ST EVLKST8500GH-2 User manual

Introduction
This user manual explains the EVLKST8500GH-2 hardware and software installation, and it details the evaluation and
development possibilities offered by the kit. In particular it contains:
• General information about the EVLKST8500GH-2 HW package
• An overview of the hardware configurations
• A short guide to the FW upgrade of the kit
This user manual does not explain the functionalities of the various PLC protocols running on the ST8500. Detailed information
can be found in protocol specific documentation, available within the software packages, separately delivered under the
Software License Agreement by contacting your local STMicroelectronics sales office.
Figure 1. EVLKST8500GH-2 picture
EVLKST8500GH-2: getting started with the ST8500 Hybrid PLC&RF connectivity
development kit
UM3244
User manual
UM3244 - Rev 1 - September 2023
For further information contact your local STMicroelectronics sales office.
www.st.com

1 Safety precautions
The development kit must be used only by expert technicians.
The kit is intended for use on extra low voltage (ELV): <50 V AC, <75 V DC.
The kit is designed for evaluation only and is not for resale.
Warning: STMicroelectronics assumes no responsibility for any consequences that may result from
the improper use of this tool.
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Safety precautions
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2 Getting started
2.1 Included with the EVLKST8500GH-2
The EVLKST8500GH-2 package contains:
• One EVLKST8500GH-2 kit, based on 4 hardware boards:
– EVALMODST8500-1: full PLC modem based on ST8500 and STLD1
– EVALS2915A2: Sub-1 GHz (860-940 MHz) RF expansion board based on S2-LP radio
– NUCLEO-G070RB: STM32 Nucleo-64 development board with STM32G07RB MCU as a
programmable application controller with an onboard ST-LINK, acting also as a USB virtual COM port
– ST8500GH-MB: connectivity motherboard including a USB-to-dual-UART converter to ST8500, 3V3
supply based on L6981, plus additional features for STM32 application development such as RS485
and CAN transceivers, an SD card connector, and an SPI FLASH for FW storage
• One Micro-USB cable to connect the evaluation kit to the PC
• One AC/DC universal adapter to provide 12 V - 1 A DC supply
• One bag with a 4.7 µH coil for best performance in case of usage for PLC CEN-B band
Figure 2 depicts the block diagram of the EVLKST8500GH-2.
Figure 2. EVLKST8500GH-2 block diagram
STLD1
+
Line Coupling ST8500
NUCLEO-
G070RB
EVALS2915A2
PLC link
(35 to 500 kHz,
AC or DC line)
12 V
DC
RS485 CAN
ST8500 MODULE
RF link
(860-940 MHz)
USB connection
to the STM32
(ST-LINK + VCP
serial link)
3V3
DC-DC
USB-to-dual-UART
connection to the ST8500
(Host Interface + debug
traces)
SPI
FLASH
SD card
conn.
2.2 Software packages
The ST8500 Hybrid PLC&RF connectivity development kit is fully programmable, including both the ST8500
modem and the STM32G070RB MCU. The STSW-ST8500GH-2 software package includes a complete
application example and all the necessary tools for a complete evaluation of G3-Hybrid communication (PLC &
RF).
The kit is delivered with both the STM32 MCU and the ST8500 modem pre-programmed with the application
example and the G3-Hybrid FW images from the STSW-ST8500GH-2 package.
Please visit the EVLKST8500GH-2 page on www.st.com or contact an STMicroelectronics sales representative to
obtain the latest available SW packages.
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3 Hardware description and configuration
The EVLKST8500GH-2 kit includes an EVALS2915A2 module for RF communication, but it is also compatible
with the X-NUCLEO-S2868A2 module from the previous EVLKST8500GH868 kit as well.
When using the X-NUCLEO-S2868A2 module, J115 and J116 must be closed on the "868" position instead of the
"915" position (default, to be used when using the EVALS2915A2 module).
The EVLKST8500GH-2 kit includes a NUCLEO-G070RB, but the ST8500GH-MB interconnection board also
supports the NUCLEO-G474RE and NUCLEO-L476RG development boards. These development boards can
replace the NUCLEO-G070RB with the same features, plus the CAN bus interface (not available on NUCLEO-
G070RB).
