Nebusens n-Core Sirius B User manual

Rev. 20150511
n-Core®Sirius B/D Device
User Manual

1
Sirius B/D User Manual
Table of contents
1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................2
2. General Characteristics...................................................................................................3
3. Pinout .................................................................................................................................4
4. Power supply.....................................................................................................................5
4.1. Battery............................................................................................................................................................. 5
4.2. External power supply.................................................................................................................................. 5
4.3. Switch On/Off ................................................................................................................................................ 6
4.4. Reset................................................................................................................................................................ 6
5. Input and output interfaces .............................................................................................6
5.1. GPIO ................................................................................................................................................................ 7
5.2. Serial communications ................................................................................................................................ 7
5.2.1. I2C............................................................................................................................................................ 7
5.2.2. SPI............................................................................................................................................................. 7
5.2.3. USART0 .................................................................................................................................................... 8
5.3. ADC –Battery ................................................................................................................................................ 8
5.4. USB ................................................................................................................................................................... 8
5.5. LED ................................................................................................................................................................... 8
6. Radio..................................................................................................................................9
7. Firmware updates.............................................................................................................9
8. Accessories.......................................................................................................................9
9. Recommendations of use and security .......................................................................10
10. Further information..........................................................................................................11

2
Sirius B/D User Manual
1. Introduction
Sirius B and Sirius D are radio-frequency devices that offer a total solution for deploying wireless networks
based on the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee international standard in a fast and easy way.
Their slim design provides an extraordinary versatility to suit a wide range of applications. They offer several
communication ports and I/O interfaces that allow integrating a great number of external devices, such as
sensors, actuators or even computers, among many others.
Sirius B and Sirius D devices are part of the n-Core®platform, developed by Nebusens. n-Core®offers a
complete set of hardware and software tools that can fit all your necessities when developing and
deploying wireless networks based on the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee international standard.
For more information about n-Core®, visit www.nebusens.com
B
Bu ut tt to on n 1 1
B
Bu ut tt to on n 2 2
L
LE ED D
U
US SA AR RT T ( (U US SB B) )
R
Re es se et t b bu ut tt to on n
O
ON N/ /O OF FF F S Sw wi it tc ch h
B
Ba at tt te er ry y s st ta at tu us s L LE ED D
E
Ex xt te er rn na al l p po ow we er r s su up pp pl ly y

3
Sirius B/D User Manual
2. General Characteristics
Electrical characteristics
Batteries power supply
3.7V
External power supply (Sirius D only)
3.7V
Mini-USB power supply
5V
Power switch
ON/OFF
Physical characteristics
Dimensions
65 x 53 x 23 mm
Micro-controller
Model
ATMEGA1281V
Frequency
8MHz
Flash
128KB
RAM
8KB
EEPROM
4KB
External EEPROM
256KB (AT25F2048)
Radio
900MHz
Transceiver
AT86RF212
Frequency bands
868 to 868.6MHz (Europe)
902 to 928MHz (USA)
Number of channels
1 (Europe), 10 (USA)
Channel spacing (USA)
2 MHz
Maximum power transmission (software-controlled)
Up to +5dBm
Sensitivity
-110dBm
Data transmission rate
20 –100Kbps (Europe)
40 –250Kbps (USA)
2.4GHz
Transceiver
AT86RF231
Frequency band
2405 to 2480MHz
Number of channels
16
Channel spacing
5MHz
Maximum power transmission (software-controlled)
+15dBm
Sensitivity
-101dBm
Data transmission rate
250Kbps
Connectivity
UART through USB
Virtual Com Port
SPI
10-pin connector
I2C Master (pull-up)
Programming port
Mini-JTAG
General purpose I/O (x8)
TTL compatible; 0 –3.5V, 50mA
Buttons (x2) (Sirius B only)
Connected to IRQs
LEDs (x2)
Red/Green

4
Sirius B/D User Manual
3. Pinout
Block P1 (JTAG)
Block P2
1
TCK
1
I2C_SCL
2
GND
2
SPI_SCLK
3
TDO
3
I2C_SDA
4
VCC_OUT
4
SPI_MOSI
5
TMS
5
USART0_EXTCLK
6
RESET
6
SPI_MISO
7
N/C
7
USART0_TXD
8
N/C
8
USART0_RXD
9
TDI
9
N/C
10
GND
10
GND
Block P3
Block E1 (Sirius D)
1
GPIO_6
1
GND
2
GPIO_2
2
VCC_IN
3
GPIO_7
4
GPIO_13
Block E2
5
IRQ_6 (SW3)
1
ON/OFF
6
GPIO_14
2
RESET
7
IRQ_7 (SW4)
3
USB
8
GPIO_15
9
GND
10
GND

