This page contains all the hardware-related information about the LoRa Reference Design base board and the various add-on modules that can be used with it.
Each sub-section contains a general description of the board, detailed description of the connectors, jumpers, and buttons (if any). It also provides links to the design support files (schematics, bill of materials, design projects, and technical documentation), as well as internal links to the example demo software projects.
The following boards are currently available:
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This LoRa Reference Design Base Board consists of the MAX32670 high-reliability, ultralow power microcontroller based on Arm Cortex-M4 processor, and the LoRa RF transceiver module targeting SX1261.
In order to use this base board, all hardware settings such as the hardware peripheral connections, jumpers and UART switch configurations, power configurations, connectivity options, and the USB connectors and programming connections are provided in this page. Links to the schematics and the layout files are also available below.
Peripheral Connectors
The following standard connectors are provided on the base board for customer to use with external add on modules:
Connector Name | Function |
---|---|
DC Power Connector Header | Input range from +4 V to +6 V DC supply voltage |
Battery Holder | Battery holder for CR123A |
Cortex SWD Header | Used for flash programming and debug interface; also, provides a virtual serial port connection to MAX32670 microcontroller |
PMOD_SPI | 12-pin SPI PMOD connector |
PMOD_I2C | 8-pin I2C PMOD connector |
ESP32 Connector | ESP32 Devkit V1 connector |
Arduino Connectors | Arduino Uno Rev3 compatible connectors |
MAX32670 MCU Pin Map
The pin map for the MAX32670 is described in the table and its schematic diagram below.
ESP32 Connector Pin Map
All connector pinouts for the Development Board are described in the table and its schematic diagram below.
Wireless Connectivity Options
This board has two wireless connectivity options available to use for Internet of Things (IoT) applications:
These options can be configured by populating C63 with 39 pF for the external antenna or R156 with 0 Ω for on-board RF chip antenna with the center frequency tuned at 915 MHz.
LoRa Chipset
The MAX32670 has a dedicated LoRa chipset on board from Semtech (SX1261). This chipset comes complete with the full LoRaWan software protocol and stack, allowing the MAX32670 to operate, occupying a small portion of its memory space for the LoRaWan protocol.
The MAX32670 communicates to the SX1261 using the SPI bus, so the users will need to send LoRa commands and data over SPI bus. Library functions calls have been specifically designed to be used with the MAX32670 and SX1261 using SPI bus.
The pins that connect the MAX32670 and the SX1261 are as follows:
Input Power Source Options
There are two (2) ways of powering the eval board, and user may use any combination of power sources.
Each of the different power modes, provides a different level of control and flexibility. You can find a matrix table of the different power modes and their general function here:
Power Source | Voltage Rails Provided | Peripherals Powered | Function |
---|---|---|---|
Terminal Block (P11) | 3 V to 6 V | - MAX32670 - SPI and I2C PMODs - ESP32 connectors - Arduino connectors - LoRa chip | able to supply ALL voltages any peripheral might need |
Battery Power (BT1) | 3 V and 6 V | - MAX32670 - SPI and I2C PMODs - ESP32 connectors - Arduino connectors - LoRa chip | able to supply ALL voltages any peripheral might need |
Push Buttons
The base board provides three buttons for use: S1, S2, and S3.
Button | Function |
---|---|
S1 | can be used to record timestamps and/or assert an interrupt on a falling/rising edge of the DIN signal on MAX31334, an ultralow power RTC with integrated power switch. Initially short to ground via 0ohm resistor(R4). See the MAX31334 page for more details. |
S2 | provides a hardware RESET to MAX32670 microcontroller. |
S3 | provides a hardware RESET to MAX77675, buck/buck and boost/boost regulators. The manual reset function is useful for forcing a power-down in case communication with the processor fails. |
LED Indicators
The base board has five LEDs: DS1, DS2DS3, DS4, and DS5.
Button | Function |
---|---|
DS1 | used as a LED indicator to one of the GPIO of the MAX32670, P0.28. |
DS2 | used as a LED indicator to one of the GPIO of the MAX32670, P0.29. |
DS3 | used as a LED indicator for the voltage output from the power supply. |
DS4 | used as a LED indicator for the voltage output from the MAX31334. |
DS5 | used as a LED indicator for the 3.3V voltage output from the MAX3130. |
Programming Connectors
This board uses SWD Interface and uses the MAX32625PICO board for programming the on-board MCUs. See the MAX32625PICO page for more details.
