

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XBee 2 Click with Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU

Published Feb 26, 2024

Click board™

XBee 2 Click

Dev. board

Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC MCU

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F091RC

Easy-to-add secure wireless connectivity

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Xbee 2 Click is based on the XB3-24Z8UM, a Digi XBee® 3 Zigbee 3.0 transceiver module providing wireless end-point connectivity from Digi International. This module uses the IEEE 802.15.4 networking protocol for fast point-to-multipoint or peer-to-peer networking designed for high-throughput applications requiring low latency and predictable communication timing. Thanks to industry-leading technology, the pre-certified XB3-24Z8UM module allows switching between multiple frequencies and wireless protocols as needed (Zigbee, 802.15.4, DigiMesh®, and BLE), offering a fully interoperable ecosystem covering all vertical markets. This Click board™ comes with a configurable host interface allowing communication with MCU using the chosen interface. The XB3-24Z8UM can communicate with MCU using the UART interface with commonly used UART RX, TX, and hardware flow control pins UART CTS and RTS (Clear to Send and Ready to Send) or using the SPI interface

(XBee module will work as an SPI-slave only). In the case of the SPI interface, the users can use it to configure the module and write the library by themselves. The XB3-24Z8UM also has built-in Digi TrustFence® security, identity, and data privacy features, employing over 175 controls to protect against new and evolving cyber threats. The Xbee 2 Click is associated with many other features, such as the reset function and the possibility of visual and digital indicators. An active-low reset signal routed on the RST pin of the mikroBUS™ socket activates a hardware reset of the system, while a yellow LED indicator marked as ASSOC represents a visual indication of the module's connection to the network. If the LED is constantly on, it means that the module is not connected to the mobile network, while the standard flashing of the LED represents the normal operating mode. The A/D pin routed on the INT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket represents a type of interrupt positioning an onboard SMD jumper to an

appropriate whose function can be selected by position labeled as DTR or ATT. DTR position is a "Data terminal ready" function that tells the XBee module that the host MCU is ready to communicate. The ATT position (SPI Attention) represents an indicator for the SPI interface whenever the Xbee module has data for the host MCU. In addition, the board also has a commissioning pushbutton marked as COMMI, which, combined with an ASSOC LED, provides various simple functions to aid in deploying devices in a network. This Click board™ can only be operated with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

XBee 2 Click top side image
XBee 2 Click lateral side image
XBee 2 Click bottom side image

Features overview

Development board

Nucleo-64 with STM32F091RC 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 STM32F091RC MCU double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M0

MCU Memory (KB)

256

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

UART RTS
PC0
AN
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
UART CTS
PC8
PWM
Data Ready Indicator
PC14
INT
UART TX
PA2
TX
UART RX
PA3
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

XBee 2 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 STM32F091RC 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 XBee 2 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • xbee2_get_serial_number This function sends a get serial number command.

  • xbee2_set_device_name This function sets the device name (node identifier).

  • xbee2_set_destination_address This function sets the destination address high and low bytes.

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 XBEE 2 Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of an XBEE 2 click board by showing
 * the communication between the two click boards configured in transparent mode.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and configures the click board by performing a factory reset, 
 * and setting the device name, destination address, api mode to transparent, 
 * and a device role to join or form network depending on the application mode.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Depending on the selected application mode, it reads all the received data or 
 * sends the desired message every 3 seconds.
 *
 * ## Additional Function
 * - static void xbee2_clear_app_buf ( void )
 * - static err_t xbee2_process ( void )
 * - static err_t xbee2_display_rsp ( uint16_t timeout )
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "xbee2.h"

// Device name (Node identifier).
#define DEVICE_NAME                 "XBEE 2 Click"

// Enter here the specific serial number high and low bytes of the remote device as a hex string or 
// leave it set to broadcast addresses for forwarding messages to all devices
#define DESTINATION_ADDRESS_HIGH    XBEE2_BROADCAST_DEST_ADDRESS_HIGH
#define DESTINATION_ADDRESS_LOW     XBEE2_BROADCAST_DEST_ADDRESS_LOW

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

// Text message to send in the transmitter application mode
#define DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE           "MikroE - XBEE 2 click board\r\n"

// Application process buffer size
#define PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE         200

static xbee2_t xbee2;
static log_t logger;

static char app_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
static int32_t app_buf_len = 0;
static int32_t app_buf_cnt = 0;

/**
 * @brief XBEE 2 clearing application buffer.
 * @details This function clears memory of application buffer and reset its length and counter.
 * @note None.
 */
static void xbee2_clear_app_buf ( void );

/**
 * @brief XBEE 2 data reading function.
 * @details This function reads data from device and concatenates data to application buffer.
 * @return @li @c  0 - Read some data.
 *         @li @c -1 - Nothing is read.
 *         @li @c -2 - Application buffer overflow.
 * See #err_t definition for detailed explanation.
 * @note None.
 */
static err_t xbee2_process ( void );

