Micro-controller for Transceiver

Hi DLaw,

So, from where is your data coming from? Remember this chip has a single hardware UART. If you can live with that is very likely you can do that using an ATMega328p. Just make sure you use an external crystal on your circuit as the internal oscillator is not stable enough for UART. Another thing to consider is the package size, remember that 328 has only 2Kb of RAM. You can also find some neat software serial libraries out there so you can debug your code while using the hardware UART for the communication. Btw, what's a SBD Serve?

Cheers,

Mike M.

Hi DLaw,

So, from where is your data coming from? Remember this chip has a single hardware UART. If you can live with that is very likely you can do that using an ATMega328p. Just make sure you use an external crystal on your circuit as the internal oscillator is not stable enough for UART. Another thing to consider is the package size, remember that 328 has only 2Kb of RAM. You can also find some neat software serial libraries out there so you can debug your code while using the hardware UART for the communication. Btw, what's a SBD Serve?

Cheers,

Mike M.

The data is coming from a High-Powered-Amplifier (HPA) built-in micro-controller for monitoring and control purposes. It responds to incoming queries and commands (ASCII) with an outgoing ASCII stream back through the serial port, typically 20 to 40 bytes per message. The UART needs to get this ASCII string and format it into an AT command and send it out through the SBD (short burst data) module - and eventually to me. Not sure if BLE will work, would that be b/w the transceiver and the UART (eg. arduino), or my HPA and the transceiver, the HPA only has a serial port and sits outdoors, I've not dabbled in BLE.

So as I imagine you would need 2 Serial ports or a way to switch between the Hpa and the SBD. You could try using the atmega328 and this software Serial https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/TwoPortReceive, otherwise if you are familiar might be better using an Arm, the stm32f103 should do the trick STM32F103 - STMicroelectronics.  Get yourself a Nucleo Board if you would like to go this way....

Thanks for you're response. My transceiver has one serial RS232 port, there are a few interface options off the STM32F103, in you're opinion which option would suit best, as the data loops into that between the HPA device and the SBD module? I'd prefer to use the ARM as this will be outside in a box in the tropics.

If you prefer ARM, stick with the STM32F103 and it should cover all you need (and more!). This is the Dev board I was referring to: NUCLEO-F103RB - STMICROELECTRONICS - NUCLEO BOARD, STM32F103RBT6 MCU | element14 Australia

Good luck with your project!

Thanks again. I ordered the ZET6 ARM last week off ebay, its on a dev board already, and the V2 debugger. I'm a Noob so one foot in front of the other - I'll respond when its up and going.

Whilst the gear is in transit.....Ultimately I want to get my project designed on just the one board, and I'm slowly wading through the miasma of learn-up stuff out there, but on this particular one time is my enemy. Do you know or recommend any prototyping design-house crowd that can fast track me through this?

Hi trevanian... sorry, I'm not aware of any. Although the solution sounds simple and probably a interesting project to work with, might be difficult to find any budget consulting to create a customized design. Let me know the HPA and SBD equipment models as well your personal e-mail and I'll see if I get someone to have a look on that for you.

Cheers,

Mike M.

Thanks Mike M. trevanian13@gmail.com

I'll detail on the email, with pictures