5
Sirius B/D User Manual
4. Power supply
Sirius B and Sirius D devices have the following power supply alternatives:
Internal Li-Po battery 3.7V 1300mAh.
Type B-Mini USB connector. Block E2, pin 3: 5V DC.
2-pin connector (Sirius D only). Block E1 (pins 1 and 2: 5V DC).
These options can work together as described next.
4.1. Battery
Sirius B and Sirius D devices have an internal Li-Po 1300mAh battery (only on devices purchased after Jan. 1,
2013) which can be recharged through the USB port (Block E2). The battery has an internal controller that
protects its performance and therefore the device can be powered continuously.
There is a Charge LED that indicates the charge status of battery:
On: Battery Charging
Off: Battery Charged
Power supply through the USB port must meet the following characteristics:
USB Port
Connector E1
Input Voltage
5V
3.7V a 4.2V
Input Current
500mA
500mA
4.2. External power supply
Sirius B and Sirius D devices have a USB port (Block E2) which can power the device while establishing data
communication with the devices.
The Sirius D device has an external connector (Block E1) which allows powering the device without using the
USB port. It is not recommended to power the device via the E1 connector when also using an internal
battery.
USB Port
E1 Connector
Input Voltage
5V
3.7V a 4.2V
Input Current
500mA
500mA
IMPORTANT NOTE: External connector placed on Block E1 is
connected directly to the battery, so no current will pass
through the load control circuit. The user is responsible for
controlling the battery charging from the outside.

6
Sirius B/D User Manual
4.3. Switch On/Off
The On/Off switch (Block E2) allows eliminating completely the power
supply of the device.
a) Device On
b) Device Off
4.4. Reset
The reset button (Block E2) reinitiates the routines programmed in the
device, without affecting the data stored in EEPROM.
5. Input and output interfaces
Sirius B and Sirius D devices have the following input and output interfaces:
8 digital input/outputs (GPIO)
2 GPI configurable by software as IRQs and accessible through external buttons (Sirius B only).
1 Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) as battery monitor.
2 LED (green and red)
1 I2C bus (internal pull-up)
1 SPI bus
2 USART
USART0 accessible internally
USART1 accessible through the USB port (Virtual Com Port)
Electrical characteristics: TA = -40°C to 85°C, VCC = 1.8V to 3.7V (unless other values have been specified)
Symbol
Parameter
Conditions
Min.
Max.
Units
VIL
Input Low Voltage
VCC = 2.4V - 5.5V
-0.5
0.3VCC
V
VIH
Input High Voltage
VCC = 2.4V - 5.5V
0.6VCC
VCC + 0.5
V
VOL
Output Low Voltage
IOL = 10 mA, VCC = 3V
0.6
V
VOH
Output High Voltage
IOH = -10 mA, VCC = 3V
2.3
V
IIL
Input Leakage
Current I/O Pin
VCC = 5.5V, pin low
(absolute value)
1
μA
IIH
Input Leakage
Current I/O Pin
Input Leakage
Current I/O Pin
1
μA
RPU
I/O Pin Pull-up Resistor
20
50
kΩ
Next it is described each input/output interface of Sirius B and Sirius D devices.
a b

