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MAX7037 Evaluation Kits
Evaluate: MAX7037
General Description
The MAX7037 evaluation kits (EV kits) are fully assembled
and tested to evaluate the MAX7037 sub-1GHz, ultra-low-
power, RF ISM transceiver. The EV kits are connected to
the PC through a Siam Kitty board. The EV kits get power
from the Siam Kitty board and run from a minimum supply
voltage of only 2.1V.
A particular EV kit will only work at a specific carrier
frequency. The frequencies supported are: 315MHz,
434MHz, 868MHz, 902MHz, 915MHz, and 928MHz. EV
kits are shipped configured for 315MHz, 434MHz, 868MHz,
902MHz, 915MHz, or 928MHz operation. It is necessary to
change the RF matching components to configure an EV
kit to work at one of the other frequencies. Further details
are provided in the
Changing EV Kit for Operation at
Other Frequencies
section.
Note that, if an EV kit is used at a frequency other than
that for which it is configured, it will likely either not work at
all or display very poor performance. Ensure that both EV
kits match the frequency for which they are configured.
Furthermore, the MAX7037_915MHz EV kit can be used
for 902MHz, 915MHz, or 928MHz operation.
Features
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Easy Evaluation of the MAX7037
●
Proven PCB Layout
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Fully Assembled and Tested
EV Kit Contents
●
Assembled circuit board including MAX7037.
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Assembled Siam Kitty Board.
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14 POS Mini D Ribbon (MDR) Cable
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A Male-to-Micro B Male USB Cable
Note:
For testing the MAX7037 EV kit, two sets of above-
mentioned packages of EV kits are required; one used as a
transmitter and one as a receiver.
Ordering Information
appears at end of data sheet.
MAX7037_315MHz EV Kit Board Photo
19-8668; Rev 3; 7/18
MAX7037 Evaluation Kit
Evaluates: MAX7037
Quick Start
Required Equipment and Accessories
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One PC or laptop
Two A Male-to-Micro-B male USB cables
Two 14 POS Mini-D Ribbon (MDR) cables
One SMA cable and several attenuators, total 60dB
Two MAX7037_315MHz, MAX7037_434MHz,
MAX7037_868MHz, or MAX7037_915MHz EV kits
Two Siam Kitty boards
Jumper Configurations
Shunt J2, J3, J6, J10. J2 has three pins. The two that are
shunted are the left-most two pins. J10 also has three
pins. The two that are shunted are the top-most two pins.
Any jumpers or headers not mentioned here should be left
unshorted.
Figure 1
shows the location of these jumpers.
Figure 1. MAX7037 EV Kit Photo Jumpers Location
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MAX7037 Evaluation Kit
Evaluates: MAX7037
DIP Switch Settings
●
Four DIP switches on the EV kit should be configured as
described below:
The four-switch DIP labeled S22, S23, S17, and S18
should all be slid to the upper position, as displayed
in
Figure 1.
The four-switch DIP labelled S24–S27 should all be
slid to the left position, as shown in
Figure 1.
The 8-switch DIP labelled S0–S7 should all be slid to
the right position, as shown in
Figure 1.
The 8-switch DIP labelled S8–S15 should have all
but the top-most switch slid to the left, as shown in
Figure 1.
The top switch of this particular DIP (i.e.,
the S8 switch) should be slid to the right.
2)
3)
1)
1
obtained with scan operation (e.g., “SKZ8TN4TA”)
and designate the second Siam Kitty board as the
receiver.
Connections
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Installing the Host Software
The host software is used to download the firmware to the
MAX7037 IC.
Download the
MAX7037host.exe
file from
Maxim.
1)
2)
3)
4)
Save the file to whatever working folder you wish.
Note the location of the folder and make sure that
the Siam Kitty Board is unplugged during install.
Download the FTDI drivers from
Maxim.
Extract the drivers and install.
Connect the first Siam Kitty board to a USB port of
the computer and wait at least 30 seconds. If the
drivers are installed correctly, the yellow LED in the
Siam Kitty board should be illuminated.
Open a DOS command window and navigate to the
directory where the host software is located. For
example, if it is in C:\myfolder\MAX7037, then issue
the command “cd C:\myfolder\MAX7037”.
In the command window, type “MAX7073host.exe”
and hit enter. You should see all the options of the
command line tool and their descriptions. Type
“MAX7037host.exe
-scan”
and hit “Enter”. If the
device is connected, at the bottom of the screen you
will see a line containing the serial number of the first
Siam Kitty board, for example “Device
0: SKZ8TKQZA”.
Note the serial number obtained with the scan operation
(e.g., “SKZ8TKQZA”), and designate this Siam Kitty
board as the transmitter.
Connect the second Siam Kitty board to the same
computer and wait at least 30 seconds. Type
“MAX7037host.exe -scan” and hit enter. If both
Siam Kitty boards are connected, you will see a
screen that shows two lines containing the serial
number of the first and second Siam Kitty boards, for
example “Device
0: SKZ8TKQZA”
and “Device
1:
SKZ8TN4TA”.