When using the NUCLEO-G474RE or the NUCLEO-L476RG instead of the NUCLEO-G070RB, the following
hardware modifications are required to preserve the kit's functionalities:
Table 1. Hardware modifications related to the NUCLEO board model
Feature Pin Resistor (0 ohm) NUCLEO-G070RB NUCLEO-G474RE/
NUCLEO-L476RG
RS485
USART2 TX
R158 Not mounted Mounted
R159 Mounted Not mounted
USART2 RX
R160 Not mounted Mounted
R161 Mounted Not mounted
SPI FLASH SPI2 MISO
R127 Mounted Not mounted
R157 Not mounted Mounted
SD card SPI2 MISO
R136 Mounted Not mounted
R137 Not mounted Mounted
For up-to-date documentation including schematics, BOM, and PCB layout please visit the dedicated webpages
on www.st.com.
All the documentation related to the NUCLEO-G070RB and EVALS2915A2 is available on the designated
webpages on www.st.com.
3.1 External connectors and switches
The kit includes:
• A DC jack connector to supply the kit with a 12 V, 1 A DC adapter (provided with the kit).
• A two-line PLC connector for wiring the kit to an AC or DC bus, or even directly to another ST8500 board
for lab communication tests.
• One switch (SW201) to select the UART pass-through to the ST8500:
– STM32 (default) = The ST8500 host interface UART is connected to the STM32 (normal mode).
– CP2105 = The ST8500 host interface UART is connected to the CP2105 serial-to-USB converter and
is directly accessible from the USB connector (UART pass-through mode).
• Two DIP switches to select ST8500 BOOT mode and the PLC bandplan:
– SW101 selects the ST8500 BOOT mode:
◦ Down (default) = ST8500 boots from SPI FLASH on the ST8500 module.
◦ Up = ST8500 boots from the host interface.
– SW102 selects the PLC bandplan(1):
◦ Down (default) = the modem communicates on the CENELEC-A bandplan.
◦ Up = the modem communicates on the FCC bandplan.
• Connectivity to the PC via the ST-LINK integrated into the NUCLEO-G070RB, for FW development and
communication tests.
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Hardware description and configuration
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• Several features that can be used for STM32 application development:
– RS485 and CAN(2) connectors to develop industrial communication connectivity applications.
– An SD card and SPI FLASH to develop data storage solutions for any application.
– A SYNC I/O connector providing access to an STM32 GPIO or, alternatively, to an ST8500 pin for
test purposes.
1. The S2 switch function is software implemented inside the STM32 application example and therefore it can be modified via
software.
2. The CAN interface is not available on NUCLEO-G070RB. If needed, it can be replaced by a different NUCLEO board, such
as NUCLEO-G474RE or NUCLEO-L476RG, by the user.
Figure 3 shows the positions of the EVLKST8500GH-2 connectors and switches.
Figure 3. EVLKST8500GH-2 connectors and switches
3.2 ST8500 module
Figure 4. EVALMODST8500-1 image
The EVALMODST8500-1 is connected to the baseboard through two connectors:
• J201 line connector to interface the PLC to the AC or DC line
• J200 digital and supply connector to interface the module to the STM32 microcontroller
The basic interface between the STM32 host controller and the ST8500 includes the following lines:
• UART RX/TX as ST8500 host interface
• RESETn signal (active low)
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ST8500 module
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• BOOT1 to control the ST8500 boot mode
• LPMODEn to control the ST8500 low power mode (active low)
• UART Trace TX to output firmware binary traces for debug
Two DC voltages are provided to the ST8500 module:
• 12 V to supply the STLD1 line driver
• 3.3 V to supply the ST8500 section (including 1.1 V on-board DCDC input and 2.5 V integrated LDO input)
Figure 5 indicates the main sections on the ST8500 module.
