Chipcon SmartRF CC2420DBK Programming manual

Quick Start Instructions
SmartRF
®
CC2420DBK Demonstration Board Kit
Chipcon AS, Gaustadalléen 21, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway. Tel: [phone], fax: [phone].
E-mail: [email protected]
Introduction
The CC2420 is a single chip IEEE 802.15.4 compliant and ZigBee™ ready RF transceiver. It
provides a highly integrated and very flexible low-cost solution for applications using the
worldwide 2.4 GHz frequency band. The CC2420DBK demonstration board kit is designed to
make it easy for the user to prototype software source code with the use of an Atmel
Atmega128L with SPI interface to the CC2420.
The CC2420DBK includes two CC2420DB Demonstration Boards. The CC2420DB contains
the CC2420 chip and external components together with the Atmega128L microcontroller.
The CC2420DB serves as a prototype platform for CC2420 software development with an
Atmega128L microcontroller. The CC2420DB provides an RS-232 connection, buttons, a
joystick, four LED’s, voltage regulator, temperature sensor, a potentiometer and connectors.
The connectors make it easy to interface to test equipment such as a logic analyzer, and
possible extension boards.
The hardware is documented in the CC2420DBK User Manual, while SmartRF®Studio is
used to obtain register settings for the CC2420DB software. All documentation and a free
software example and libraries can be downloaded from Chipcon’s web site. Please visit
Chipcon’s web site regularly for updates to the documentation and software.
Getting started
1. Connect the CC2420DB to an external power supply. When shipped, the CC2420DB
can be used with a 4 -10 volt power supply (e.g. AC to DC adapter) or a 9 volt
battery.
2. Install SmartRF®Studio and Atmel AVR Studio software on a PC if you have not
already done this. Follow the instructions given by the installation programs. The PC
must be running Windows 98 or newer for SmartRF®Studio. Please check
appropriate OS compatibility with the AVR Studio Software documentation.
3. Use the supplied RS-232 cable to connect the CC2420DB and the PC together. This
port is used with the bootloader and the AVR Studio. For details see the CC2420DBK
User Manual.
4. The CC2420DB’s are shipped with a demo software example called “rf_blink_led”
programmed into the flash
5. To start the demo application follow the step-by-step procedure:
a. Reset both CC2420DB.
b. Pull the joystick up or down (towards antenna or RS-232 connector) on one
of the boards

c. Push and hold the joystick center button down on the other board. The same
CC2420DB will start to transmit data packets and the yellow LED will toggle.
For detailed documentation, please see the CC2420DBK User Manual.
d. The other CC2420DB will receive the packet and transmit a acknowledge
frame and the green LED will toggle
e. Release joystick button
f. By adjusting the potentiometer on one board the data from the potentiometer
setting is applied to change the brightness of the orange LED on the opposite
board.
6. You may use this demo application to test the RF range with the PCB antenna
connected to the CC2420 chip.
Chipcon AS SmartRF®CC2420DBK Demonstration Board Kit Quick Start Instructions (rev. 1.0) 31.03.2004
Page 2 of 2
Figure 1: CC2420DB Demonstration Board
3.3V voltage
regulator
Temp. sensor
MCU
section
CC2420 RF
section
PCB
antenna
External
RAM 2 x
32 kB
Leds
Optional 9V
battery
buttons
Joystick JTAG
connecto
r
RS-232
port Pot
4-10 V
DC-jack
AVR ISP
connector