7
Sirius B/D User Manual
5.1. GPIO
There are 8 digital inputs and outputs (Block
P3) connected directly to the ATmega1281V®
microcontroller.
IRQ_7 and IRQ_6 can be configured as
external interruptions (IRQs).
In the Sirius B device, the IRQ_6 and IRQ_7 pins are connected to the SW3 and
SW4 external switches, respectively. The n-Core®API automatically activates the
pull-up on each IRQ.
It is possible to enable independently the microcontroller internal pull-up on
each port configured as an input (GPI) using the n-Core®API. Enabling the
internal pull-up allows you to connect directly switching devices, for example, micro switch, magnetic
switch, etc...
5.2. Serial communications
Serial communications (Block P2) are accessible
from inside the device and distributed as shown
in the following table:
All serial communication ports described next
are directly connected to their respective pins
of the ATmega1281V®microcontroller, unless otherwise indicated.
For detailed information about the electrical characteristics, please refer to the
technical data sheet
1
of the ATmega1281V®microcontroller.
5.2.1. I2C
The I2C bus is accessible from the P2 block (pins 1 and 3). The electrical and protocol characteristics of I2C
bus are determined by the specifications of the ATmega1281V®
2
microcontroller.
I2C_SDA (block P2 pin 3) and I2C_SCL (block P2 pin 1) lines have an internal pull-up as is shown below:
5.2.2. SPI
The SPI bus is accessible from the block P2 (pins 2, 4 and 6). The electrical and
protocol characteristics of SPI bus are associated to the specifications of the
ATmega1281V®
3
microcontroller.
1
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_documents/doc2549.pdf
2
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_documents/doc2549.pdf (Section 12.3.4 Alternate Functions of Port D, p. 83; section 30. Electrical Characteristics, p. 367).
3
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_documents/doc2549.pdf (Section 13.3.2 Alternate Functions of Port B, p. 79).
Block P2
1
I2C_SCL
6
SPI_MISO
2
SPI_SCLK
7
USART0_TXD
3
I2C_SDA
8
USART0_RXD
4
SPI_MOSI
9
N/C
5
USART0_EXTCLK
10
GND
Bloque P3
1
GPIO_6
6
GPIO_14
2
GPIO_2
7
IRQ_7 (SW4)
3
GPIO_7
8
GPIO_15
4
GPIO_13
9
GND
5
IRQ_6 (SW3)
10
GND
Block P2
1
I2C_SCL
6
SPI_MISO
2
SPI_SCLK
7
USART0_TXD
3
I2C_SDA
8
USART0_RXD
4
SPI_MOSI
9
N/C
5
USART0_EXTCLK
10
GND
2
SPI_SCLK
4
SPI_MOSI
6
SPI_MISO
IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to use the I2C bus is necessary that reference
pins (GND), of both the Sirius device (block P2, pin 10) and the input
device (for example, a sensor) are connected to each other.

8
Sirius B/D User Manual
5.2.3. USART0
The USART0 is accessible from the block P2. The available communication lines are:
5.3. ADC –Battery
Sirius B and Sirius D devices have an ADC that monitors the internal battery voltage. The reference voltage
for the microcontroller is 1.1V. The input voltage range is from 0V to 3.75V.
The voltage of the battery is adapted through a voltage divider (see the schema) before
being read by the ADC_Battery analog-to-digital converter.
The relationship between the battery voltage (V_Battery) and the voltage read by the
ADC (ADC_Battery) is given by the following expression: 𝑨𝑫𝑪𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 =𝑽_𝑩𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚
𝟒
5.4. USB
Sirius B and Sirius D devices have a USART port (Block E2), which can
be used to communicate the Sirius device with other devices with
serial communication capabilities, such as a PC.
In addition, the USART can be used to update the firmware of the
Sirius device, as described in Section 7 - Firmware Updates of this manual.
The USART1 of the ATmega1281V®microcontroller is connected to the USB port through the Silabs CP2103
4
USB-to-UART Bridge Controller.
This port is recognized by the Operating System (e.g., Windows®) as a Virtual Com Port
5
and allows powering
the Sirius device and establishing the communication with it at the same time.
5.5. LED
Sirius B and Sirius D have 3 LEDs.
Green LED: connected to the GPIO_8 of the microcontroller.
Red LED: connected to the GPIO_1 of the microcontroller.
Orange LED (Charge LED): Indicates the charging status of the battery.
By default, LEDs are configured as detailed below:
Red LED fast blinking: the device is looking for a ZigBee™ network to join.
Red LED sporadic blinking: the device is sending a Node Alive
6
and
indicates that the device is joined to a ZigBee™ network.
Green LED fixed on
7
: the device is connected to a ZigBee™ network.
If locating functions of n-Core® are used both LED are turned off and their
behavior will be different according to the type of device:
oRouter: both LED blink at the same time when the table of Tags6is sent by the device.
oTag: green LED blinks when a broadcast frame is sent by the device.
4
http://www.silabs.com/support/pages/support.aspx?ProductFamily=USB%20to%20UART
5
http://www.silabs.com/products/mcu/Pages/USBtoUARTBridgeVCPDrivers.aspx
6
For further information, please, consult the n-Core® development API reference at www.nebusens.com
7
It is possible that both LED are turned off and the device is still connected to the ZigBee™ network. This could happen because of some routines loaded into the device.
5
USART0_EXTCLK
7
USART0_TXD
8
USART0_RXD
IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to use the USART0 is mandatory that the
reference pins (GND) of both the Sirius device (block P2, pin 10) and the
input device (for example, a sensor) are connected to each other.

