SparkFun Electronics Commentsurn:uuid:214d0e4e-f1b1-d287-ce26-ac5b4c9f82492024-03-28T13:49:54-06:00SparkFun Electronicspcdangio on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBpcdangiourn:uuid:d2747da7-14d9-c5de-843c-24325f7ad2a12021-07-29T12:56:17-06:00<p>If you guys ever make a V2 of this product, it would be awesome to include an LED on DIO5 to make use of the <a href="https://www.digi.com/resources/documentation/Digidocs/90000991/reference/r_associate_led.htm?TocPath=Work%20with%20networked%20devices%7CTest%20links%20between%20adjacent%20devices%7C_____6" rel="nofollow">XBee's "Associate" functionality</a></p>
M-Short on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBM-Shorturn:uuid:e3a17359-8ba5-d446-1d91-42da177fdd042019-02-22T11:18:52-07:00<p>This version of the board has a solder jumper to disconnect the RSSI pin from the LED. Because the 900 Pros are not the most popular units the default is to have the RSSI pin connected to the LED, but you should be able to cut the trace if needed to disconnect it.</p>
Customer #1504075 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #1504075urn:uuid:0f9c35d4-382a-4cb5-86cf-d47e439629332019-02-21T18:14:29-07:00<p>I am looking to buy two explorers to link my XBee's in XCTU. I've seen many comments and reviews online about S3B 900 Pros not working with the explorer, however they are all several years old. Is the explorer still only compatible with the series 1 and series 2 or no? Besides the workarounds I have seen like cutting the RSSI pin or desoldering the LED. I currently have two XBee S3B Pros part number XBP9B-DMST-012.</p>
M-Short on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBM-Shorturn:uuid:923e4a0f-cc27-4111-e341-d733f55576662018-04-18T09:56:33-06:00<p>That is correct. This is mostly used for connecting the XBees to a computer to program/configure them, although if you open up a serial terminal you can send and receive data as well. For connecting to a 5V system the XBee Explorer Regulated is a great option, for a 3.3V system you don't need the regulation and so the breakout board should work just fine as well.</p>
Customer #874039 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #874039urn:uuid:cd233859-ed30-4b27-dd32-d303c40996272018-04-16T21:00:39-06:00<p>I'm looking to making a network of Xbee's. Do I only need to buy one of these to program them, or do I need one for each Xbee that I plan on buying? I was planning on getting one SparkFun XBee Explorer USB and then the SparkFun XBee Explorer Regulated for the rest.</p>
oldaccount on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBoldaccounturn:uuid:535f5dbf-85b5-ed10-fbaa-9116056d931d2017-06-08T14:33:01-06:00<p>I found my own answer. This person has an article that gave me the answer I needed.
I need to reduce the power level on the radio, and Chat explains how.<p>https://blog.chendry.org/2014/12/25/programmable-xbee-pro-900hp-osx-quickstart.html</p><p>Once I reduced the power level to 1, it was discovered in XCTU</p></p>
oldaccount on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBoldaccounturn:uuid:6d4f0775-b4ad-4988-ca7f-b511e9a3512d2017-06-08T14:12:02-06:00<p>I have a USB Explorer and two of the S3B Pro 900 Mhz devices.
I have cut the RSSI trace, and verified it under the microscope. I can get an S2 device to show up fine, but the S3B devices won't.<p>I have one with RPSMA and one with a wire antenna. The 2.4's just don't make my distance.
The specific part numbers are:
XBee-Pro 900HP XBP9B-DMSTB002 (RPSMA) and XBP9B-DMWTB002 (wire)</p><p>Any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p></p>
bboyho on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBbboyhourn:uuid:28f5f689-1d0f-0f62-d81f-17b75ef2daea2016-08-11T14:44:39-06:00<p><strong>-------------------- Tech Support Tips/Troubleshooting/Common Issues --------------------</strong><p><strong>PWR LED</strong></p><p>Testing the XBee Explorer USB with an Arduino Pro Mini 3.3V/8MHz, I was able to get the board to work with a XBee Series 1:</p><pre><code>Arduino Pro Mini 3.3V/8MHz <=> XBee Explorer USB
GND <=> GND
3.3V <=> 3.3V
Rx <=> DOUT
Tx <=> DIN
</code></pre><p>The PWR LED can light up when powering at 3.3V. This can be due to the 5V pin from the FTDI leaking power from the Arduino's 3.3V. If you test it with a multimeter, you will see that the board will be outputting 3.3V on the 5V pin from the FTDI. Further tests indicate that the leak will happen after you insert a USB cable to the XBee Explorer USB (assuming that the Arduino and XBee Explorer USB is not connected to power). After applying power to the Arduino and removing the USB, the LED was still on but at a lower intensity. It might be due to the FT231X internal circuit partially remaining on after 5V is applied to the 5V rail for the 3.3V rail.</p><p>The Rx and Tx LEDs will probably not light up if you are not powering the FT231X with 5V. Also, the Rx and Tx LEDs should only light up when there is serial data sent from the USB through the FT231X. The DOUT and DIN pins are directly connected to the XBee, which is why serial data can be sent between an Arduino and the XBee.</p><p><strong>VCCIO</strong></p><p>FT231X is set for 3.3V. I would not recommend connecting the DIN and DOUT directly to a 5V Arduino. There would not be any logic level conversion between the Arduino and the XBee. The conversion is only between the USB and the XBee.</p><p><strong>XBee S3B Compatibility</strong></p><p>If you are using the XBee Explorer Dongle or the XBee Explorer USB, make sure that you cut the RSSI trace on the back of the board. The XBee S3B modules [like XBee-Pro 900 XSC S3B Wire - WRL-11634] does not work properly with anything connected to the RSSI pin.</p></p>
