GP P202 UM 00597 Starter Kit User Manual

Starter Kit User Manual
Document GP_P202_UM_00597
27 August 2008
GREENPEAK STARTER KIT

USER MANUAL
Lindestraat 19
9240 Zele,Belgium
Tel +32 (0) 52 45 87 20
GreenPeak Technologies 2008
Catharijnesingel 30
3511 GB Utrecht ,The Netherlands
Tel +31 30 262 1157
info@greenpeak.com
www.greenpeak.com
GP_P202_UM_00597_Starter_Kit_User_Manual
Page 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
2
Overview ................................................................................................................... 4
Preparing the PeakNodes ............................................................................................ 5
2.1
Powering up the PeakNodes ................................................................................ 5
2.2
PeakNet Association ........................................................................................... 6
2.3
IO connections ................................................................................................... 6
2.3.1 Technical spec IO ........................................................................................... 6
2.3.2 Important remark ........................................................................................... 6
3 GreenPeak Starter Kit Application ................................................................................ 7
3.1
Installation ......................................................................................................... 7
3.2
First Usage......................................................................................................... 7
3.2.1 Connection Settings ........................................................................................ 7
3.2.2 Starter Kit Application ..................................................................................... 9
3.3
Starting a network ............................................................................................ 10
3.4
JadeMonitor ..................................................................................................... 11
3.5
IO Section........................................................................................................ 12
3.6
Using the Mesh Network ................................................................................... 14
3.7
PeakNet LPR vs. PeakNetZ ................................................................................ 15
4 The JadeConfigurator tool ......................................................................................... 16
5 Next steps ............................................................................................................... 16
DOCUMENT HISTORY
date
Jul 07 2005
Oct 25 2005
Aug 11 2006
Dec 11 2006
Mar 08 2007
Sep 05 2007
Oct 30 2007
May 9 2008
June 9 2008
August 26 2008
version
4.1
4.2
4.2b
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
4.9
author
Niek Van Dierdonck
Wim De Kimpe
Kristoff Avermaete
Kristoff Avermaete
Kristoff Avermaete
Bart Jonkers
Wim Van Houcke
Tim Allemeersch
Tim Allemeersch
Tim Allemeersch
note
First release
Update for Ubiwave Starter Kit Release 2
Adaptation to GPSK2 without UTI
Update for Ubiwave Starter Kit Release 3
Standard source code distribution
Update new Starter kit PC application
Introduced DB03 hardware
Minor changes
Updated to new document numbering
Update to CM09 stack v1.5.0.1
REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
[1] PeakNet Serial Protocol Starter Kit, GreenPeak Technologies, June 2008,
doc# GP_P202_IS_00627
[2] GP-DB-03 Hardware Description, GreenPeak Technologies, June 2008,
doc# GP_P202_HD_00641
Page 2

[3] JadeConfigurator User Manual, GreenPeak Technologies, June 2008,

doc# GP_P202_HD_00626
[4] Portserver TS 8/16 serial-to-network connectivity (http://www.digi.com/)
Page 3

1 Overview
This manual describes the GreenPeak Starter Kit (GPSK) and how to use the Starter Kit PC
application. All modules in a Starter Kit or Development Kit Enterprise come pre-flashed with
this application.
The GPSK PC application included in the Starter Kit and Development Kit Enterprise enables
the customer to experience the power of wireless sensor networks and explore an example
application in a matter of minutes. It displays the self-healing and self-organizing aspect of
the GreenPeak communication stack, gives you the ability to evaluate PeakNet Z and PeakNet
LPR (low-power routing), and helps you understand wireless mesh networking. However, the
GreenPeak Starter Kit does not enable you to build a custom application on top of the
GreenPeak communication stack. This feature is only included in the development kits.
The GreenPeak Starter Kit comprises of 5 wireless modules, a PC demo application
(GreenPeak Starter Kit application) which demonstrates both the network aspects and some
of the IO functionality of the wireless mesh network (cf. figure below), a serial cable,
batteries, a DC power adapter, and documentation.
PeakNode
PeakCoordinator /
Serial Getaway
PeakNode
Serial Cable
PeakNode
PeakNode
JadeMonitor
Figure 1-1: GreenPeak Starter Kit overview

PeakNet Z or PeakNet LPR, the communication protocol running on all the wireless nodes,
implements a full wireless mesh-network with self-forming, self-healing properties.
The Serial Gateway (coordinator) connects to a PC running the GPSK pc application, through a
serial RS232 connection. For users who want to by-pass the complete API, the serial protocol
running over this connection is described in a separate document [1]. This document is only
included in the development kit, and not in the starter kit!
The remainder of this document will describe how to install the PC application, and how to
use it to evaluate GreenPeaks communication stacks and hardware.
Page 4

