Bluegiga Apx4 User manual

APX4 DEVELOPMENT KIT

GETTING STARTED

Thursday, 29 November 2012

Version 1.5

Bluegiga Technologies reserves the right to alter the hardware, software, and/or specifications detailed herein at

any time without notice, and does not make any commitment to update the information contained herein.

Bluegiga Technologies assumes no responsibility for any errors which may appear in this manual. Bluegiga

Technologies' products are not authorized for use as critical components in life support devices or systems.

Bluegiga Access Server, Access Point, APx4, AX4, BSM, iWRAP, BGScript and WRAP THOR are trademarks

of Bluegiga Technologies.

The trademark and logo are registered trademarks and are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.Bluetooth

ARM and ARM9 are trademarks of ARM Ltd.

Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

All other trademarks listed herein belong to their respective owners.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Version history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1 What is Bluegiga APx4? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.1 Key Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 APx4 Development Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3 APx4 Software Development Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1 How to get started? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2 Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.1 Accessing the APx4 via RS232 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2 Accessing the APx4 Linux console via SSH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3 Accessing the APx4 with a web browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.4 Accessing the APx4 through Wi-Fi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Supported features of APX4 Development Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1 Supported features of APX4 Development Kit under Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Tips and Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1 Figuring out IP address from Linux command line using command.ifconfig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2 Checking device information with command.bgtinfo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3 Scanning for low energy devicesBluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4 Scanning for classic devicesBluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
5 Checking Wi-Fi interface status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
6 Enabling Wi-Fi interface and performing Access Point scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7 Installing Python on APx4 using OPKG packet manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Contact information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

1 Version history

Version Comments

0.9 Version history added. Version number changed.

1.0 Improved getting started instructions.

1.1 Added Tips and Tricks section

1.2 Added more examples

1.3 Added Wi-Fi usage examples

1.4 Added OPKG example

1.5 Updated to have "Where to start?" section

2 Introduction

This document is a getting started guide for Bluegiga APx4 development kit. The guide instructs you how to set

up the APx4 development kit, power it up and access the Linux operating system on the APx4 wireless

System-on-Module.

2.1 What is Bluegiga APx4?

The Bluegiga APx4 is a small form factor, low power system-on-module that includes the latest wireless

connectivity standards: 802.11 b/g/n and 4.0. APx4 is based on Freescale's i.MX28 processor familyBluetooth

and runs an embedded Linux operating system based on the Yocto Project . In addition to integrating the

454MHz ARM9 processor, the wireless connectivity technologies, Linux operating system the APx4 also

includes with several built in applications, such as the 802.11 and 4.0 stacks, ContinuaBluetooth

v.1.5 compliant IEEE manager and many more. This combination provides an ideal platform for designing

multi-radio wireless gateways that enables fast time-to-market and minimum R&D risks.

The Bluegiga APx4 software can be easily extended or tailored customizing the Linux operating system with

applications. The motherboards for the APx4 can be easily extended to include almost anything from 3G

modems to Ethernet and audio interfaces to and touch screen displays.

The Bluegiga APx4 is an ideal product for applications requiring wireless or wired connectivity technologies and

the processing power of the ARM9 processor, such as health and fitness gateways, building and home

automation gateways, M2M, point-of-sale and industrial connectivity.

2.1.1 Key Features

APx4 is a computing platform:

450MHz ARM9 core (Freescale i.MX28)

64MB RAM and 128MB Flash

Real Time Clock

SO-DIMM form factor

A connectivity platform:

Bluetooth 4.0 dual-mode radio

2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n radio with Wi-Fi Access Point mode

10/100 Ethernet

With many extension options:

Up to 24bit display with resistive touch screen800 x 480,

MMC/SDIO, USB and USB OTG, multiple SPI, UART and I²C, PWM, GPIO and AIO interfaces

I²S

Linux operating system:

Based on the Yocto ProjectTM

Thousands of open source software packets available

Qualifications:

Bluetooth, CE, FCC and IC*

*Ready before mass production

2.2 APx4 Development Kit

The APx4 development kit is a ready-to-use development platform the the the Bluegiga APx4

wireless System-on-Module. The development kit consists of a single APx4 module, a mother board and

the necessary accessories and documentation.