j.tilghman on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBj.tilghmanurn:uuid:c50f4b40-d392-2c67-4570-7011535c3c362016-02-01T09:03:31-07:00<p>It does hit the USB connector, but I don't see that as a problem since it will still work just fine.</p>
Customer #744321 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #744321urn:uuid:01aaaaaf-fa3e-c102-c815-b71bacdfd2362015-11-27T10:18:57-07:00<p>Hy, i looked at the schematic and i found that there is a polarised 10uF capacitor at the voltage regulator, but on the board it is a simple ceramic one. Am i wrong?</p>
Customer #243346 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #243346urn:uuid:be2aaec6-b9da-462d-ca14-18ae2c1c874c2015-11-26T18:09:01-07:00<p>Please ignore...I just found the previous versions link above.</p>
Customer #243346 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #243346urn:uuid:a499db69-6ee8-bd76-6986-4ff31a11caa62015-11-26T18:05:02-07:00<p>Hi, I seem to have a different version of the board than is shown here, including the schematics. My board has a FT232RL, no reset switch, and also no RTS/CTS/RSSI/DTR pads on the back of the board. Do you have the design files for this version of the board? Thank you.</p>
M-Short on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBM-Shorturn:uuid:9ceb4729-ffca-a0e4-1a42-70bdef2c85e82015-07-13T09:30:59-06:00<p>Not likely, I do it all the time. The board doesn't care and most XBees don't use that pin. Feel free to check the datasheet of your specific XBee to see if that pin is used for anything, but you should be fine.</p>
ODM4286 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBODM4286urn:uuid:ccb06367-2439-8809-fe0c-41eddf407c722015-07-13T04:30:03-06:00<p>I accidentally shorted the RES pin to ground thinking it stood for reset...did i damage anything?</p>
GraysonR on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBGraysonRurn:uuid:91e3108f-2c1a-5035-7603-69a14660c7592015-06-20T14:42:20-06:00<p>Oh, never mind, those two pins have been confusing me like crazy.</p>
GraysonR on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBGraysonRurn:uuid:96109ff9-bb98-12c7-d8f9-bc3b2b2528642015-06-18T00:44:02-06:00<p>Hey Sparkfun, you might want to look at your Rx and Tx connections in your schematic. I think you have DOUT and DIN reversed.</p>
Customer #475964 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #475964urn:uuid:3a0cacb8-8ae7-ff2a-0f83-c9045e487a962015-05-28T12:23:29-06:00<p>How does the XBee show up when plugged directly into a PC? Is a virtual com port driver required for it to be recognized as a serial device, or is that handled by the FT serial converter on the board?</p>
M-Short on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBM-Shorturn:uuid:f19be064-09e4-ca1d-f5e3-4335339962352015-02-24T14:12:51-07:00<p>Kind of. The Arduino basically needs 5 connections/signals. Power, GND, RX, TX and reset. You should be able to get the first 4 from this board. I can't think of a way to send the auto-reset signal this way, but you can manually reset the board with the reset button (wait until you see the white text on the IDE screen telling you the size of the sketch, then hit reset). If you have any problems with this please email techsupport@sparkfun.com and they should be able to help you.</p>
CSLauritsen on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCSLauritsenurn:uuid:880df90a-436e-f251-af6c-1517e4c703e02015-02-24T13:48:31-07:00<p>I have this XBee explorer.<p>I was wondering, could one use the TX & RX pins on it (without an XBee attached) to program an Arduino pro mini (DEV-11113 or DEV-11114).</p><p>In other words does it have the same functionality as the FTDI Basic breakout boards, e.g. BOB-11736</p><p>thanks for any clarification.</p></p>
Customer #612602 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #612602urn:uuid:df3568a1-f5bc-5914-1805-fca06155fb682014-11-01T00:56:51-06:00<p>I'm having difficulty getting XCTU on my Mac to "see" this device. I've confirmed that the Mac sees the USB device, but XCTU does not show it in the list of serial/USB ports. I'm a little perplexed as to where to go from here in troubleshooting this problem. Any thoughts on this?</p>
Datalink on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBDatalinkurn:uuid:61a51d0b-8258-f23a-3a64-e20f9b4ccbe32014-10-04T05:35:27-06:00<p>I've used a Bluetooth Bee from TinyOS without trouble. Bluetooth Bees are wired to TX and RX in the same pin layout as XBee, so they, along with most XBee form factor devices should work on this. If it's XBee compatible, it should be usable with this.<p>Also, I have 2 XBee Series 2 PCB antenna devices and they work fine with these. The only difference between them and my Bluetooth Bee are the GPIO pins which bluetooth bees and other third party XBee clones, those GPIO pins don't affect devices like this which use the serial pins only.</p></p>
Customer #588061 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #588061urn:uuid:6b4bace0-e376-f394-2ad8-8c53c99e17f42014-08-22T22:30:03-06:00<p>This module is compatible with bluetooth bee ???</p>
Customer #556620 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #556620urn:uuid:6bcff608-659d-c1af-3f87-b6f53bf728af2014-08-10T03:54:54-06:00<p>i connected 2 xbee 900 to the USB explorer , one of them the RSSI LED was off and it works , the other one the RSSI LED was on and it did not work ?
