I’m excited for the new XBee3 series of products that Digi just recently announced. I see that the product line is also simplified in terms that all of the radios seem to come equipped with an onboard HCS08 128KB chip.
However, where or which SDK is used for the new chips? Where’s the SDK, Documentation and the Tools?
What kind of bootloader is on these chips, can we upload a program via XMODEM?
Cheers!
I believe that processor is going to allow you to write Python scrips to instead of C Code. But I would suggest you check with your friendly Digi Sales person to verify as that documentation is not released yet.
Thanks. I’ll try to make contact or wait for the Embedded World 2018 for more news.
I’d presume the promise of MicroPython is something that would run on a 32bit MCU, so directly on the EFM32?. If they completely drop the support for the C Based SDK on the 8bit HCS08, migration from S2C will be much more painful…
Somebody gets some news on this topic ?
Because I would like to take advantage of the improved capabilities (I/Os, memory…) of the Xbee3 compared to the S2C that I am using now…
Somebody gets some news on this topic ?
Because I would like to take advantage of the improved capabilities (I/Os, memory…) of the Xbee3 compared to the S2C that I am using now…
Also the possibility to use SPI communication to control an external device connected to Xbee3 ?
The user guide was updated 22nd of Feb to include a chapter about MicroPython. No word about the HCS08 nor tooling around it… unfortunately.
I think there is some confusion here. The XBee 3 uses an EFR32 processor instead of an HCS08 processor. The old HCS08 processor on the XBee ZB (S2C) Programmable hardware uses a FreeScale Code warrior software for code development and compiling via a BDM programmer.
The Micro Python functions of the New XBee 3 is still being developed. So while there may not be a large library to work from, the current version does support the use of most features someone would need.
Yes you have access to all of the IO lines from Micro Python but as far as I am aware of, you do not have access to the SPI port. What you do have access to is a secondary UART for data communications in and out of the XBee’s Pins.
No at the moment, the micro python code can’t be updated remotely. The code has to be updated via the UART (Pins 2 and 3).
Thanks very much mvut for your fruitfulf precisions.
I hope SPI will be implemented soon in Xbee3 because that’s the only way I have to control my external device…
What confusion are you referring to? Their datasheet for Xbee3 clearly indicates the presence of HCS08 -> https://www.digi.com/pdf/ds_xbee-3-zigbee-3.pdf
Under section programmability:
“CPU/CLOCK SPEED HCS08 / up to 50.33 MHz”
!?!
Also, their press release mentiones that “Digi XBee3 delivers multiple levels of programmability…”
By multiple levels of programmability statement, and the HCS08 mentioned in the Datasheet I would still want to believe that there is a migration path for those who have invested into programmable S2B and S2C radios in the past.
And this thread is not about MicroPython, it’s clear that is a new feature and that it runs on the EFM32 chip.
The New XBee 3 has an EFM32 Processor. Not the HC08 processor. So the XBee 3 line will use Micro Python via the embedded EFM processor.
As far as I am aware of, for the C based code, you would need to use the S2C modules.
So you are trying to say the data sheet posted on the Digi site has false claims about the presence of HCS08 additionally to the EFM32?
Our current products utilize the Programmable S2C Xbee which is increasingly hard to acquire. Mouser, Digikey have stopped stocking them and my last lead time was 8 months. CodeWarrior is no longer being supported or updated by Digi.
“Sales” tells me the XBee3 is the successor to the Programmable S2C Xbee but frankly the Zigbee XBee3 isn’t even a product yet. We cannot possibly port our existing HCS08 code to the Xbee3’s python environment such as it is. The Xbee3’s set of python modules is completely insufficient (virtually non-existent for the Zigbee version).
As exile noted, the XBee3 datasheet clearly states it has an HSC08 cpu but I acquired the XBee3 development kit and I see no indication that is true. There is certainly no documented means of accessing it if it is there. Where are we supposed to go from here?
Time has passed since May, have you been able to get any new information from Digi about this? Cheers!
Afraid it has not been a priority, exile. Probably will not look at this again until the S2C is EOL. If, at that point, Digi does not have a migration mechanism and we have to start all over, we will have to consider doing so with a vendor that supports its products a bit better…
Thanks for the update. I’ll remain on the S2C as well. Cheers!
we have been using xbee module since max stream days. lot of our products use S2C modules. We use these module in digimesh mode and came to know that the new xbee3 modules which supposed to be s2c replacements does not have sleep mode. which makes it absolutely useless for a lot of folks who use these modules in their low power applications.
so far xbee3 doesn’t seem like a real replacement.