Silicon Laboratories WF200 User manual

QSG166: WF200 Wi-Fi Development Kit
Quick Start Guide
The WF200 Wi-Fi Development Kit is an excellent way to get star-
ted with WF200 Wi-Fi transceiver IC to achieve performance eval-
uation and software development.
It supports various hardware and software use cases, as described below.
Two versions of devkits are available:
• SLEXP8022A contains WF200 development board (BRD8022A), that can be connec-
ted to Silicon Labs EFM32 Starter kits (STK3701 for GG11) or to a Raspberry Pi for
the Linux case. It also contains a micro-SD card allowing fast startup with a Raspber-
ry Pi.
•SLEXP8022B is a superset of SLEXP8022A with a Raspberry Pi 2 model V1.2 inclu-
ded.
This document described the first steps to get a Wi-Fi connection for the Linux case
(Raspberry Pi), Silicon Labs MCUs, as well as a case with a 3rd party MCU.
Note: Refer to UG379 for more details about the board.
KEY CONTENTS
• Expansion Board with the WF200 Wi-Fi
transceiver IC onboard.
• Direct connection to Silicon Labs EFM32
hosts (20 pin EXP)
•Direct connection to Raspberry Pi for the
Linux use case
• Support of 3rd party MCUs
• Selectable SPI or SDIO host interface
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Table of Contents
1. Getting Started with Raspberry Pi and Linux ...................
3
1.1 Requirements ..............................3
1.1.1 Hardware ..............................3
1.1.2 Software ..............................3
1.2 Hardware Setup .............................3
1.3 SSH Connection .............................4
1.4 Wi-Fi Demos...............................4
1.4.1 Station Demo .............................4
1.4.2 Access Point Demo ...........................5
1.5 Update SD Card .............................5
1.6 Software Repositories ...........................5
1.7 Documentation ..............................5
2. Getting Started with STM32 MCU, with FreeRTOS, and LwIP .............6
2.1 Requirements ..............................6
2.1.1 Hardware ..............................6
2.1.2 Software ..............................6
2.2 Hardware Setup .............................7
2.3 Getting Started ..............................8
2.3.1 Flashing the STM32 Using IAR .......................8
2.3.2 Flashing the STM32 using TrueSTUDIO ....................9
2.4 Using the Demo .............................12
3. Additional Information ...........................13
3.1 Additional Resources ............................13
3.2 Customer Support .............................13
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1. Getting Started with Raspberry Pi and Linux
1.1 Requirements
1.1.1 Hardware
To use this guide, the following components are needed:
•Raspberry Pi board
• Versions supported: Pi2 model B V1.2 or Pi3 model B.
Note: Pi3 model B+ is not supported.
• Raspberry Pi power supply
• WF200 devkit (BRD8022A)
• Silabs SD card
• Network cable
1.1.2 Software
Note: Please use Firefox or Chrome to download the following software because Internet Explorer is not supported.
To remotely access the Raspberry Pi from a Windows machine, some tools need to be installed:
• To enable ssh access with X11 support, download and install MobaXterm Home Edition (Installer edition) from https://mobax-
term.mobatek.net/
• To enable multicast name resolution (mDNS), download and install Apple Bonjour from: https://support.apple.com/kb/DL999 (During
installation, we recommend that you uncheck all options.)
1.2 Hardware Setup
1. Insert Silabs SD card in Raspberry Pi.
2. Plug the WF200 devkit on top of the Raspberry Pi (WARNING: make sure the devkit does not touch HDMI connector on Raspberry
Pi).
3. Configure the switches on WF200 devkit:
• Left switch (power): “On Board LDO”
• Right switch: “SDIO”
4. Connect the Raspberry Pi directly to a computer with an Ethernet cable. (WARNING: Do NOT use a switch connected to a net-
work!)
5. Power the Raspberry Pi.
6. On the first boot, wait 60 seconds for the Raspberry Pi to start before proceeding.
QSG166: WF200 Wi-Fi Development Kit Quick Start Guide
Getting Started with Raspberry Pi and Linux
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1.3 SSH Connection
With MobaXterm, create and open a ssh session to the Raspberry Pi with the following parameters:
• Host: silabs-pi-demo.local
• Username: pi
• Password: default_password
All the following commands will be entered in the newly open ssh console.
Figure 1.1. SSH Console
1.4 Wi-Fi Demos
The SD card includes demos for the two supported modes: station and access point.
Note: On first version of the SD cards, the driver must be loaded first with the following command:
sudo wfx_driver_reload
1.4.1 Station Demo
This demo configures the Raspberry Pi and WF200 to work as a Wi-Fi station which can connect to an access point. To start it run:
sudo wfx_demo_station
Note: Minimize MobaXterm window, then wait a few seconds for the Wi-Fi tool to appear.
This will launch a graphical tool named “wpa_gui” which support the following actions:
1. Scan.
2. Select the desired Wi-Fi access point.
3. Enter credentials if need be, and then add.
Once connected, it is possible to perform some traffic:
ping silabs.com
Note: With keyboard, mouse, and screen attached to the Raspberry Pi, it is possible to launch a browser by clicking the “Silicon Labs
website” icon on the desktop.