The connector used are based off the 10-pin ARM Cortex standard pinout (0.05“ pin spacing). That pinout is common to both JTAG and SWD debug modes and is depicted in the following image.
The debugger board will need to be plugged in via the USB port in order to program any board.
In order to program the MAX32670 node board, that board must be powered by (1) CR123A battery or by an external power supply through P11. Otherwise, there will be no connection between the two boards.
Schematics, PCB Layout, Bill of Materials
Design and Integration Files
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The development kit is delivered with a set of accessories required to put the system together and get it up and running in no time.
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This LoRa Reference Design Base Board consists of the MAX32670 high-reliability, ultralow power microcontroller based on Arm Cortex-M4 processor, and the LR1110 LoRa RF transceiver module.
In order to use this base board, all hardware settings such as the hardware peripheral connections, jumpers and UART switch configurations, power configurations, connectivity options, and the USB connectors and programming connections are provided in this page. Links to the schematics and the layout files are also available below.
Peripheral Connectors
The following standard connectors are provided on the base board for customer to use with external add on modules:
Connector Name | Function |
---|---|
DC Power Connector Header | Input range from +4 V to +6 V DC supply voltage |
Battery Holder | Battery holder for CR123A |
Cortex SWD Header | Used for flash programming and debug interface; also, provides a virtual serial port connection to MAX32670 microcontroller |
PMOD_SPI | 12-pin SPI PMOD connector |
PMOD_I2C | 8-pin I2C PMOD connector |
ESP32 Connector | ESP32 Devkit V1 connector |
Arduino Connectors | Arduino Uno Rev3 compatible connectors |
MAX32670 MCU Pin Map
The pin map for the MAX32670 MCU is described in the table and its schematic diagram below.
ESP32 Connector Pin Map
All connector pinouts for the Development Board are described in the table and its schematic diagram below.
Wireless Connectivity Options
These are the wireless connectivity options available to use for Internet of Things (IoT) applications:
These options can be configured by populating C67 with 39 pF for the external antenna or R159 with 0 Ω for on-board RF chip antenna with the center frequency tuned at 915 MHz.
LoRa Chipset
The MAX32670 has a dedicated LoRa chipset on-board from Semtech (LR1110). This chipset comes complete with the full LoRaWan software protocol and stack, allowing the MAX32670 to operate, occupying a small portion of its memory space for the LoRaWan protocol.
The MAX32670 communicates to the LR1110 using the SPI bus, so the users will need to send LoRa commands and data over SPI bus. Library functions calls have been specifically designed to be used with the MAX32670 and LR1110 using SPI bus.
The pins that connect the MAX32670 and the LR1110 are as follows:
Input Power Source Options
There are two (2) ways of powering the eval board, and a user may use any combination of power sources.
Each of the different power modes, provides a different level of control and flexibility. You can find a matrix table of the different power modes and their general function here:
Power Source | Voltage Rails Provided | Peripherals Powered | Function |
---|---|---|---|
Terminal Block (P11) | 3 V to 6 V | - MAX32670 - SPI and I2C PMODs - ESP32 connectors - Arduino connectors - LoRa chip | able to supply ALL voltages any peripheral might need |
Battery Power (BT1) | 3 V and 6 V | - MAX32670 - SPI and I2C PMODs - ESP32 connectors - Arduino connectors - LoRa chip | able to supply ALL voltages any peripheral might need |
Push Buttons
The base board provides three buttons for use: S1, S2, and S3.
Button | Function |
---|---|
S1 | can be used to record timestamps and/or assert an interrupt on a falling/rising edge of the DIN signal on MAX31334, an ultralow power RTC with integrated power switch. Initially short to ground via 0-ohm resistor(R4). See the MAX31334 page for more details. |
S2 | provides a hardware RESET to MAX32670 microcontroller. |
S3 | provides a hardware RESET to MAX77675, buck/buck and boost/boost regulators. The manual reset function is useful for forcing a power-down in case communication with the processor fails. |
LED Indicators
The base board has five LEDs: DS1, DS2DS3, DS4, and DS5.