any help ???</p>
Customer #513255 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #513255urn:uuid:39b54a36-78a7-0bd1-9870-fd0e371cbce92014-08-05T12:15:50-06:00<dl>
<dt>I don't know what happeed but it works now. All I did was shut everything down and powered it back up the next day. Could have had bad connection somewhere or perhaps I didn't realize I pulled the USB cable with the monitor open. For now, problem solved.</dt>
<dd>
<p>)</p>
</dd>
</dl>
Customer #513255 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #513255urn:uuid:66c7151a-47d5-0c27-3810-0d2a47a49f772014-08-03T14:45:45-06:00<p>I just bought 2 of these, 2 xbee shields, xbee usb dongle, and 3 xbees, all series 1 as applicable, oh, and 2 Unos. I have been following along with the tutorials. When I got to the tutorial that has a pot attached to the uno, I couldn't get it to work.<p>While I was working on this problem, I realized that every test I had done up to this point had usb cables attached to every device I was using. Wireless??? So I start unplugging cables one at a time and tested with all failed results.</p><p>I started over from the beginning, config the xbees. As I went through all the tests I stopped to pull cables. I have come to the conclusion that there is not enough info in the tutorials I'm using to actually get any kind of wireless communications. I put a cable and loose it every time.</p><p>Can anyone shed some light on what might be going on here?</p><p>Here is the link of the swarm tutorial where it tries to add a pot to the uno.
http://bildr.org/2011/04/arduino-xbee-wireless/</p><p>Thanks for the help guys,
d</p></p>
jimblom on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBjimblomurn:uuid:9ed8b5b5-51c2-2bed-314b-e8e53610a6a82014-07-01T09:01:10-06:00<p>That's exactly right. Just grab a <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9200" rel="nofollow">hobby knife</a> and carefully slice the exposed trace between the two pads.</p>
Customer #124334 on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBCustomer #124334urn:uuid:ee70a4b7-fd77-f3f4-7a06-da7829ad1f4d2014-06-27T12:43:47-06:00<p>I see that a jumper was added to the back of the board on the RSSI line. Presumably to fix this issue http://www.digi.com/support/kbase/kbaseresultdetl?id=3325<p>However in the eagle board file it looks like the jumper pads are connected. Is the idea that to use the S3B series radios you need to cut that trace?</p><p>Thanks</p></p>
jimblom on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBjimblomurn:uuid:e6d63b31-4dde-917a-b66f-e39e8405089d2014-06-06T13:22:01-06:00<p>No, unfortunately the connector still hits the XBee WiFi's RF shield. We wanted to keep the board dimensions the same, so we were unable to pull the connector out any further. It's not completely unusable with the WiFi's -- I stick some electrical tape between the two components to add a little protection -- but, because the module is lifted a bit by the connector, some pins aren't as plugged into the socket as they probably should be.<p>The WiFi modules <em>do</em> plug nicely into the <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11697" rel="nofollow">XBee Dongle Explorer</a>, though. If you're looking for a better (nearly equivalent) option.</p></p>
Ted M on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBTed Murn:uuid:ee855835-9e10-8e99-e42c-1117eff9ea702014-06-06T12:46:36-06:00<p>Thanks for the help, my schematic reading skills are obviously lacking. So, this should work quite well with the Synapse RF266 (the radio with the same pin footprint as the XBee), because a reset is really needed when programming it.</p>
liudr on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBliudrurn:uuid:5336fe01-6ae4-662a-af90-53faad4271d72014-06-06T12:45:48-06:00<p>What about digi's xbee wifi modules? Do their bulky under belly fit? The previous version does not. The mini USB connector is in the way.</p>
jimblom on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBjimblomurn:uuid:3053743c-8d82-7afa-4f73-7a142bbaf6ec2014-06-06T12:02:20-06:00<p>The labeling on the schematic is a little weird (there is a Reset pin on the FT231X, which is pulled high), but it is definitely resetting the XBee. That "RESET" stub net connected to the switch is connected to the "RESET" net coming off pin 5 of the XBee.</p>
Ted M on WRL-11812 - SparkFun XBee Explorer USBTed Murn:uuid:5bfacdb4-429a-468a-968b-b46c696db27c2014-06-06T11:57:24-06:00<p>The reset button is a nice addition, but if I'm reading the schematic correctly, it is resetting the FT231, not the xbee, correct?</p>