2 Preparing the PeakNodes

This chapter will describe how to power the PeakNodes, and how to understand the status
LEDs on the PeakNode. It will also describe the available IOs in the Starter Kit application.
2.1 Powering up the PeakNodes

A Power source should be connected to the PeakCoordinator and PeakNodes. You may
choose to use batteries, and place three AAA batteries in the battery compartment of the
modules. The battery compartment is accessed by unscrewing the screws on the back of the
housing. Alternatively the modules can be powered by connecting a 2,1mm DC jack to the
side of the modules. Voltages between 3.5V and 6V can be applied. Centre is +, sleeve is -.
We refer to [2] for more information on the power options.
***Important Notice: When using a DC power adapter when batteries are installed in the
battery compartment, always use a 2.1mm jack. Otherwise, batteries might explode or
leak.***
After connecting a power source, the module is powered on by moving the power switch
towards the DC jack as shown in the figure below.
On
Figure 2-1: Connectors GreenPeak Starter Kit Module
Page 5

2.2 PeakNet Association

When a PeakNode is powered, it will automatically search for a PeakCoordinator (Gateway) to
associate to. The Status LEDs of a PeakNode depict the association status and have the
following meaning:
Colour
Red
Green
Status
The node is powered up (but not necessarily associated to a Gateway).
The node is associated to a Gateway.
When the node has successfully joined a network, and you are using PeakNet Z, the red and
green leds will be on. If you are using PeakNet LPR as communication stack, the red and
green led blink periodically after the PeakNode has successfully joined a network. Each time
the red and green led blink, the module wakes up.
If only the green led is on, this means the booloader is running. If the green led is blinking,
an error occurred and the module stopped working correctly.
2.3 IO connections
Each PeakNode is factory configured with the following inputs and outputs:
2 digital outputs driving the orange User LEDs (3.3V logic)
2 digital inputs with internal pull-up resistor connected to the two user switches.
1 NTC temperature sensor
1 serial port
All inputs are sampled at 1 Hz sample rate. We refer to the hardware description [2] for
additional information on the available IOs.
2.3.1 Technical spec IO

Colour
Digital output maximal output current
Digital output nominal voltage
Minimum pull up resistance digital input
Serial Port Settings
Status
4mA
3,3V
20kOhm
9600 baud, 8 databits, 1 stopbit, no parity, no flow control
2.3.2 Important remark

The RS232 line driver will automatically shut down if no valid RS232 level is seen on the serial
data input, e.g. when no device is connected.
Page 6

3 GreenPeak Starter Kit Application

The GreenPeak Starter Kit comes pre-flashed with an application allowing you to sample the
IOs on the PeakNodes in the network. A PC application, giving you an overview of the
network topology, and the ability to remotely sample and set the IOs of the PeakNodes, is
included.
When powered up, the PeakNodes automatically associate to the PeakCoordinator. In the
Greenpeak Starter Kit, this coordinator also functions as a serial gateway; it allows you to
access the remote nodes in the network from a PC connected to the coordinator module. The
JadeMonitor (as part of the Starter Kit PC application) gives an overview of the entire network
when connected physically to this gateway/coordinator. It provides the user with a real-time
graphical view of the network topology. The network intelligence of PeakNet, however, is not
embedded in the JadeMonitor but rather in the coordinator module and the PeakNodes. This
means that the network can run stand-alone, without attaching a PC to the
gateway/coordinator module.
The IO part of the PC application displays the available digital and analog inputs on the
remote nodes, and enables control of the digital outputs of the PeakNodes.
Next, this section will describe how to install this PC application, and how to use it.
3.1 Installation
System requirements:
Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows ME,
Windows NT, and Windows XP (Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 requires Service Pack
6a). Currently, Windows Vista compatibility is being tested.
Physical connection: RS232 serial connection to the gateway
Start the installation process by running the installer: execute GPSK_Vx.x.x.x.msi found in the
Tools directory of the software package. An installation wizard will start and guide you
through the installation procedure. If the .NET Framework was not installed on your PC, error
messages indicating you must install it will pop-up. If needed1, the Microsoft .NET Framework
Version 2 Redistributable Package can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/.
3.2 First Usage

3.2.1 Connection Settings
After installation, start the GPSK application by selecting its shortcut (GreenPeak Starter Kit)
in the GreenPeak folder in the Windows start menu.
The framework is needed by the application; if the .Net framework is already installed, or if the .Net
development environment is installed , then this step can be skipped
Page 7