9
Sirius B/D User Manual
6. Radio
Sirius devices have a transceiver that implements the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee™ standard. The transmission
power can be configured by software through the n-Core®6 API.
Types of antenna:
Models SB2400 and SD2400: Internal ceramic antenna.
Models SB900-1 and SD900-1: Internal ceramic antenna.
Transceiver:
Model SB2400 and SD2400: AT86RF231 + amplifier (up to +15dbm).
Models SB900-1 and SD900-1: AT86RF212.
7. Firmware updates
Sirius B/D firmware's updates optimize device performance, fix bugs and, in some cases, add new
functionalities.
In order to update the device's firmware in a safe way, please, download the n-Core® update package
and follow instructions of use carefully. The update package can be downloaded from the support section
in the http://www.n-core.info/ Web page.
8. Accessories
The following accessories can be used along with Sirius B/D devices.
2-pole connector:
Terminal block Weidmüller 3.81 pitch / Camden Electronics 3.81pitch
(CTB92HE).
External power supplies:
Power supply through DC-IN:
5 VCC@300mA + 2-pole connector
Power supply through USB:
Compatible with USB (>300mA).
USB data cable:
USB-A –Mini USB-B Cable.
IMPORTANT NOTE: During the firmware update, it is necessary
to ensure the power supply in order to prevent any damage
or data loss. See section 3 of this manual.

10
Sirius B/D User Manual
9. Recommendations of use and security
Please, follow the next indications in order to obtain the maximum performance and to use Sirius B/D device
in a safe way:
Avoid placing metallic objects near the device as far as possible.
Architectonic elements, such as metallic walls, doors, railings, pipes, concrete walls, among many
others, can affect signal quality and, therefore, the maximum distance of communication between
devices.
Do not wet the device.
Do not store or make use of the device in atmospheres with a high humidity rate (70% as maximum).
Do not expose the device to heat sources or directly to the sun.
Avoid short-circuiting connections.
Pay special attention to relay output connections, because it could cause a short circuit in the
device to be controlled.
Do not apply to the device voltages and currents out of maximum and minimum rates
recommended in this manual (both in power supply and input/output ports, as well as
communication buses).
Use an appropriate external power supply. The product must only work with the type of power
supply indicated in this manual. If you are not sure about the type of the required power supply,
please consult the manufacturer.
Avoid manipulating any element of the device not described in this manual, because the warranty
could be invalidated and the equipment could be damaged permanently.
Do not use this product in gas stations, fuel tanks, chemical plants or places where demolition
operations are being carried out or near potentially explosive atmospheres, such as re-fuelling areas,
fuel tanks, under boat decks, chemical plants, facilities of transference or storage of fuel or chemical
agents and areas where the air contains chemistries or particles, such as grain, metallic dust or dust.
Please, consult the pertinent preventive measures before using this device in these kinds of zones.
The use of accessories unapproved by the manufacturer could damage the equipment, break local
laws and invalidate the warranty.
This product works in approved bands for the use in presence of medical, industrial and scientific
equipment (ISM band), however, in case of doubt avoid the use of the device until being
completely sure of the absence of risk derived from its use in the presence of this type of equipment.
Use only the antenna that is delivered with the device. The use of modified or unauthorized
antennas can reduce the quality of the communication and damage the equipment, besides
break local regulations of your country.

11
Sirius B/D User Manual
10.Further information
Disclaimer
Nebusens believes that all information is correct and accurate at the time of issue. Nebusens reserves the
right to make changes to this product without prior notice. Please visit the Nebusens website
(www.nebusens.com) for the latest available version.
Nebusens does not assume any responsibility for the use of the described product or convey any license
under its patent rights.
Nebusens warrants performance of its products to the specifications applicable at the time of sale in
accordance with the sale and use conditions of n-Core®. You can check these conditions at the Nebusens
website (www.nebusens.com).
Trademarks
n-Core®and related naming and logos are trademarks of Nebusens, S.L. All other product names, trade
names, trademarks, logos or service names are the property of their respective owners.
Technical Support
Technical support is provided by Nebusens, S.L. on demand and in accordance to sale and use conditions
agreed. You can check these conditions at the Nebusens website (www.nebusens.com).
We provide you with a support forum (support.nebusens.com) for any question related to the n-Core®
platform.
Waste and recycling
When the device reaches the end of its life cycle, it will have to be deposited in a point of recycling for
electronic equipment. The equipment will not have to be deposited in the points of urban garbage
collection. Please, go to a specialized point. Your distributor will indicate the most appropriate way to
proceed with the recycle of the device.