/**
 * @brief XBEE 2 display response function.
 * @details This function reads data from device until it sends OK or ERROR message or until
 * it exceeds the timeout value.
 * @param[in] timeout : Timeout value in miliseconds.
 * @return @li @c  0 - Read some data.
 *         @li @c -1 - Nothing is read.
 * See #err_t definition for detailed explanation.
 * @note None.
 */
static err_t xbee2_display_rsp ( uint16_t timeout );

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    xbee2_cfg_t xbee2_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 " );

    // Click initialization.
    xbee2_cfg_setup( &xbee2_cfg );
    XBEE2_MAP_MIKROBUS( xbee2_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( UART_ERROR == xbee2_init( &xbee2, &xbee2_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    xbee2_hw_reset ( &xbee2 );
    xbee2_process( );
    xbee2_clear_app_buf( );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Enter command mode -\r\n" );
    xbee2_enter_command_mode ( &xbee2 );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee2_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Factory Reset -\r\n" );
    xbee2_factory_reset ( &xbee2 );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee2_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Get serial number -\r\n" );
    xbee2_get_serial_number ( &xbee2 );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee2_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set Device Name -\r\n" );
    xbee2_set_device_name ( &xbee2, DEVICE_NAME );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee2_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set Destination Address -\r\n" );
    xbee2_set_destination_address ( &xbee2, DESTINATION_ADDRESS_HIGH, DESTINATION_ADDRESS_LOW );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee2_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set API mode -\r\n" );
    xbee2_set_api_mode ( &xbee2, XBEE2_MODE_TRANSPARENT );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee2_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Set Device Role -\r\n" );
#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    xbee2_set_device_role ( &xbee2, XBEE2_DEVICE_ROLE_JOIN_NETWORK );
#else
    xbee2_set_device_role ( &xbee2, XBEE2_DEVICE_ROLE_FORM_NETWORK );
#endif
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee2_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Apply changes -\r\n" );
    xbee2_apply_changes ( &xbee2 );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee2_display_rsp ( 1000 ); 
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Save changes -\r\n" );
    xbee2_save_changes ( &xbee2 );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee2_display_rsp ( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " - Exit command mode -\r\n" );
    xbee2_exit_command_mode ( &xbee2 );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    xbee2_display_rsp ( 1000 ); 
    
    app_buf_len = 0;
    app_buf_cnt = 0;
    
#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    log_printf( &logger, " Application Mode: Transmitter\r\n" );
#else
    log_printf( &logger, " Application Mode: Receiver\r\n" );
#endif
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
#ifdef DEMO_APP_TRANSMITTER
    xbee2_generic_write( &xbee2, DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE, strlen( DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE ) );
    log_printf( &logger, "%s", ( char * ) DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE );
    Delay_ms( 3000 ); 
#else
    xbee2_process( );
    if ( app_buf_len > 0 ) 
    {
        log_printf( &logger, "%s", app_buf );
        xbee2_clear_app_buf(  );
    }
#endif
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

static void xbee2_clear_app_buf ( void ) 
{
    memset( app_buf, 0, app_buf_len );
    app_buf_len = 0;
    app_buf_cnt = 0;
}

static err_t xbee2_process ( void ) 
{
    int32_t rx_size;
    char rx_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
    rx_size = xbee2_generic_read( &xbee2, rx_buf, PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE );
    if ( rx_size > 0 ) 
    {
        int32_t buf_cnt = 0;
        if ( ( app_buf_len + rx_size ) > PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ) 
        {
            xbee2_clear_app_buf(  );
            return XBEE2_ERROR;
        } 
        else 
        {
            buf_cnt = app_buf_len;
            app_buf_len += rx_size;
        }
        for ( int32_t rx_cnt = 0; rx_cnt < rx_size; rx_cnt++ ) 
        {
            if ( rx_buf[ rx_cnt ] != 0 ) 
            {
                app_buf[ ( buf_cnt + rx_cnt ) ] = rx_buf[ rx_cnt ];
            }
            else
            {
                app_buf_len--;
                buf_cnt--;
            }
        }
        return XBEE2_OK;
    }
    return XBEE2_ERROR;
}

static err_t xbee2_display_rsp ( uint16_t timeout )
{
    uint16_t timeout_cnt = 0;
    xbee2_process ( );
    while ( ( 0 == strstr( app_buf, XBEE2_RSP_OK ) ) && 
            ( 0 == strstr( app_buf, XBEE2_RSP_ERROR ) ) && 
            ( timeout_cnt++ < timeout ) )
    {
        xbee2_process ( );
        Delay_ms ( 1 );
    }
    if ( app_buf_len > 0 )
    {
        for ( int32_t buf_cnt = 0; buf_cnt < app_buf_len; buf_cnt++ )
        {
            log_printf( &logger, "%c", app_buf[ buf_cnt ] );
        }
        xbee2_clear_app_buf ( );
        log_printf( &logger, "--------------------------------\r\n" );
        return XBEE2_OK;
    }
    return XBEE2_ERROR;
}

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

Additional Support

Resources

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