Figure 3-1: The connection settings window

The Connection settings window will appear as displayed in Figure 3-1. The Connection
settings window allows you to configure the connection to the gateway. The different
connection types and their options are:
TcpClient: To connect to the TCP/IP gateway when the gateway acts like a TCP
server.
hostName: the host name or IP address of the gateway
portNumber: the TCP port number on which the gateway server listens
TcpServer: To start a TCP/IP server where the TCP/IP gateway can connect on
when it acts like a client.
portNumber: the TCP port number where the server should listen on.
Serial: To connect to the Serial Gateway through a serial port on your computer.
serialPort: The serial port on your computer that you use to connect to
the Serial Gateway.
baudrate: The baudrate that is used in the communication with the Serial
Gateway. Currently the Serial Gateway uses 9600 baud.
DigiClient: This setting is used to connect the Serial Gateway through a Digi
PortServer [4] to your computer.
hostName: the host name or IP address of the Digi PortServer
serialPortNumber: the number of the serial port on the Digi PortServer
baudrate: The baudrate that is used in the communication between the

Serial Gateway and the Digi PortServer. Currently the Serial Gateway
uses 9600 baud.
Select the settings that apply for you. For the starter kit in most cases this is Serial, COM1
and 9600.
Page 8

3.2.2 Starter Kit Application

After configuring the connection settings, press OK to apply the settings and start the
application. A screen similar as shown in Figure 3-3 is started. This PC application is divided
into two main parts. The left side controls and displays the IOs of the nodes in the network,
while the right side displays the network topology and links between the PeakNodes
(JadeMonitor).
The next sections will discuss how to use this PC application to see the network topology,
***Important remark: when you use a firewall on your computer, it might generate a
warning when you launch the PC application. You have to prevent your firewall from blocking
the GPSK application by choosing Unblock in the pop-up screen.***
Figure 3-2: Windows XP firewall popup
Page 9

Figure 3-3: GreenPeak Starter Kit main screen
3.3 Starting a network

In the previous paragraph, we discussed how the PC application is installed, and how it is
started. Next, we will discuss how you can build your first PeakNet network, and use the PC
application to set and get the IOs from the nodes associated in the network.
Attach the delivered serial RS232 cable to the PC and to the gateway/coordinator
module.
Start the GPSK application as described in 3.2. If the gateway is already up and
running, the JadeMonitor will attach to it and show the presence of the
PeakCoordinator. Otherwise the JadeMonitor will attach to the PeakNet as soon
as it is powered on.
Power the other PeakNodes and they will automatically attach to the network and
show up in the JadeMonitor.
The next sections will further describe the different fields in the PC demo application.
Page 10

3.4 JadeMonitor
The JadeMonitor shows the network connection of each PeakNode.
Figure 3-4 JadeMonitor part overview

Each node (Gateway and PeakNodes) is represented in the graphical window by a rectangle,
showing the nodes identification number (ID). A coordinator always uses identification
number 0x0001.
The lines between the nodes indicate the existence of a wireless communication path. The
links represent all possible connections between the nodes, most often presenting many
possible routes from a source node to a destination node over intermediate nodes. The actual
route used to send packets from a node towards the coordinator is highlighted when clicking
on a node (it may take a while before the path is highlighted). PeakNet will automatically
select a reliable route through the network. It will choose a route based on the link strength,
congestion on the link, and hops from coordinator to evenly spread network traffic among the
routers.
The user has the option to insert a background picture (for instance a blueprint of the
building) by going to the JadeMonitor menu in the Options menu. After choosing a
background, the PeakNodes can be moved to a position that represents their physical location
by simply dragging and dropping them in to the correct position.
In the JadeMonitor menu, one can define which route is shown when a node is clicked: the
two possibilities are upstream (to the coordinator) or downstream (from coordinator to node).
One can also choose to give a link quality indication by showing the RSSI values of the
different links in the network.
Page 11

3.5 IO Section
A screenshot of the IO section is shown below.
Figure 3-5 IO part overview

The IO section contains a number of fields:
ID: displays the application ID of the node. When you hover your mouse over
this field, you will see the 64-bit MAC address of the node. The coordinator has
application ID 0x0000.
Temp: When using the communications module combined with the GP-DB-03
development board [2] (default in the starter kit), this field displays the ambient
temperature picked up by the NTC temperature sensor. When no sensor is
applied, the readout value is undefined;
Digital In: the state of this button represents the state of the user switches on
the modules. When a switch on a remote module is pressed, the state of this
button will change. We refer to [2] for additional information on the position of
the user switches on the GP-DB-03 development board.
Page 12

