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The IQRF wireless technology is easy to implement and deploy, whether it is your product or the whole running solution. This is thanks to the DPA.

What is DPA?

DPA is a part of a three-layer IQRF architecture (IQRF OS, DPA, Custom DPA Handler). All TR transceivers support implementation without programming. By using a ready-to-use SW plug-in instead of a user-specific application SW, the device is controlled just by sending and receiving commands and data via a simple protocol (called Direct Peripheral Access, DPA). Then the implementation is even much easier. Full networking is completely ready. Just the addresses must be specified and then the packets are delivered transparently.

How it works?

IQMESH network is controlled by the DPA protocol from a control system connected to the Coordinator via the SPI or UART interface. The communication in IQMESH is primarily intended as the synchronous one: Request – Response.

• For the first familiarization with DPA communication, using a TR transceiver plugged in the CK-USB-04A kit with IQRF IDE as a control system is recommended.
• In real applications, the control system is usually integrated with the host of the Coordinator into single equipment (gateway), often linked up to additional high-level services
  

DPA communication is possible:

• Locally – with the Coordinator (by wires)
  
  • The control system sends a DPA Request to the Coordinator
    
  • The Coordinator returns a DPA Response.

• Remotely – with a Node in the network (through the Coordinator, wirelessly)
  • The control system sends a DPA Request to given Node
  • The Coordinator returns a DPA Confirmation.
    
  • The Node returns a DPA Response.

IQRF is a technology for low power, low speed, low data volume, reliable and easy to use wireless connectivity in sub-GHz ISM bands, ranging tens and hundreds of meters (up to several kilometers in special cases or in networks) e.g. for telemetry, industrial control and automation of buildings and cities (street lights, parking etc.). It can be used with any electronic equipment, whenever there is a need for wireless transfer, e.g. remote control or monitoring of remotely acquired data. The highest IQRF strength is in wireless networks. Typical IQRF usage is IoT. IQRF is extremely easy to implement.

IQRF Transceivers

IQRF is based on wireless RF transceivers (TR). Operating system (OS) supporting Mesh networking makes them powerful but unusually easy to apply. Specific functionality can be achieved by application SW placed by the user into the internal MCU.

Mesh network

In addition to normal operation, every TR can route packets for other Nodes to prolong the range and increase the reliability (Mesh network). Thus, for IQRF, dedicated repeaters are optional but not necessary. IQRF networking is very sophisticated, utilizes a lot of unique patented features but still remains outstandingly easy to implement.

Find more information on www.iqrf.org.

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Photos and presentations from the IQRF Summit 2019 in one place. Remind yourself the presentations and view all the photos.

Day 1

Day 2

Gallery

To learn the DPA usage, development set DS-DPA-02 can be used.

Preparation

All SW, plug-ins, documentation etc. are available on the flash disk and on www.iqrf.org/support/download.

• Prepare TR-72DATs with OS 4.03D as follows: 5 pcs as the Nodes and 1 pc as the Coordinator.
• Prepare 4 (5) pieces of DK-EVAL-04A and 1 (2) piece(s) of CK-USB-04A.
• Install the latest IQRF IDE.
• Launch IQRF IDE and open Project DPA-demo.iqrfprj from IQRF Startup package. All necessary files and macros are included in the Project.

Creating Nodes

A. Plug a TR transceiver in CK-USB-04A, select the DPA-Node-STD-7xD*.iqrf file in Project window and click the Upload Plug-ins button on the Toolbar (or use the F5 key). The plug-in should be uploaded then.

B. Double-click on the configuration file DPA-config.xml in IDE Project window to open the TR Configuration window.

Make the following settings:

• Select the desired RF channel (RF Channel A) in the OS tab. Nodes will inherit the value from the Coordinator during bonding.
• Select the desired RX filter in the DPA tab.
  • For short range testing (within the room) select 15.
  • For operating in real conditions select 5.
• Select the desired Access Password in the Security tab. See IQRF OS User’s guide, chapter Access encryption.

This setting must be the same in the entire network!
Do not change other parameters for now.
Save the configuration into the TR by button Upload.

