Using the CC2420DB Demonstration Board
The CC2420DB Demonstration Board is designed for quick prototyping, and also for quick
practical evaluation such as range testing.
Software can be programmed into the AVR microcontroller either using an external
programmer such as the AVR ISP programmer, AVR JTAG ICE or using the serial port to
communicate with the bootloader that is programmed into the MCU when the CC2420DB is
shipped from the factory. If the bootloader is overwritten when using an external programmer,
the AVR must be re-programmed with the bootloader before it is possible to program the AVR
via the serial port again. Note that due to the 8 MHz crystal used with the Atmel controller,
some higher Baud rates cannot be supported for communication between computer and
CC2420DB using the serial port. There is a table in the Atmel ATmega 128 data sheet that list
the Baud rate error for different crystal frequencies and Baud rates.
CC2420 Software Download and Evaluation Using AVR Studio 4
Use a serial cable to connect the serial interface of the CC2420DB to the serial port of a PC
running AVR Studio. Our SmartRF
®
Studio cannot communicate with the CC2420DB, but can
be used to find register values for the CC2420.
Power
supply
220V
PC running
AVRStudio
Serial cable
CC2420DB
4-10V
Serial cable
AVR ISP /
JTAG ICE
Programmer
OR
Figure 17: Software download using AVR Studio 4
Preprogrammed 64-bit IEEE Address
Each CC2420DB in a Demonstration Board Kit revision 1.6 or newer is preprogrammed with
a unique 64-bit IEEE address. These addresses are stored in Little-Endian format, in the
lowest 8 bytes of the EEPROM of the Atmega128L microcontroller. This places the least
significant byte (LSB) at location 0x0000 and the most significant byte (MSB) at location
0x0007. The IEEE address is also displayed on a sticker affixed to each CC2420DB.
Chipcon AS
SmartRF
®
CC2420DBK Demonstration Board Kit User Manual
(rev. 1.3) 2004-11-03 Page 30/ 52
