Pololu Wixel User Manual

Pololu Wixel User's GuidePololu Wixel User's Guide © 2001–2014 Pololu Corporationhttp://www.pololu.com/docs/0J46/all Page 1 of 64

7. On the second screen of the “Found New Hardware Wizard”, select “Install the software automatically” andclick “Next”.Pololu Wixel User's Guide

8. Windows XP will warn you again that the driver has not been tested by Microsoft and recommend that youstop the installation. Click “Continue Anyway

After installing the drivers, if you go to your computer’s Device Manager and expand the “Pololu USB Devices” list,you should see an entry for the Pol

Windows Vista or Windows 7 DeviceManager showing a Wixel that isrunning an app with a virtual COM port.Windows XP Device Manager showing aWixel that i

3.b. Installing Linux Drivers and SoftwareThe Wixel Configuration Utility running in Ubuntu Linux.You can download the Wixel Configuration Utility and

depends on how many other ACM devices you have plugged in). You can use any terminal program (such as kermitor screen) to send and receive bytes on th

3.d. Loading an Example AppWhen you first get your Wixel it will have no application loaded. To make your Wixel do something useful, you mustload an a

The Wixel Configuration Utility with the Example Blink LED App open.5. Note that in the Wixels box, there is a list of all the Wixels connected to USB

9. The speed of the blinking is determined by the blink_period_ms parameter. The units of this parameter aremilliseconds (ms). Try changing blink_peri

Serial App [http://www.pololu.com/docs/0J46/9.b], the only thing that will be different are the names and meanings of theparameters. To understand wha

1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4. Configuring Your WixelsThe Wixel Configuration Utility allows you to write and read settings from the Wixel. This section explains all of thefeatur

The text displayed in the Wixel list (e.g. “07-C2-C8-3A”) is the serial number of your Wixel. Each Wixel has a unique32-bit serial number which was ra

Wixels (for example, when you want to write the same app and settings to multiple Wixels). If the box is unchecked,you can click the Read Wixel button

5. Connecting Your WixelsThis chapter explains some of the electrical connections you might need to make to get your Wixel working the wayyou want it

The Wixel can be powered from USB.3V3 Power OutputThe Wixel’s 3V3 pin gives access to the output of the Wixel’s 3.3 V regulator. If the Wixel’s power

Making serial connections between aWixel and a 5V microcontroller.Making serial connections between aWixel and a 3.3V microcontroller.To connect your

• You loaded a program which uses a different type of USB interface or no USB interface. In this case, checkthe documentation of the app to see if the

Wixel on breadboard with a bootloader button and reset buttonconnected.Pololu Wixel User's Guide © 2001–2014 Pololu Corporation5. Connecting Your

6. Using a Virtual COM PortMost of the available Wixel apps implement a USB interface that consists of a single virtual COM (serial) port. Thisinterfa

PuTTY is a free Windows terminal program that can send and receive bytes on aserial port.If you need to send and receive non-ASCII bytes, you can use

Wixel programmable USBwireless module.Wixel programmable USBwireless module enablingwireless communicationbetween a PC and robot.1. OverviewThe Pololu

7. Ensuring a Good Radio SignalHere are some tips for improving the quality of the radio signals sent between a pair of Wixels:• Reduce the distance b

8. Schematic DiagramThe schematic diagram of the Wixel is shown below:The schematic also available as a printable pdf [http://www.pololu.com/file/down

Wireless PC control of a 3pi robot using apair of Wixels.Together, the USB Adapter A to Mini-Band a Pololu Wixel wireless module canmake a compact USB

Default PinoutPin FunctionP1_0 DTR general-purpose output pinP1_1 RTS general-purpose output pinP1_2 DSR general-purpose input pinP1_3 CD general-purp

Indicator LEDsThe green LED behaves as described in Section 1.a, and also flickers when there is data transferred over USB.The yellow LED represents t

• baud_rate: The baud rate to use for the UART, in bits per second. The default is 9600. We recommend notexceeding 115200. This parameter has no effec

CaveatsData will be lost if the Wixel receives bytes on the RX line faster than the radio can convey them to the other Wixel.If you have trouble, try

Wixel programmable USB wirelessmodule (fully assembled) with USB cableconnected.9.c. USB-to-Serial AppOverviewThis app allows you to turn a Wixel into

This app will discard bytes received on the RX line that have framing errors or parity errors, and it will also throwout bytes if there is an RX buffe

PinoutPin FunctionP0_3 ASCII_TX Serial output, transmits ASCII (0–3.3 V)P0_2 ASCII_RX Serial input, receives ASCII (0–3.3 V, not 5 V tolerant)P1_6 BIN