Button | Function |
---|---|
DS1 | used as a LED indicator to one of the GPIO of the MAX32670, P0.28. |
DS2 | used as a LED indicator to one of the GPIO of the MAX32670, P0.29. |
DS3 | used as a LED indicator for the voltage output from the power supply. |
DS4 | used as a LED indicator for the voltage output from the MAX31334. |
DS5 | used as a LED indicator for the 3.3 V voltage output from the MAX3130. |
Programming Connectors
This board uses SWD Interface and uses MAX32625PICO board for programming the on-board MCUs. See the MAX32625PICO page for more details.
The connector used are based off the 10-pin ARM Cortex standard pinout (0.05” pin spacing). That pinout is common to both JTAG and SWD debug modes and is depicted in the following image.
The debugger board will need to be plugged in via the USB port in order to program any board.
In order to program the MAX32670 node board, that board must be powered by (1) CR123A battery or by an external power supply through P11. Otherwise, there will be no connection between the two boards.
Schematics, PCB Layout, Bill of Materials
Design and Integration Files
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The development kit is delivered with a set of accessories required to put the system together and get it up and running in no time.
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The Water Metering Arduino board is an ultrasonic time-of-flight flow meter by Maxim Integrated sends and receives ultrasound waves between piezoelectric transducers in both the upstream and downstream directions in the pipe. By measuring the TOF difference between the upstream and downstream wave travels, utilizing sophisticated digital signal processing techniques, a very accurate flow rate can be calculated.
The MAX35101 is the center of the heat/flow meter system. The MAX35101 integrates all the functions required for automatic TOF measurements, including the ultrasound pulse launching and detecting, TOF calculation, temperature measurement, and a real-time clock (RTC). The MAX35101 can work in various configurable automatic event timing modes, requiring very minimal interactivity from a host microcontroller, thus reducing the total power consumption of the system.
Hardware Dimensions
The Arduino board is small in size with dimensions approximately 2.1 inch in width by 2.6 inches in length. The following are the instructions in using the board.
Power Supply Requirements
When using the board, the power supply comes directly from the host board it is connected to.
Peripheral Connectors
The following standard connectors are provided on the board for customer to use:
Sensor Probe Requirements
When using the Arduino board, a general-purpose ultrasonic flow rate sensor can be used. An example of a probe that can be used is a product from Audiowell Sensor Technology which has the following specifications as shown below:
For temperature measurement, this board supports up to four 2-wire PT1000/500 platinum resistive temperature detectors (RTD). These sensors are required in order to run and capture the flow rate and the connections can be seen on the diagram as shown below:
Digital Interface (Arduino)
The Arduino interface is a standardized digital interfaces for various digital communication protocols such as SPI, I2C, and UART. These interface types were standardized by Arduino, which is hardware and software company. Complete details on the PMOD specification can be found here.
The pin map for the Arduino pins are described in the table and its schematic diagram below.
Push Button
The board provides a button, S1, to test Tamper Detection through its CMOS Digital input.
See the MAX35101 page for more details.
Schematics, PCB Layout, Bill of Materials
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This demonstrates the functionality of the MAX35101 time-to-digital converter used for accurate low flow measurement. Information on how to set up the hardware, how to obtain the source code, and finally, how to import and run the project in the MaximSDK environment are provided below.
Hardware Requirement
Software Requirement
Step 1:
Download the software example to a known location and should contain bin, elf and hex file after extracting the downloaded file.
Step 2:
Download and install the Uart serial monitor which will be needed to view the activity of the sensor node via UART serial interface using MAX32625PICO.
Step 3:
Connect the SMS Sensor Node to the MCU+SX1261 base board by aligning the corresponding arduino headers on each board as shown in the following figure
Step 4:
Power on the hardware setup
There are two (2) ways of powering the eval board, and user may use any combination of power sources.
Step 5:
Connect the MAX32625PICO board on the baseboard through the 10pin ribbon cable for programming the on-board MCUs shown from the image below:
Step 6:
Connect the MAX32625PICO board on the PC through the USB cable that is included in the MAX32625PICO board kit.
The PC will start searching for and install the following drivers:(if not already complete).