Digital Out: by clicking on the check boxes, digital out 0 resp. 1 is toggled on the
PeakNode with the corresponding MAC address. By default the corresponding
digital outputs are connected to the user LEDs of the starter kit modules. In this
way the status of these LEDs can be controller in the PC application.
Serial data can be transferred between the PC Demo application and the
connected PeakNodes. This can be controlled by selecting a node in the serial
box of the IO section and typing a text or a hex array followed by enter. The
serial data will be transferred towards the selected PeakNode and reproduced on
the nodes serial port. In the opposite direction a similar mechanism is
implemented. When a serial stream is sent to a PeakNodes serial port, this
stream is transferred towards the PC demo application. The data and its
destination are shown in the serial box of the IO section.
***Important remark: The microcontroller on the module has two UARTS available for serial
communication. Only one of these UARTS is connected to the serial port connector on the DB03
development board. The serial stream sent from the starter kit application data is by default sent to the
UART connected to the DB03s serial port. The logging is sent on the other available UART, and can
thus not be seen by default when connecting a router to for instance the JadeLogger tool.To be able to
see the logging, you can click on the Disable button in the Enable Serial IO column in the IO section
of the PC application to wire the UART used for logging to the serial port on the DB03 development
board. When pressing the Enable button, the UART will again be used for forwarding the serial data
that was sent from the PC application.
When the SerialIO is enabled, you can connect a node to a PC using the serial port, and open a
HyperTerminal session. The settings for the session are shown in the figure below. Using the Starterkit
PC application you can now send serial data to that router node. The data is then shown in
HyperTerminal. Typing in HyperTerminal will send the characters to the coordinator.***
Page 13

The temperature chart displays the temperature course of the different nodes. When you
right-click on the chart, you get a context menu which you can use to zoom on the chart,
print or copy the chart. The temperature values received by the sensors are by default
displayed in degrees Celsius. To switch to degrees Fahrenheit, go to the Options menu and
then choose Temperature Settings. Next, choose Fahrenheit. The temperature is now
displayed in Fahrenheit.
The IO section displays also the status of the node. When the node is connected to the
network it is displayed normally as shown in Figure 3-5. When a possible failure of a node is
detected, the line of the node is blinking. If the connection to the node could not be restored
the line of the node is grayed out.
3.6 Using the Mesh Network

The Starter Kit has full self-forming, self-healing multi-hop behavior. This behavior can be
easily tested and demonstrated.
By clicking on a node in the GreenPeak PC application the route followed to send packets
from the node towards the coordinator is highlighted. If the routing of a certain node follows
a multi hop path towards the coordinator, one could power down one of nodes in this routing
path. The PeakNet will notice this change and automatically repair the routing path using
other nodes to get to the coordinator. You can also choose to show the path the coordinator
uses to get to a remote node by choosing the downstream option in the JadeMonitor menu
(Options -> JadeMonitor).
PeakNets self-healing multi-hop behavior is also demonstrated by setting up a network and
moving one node across the demonstration site. It will keep its network association while the
link strength diminishes, until the link disappears, to be re-associated immediately when the
node is brought back into radio distance of any other node. The PeakNode will re-associate
with a node providing a link quality above a preset threshold. This re-association behavior is
also demonstrated by simply resetting or switching on/off the node.
Page 14

3.7 PeakNet LPR vs. PeakNetZ

In the Starter Kit, you have the choice between 2 types of network stacks, namely PeakNetZ
and PeakNet LPR. By default, the modules come pre-flashed with the PeakNet Z stack. To
use the PeakNet LPR stack, one most use the JadeConfigurator tool to upload this stack to
the modules. The different properties of the stacks are given in figure below.
PEAKNET Z
R
R
PEAKNET LPR
R
R
R
L
L
L
L
L
L
Network Coordinator (C)
Full Functionality Device (FFD)
Reduced Functionality Device (RFD)
PeakNet Z is the ideal solution for

applications where some devices have
access to mains power and (optionally)
other devices operate on batteries. The
network consists of Full Functionality
Devices (FFD), Reduced Functionality
Devices (RFD) and one or more Network
Coordinators.
All FFDs automatically become part of the
wireless mesh networks and take active
part of routing messages. Optionally they
connect to sensors and actuators. The
RFDs interface to sensors and actuators
and connect wirelessly to a nearby FFD. As
they are set in a sleeping-state most of the
time, they consume very little power. The
RFD will not actively route messages for
other devices. The Network is self-healing
and self-forming and is managed by the
coordinator.
Network Coordinator (C)
Low-power Router Device (LRD)
PeakNet Low Power (LPR) is