APx4 Development kit consists of the following items:

1 x Bluegiga APx4 module

1 x Bluegiga APx4 mother board

1 x 12V power supply

1 x RS232 cable

1 x Ethernet cable

1 x Micro USB cable

Getting started documentation

2.3 APx4 Software Development Kit

APx4 Software Development Kit (SDK) is a software development platform that provides tools, methods and

documentation allowing you to write applications for the Linux operating system running in the APx4. The APx4

SDK is based on the tools and methods developed and maintained by the Yocto Project.

*APx4 Development kit consists of the following items which are downloadable from

http://techforum.bluegiga.com

Development environment for compiling applications

Example applications

SDK documentation

API documentation

The getting started guide for the Bluegiga APx4 SDK is a separate document from this document.

3 Getting started

3.1 How to get started?

3.2 Preparations

Make sure the power supply is not connected to the APx4 mother board

Connect the APx4 to the motherboard by inserting the APx4 module into the SODIMM socket in 30-45

degrees angle and by pushing the APx4 module into the socket.

Push the module into the socket as far as it goes, otherwise the finger contacts may not connect

properly.

Press the module down so that the metal clips on the receptacle engage and make a clear click.

Ensure that a jumper is connected to the header as shown in the image below. See theCURR. MEAS.

yellow rectangle. For ordinary operation this is the only jumper needed.

There are three ways of accessing the APx4:

Serial port

SSH

Ethernet interface and browser

Wi-Fi interface and browser

Figure : APx4 development kit1

3.2.1 Accessing the APx4 via RS232

Connect the RS232 cable to the motherboard's DEBUG PORT

Open a terminal software and use the following settings:

Property name Value

Baud rate 115200 bps

Data bits 8

Parity none

Stop bits 1

Flow control none

Power on the APx4 motherboard

From terminal software make sure you see the APx4 boot log

U-Boot 2011.12 (Nov 26 2012 - 10:34:49)

DRAM: 64 MiB

WARNING: Caches not enabled

NAND: 128 MiB

MMC: MXS MMC: 0

In: serial

Out: serial

Err: serial

Net: FEC

Hit any key to stop autoboot: 0

UBIFS: reserved for root: 0 bytes (0 KiB)

Loading file 'boot/uImage' to addr 0x41000000 with size 1400792

(0x00155fd8)...

Done

## Booting kernel from Legacy Image at 41000000 ...

Image Name: Linux-3.2.12

Image Type: ARM Linux Kernel Image (uncompressed)

Data Size: 1400728 Bytes = 1.3 MiB

Load Address: 40008000

Entry Point: 40008000

Loading Kernel Image ... OK

Starting kernel ...

Uncompressing Linux... done, booting the kernel.

Linux version 3.2.12 (jenkins@green) (gcc version 4.6.4 20120303 (prerelease)

(GCC) ) #1 Mon Nov 26 09:37:59 EET 2012

Accessing APx4 Linux console via RS232

Once the APx4 has booted a login will be prompted

The default user name is : root

The default password is : buffy

bgtinfo command prints the hardware and software version numbers

Enabling fforwarder:

Starting blueconnector:

Starting Lighttpd Web Server: unifi1: SDIO block size 64 requires 8 padding

chunks

unifi1: UniFi f/w protocol version 9.1 (driver 9.1)

unifi1: Firmware build 1089: 2010-10-05 14:50

cindr03_core_softmac_rom_sdio_gcc 1089 bfsw@eagle@630492

lighttpd.

Starting automatic package installer: bgtautoinstalld.

Starting finder:

Stopping Bootlog daemon: bootlogd.

_____ _ _

| ___ \| | (_)

| |_/ /| | _ _ ___ __ _ _ __ _ __ _

| ___ \| || | | | / _ \ / _` || | / _` | / _` |

| |_/ /| || |_| || __/| (_| || || (_| || (_| |

|____/ |_| \__,_| \___| \__, ||_| \__, | \__,_|

__/ | __/ |

|___/ |___/

Bluegiga Linux 5.0.0-beta9 apx4devkit ttyAMA0

apx4devkit login:

Avoid removing the APx4 module from the mother board when the power supply is connected in order not to damage the

APx4 module.