C. Plug this TR into the DK-EVAL-04A kit.
Repeat steps A to C for all Nodes.

Creating the Coordinator
Use the same procedure but with the DPA-Coordinator-SPI-7xD.iqrf and DPA-config.xml files. Then leave the TR plugged in CK-USB-04A.

Warning: If you use a stronger RX filter during the development (e.g. on the table), do not forget to reduce it then in final
application (in the real environment).

Examples

A. Pop-up menu
For the simplest checking, a command to switch the red LED On / Off on selected Node can be immediately sent by clicking the left mouse button on the symbol of the given
Node in the map.
The command currently selected in the DPA Test – Data to Send window can be executed by the right mouse button click on the symbol of given Node in the map and by selecting the Send Packet from DPA Test item. NADR is set automatically according to the selected Node.

B. Macros
Click on the particular macro and PNUM, PCMD, HWPID and PDATA are automatically filled in. Then select Node Address in the NADR box (for Broadcast use address 0xFF) and click the Send button.

• Go to the LED macros and click on macro Set LEDR on. To switch all LEDs on, fill in 0xFF in NADR and click Send button.
• Use various macros and Node addresses to test the functionality.

C. DPA packet arranged manually
To get a better understanding of the DPA packet structure, you can also fill in the DPA packet manually. By clicking the right mouse button to the area for selecting NADR, PNUM, PCMD or HWPID, menu Predefined Addresses, Predefined Peripherals, Predefined Commands or Predefined HWPIDs is displayed. These lists allow to select items defined by the DPA specification and directly arrange the packet.

• From menu Predefined Addresses select Broadcast or directly specify the address of given Node.
• From menu Predefined Peripherals select the LEDR peripheral.
• From menu Predefined Commands select the Set on command.
• From menu Predefined HWP select the To All HWP item.
• Click the Send button.

Test other peripherals and commands in the same way.

IQRF IDE environment integrates all SW tools needed for application development (and a lot of utilities for the following
control, maintenance and service). It is project oriented. Thus, a Project containing necessary definitions and files must be
specified first. Default Projects are available for immediate start. Project definition files have the .IQRFPRJ extension. See
IQRF IDE Help for details.

Programming and uploading procedure

Programming – a creation of a user-specific IQRF application program.

• Editing – creation/modification of source code in C language.
• Compilation – compiling the source program from C language to .HEX machine code.
• Upload – uploading the code into the TR:
  • TR Configuration
  • Application code
    • Either a DPA plug-in, optionally with a Custom DPA Handler
    • Or a user-specific application.

Wireless upload (RFPGM) is also possible – see IQRF OS User’s guide, Appendix RFPGM and IQRF OS Reference guide, function RFPGM.

Other development, test and service utilities

• Debug – allows to stop program execution and watch internal variables (break, watch and continue).
• Terminal – utility to control serial communication.
• Packet inspector decoding and interpreting packets logged in Terminal Log window.
• Network management, visualization, testing, scanner, QR Code generator, …

IQRF IDE
Integrated development environment by IQRF Tech to create, debug and control IQRF applications and manage the IQRF network. Required minimal IQRF IDE version depends on IQRF OS version of given TR transceiver and possibly also on the DPA version. See IQRF IDE Release notes. The best way is to always use the latest IDE version.

USB drivers
IQRF USB devices (e.g. CK-USB-04A) primarily utilize Custom class (with VID / PID by IQRF Tech when used with IQRF devices). Several IQRF USB devices (e.g. GW-USB-06) can also (optionally) use the CDC class. (CDC is not necessary for IQRF startup.)
USB drivers implemented in current IQRF devices (e.g. CK-USB-04A or GW-USB-06 with up-to-date firmware) are by the verified publisher based on the WinUSB by Microsoft.

CC5X
C compiler for the PIC microcontrollers (by B Knudsen Data). The evaluation version (included in the IQRF Startup package) is free. The compiler is not necessary when using DPA plug-ins without Custom DPA Handler creation or modification.

Text editor
For source code creation and modification, any external editor being able to save a plain ASCII text, e.g. Windows Notepad can be used. Notepad++ (a great source code editor, free by GPL License) is very recommended. Download it from www.notepad-plus-plus.org.