GreenPeak's breakthrough approach to
wireless mesh networks. PeakNet LPR
does not require always-on, mainspowered devices. All devices are lowpower and still form a mesh and route
messages through the network.
The low-power routing meshing capability
is obtained by occasionally waking up the
low power nodes along a synchronized
scheme. Hence devices can pass messages
through the network yet at the same time
live years on standard batteries.
Devices can be woken up according to a
pre-defined schedule, (e.g. the periodic
measurement of room temperatures in a
HVAC application, or when an exception"
occurs (e.g. a smoke detector going in
alarm), or on a combination of both.
Page 15

4 The JadeConfigurator tool

The JadeConfigurator tool enables you to read software/hardware information from a node. It
also enables you to choose your own Pan ID and channel the network will operate on. A final
feature of the JadeConfigurator is the possibility to change the communication stack from
PeakNet Z to PeakNet LPR.
***Important note: The JadeConfigurator tool has the option to define which stack to use
in the Change stack type field. This field is only valid for the starter kit! If you have
bought a development kit enterprise, you cannot switch to PeakNet LPR using this field. You
will have to recompile the embedded application, and reprogram the nodes with the newly
generated .hex file using the update firmware field in the JadeConfigurator, using the
JadeCreator tool, or using AVRstudio and the JTAG ICE mkII programmer. The modules
shipped in the development kit professional can only boot the PeakNet Z stack. PeakNet LPR
is not included in the development kit professional.***
We refer to the JadeConfigurator user manual [3] on additional information on how to use
this tool.
5 Next steps
The main purpose of the evaluation kit is to test GreenPeaks hardware and software on
various aspects like:
Range;
Throughput;
Energy consumption;
Mobility;
Robustness;
Ease-of-use;
Self-healing, self-organizing aspect;
Etc
We advise the user to experiment with the supplied nodes to fully understand the possibilities
of a wireless sensor network. This can be done using the pre-flashed starter kit application.
By using the JadeConfigurator tool one can choose a unique Pan ID and channel for his
network, and change the communication stack from PeakNet Z (pre-flashed) to PeakNet LPR
(Low power routing). The starter kit does not support the possibility to build a custom
application on top of the GreenPeak communication stack. This feature is only included in the
development kit professional and enterprise.
Additional information on how to use the Starter Kit and the development tools can be found
in the documentation included with this kit. If some things might not be clear, or you have
general comments regarding the Starter Kit and its documentation, please contact
support@greenpeak.com.
Page 16

GP P202 UM 00597 Starter Kit User Manual

Încărcat de

Informații document

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

GP P202 UM 00597 Starter Kit User Manual

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Starter Kit User Manual

GREENPEAK STARTER KIT

Starter Kit User Manual

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

[3] JadeConfigurator User Manual, GreenPeak Technologies, June 2008,

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

Figure 1-1: GreenPeak Starter Kit overview

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

2 Preparing the PeakNodes

2.1 Powering up the PeakNodes

Figure 2-1: Connectors GreenPeak Starter Kit Module

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

2.2 PeakNet Association

2 digital outputs driving the orange User LEDs (3.3V logic)

1 NTC temperature sensor

2.3.1 Technical spec IO

2.3.2 Important remark

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

3 GreenPeak Starter Kit Application

Physical connection: RS232 serial connection to the gateway

3.2 First Usage

Starter Kit User Manual

Figure 3-1: The connection settings window

hostName: the host name or IP address of the gateway

hostName: the host name or IP address of the Digi PortServer

serialPortNumber: the number of the serial port on the Digi PortServer

baudrate: The baudrate that is used in the communication between the

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

3.2.2 Starter Kit Application

Figure 3-2: Windows XP firewall popup

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

Figure 3-3: GreenPeak Starter Kit main screen

3.3 Starting a network

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

Figure 3-4 JadeMonitor part overview

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

Figure 3-5 IO part overview

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

3.6 Using the Mesh Network

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Starter Kit User Manual

3.7 PeakNet LPR vs. PeakNetZ

Network Coordinator (C)

Full Functionality Device (FFD)

Reduced Functionality Device (RFD)

PeakNet Z is the ideal solution for

GreenPeak Technologies 2008

Network Coordinator (C)

Low-power Router Device (LRD)

PeakNet Low Power (LPR) is

Starter Kit User Manual

4 The JadeConfigurator tool