User Manual

Zigbit
™
Module Overview
ZigBit™ 2.4 GHz Amplified Wireless Modules 2-6
8228B–MCU Wireless–06/09
To jumpstart evaluation and development, Atmel also offers a complete set of evaluation and develop-
ment tools. The new ZigBit Amp Development Kit [7] (ATZB-DK-A24) comes with everything you need to
create custom applications featuring ZigBit Amp module.
The kit features MeshBean development boards with an easy-to-access extension connector for attach-
ing third party sensors and other peripherals, and a JTAG connector for easy application uploading and
debugging.
The kit also includes reference applications to speed up application development, source code for hard-
ware interface layer and reference drivers for the all the module interfaces, intuitive development
environment from Atmel, and comprehensive set of application notes and product tutorials.
ZigBit Amp modules comes bundled with BitCloud, a 2
nd
generation embedded software stack from
Atmel. BitCloud is fully compliant with ZigBee PRO and ZigBee standards for wireless sensing and con-
trol [7], [8], [9], and it provides an augmented set of APIs which, while maintaining 100% compliance with
the standard, offer extended functionality designed with developer's convenience and ease-of-use in
mind.
Depending on end-user design requirements, ZigBit Amp can operate as a self-contained sensor node,
where it would function as a single MCU, or it can be paired with a host processor driving the module
over a serial interface. In the former case, a user application may be used with the BitCloud software
allowing customization of embedded applications through BitCloud's C API.
In the latter case, the host processor controls data transmission and manages module peripherals via an
extensive set of SerialNet AT commands. Thus, no firmware customization is required for a successful
module design-in. Additionally, third-party sensors can be connected directly to the module, thus
expanding the existing set of peripheral interfaces.
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