QSG166: WF200 Wi-Fi Development Kit Quick Start Guide
Getting Started with Raspberry Pi and Linux
silabs.com | Building a more connected world. Rev. 0.4 | 4

1.4.2 Access Point Demo
This demo configures the Raspberry Pi and WF200 to work as a Wi-Fi access point which can accept stations. To start it, run:
sudo wfx_demo_ap
Then it is possible to connect to the Raspberry Pi using a Wi-Fi capable device and the following credentials:
• SSID: silabs-pi-demo
• Passphrase: default_password
On the device, use a browser to open http://silabs-pi-demo.wlan/.
1.5 Update SD Card
To download and install an SD card image, go to https://github.com/SiliconLabs/wfx-linux-tools/blob/master/RELEASES.md
1.6 Software Repositories
For development purposes, software can be found in the locations listed below:
• WF200 firmware is available in https://github.com/SiliconLabs/wfx-firmware
• The Linux driver is available in https://github.com/SiliconLabs/wfx-linux-driver
1.7 Documentation
Complete documentation for development with a Raspberry Pi is available here: https://github.com/SiliconLabs/wfx-linux-tools/blob/
master/README.md
QSG166: WF200 Wi-Fi Development Kit Quick Start Guide
Getting Started with Raspberry Pi and Linux
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2. Getting Started with STM32 MCU, with FreeRTOS, and LwIP
2.1 Requirements
2.1.1 Hardware
To use the WF200_driver_F429ZI_FreeRTOS project, a user will need the following list:
• A WF200 Wi-Fi expansion board BRD802XX
• A NUCLEO-F429ZI board with the associated micro-USB cable
• A hardware interposer to connect the Silicon Labs expansion board to the NUCLEO board
• A PC where to install the following software prerequisites
• A Wi-Fi access point
2.1.2 Software
In addition to the previous hardware, a user will need software listed below:
• Get the software example (WF200_driver_F429ZI_FreeRTOS-LwIP) in https://github.com/SiliconLabs/wfx-fullMAC-tools and open it
on IAR or TrueSTUDIO
• Licensed IAR Embedded Workbench IDE for ARM installed or Atollic TrueSTUDIO for STM32 IDE available from the this link:
https://atollic.com/truestudio/
• ST-link driver either installed during IDE installation or through the following link: https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/products/
development-tools/software-development-tools/stm32-software-development-tools/stm32-utilities/stsw-link009.html
• A UART console. For example, Tera Term:https://osdn.net/projects/ttssh2/releases/
• The FMAC driver source code is available in https://github.com/SiliconLabs/wfx-fullMAC-driver
QSG166: WF200 Wi-Fi Development Kit Quick Start Guide
Getting Started with STM32 MCU, with FreeRTOS, and LwIP
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2.2 Hardware Setup
Mount the WF200 expansion board on top on the NUCLEO board using the hardware interposer as shown on the figure below. Make
sure the power switch is on the “on Board LDO” position and the bus switch on the “SPI” one.
Figure 2.1. WF200 Expansion Board Mounted on a NUCLEO Board
Connect the NUCLEO board to your PC with the micro-USB cable. Make sure to connect your PC to the correct end as shown
below. The NUCLEO-144 has two different USB-micro ports. If detected correctly, it should appear as USB storage with the name
“NODE_F429ZI”.
Figure 2.2. NUCLEO-144 Board
QSG166: WF200 Wi-Fi Development Kit Quick Start Guide
Getting Started with STM32 MCU, with FreeRTOS, and LwIP
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2.3 Getting Started
2.3.1 Flashing the STM32 Using IAR
1. Open the IAR project “Project.eww” located in the path \WF200_driver_F429ZI_FreeRTOS-LwIP\EWARM.
2. In IAR Workspace view, open the header file “lwip_freertos.h”. The project workspace is shown in the Figure 2.3.
Figure 2.3. IAR Project Workspace
3. In “lwip_freertos.h”, change the WLAN_SSID, WLAN_PASSKEY and WLAN_SECURITY defines to the values of the access point
you want to use.
4. Open Tera Term and connect to the STLink Virtual COM port of the NUCLEO board. In the “Setup\Serial Port” panel, select
115200 for the speed.
5. “Make” the project by clicking on the appropriate icon.
6. “Download and Debug” the project by clicking on the associated icon.
7. Wait for the project to be flashed in the STM32 .
8. Once in debug mode, click on the "GO" icon.
QSG166: WF200 Wi-Fi Development Kit Quick Start Guide
Getting Started with STM32 MCU, with FreeRTOS, and LwIP
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2.3.2 Flashing the STM32 using TrueSTUDIO
1. Import the project by opening the File menu and choosing “Import…”. You will see the dialog box below.
Figure 2.4. TrueSTUDIO Import Dialog
QSG166: WF200 Wi-Fi Development Kit Quick Start Guide
Getting Started with STM32 MCU, with FreeRTOS, and LwIP
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2. Choose “Existing Projects into Workspace” and then select the path \WF200_driver_F429ZI_FreeRTOS-LwIP\TrueSTUDIO. You
will see the following result:
Figure 2.5. TrueSTUDIO Import Projects Dialog
QSG166: WF200 Wi-Fi Development Kit Quick Start Guide
Getting Started with STM32 MCU, with FreeRTOS, and LwIP
silabs.com | Building a more connected world. Rev. 0.4 | 10