Note the serial number of the
Device
Connect the first MAX7037 EV kit, X12 connector, to
the first Siam Kitty board (i.e., SKZ8TKQZA) through
a Mini-D Ribbon (MDR) cable and consider it to be
the transmitter. The power for the EV kit is provided
by the Siam Kitty board.
Connect the second MAX7037 EV kit to the second
Siam Kitty Board (i.e., SKZ8TN4TA) and consider it
as the receiver.
Connect an SMA Cable to the Ant SMA connector
(X16) of the EV kit designated as the transmitter.
Then connect 60dB of attenuation at the other end
of the SMA Cable and connect it to the Ant SMA connector
(X16) of the EV kit designated as the receiver.
Download the MAX7037_FW_V1.0.hex firmware
binary file from
Maxim
to the same folder the
MAX7037host.exe
file was downloaded.
To program
MAX7037_FW_V1.0.hex
to the
MAX7037 IC of the transmitter EV kit, type the
command “MAX7037host.exe -sn SKZ8TKQZA -wprg
MAX7037_FW_V1.0.hex” into the command line
interface, then hit “Enter”. Note that this is an example.
Replace the serial number with the one obtained with
the scan operation.
To program
MAX7037_FW_V1.0.hex
to MAX7037 IC
of the receiver EV kit, type the command
“MAX7037host.exe -sn SKZ8TN4TA -wprg
MAX7037_FW_V1.0.hex” into the command line in-
terface, then hit “Enter”. Note that this is an example.
Replace the serial number with the one obtained with
the scan operation.
Downloading Firmware
1)
2)
5)
3)
6)
Downloading TeraTerm Program
This program can be downloaded for free from the
TeraTerm Homepage.
Since it is known that TeraTerm
works well with no issues, it is recommended for use with
the MAX7037 EV kit.
1)
Start TeraTerm. A dialog box will be opened along
with a terminal window. Click on the Serial button.
Then, click on the pull down menu for Port. At this
point, you have to select which COM port to use.
Typically, the only way to find this out is by trial-and-
error; that is, select each port in turn and see if it
works. Once the port is known, it will not change,
so it should just be noted. Then, on subsequent
startups, you can just directly select the known COM
port.
7)
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MAX7037 Evaluation Kit
Evaluates: MAX7037
2)
As an example, if COM1 is the first COM port
indicated by the TeraTerm New Connection dialog
box, select this, and click “OK”. Then, in the terminal
window, select Setup -> Serial Port… Click on Baud
rate, and select 38400. All other serial port parameters
should remain as default. The default settings are
Data = 8 bit, Parity = none, Stop = 1 bit, Flow Control
= none. Click on “OK”.
Note:
An important point is that the serial link only
operates correctly at a baud rate of 38400 bits per
second.
Press the RESET button on the transmitter EV kit
and see if the following command prompt appears
in the terminal window: “Welcome
to 7037 command
line interface, type ‘help’ for available commands”.
If no text appears, then the correct COM port is not
selected, and you have to repeat the procedure with
the next COM port in the list. Select Setup -> Serial
Port…, then select the next COM port in the Serial
Port Setup window. Click OK, then press the EV
kit’s RESET button. Once you have found the correct
COM port, the command prompt will appear.
Note:
When starting up the terminal display, it is
common to forget to configure the Baud rate
(defaults to 9600bps). In this case, when you press
the EV kit RESET button, some strange characters
will be printed to the display.
Repeat the whole procedure to find and configure
the COM port of the receiver EV kit. Open a second
TeraTerm display, and find which COM port it is
connected to.
In the typical usage case, where two EV kits are
connected to the same PC, and where one EV kit is
designated the transmitter and the other the receiver,
it is recommended to put a label on the transmitter
and receiver EV kits indicating which is the transmitter and
which is the receiver. Make a note of which COM
port number corresponds to the transmitter and
which to the receiver. Position the two terminal
windows on the PC display with transmitter on left
and receiver on right just so as to be able to keep
track of which is which. It is also possible to change
the text at the top of the terminal window to indicate
the transmitter or receiver. Select Setup -> Window
and type the desired header text into the Title field.
Procedure
The EV kits are configured and controlled via the serial
communication port of the MAX7037. The details of the
commands are contained in the MAX7037 data sheet,
Communication
section. Refer to that document for
detailed information.
1)
Configure the transmitter EV kit to the desired mode,
e.g., FSK, 315MHz, 31.25Kbps operation: On the
transmitter terminal window, type the command:
>>config_tx_radio 3, for 315MHz, FSK, 31.25Kbps,
>>config_tx_radio 4, for 434MHz, FSK, 31.25Kbps,
>>config_tx_radio 6, for 868MHz, FSK, 31.25Kbps,
>>config_tx_radio 1, for 902MHz, FSK, 31.25Kbps,
>>config_tx_radio 2, for 915MHz, FSK, 125Kbps,
>>config_tx_radio 5, for 928MHz, FSK, 125Kbps,
then press Enter.
