Comms

What has been done to get the Xbees working?

1. XCTU

   1. XCTU is software that we can use to configure and run the xbees. We first used this software to send some test frames using the zigbee 3.0 protocol.

2. Logic Analyzer

   1. We used a logic analyzer to read the signals being sent to and from the XCTUsoftware. This is how we know how the zigbee protocol works and what needs to be sent/recieved from the xbees. The xbees are actually quit simple. They use UART to communicate with XCTU/Arduinio/STM32. And they have an easy to follow protocol for constructing frames.

   2. The difficulty with the xbees is the lack of documentation when it comes to the frames. This is where the logic analyzer was useful. We know how to construct frames for transmitting data and how to decode frames for transmit status and receiving data. XCTU also describes how to construct frames, using their frame builder software.

3. Ardunio

   1. We got the xbees to work with an ardunio! One Xbee was plugged into a computer, listening for data, the other was wired to an ardunio. We then sent a transmit request to the Xbee from the ardunio! The xbee that was connected to the computer, recieved the message.