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How-to: Setting up XBee ZNet 2.5 (Series 2) modules
The XBee ZNet 2.5 modules from Digi are more advanced than the popular XBee Series 1
modules, but they require a little additional work to set up. This tutorial will guide you through
reflashing two XBee ZNet modules with the appropriate firmwares and setting them up to
communicate with eachother.
Materials needed:
2 - XBee ZNet 2.5 Modules (Digikey Part#: XB24-BWIT-004-ND)
1 - XBee Breakout Board (Sparkfun SKU#: BOB-08276 or from NKC Electronics)
2 - 2mm, 10 pin XBee socket (Sparkfun SKU#: PRT-08272 or included with NKC kit)
1 - Male Header row for XBee breakout (Sparkfun SKU#: PRT-00117 or included with NKC kit)
1 - FT232RL Breakout Board (Sparkfun SKU#: BOB-00718)
- male or female headers for the FT232RL Breakout board, depending on your preference
2 – LEDs
1 – Reset Switch (optional, see below)
Breadboard
Jumper wires (I prefer the fancy ones from Sparkfun (PRT-08430 and PRT-08431), but any 22awg solid
wire will work)
USB miniB cable
Arduino Diecimila
XBee Shield from NKC Electronics (
A computer running Windows
Also recommend:
3.3V Power Supply – Sparkfun SKU#: PRT-00114 is handy, but you can also just rig up your own 3.3V
regulator
http://www.nkcelectronics.com/freeduino-arduino-xbee-shield-kit.html
An XBee ZNet 2.5 Module with Sparkfun's XBee
breakout board
)
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Related Manuals for XBee ZNet 2 Series
Summary of Contents for XBee ZNet 2 Series
- Page 1 How-to: Setting up XBee ZNet 2.5 (Series 2) modules The XBee ZNet 2.5 modules from Digi are more advanced than the popular XBee Series 1 modules, but they require a little additional work to set up. This tutorial will guide you through reflashing two XBee ZNet modules with the appropriate firmwares and setting them up to communicate with eachother.
- Page 2 Instead of using a reset switch, I just plug one end of a jumper wire into the XBee reset pin and leave the other end of that jumper hanging off the edge of the board; when I need to reset the XBee, I just momentarily touch the bare end of the jumper to...
- Page 3 Note: The FT232RL provides a maximum of 50mA on the 3.3V pin. The XBee ZNet modules pull a max of 40mA, so you should be ok. However, if you are using the XBee Pro version, you may need to use an external 3.3V supply.
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Page 4: Step 4: Update The Firmware
Identifier” to something like “router1”. You may want to change the “PAN ID” to a unique number if you plan to use your XBee in a place where others will be using their own XBees. Check the box that says “Always update... - Page 5 Type “ATNI” to check the Node Identifier. The XBee should respond with “router1” or whatever unique Node Identifier you set in step 4. Type “ATCN” to exit command mode. The XBee will respond with “OK”. If those commands returned the correct information, then congratulations, you’ve successfully updated this XBee! Quit the X-CTU program and disconnect the USB-miniB cable from the computer.
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Page 6: Step 7: Creating The Network
XBee Breakout board and install it in whetever device it will communicate with; I recommend plugging it into an XBee Shield for the Arduino at this point. You may also want to put a sticker or label on this XBee to identify it as your router. Set it aside for the moment. - Page 7 This makes point to point communication really easy. All you need to do is send serial data to the XBee router connected to the Arduino and it will be received by the coordinator where you can read it into your computer.
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Page 8: Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts If you’ve gone through all these steps, you should have a basic idea of how to use the XBee ZNet modules to communicate wirelessly between your Arduino and your computer. If that’s all you want to do with the XBees, then there’s not much more (if anything) you’ll need to configure to get your project working.