Configure the receiver EV kit to the same mode as
transmitter:
On the receiver terminal window, type the command:
>>config_rx_radio 3, for 315MHz, FSK, 31.25Kbps,
>>config_rx_radio 4, for 434MHz, FSK, 31.25Kbps,
>>config_rx_radio 6, for 868MHz, FSK, 31.25Kbps,
>>config_rx_radio 1, for 902MHz, FSK, 31.25Kbps,
>>config_rx_radio 2, for 915MHz, FSK, 125Kbps,
>>config_rx_radio 5, for 928MHz, FSK, 125Kbps,
then press enter.
Load the packet to be used in the test to the transmitter
EV kit:
On the transmitter terminal window, type the
command:
>>write_tx_pkt 3,
then press Enter.
Load the packet to be used in the test to the receiver
EV kit:
On the receiver terminal window, type the command:
>>write_rx_pkt 3,
then press Enter.
Reset the BER value of the receiver EV kit:
On the receiver terminal window, type the command:
>>reset_ber,
then press Enter.
Enable BER measurement at the receiver EV kit:
On the receiver terminal window, type the command:
>>ber_enable,
then press Enter.
Set the interval of the transmitter EV kit:
On the transmitter terminal window, type the command:
>>tx_interval 20,
then press Enter.
Configure transmitter EV kit to transmit the packet
continuously:
On the transmitter terminal window, type the command:
>>send_pkt 0,
then hit enter. Once you press
Enter,
the
D0 LED
(located beside the S8 switch of the
8-switch DIP labelled S8–S15) on the transmitter EV
kit will start blinking.
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2)
3)
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4)
4)
5)
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8)
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MAX7037 Evaluation Kit
Evaluates: MAX7037
9)
Configure receiver EV kit to receive packets:
On the receiver terminal window, type the command:
>>rx_pkt_start,
then hit enter. Once you press
Enter, the
D0 LED
on the receiver EV kit also will
start blinking.
13) Reset both EV kits by pressing the RESET button on
the EV kit.
14) Swap the role of transmit and receive EV kits by
designating the transmitter terminal window as
receiver and vice versa. Then repeat the above
procedure from step 1.
Note that this procedure is testing two EV kits at a time.
In the first pass, the transmit functionality of one EV kit
and the receive functionality of the other EV kit is being
tested. In the second pass, the roles of transmitter and
receiver are reversed. This two-pass procedure provides
test coverage of both transmit and receive functionality of
both EV kits.
10) Run the test until at least 100,000 bits have been
received. For this purpose, the test should be run
for at least 42 seconds. You can monitor the current
Bit Error Rate (BER) value, and how many bits have
been transmitted, by issuing command
>>read_ber,
on the receiver terminal window. When you type the
command, you may not see the command on the
terminal window. In such a case, type the command
and press Enter. If you mistype, you will receive the
“not
a valid cmd”,
then, retype the command and
press Enter.
11) After 100,000 bits have been received, stop
transmission at transmitter EV kit:
On the transmitter terminal window, type the command:
>>q,
then press Enter. Once you press Enter, the
D0
LEDs
on the transmitter and receiver EV kits will stop
blinking.
12) Stop reception at receiver EV kit:
On the receiver terminal window, type the command:
>>rx_pkt_stop,
then press Enter. The numerator of
the BER value should be 0.
Changing EV Kit for Operation at
Other Frequencies
In order to change the operating frequency of an EV kit, it
is necessary to install the correct RF matching components
between the IC and the antenna SMA connector. EV kits are
shipped from Maxim with the components corresponding
to the 315MHz, 434MHz, 868MHz, or 915MHz frequencies.
Refer to
Table 1
to determine how to modify the RF front-
end circuitry to allow operation at other frequencies.
Table 1. RF Matching Components
RF MATCHING COMPONENTS TO CONFIGURE AN EV KIT TO WORK AT ONE OF THE BELOW FREQUENCIES
COMPONENT
FREQUENCY (MHz)
SAW Filter/Balun Option
R24/R29/R30
R22/R23/R31/R32
C30/C31
L2/L3
FL1
L1
L4
C33
C34/C35
L5/L6/L7/L8/L9
C3
C36
315
SAW Filter
0Ω
OPEN
220pF
33nH
B3741
68nH
120nH
OPEN
OPEN
OPEN
OPEN
OPEN
434
SAW Filter
0Ω
OPEN
220pF
27nH
B3743
47nH
100nH
OPEN
OPEN
OPEN
OPEN
OPEN
868
SAW Filter
0Ω
OPEN
8.2pF
8.2nH
B3744
22nH
100nH
2.7pF
OPEN
OPEN
OPEN
OPEN
902/915/928
Balun
OPEN
0Ω
OPEN
OPEN
OPEN
OPEN
100nH
OPEN
1.8pF
18nH
1.5pF
220pF
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