1. a.

4. a.

5. a.

6. a.

3.2.2 Accessing the APx4 Linux console via SSH

Prerequisites

On Windows : PuTTy or similar SSH software

On Linux: SSH client software

In order to connect the APx4 development kit via SSH:

Connect Ethernet cable to the APx4 development kit

Connect power supply to the APx4 development kit

Wait until APx4 has started

Open SSH connection using either PuTTy or SSH client to the IP address of APx4 development kit

Default user name it and default password is .root buffy

Example how to connect the APx4 development kit from Linux:

ssh [email protected]

3.2.3 Accessing the APx4 with a web browser

In order to connect the APx4 development kit with a web browser:

Connect Ethernet cable to the APx4 development kit

Connect power supply to the APx4 development kit

Wait until APx4 has started

Open a web browser and type the IP address to the address field (eg. )http://192.168.1.10

get the IP address by using instructions in Tips and Tricks section

Default user name it and default password is .root buffy

3.2.4 Accessing the APx4 through Wi-Fi

Make sure Ethernet cable to the APx4 development kitis not connected

Having ethernet cable connected will disable the automatic Wi-Fi AP mode

Connect power supply to the APx4 development kit

Wait until APx4 has started

Search for Wi-Fi Access Points with your PC, tablet or smart phone

APx4 Development Kit should be visible with ESSID : APx4_sssss

sssss are the last five digits of the APx4's serial number

Connect to the Wi-Fi Access Point

Default WPA2 password is the APx4 modules serial number

Finally connect the APx4 via SSH or web browser as instructed in the previous chapters

The IP address of the APx4 will be by default 192.168.43.3 when it is Access Point mode

4 Supported features of APX4 Development Kit

4.1 Supported features of APX4 Development Kit under Linux

Linux version 3.2.12 from Bluegiga BSP

Driver Supported Notes

Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 Smart Ready (dual mode)

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n STA and AP modes supported

Ethernet 10/100

NAND

USB host

USB device

UART

I2C

SPI

RTC PCF8563

Display Upto 800x480 (WVGA)

Touch screen Built-in resistive touch

Power management

Audio / codec SGTL5000, recording not supported yet

CAN Not supported by current model of APX4

Symbol Meaning

Supported

Future option

Not supported

5 Tips and Tricks

5.1 Figuring out IP address from Linux command line using ifconfig

command.

root@apx4devkit:~# ifconfig

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:07:80:01:67:04

inet addr:10.1.1.125 Bcast:10.1.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1

RX packets:1968 errors:0 dropped:7 overruns:0 frame:0

TX packets:1020 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000

RX bytes:218757 (213.6 KiB) TX bytes:1194666 (1.1 MiB)

lo Link encap:Local Loopback

inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0

inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host

UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1

RX packets:22 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

TX packets:22 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

collisions:0 txqueuelen:0

RX bytes:1216 (1.1 KiB) TX bytes:1216 (1.1 KiB)

root@apx4devkit:~#

IP address of eth0 (Ethernet) interface is 10.1.1.125.

5.2 Checking device information with command.bgtinfo

root@apx4devkit:~# bgtinfo

This board was identified as Bluegiga APx4 (367CC-A).

Software version : 5.0.0-beta9

Product ID : 9

Hardware revision : 3

Hardware architecture : apx4

Hardware serial number : 1205310019

Ethernet MAC address : 00:07:80:01:66:eb

WLAN MAC address : 00:07:80:59:ef:74

Bluetooth address : 00:07:80:01:67:1d (Bluegiga APX4 #1205310019),

bt4.0/1d86

System clock : Wed Nov 28 09:16:07 2012

Updated software components:

root@apx4devkit:~#

5.3 Scanning for low energy devicesBluetooth

root@apx4devkit:~# searchclient --le-only

| 1353378992 | 00:07:80:ff:f5:88 | "Bluegiga Find Me" | -66 |

| 1353378992 | 00:07:80:4e:71:38 | "Robustness test" | -72 |

| 1353378992 | 00:07:80:4a:aa:ee | "BLED112 dongle" | -79 |

root@apx4devkit:~#

5.4 Scanning for classic devicesBluetooth

root@apx4devkit:~# searchclient

| 1353379111 | 00:07:80:42:cd:4f | "enri_ap_ehealth" | -44 |

| 1353379111 | 70:f3:95:ce:54:9a | "SWLTMIKKOS" | -64 |

| 1353379111 | 00:07:80:01:67:12 | "Bluegiga APX4 #1205310008" | -85 |

| 1353379111 | 00:07:80:ff:f8:c4 | "WT32-A" | -87 |

root@apx4devkit:~#

5.5 Checking Wi-Fi interface status

root@apx4devkit:~# iwconfig

lo no wireless extensions.

wlan0 IEEE 802.11-bgn Access Point: Not-Associated Bit Rate=0 kb/s

RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off

Encryption key:off

Power Management period:500ms mode:All packets received

Link Quality:0 Signal level:0 Noise level:0

Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0

Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

eth0 no wireless extensions.

root@apx4devkit:~#

5.6 Enabling Wi-Fi interface and performing Access Point scan

root@apx4devkit:~# ifup wlan0

wlan0 enabled

Ethernet cable is connected. AP mode disabled.

run-parts: /etc/network/if-pre-up.d/unifi_ap_mode exited with code 1

root@apx4devkit:~# iwlist wlan0 scanning

wlan0 Scan completed :

Cell 01 - Address: 94:44:52:BC:00:B7

ESSID:"bgt"

Mode:Managed

Frequency:2.437 GHz (Channel 6)

Quality=25/40 Signal level=-44 dBm Noise level=-69 dBm

Encryption key:on

Bit Rates:1 Mb/s; 2 Mb/s; 5.5 Mb/s; 11 Mb/s; 18 Mb/s

24 Mb/s; 36 Mb/s; 54 Mb/s; 6 Mb/s; 9 Mb/s

12 Mb/s; 48 Mb/s

IE: IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 Version 1

Group Cipher : CCMP

Pairwise Ciphers (1) : CCMP

Authentication Suites (1) : PSK

root@apx4devkit:~#

ifup wlan0 enables Wi-Fi interface

performs an AP scaniwlist wlan0 scanning

5.7 Installing Python on APx4 using OPKG packet manager

Command needs to be ran once in order to download the list of available packages from the repositories.opkg update

root@apx4devkit:~# opkg install python

Installing python-core (2.7.2-r2.15) to root...

Downloading

http://update.bluegiga.com/feeds/5.0.0-beta9/ipk/armv5te/python-core_2.7.2-r2.15_armv5te.ipk.Installing

python-re (2.7.2-r2.15) to root...

Downloading

http://update.bluegiga.com/feeds/5.0.0-beta9/ipk/armv5te/python-re_2.7.2-r2.15_armv5te.ipk.Installing

python-core (2.7.2-r2.15) to root...

Configuring python-lang.

Configuring python-core.

Configuring libncursesw5.

Configuring python-readline.

root@apx4devkit:~#

6 Contact information

Sales: [email protected]

Technical support: [email protected]

http://techforum.bluegiga.com

Orders: [email protected]

WWW: http://www.bluegiga.com

http://www.bluegiga.hk

Head Office / Finland: Phone: +358-9-4355 060

Fax: +358-9-4355 0660

Sinikalliontie 5 A

02630 ESPOO

FINLAND

Head address / Finland: P.O. Box 120

02631 ESPOO

FINLAND

Sales Office / USA: Phone: +1 770 291 2181

Fax: +1 770 291 2183

Bluegiga Technologies, Inc.

3235 Satellite Boulevard, Building 400, Suite 300

Duluth, GA, 30096, USA

Sales Office / Hong-Kong: Phone: +852 3182 7321

Fax: +852 3972 5777

Bluegiga Technologies, Inc.

Unit 10-18, 32/F, Tower 1, Millennium City 1,

388 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon,

Hong Kong

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