Step 7:
Then go to the My Computer view and search for the MAX32625PICO drive and simply drag and drop (or copy and paste) the downloaded and extracted .BIN or .HEX [Intel formatted] file directly into the MAX32625PICO drive, and that file will be flashed directly to the MCU of the baseboard.
Step 8:
Unplug the micro USB cable from the USB port of the MAX32625PICO board, and then reconnect the USB cable to the USB port back. and reset the baseboard by pressing S2 reset button found in its top layer.
Step 9:
To check if the firmware has been loaded correctly, open the installed and downloaded UART serial monitor with the following configuration as shown below. And once configured, click Open to start the serial monitoring.
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The EV-ADE9000SHIELDZ is an Arduino shield compatible with Arduino Zero. The shield can be directly interfaced with current transformers and voltage leads. It enables quick evaluation and prototyping of energy and power quality measurement systems with the ADE9000. Arduino library and application examples are provided to simplify implementation of larger systems.
Documentation
Product Page
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This features the functionality of the ADE9000 high performance, multiphase energy, and power quality measurement IC. Information on how to set up the hardware, how to obtain the source code, and finally, how to import and run the project in the MaximSDK environment are provided below.
Hardware Requirement
Software Requirement
Step 1:
Download the software example to a known location and should contain bin, elf and hex file after extracting the downloaded file.
Step 2:
Download and install the Uart serial monitor which will be needed to view the activity of the sensor node via UART serial interface using MAX32625PICO.
Step 3:
Connect the SMS Sensor Node to the MCU+SX1261 base board by aligning the corresponding arduino headers on each board as shown in the following figure
Step 4:
Power on the hardware setup
There are two (2) ways of powering the eval board, and user may use any combination of power sources.
Step 5:
Connect the MAX32625PICO board on the baseboard through the 10pin ribbon cable for programming the on-board MCUs shown from the image below:
Step 6:
Connect the MAX32625PICO board on the PC through the USB cable that is included in the MAX32625PICO board kit.
The PC will start searching for and install the following drivers:(if not already complete).
Step 7:
Then go to the My Computer view and search for the MAX32625PICO drive and simply drag and drop (or copy and paste) the downloaded and extracted .BIN or .HEX [Intel formatted] file directly into the MAX32625PICO drive, and that file will be flashed directly to the MCU of the baseboard.
Step 8:
Unplug the micro USB cable from the USB port of the MAX32625PICO board, and then reconnect the USB cable to the USB port back. and reset the baseboard by pressing S2 reset button found in its top layer.
Step 9:
To check if the firmware has been loaded correctly, open the installed and downloaded UART serial monitor with the following configuration as shown below. And once configured, click Open to start the serial monitoring.
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This Livestock Monitoring Arduino board is a system module that uses ADI power solution on the controller and transceiver module used for virtual fencing solution for livestock, where the animals are controlled by GPS-collars and an app. The system is consist of a power harvester (MAX20361), BMS (MAX20335) and a temperature sensor (MAX30210) and a buzzer with an option for vibration motor.
Hardware Dimensions
The Arduino board is small in size with dimensions approximately 2.1 inch in width by 3.2 inches in length. The following are the instructions in using the board.
Power Supply Requirements
When using the board, the power supply may come from different sources, and these are listed below:
Digital Interface (Arduino)
The Arduino interface is a standardized digital interfaces for various digital communication protocols such as SPI, I2C, and UART. These interface types were standardized by Arduino, which is hardware and software company. Complete details on the PMOD specification can be found here.
The pin map for the Arduino pins are described in the table and its schematic diagram below.
Typical Application
When using the Arduino board, a general-purpose mobile device vabration motor can be used. An example of a probe that can be used is a product from Vybronics Inc. and its datasheet can be found in here and the connections and its typical application can be seen on the diagram as shown below.
Schematics, PCB Layout, Bill of Materials
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This demo features the functionality of the MAX20361 solar harvester, MAX20335 linear battery charger with a smart power selector and MAX30210 digital temperature sensor.
Hardware Requirement
Software Requirement
Step 1:
Download the software example to a known location and should contain bin, elf and hex file after extracting the downloaded file.
Step 2:
Download and install the Uart serial monitor which will be needed to view the activity of the sensor node via UART serial interface using MAX32625PICO.