Wixel programmable USB wirelessmodule (without header pins installed).Wixel programmable USB wirelessmodule (fully assembled).1.a. Module Pinout and C

Caveats• If data is received on the ASCII_RX or BINARY_RX pins too quickly, it could result in the internal buffersfilling up and data loss. This app

DescriptionThis device appears to the USB host as a Virtual COM Port (with USB product ID 0x2200). If you are using Windows,you should see an entry la

‘S’, 0xEE, 2, 0xF4, 0x2E, ‘P’To read a two-byte value from register 0xF6 on the same device, whose read address would be 0xEF, the followingsequence c

The yellow LED is on when VIN power is detected.The red LED indicates an error condition when lit; it can be reset by issuing a Get Errors command (de

Versions• Serial-to-I²C App v1.0 [http://www.pololu.com/file/download/serial-i2c-v1.0.wxl?file_id=0J480] (26k wxl), released2011-05-03: Initial releas

After you have loaded this app onto a Wixel, the Wixel will appear to the computer as Virtual COM Port (with USBproduct ID 0x2200). If you are using W

This converted Tandy Deluxe Joystick is nowusable as a USB Human Interface Device.Caution: The Wixel’s I/O lines are not 5V tolerant. You must use lev

Default PinoutWixel pin Input type Joystick functionP0_0 X axisP0_1 Y axisP0_2 Z axisP0_3 Rx axisP0_4 Ry axisP0_5AnalogRz axisP1_2 Button 1P1_3 Button

the app to a Wixel. (See Section 4 for more information on how this is done.) The Wixel should now appear to yourcomputer as a Human Interface Device.

Wireless tilt mouse made with twoWixels and an accelerometer.9.h. Wireless Tilt Mouse AppOverviewThis app allows you to make a wireless tilt mouse for

Wixel programmable USB wirelessmodule, bottom view with USquarter for size reference.The three GND pins are all connected and are at 0 V by definition

Configuration Utility easily get the transmitter Wixel into bootloader mode when the transmitter Wixel is connectedto the computer via USB.Download th

A Wixel controlling a chain of ShiftBrites.• invert_x: Set to 1 to invert the horizontal movement of the mouse. Default is 0.• invert_y: Set to 1 to i

Connecting the Wixel to the ShiftBrite chainThe following connections should be made between the Wixel running the ShiftBrite App and the first ShiftB

Tips• The yellow LED is normally on, and flickers whenever data is received from the radio, which might be usefulfor debugging your wireless connectio

10. Writing Your Own Wixel App10.a. Getting Started in WindowsTo get started developing your own Wixel Apps using Windows as the development platform,

You might get the following error message from make in Windows:make: Interrupt/Exception caught (code = 0xc00000fd, addr = 0x425073)If you get this er

Using Eclipse with the Wixel SDK to developWixel applications.Creating Your Own AppsNow that you know how to compile apps and quickly load them onto t

11. Navigate to the apps/example_blink_led folder and double-click on example_blink_led.c. This willopen the file in the center pane.12. Make a small

• If you put your text cursor on a function name, variable name, preprocessor macro, or include directive, thenyou can quickly jump to the place where

Hiding Unused FeaturesBy default, Eclipse has a large number of toolbar buttons, views (panes), and menu items that are not needed fordeveloping Wixel

Wixel indicator LEDs.Different Wixel applications may use different sets of these peripherals. Consult the application documentation fordetails on the

Announcing your app on the Wixel forumWhen you are ready for the community to try out a version of your app, you may announce it on the Wixel forum[ht

Initially, you will commit your changes to your local repository, but when you are ready to publish them, you shouldset up your own repository on GitH

The hex sectionThe hex section contains an Intel Hex file that specifies the bytes to write to the flash of the Wixel. See the IntelHEX [http://en.wik

11. The Wixel USB BootloaderThe Wixel comes with a USB bootloader that can be used in conjunction with the Wixel Configuration Utility orWixelCmd to u

When the Wixel resets, it uses this procedure to decidewhether to run the bootloader or the app.Startup ProcedureEvery time the Wixel powers on, thebo

The P2_2 pin is connected to the yellow LED, so this line will go high when the yellow LED is on and otherwise bepulled low.While the Wixel is running

Wixel programmable USBwireless module with USB cabledconnected.2. Contacting PololuWe would be delighted to hear from you about any of your projects a

3. Getting Started3.a. Installing Windows Drivers and SoftwareBefore you connect a Wixel to a computer running Microsoft Windows, you should install t