The communication problem between X-CTU and XBee

Development Tools IDE 1.x
1

I got a Xbee and install the driver on it. However, it always unable to communicate with X-CTU software.

I have set the following:
Baud: 9600
Flow Control: None
Data Bits: 8
Parity: NONE
Stop Bits: 1

The arduino shiled is dfr0088, the jumpers is posited at APC, I use the USB com port to connect to PC, when I press the test button ,the X-ctu shown it is unable to communicate with the modem.
http://imageshack.us/content_round.php?page=done&l=img405/6248/29826970.jpg

In addition, it keeps prompt error and asks me to press and release reset switch. Dialog Box should close within 10 Seconds after switch is released when I press "read" button in the function "Modem Configuration"

Does anybody know how to solve this problem? Thank you!!

2

Hi Nicholas, I am not familar with the DFR0088, but have worked a lot with XBee
modules. I see several problems here.

  1. I would use a regular terminal emulator, rather than XCTU, to communciate with
    the module, as XCTU might have some handshake and driver install issues. If you
    have a good connection, simply enter +++ on the keyboard, and the XBee will
    respond with OK.

  2. I don't know about APC jumpering on the DFR0088, but the following page indicates
    you have to toggle Arduino digital pin 2 to go between transmit and receive on the
    DFR0088. To me, this is a real problem with trying to use XCTU or any other
    terminal emulator.

  1. The pin 2 toggling business looks to me like you can only use the DFR0088 from inside an
    Arduino sketch and cannot talk to the XBee directly using the USB port, unless they have
    implemented some special mode on the DFR0088 that I did not see.

  2. The previous item is also dictated by the following statements from the webpage cited:

The chip's DI (Data Input?) pin (4) is connected to the Arduino's Digital Pin 1 (TX).

The chip's RO (Data Output?) pin (1) is connected to the Arduino's Digital Pin 0 (RX),
with a resistor pull-up to the +5V rail.

This indicates the DRF0088 chip is wired as a "slave" to the Arduino chip, and not to the USB
port. IOW, to talk to the DFR0088 from the PC via USB, you would have to swap the RX+TX
pins and also hold the Arduino chip in reset. I actually do this all the time to directly access
an XBee via the PC + Arduino USB port, but am using a different shield.

Note - this last still would not fix the pin 2 toggling business.

  1. Also note, the USB port and the DFR0088 board are both trying to access the Arduino
    RX+TX pins simultaneously, so they will buck each other if the Arduino board is being
    powered off the USB port.

So, all in all, I don't think you can directly talk to the XBee module using the Arduino USB
port with the DFR0088 shield, for both reasons cited. You will have to write an Arduino
sketch to access the XBee.

Then, of course, you need 2 XBees to make a link.

HTH.