Step 3:
Connect the SMS Sensor Node to the MCU+SX1261 base board by aligning the corresponding arduino headers on each board as shown in the following figure
Step 4:
Power on the hardware setup
There are two (2) ways of powering the eval board, and user may use any combination of power sources.
Step 5:
Connect the MAX32625PICO board on the baseboard through the 10pin ribbon cable for programming the on-board MCUs shown from the image below:
Step 6:
Connect the MAX32625PICO board on the PC through the USB cable that is included in the MAX32625PICO board kit.
The PC will start searching for and install the following drivers:(if not already complete).
Step 7:
Then go to the My Computer view and search for the MAX32625PICO drive and simply drag and drop (or copy and paste) the downloaded and extracted .BIN or .HEX [Intel formatted] file directly into the MAX32625PICO drive, and that file will be flashed directly to the MCU of the baseboard.
Step 8:
Unplug the micro USB cable from the USB port of the MAX32625PICO board, and then reconnect the USB cable to the USB port back. and reset the baseboard by pressing S2 reset button found in its top layer.
Step 9:
To check if the firmware has been loaded correctly, open the installed and downloaded UART serial monitor with the following configuration as shown below. And once configured, click Open to start the serial monitoring.
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The end node is Smart Motor Sensor (SMS) and Smart Building/Bridge Activity Sensor. A vibration sensor that uses the ADXL343 digital output MEMS accelerometer chip and ADIS16203, a programmable 360° inclinometer.
Beside of providing vibration data it has as well a digital temperature sensor using MAX30210 that gives the option to shut down sensitive machines and equipment for smart motor sensing application.
The sensor detects as well if the horizontal position of the sensor changes, which points towards a collapse of the structure where the sensor was deployed.
Hardware Dimensions
The Arduino board is small in size with dimensions approximately 2.1 inch in width by 2.6 inches in length. The following are the instructions in using the board.
Power Supply Requirements
When using the board, the power supply comes directly from the host board it is connected to.
Digital Interface (PMOD)
The Arduino interface is a standardized digital interfaces for various digital communication protocols such as SPI, I2C, and UART. These interface types were standardized by Arduino, which is hardware and software company. Complete details on the PMOD specification can be found here.
The pin map for the Arduino pins are described in the table and its schematic diagram below.
Sensor Device
The board comes with the ADXL343 (3-Axis MEMS Accelerometers), ADIS16203(Programmable 360° Inclinometer), and MAX30210 (±0.1°C Accurate, 16-Bit Digital I2C Temperature Sensor).
Schematics, PCB Layout, Bill of Materials
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This demo shows the functionality of the ADXL343 3-axes accelerometer, ADIS16203 inclinometer, and MAX30210 digital temperature sensor.
Hardware Requirement
Software Requirement
Step 1:
Download the software example to a known location and should contain bin, elf and hex file after extracting the downloaded file.
Step 2:
Download and install the Uart serial monitor which will be needed to view the activity of the sensor node via UART serial interface using MAX32625PICO.
Step 3:
Connect the SMS Sensor Node to the MCU+SX1261 base board by aligning the corresponding arduino headers on each board as shown in the following figure
Step 4:
Power on the hardware setup
There are two (2) ways of powering the eval board, and user may use any combination of power sources.
Step 5:
Connect the MAX32625PICO board on the baseboard through the 10pin ribbon cable for programming the on-board MCUs shown from the image below:
Step 6:
Connect the MAX32625PICO board on the PC through the USB cable that is included in the MAX32625PICO board kit.
The PC will start searching for and install the following drivers:(if not already complete).
Step 7:
Then go to the My Computer view and search for the MAX32625PICO drive and simply drag and drop (or copy and paste) the downloaded and extracted .BIN or .HEX [Intel formatted] file directly into the MAX32625PICO drive, and that file will be flashed directly to the MCU of the baseboard.
Step 8:
Unplug the micro USB cable from the USB port of the MAX32625PICO board, and then reconnect the USB cable to the USB port back. and reset the baseboard by pressing S2 reset button found in its top layer.
Step 9:
To check if the firmware has been loaded correctly, open the installed and downloaded UART serial monitor with the following configuration as shown below. And once configured, click Open to start the serial monitoring.