Figure 5. EVALMODST8500-1 overview
3.3 Interconnection details
3.3.1 NUCLEO-G070RB interconnections
Table 2. NUCLEO-G070RB – ST8500 interconnections
Function
NUCLEO-G070RB EVALMODST8500-1
Connector
name
Connector
pin
STM32
pin Signal Connector name
Connector
pin Signal
ST8500
interface
Host IF
UART
CN107 1 PC10 ST8500_HI_RXD JP200 14 GPIO00_4
CN107 2 PC11 ST8500_HI_TXD JP200 11 GPIO00_5
Debug
Trace
UART
CN110 37 PC5 ST8500_DBG_TX JP200 15 GPIO01_4
CN110 35 PC4 ST8500_DBG_RX JP200 18 GPIO01_5
Reset CN107 35 PC2 ST8500_RESETn JP200 10 RESETn
Low Power
Mode CN107 32 PA4 ST8500_LPMODEn JP200 8 LPMODEn
BOOT
CN107 21 PB7 ST8500_BOOT0 JP200 25 BOOT0
CN110 24 PB6 ST8500_BOOT1 JP200 23 BOOT1
CN110 29 PB5 ST8500_BOOT2 JP200 24 BOOT2
GPIO
CN110 13 PA6 ST8500_GPIO00_6 JP200 12 GPIO00_6
CN110 15 PA7 ST8500_GPIO00_7 JP200 9 GPIO00_7
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Table 3. NUCLEO-G070RB – other interconnections
Function
NUCLEO-G070RB
Connector name Connector pin STM32 pin Signal
SD Card connector (J113)
SD Card SPI
CN10 26 PB15 SDC_MOSI
CN10 25 PB14 SDC_MISO
CN10 30 PB13 SDC_SCK
CN10 16 PC1 SDC_CSn
SD Card GPIO CN10 18 PC0 SDC_Detect
SPI Flash (U103) External FLASH SPI
CN10 26 PB15 eFlash_MOSI
CN10 25 PB14 eFlash_MISO
CN10 30 PB13 eFlash_SCK
CN10 23 PA8 eFlash_CSn
RS-485 connector (J107)
RS485 UART
CN10 35 PC4 RS485_TX
CN10 37 PC5 RS485_RX
RS485 GPIO CN7 30 PA1 RS485_DE
CAN connector (J109) CAN UART
CN10 12 PA12 CAN_TX
CN10 14 PA11 CAN_RX
LEDs GPIO
CN7 4 PD2 LED0
CN10 1 PC9 LED1
CN10 2 PC8 LED2
CN10 4 PC6 LED3
ST8500 boot mode switch
(SW101) GPIO CN10 24 PB6 ST8500_BOOT1
STM32 switch (SW102) GPIO CN7 3 PC12 PC12
SYNC connector (J106) GPIO CN10 22 PB2 STM32_SYNC
3.3.2 EVALS2915A2 interconnections
Table 4. EVALS2915A2 interconnections
EVALS2915A2 EVALMODST8500-1
Function
Connector name Connector pin Signal Connector name Connector pin Signal
S2-LP interface
J2 4 SCLK J205 5 GPIO00_0 SPI2_CLK
J2 8 SDN J205 3 GPIO00_7 S2-LP_SDN
J5 4 SDI J205 7 GPIO00_1 SPI2_MOSI
J5 5 SDO J205 10 GPIO00_3 SPI2_MISO
J6 2 CSn J205 9 GPIO00_2 SPI2_CS
J6 6 GPIO3 J205 1 GPIO01_6 S2-LP_IRQ
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4 Firmware upgrade
4.1 How to upgrade the STM32 firmware
The kit supports a STM32 FW upgrade through the ST-LINK USB by using the STM32CubeProgrammer software
available on www.st.com (STM32CubeProg).
The ST-LINK USB connection can be used for FW debugging and development while at the same time acting as
a Virtual COM port (VCP). The related driver is available on www.st.com (STSW-LINK009).
4.2 How to upgrade the ST8500 firmware
On the EVALMODST8500-1 module, the ST8500 is connected through SPI to an external FLASH memory that
stores the FW loaded at start-up by the ST8500 in "Boot from SPI FLASH" mode. This SPI FLASH memory can
be reprogrammed using specific tools and techniques provided by STMicroelectronics.
Please refer to the documentation and tools that come with the latest STSW-ST8500GH-2 software package
available from the EVLKST8500GH-2 page on www.st.com or contact an STMicroelectronics sales
representative.
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Firmware upgrade
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5 Formal notices required by the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission ("FCC")
FCC NOTICE: This kit is designed to allow:
1. Product developers to evaluate electronic components, circuitry, or software associated with the kit to
determine whether to incorporate such items in a finished product.
2. Software developers to write software applications for use with the end product. This kit is not a finished
product and when assembled may not be resold or otherwise marketed unless all required FCC equipment
authorizations are first obtained. Operation is subject to the condition that this product not cause harmful
interference to licensed radio stations and that this product accepts harmful interference. Unless the
assembled kit is designed to operate under part 15, part 18 or part 95 of Title 47 Chapter I, the operator of
the kit must operate under the authority of an FCC license holder or must secure an experimental
authorization under part 5 of the FCC Rules.
The kit is designed for evaluation only and is not for resale.
5.1 Antenna requirements
Since the kit is destined for professional users, a standard connector is used to attach the antenna to it.
The kit must be used with the antenna that is already provided in the package.
It can be replaced only by an identical one: LPRS ANT-900MS / ANT-900MR 868-915 MHz Flexible ¼ Wave Whip
Antenna.
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Revision history
Table 5. Document revision history
Date Version Changes
29-Sep-2023 1 Initial release.
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