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[on:]

I recently purchased the book Wireless Sensor Networks by Robert Faludi. I also purchased 3 of the programmable XBee Pro S2B with 32k flash. The radios sit on an Arduino Wireless shield on an Arduino Uno R3. I load an empty setup/loop sketch onto each Arduino. The shields are toggled to USB. The radios will communicate just fine. Opening the Serial Monitor thru the IDE allows me to "chat" with each radio. They are all connected via USB to my notebook.

Now I take it up a notch. I upload this sketch to two of the router radios:

const int ledPin = 13; // the pin that the LED is attached to
int incomingByte; // a variable to read incoming serial data into

void setup() {
// initialize serial communication:
Serial.begin(9600);
// initialize the LED pin as an output:
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
// see if there's incoming serial data:
if (Serial.available() > 0) {
// read the oldest byte in the serial buffer:
incomingByte = Serial.read();
// if it's a capital H (ASCII 72), turn on the LED:
if (incomingByte == 'H') {
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
}
// if it's an L (ASCII 76) turn off the LED:
if (incomingByte == 'L') {
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
}
}
}

Then I upload this to the coordinator radio:

void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop()
{
Serial.print('H');
delay(1000);
Serial.print('L');
delay(1000);
}

I unplug the radios and switch the toggle from USB to Micro on the shield and replug them. Nothing happens. No led flashing.

I can use the IDE to manually flash the leds on the router radios thru the Serial monitor by sending H and L. I can use the IDE to see the H/L being sent on the coordinator radio thru the Serial monitor. They just aren't talking to each other at this point.

Any opinions, ideas, clues or support would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Thomas
 

[Reply #1 on:]

Opening the Serial Monitor thru the IDE allows me to "chat" with each radio.

When you use the Serial Monitor to talk to the Arduino, the XBee on it is not involved at all.

The radios will communicate just fine.

You haven't proven that.

I unplug the radios and switch the toggle from USB to Micro on the shield and replug them. Nothing happens. No led flashing.

Looks to me like you do not have the XBees configured correctly. What did you set/change to what?

[Reply #2 on:]

Using the Serial monitors I can chat between the three Arduinos.  I did this in the beginning to validate they are in fact connected and can see each other. 

The Xbees are configured as they should be.  If you are familiar with the Wireless Shield from Arduino,  it has a toggle switch to move between Micro and USB. 

This is the tutorial on arduino.cc for these radios.

[Reply #3 on:]

If you are familiar with the Wireless Shield from Arduino

If it is like the one from Sparkfun, I have one. Do you have a link to yours?

This is the tutorial on arduino.cc for these radios.

A link, please. I'll try this out with radios I KNOW talk to each other.

[Reply #4 on:]

Shield http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoWirelessProtoShield
Tutorial http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/ArduinoWirelessShieldS2

I have the XBee Pro Series 2B with 32k Flash and 2k RAM

One is defined as a Coordinator AT and the other 2 are defined as Router AT.