Hello,

I bought a couple of cheap nRF24le1e modules expecting it to be a similar plug and play idea to XBee which in retrospect wasn't a very intelligent assumption. I was expecting to be able to communicate via uart with these modules as the data sheet shows pin 5 and 6 are TX and RX respectively but no such luck.

After doing a bit of googling, it appear these modules contain a nRF24l01 plus a microcontroller. My question is, does this mean I need to try communicating with them via SPI and if so what use are the UART pins?

Thanks,
Oisin

 

Please show the phot and schematic for the nRF modules you purchased. The photo and schematic should be in the vendor's ad.

 

Hi,

There is no real schematic but they give a pinout diagram and I can see the pins of the chip go directly to these pins.

I made mistake with the pin numbers in my earlier post, this has the 32 pin package so the pins are

VDD
VCC
Prog
Reset
P0.0
P0.1
P0.2
P0.3 - UART/TXD
P0.4 - UART/RXD
P0.5 - SSCK
P0.6
P0.7 - SMOSI
P1.0 - SMISO
P1.1 - SCSN
P1.2
P1.3
P1.4 - MSCK
P1.5 - MMOSI
P1.6 - MMISO
P1.7

I was using an FTDI cable to try and send from one module to another using the UART pins but I couldn't get anything to send so I guess that's intended for something else other than RF communication.

I don't know anything about SPI but I guess the pins after P0.5 are all related to that so I'm going to have to figure that out if I want to send anything with these modules.

 

Hello,

Would this page with datasheet and the application notes of the chip on the board give any help?
http://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Products/2.4GHz-RF/nRF24LE1

Bertus

 

That's a standard nRF IC in a module.

What made you think there is a microcontroller on there as well? You can clearly see there is only one chip (the nRF IC) and a few discretes.

Interfacing to the nRF IC is the same as all the nRF examples all over the internet.

 

Oh it was because I read somewhere they had put a nRF24l0 die along side some other mcu in one package to make the nRF24le hence the extra pins but maybe that was wrong. I'd taught the idea was that the MCU would allow you to communicate with the nRF24l0 via uart rather than spi. I know pretty foolish

I'll get a chance tomorrow to try the spi like the nRF24l0, hopefully that will work without too much trouble.

 

I have used these modules quite a bit. Generally, I interface them with external microcontrollers using SPI, depending on the microcontroller being used. If you would like some schematics or more information, PM me.

 

That's a standard nRF IC in a module.

What made you think there is a microcontroller on there as well? You can clearly see there is only one chip (the nRF IC) and a few discretes.

Interfacing to the nRF IC is the same as all the nRF examples all over the internet.

It's an SoC... uC in the same die with the radio module... I think... there looks to be a programming line on that gerber layout and a bunch of GPIO...

I've used the radio module, but not this SoC... I'll have to do a little more reading on it when I get home.

From ebay listing:
NRF24LE1 wireless communication module
NRF24LE1 = NRF24L01 + MCU ; smaller with MCU
NORDIC latest nRF24LE1 =2.4GHz + Flash 51+ADC +DAC + I2C + PWM+UART+SPI

From Nordic's Site:
"The nRF24LE1 is a highly integrated ultra low power 2.4GHz RF System-on-Chip (SoC) for 2.4GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band operation. It includes a 2.4GHz RF transceiver core, an 8-bit CPU, and embedded Flash memory. By offering a peak RX/TX current lower than 14mA, a sub-μA power down mode, advanced power management, and 1.9 to 3.6V supply range, the nRF24LE1 provides a true ultra low power solution that enables months to years of battery lifetime when running from regular coin cells or AA/AAA batteries. Finally, a rich set of on-chip analog and digital peripherals makes the nRF24LE1 a flexible, single chip solution for a wide range of applications including PC peripherals, game controllers, remote controls, sports/fitness/healthcare sensors, and toys."