# rfSynchronizedPacketTx
SysConfig Notice
All examples will soon be supported by SysConfig, a tool that will help you graphically configure your software components. A preview is available today in the examples/syscfg_preview directory. Starting in 3Q 2019, with SDK version 3.30, only SysConfig-enabled versions of examples will be provided. For more information, click here.
Project Setup using the System Configuration Tool (SysConfig)
The purpose of SysConfig is to provide an easy to use interface for configuring drivers, RF stacks, and more. The .syscfg file provided with each example project has been configured and tested for that project. Changes to the .syscfg file may alter the behavior of the example away from default. Some parameters configured in SysConfig may require the use of specific APIs or additional modifications in the application source code. More information can be found in SysConfig by hovering over a configurable and clicking the question mark (?) next to it's name.
Example Summary
In this example you will learn how to build a time-synchronized connection between one transmitter and a receiver. Time-synchronization enables both communication partners to transfer data quickly at predictable time points. Unlike the wake-on-radio example, the transmitter does not need to send a very long preamble and the receiver does not need to wait and check for a signal on air. This leads to the lowest possible power consumption on both sides. It also fits very well to the SimpleLink Long-range mode. Time synchronization builds also the foundation for Frequency and Time Division Multiple Access, FDMA and TDMA respectively.
This example project shows the transmission part. The receiver part can be found in the Synchronized Packet RX example.
Peripherals Exercised
BUTTON1
- Toggles the state ofLED1
and sends a message in spontaneous beacon state.BUTTON2
- Toggles between periodic and spontaneous beacon state.LED1
- Toggled whenBUTTON1
is pushed.LED2
- On while data is being transmitted over the RF interface (PA enable), off when in standby.
Resources & Jumper Settings
This section explains the resource mapping across various boards. If you're
using an IDE (such as CCS or IAR), please refer to Board.html in your project
directory for resources used and board-specific jumper settings. Otherwise,
you can find Board.html in the directory
\ This section is similar for both TX and RX. You need 2 boards: one running the
Build and run the Build and run the Push You may push Explanation: After starting, the RX board goes into When the application on the TX board is started, it starts to send periodic
beacon messages. Once the RX board has received the first beacon message, it
switches the receiver off and goes into When Push Push Explanation: After pushing When pushing Repeat step 6 for a while. After a couple of minutes, you will notice that
Push Push Explanation: Both TX and RX board predict the following wake-up events based
on the time when synchronization happened. If both clocks have a small drift,
then the wake-up time will be incorrect after some time. By pushing This examples consists of a single task and the exported SmartRF Studio radio
settings. The TX application is implemented as a state machine with 3 states: In order to send synchronous packets, the transmitter uses an absolute start
trigger for the TX command. Absolute start triggers are explained in the
proprietary RF user's guide and the technical reference manual. It starts with
an arbitrarily chosen time stamp: And then adds a fixed interval for any further transmission: In That means, the transmission is not really "spontaneous", but rather "as soon
as possible" according to the interval. A safety margin of 2 ms is added
because the RF core is powered down while waiting for the RX command. If we
are close to the next slot, the RF driver would not have enough time to re-
initialize the RF core. No further timing restrictions apply to the transmitter.SmartRF06 in combination with one of the CC13x0 evaluation modules
Resource
Mapping / Notes
BUTTON1
BTN_UP
(up button)
BUTTON1
BTN_DN
(down button)
LED1
LED1
LED2
LED2
CC1310 / CC1350 / CC2640R2 Launchpad
Resource
Mapping / Notes
BUTTON1
BTN-1
(left button)
BUTTON2
BTN_2
(right button)
LED1
Green LED
LED2
Red LED
Board Specific Settings
Example Usage
rfSynchronizedPacketTx
application (TX board) and another one running the
rfSynchronizedPacketRx
application (RX board).Initial synchronization
rfSynchronizedPacketRx
example on the RX board.
You will see LED2
on the RX board being on all the time.rfSynchronizedPacketTx
example on the TX board.
You will see LED2
on the TX board flashing with a period of 500 ms.
On the RX board, you will see that LED2
is flashing synchronously.BUTTON1
on the TX board. LED1
will toggle immediately.
On the RX board, LED1
follows after a short delay.BUTTON1
several times and will see that
LED1
on the RX board will always reflect the state
on the TX board with some delay.WaitingForSync
state.
The receiver is switched on end waits for a packet. The LNA signal (LED2
) is
enabled to reflect the current receiver state.SyncedRx
state. In this state, it
wakes up the receiver right before the next packet from the TX board is
expected.BUTTON1
on the TX board is pushed, the current LED state is sent
in the next available time slot and is shown on the RX board as soon
as the packet has arrived.Sending spontaneous beacons after synchronization
BUTTON2
on the TX board. You will see that LED2
on the
TX board stops flashing while LED2
on the RX boards remains
flashing.BUTTON1
on the TX board. You will see that LED1
toggles
on the TX board and with a short delay also on the RX board.
LED2
on the TX board will flash a short while after pushing
the button.BUTTON2
on the TX board, the TX application
goes into SporadicMessage
state and stops sending periodic beacons.
The RX application remains in SyncedRx
state and wakes up when it
expects a packet. As long as no button on the TX board is pushed,
the RX board will wake up only for a short time and go back to standby
after a very short timeout because no packet is received.BUTTON1
on the TX board, a packet with the new state of LED1
is transmitted. The TX board sends exactly at the same time when the RX board
expects to receive a packet. The RX board receives the message and updates the
state of its own LED1
.Error handling: Re-synchronization due to crystal drift ===
LED1
on the RX board is not updated properly anymore.BUTTON1
on the RX board. LED2
will remain on permanently.BUTTON1
on the TX board. You will see LED1
toggle on both boards
and LED2
on the RX board starting to flash again.BUTTON1
on the RX board, the application goes back into
WaitingForSync
state and re-synchronizes to the TX board.Application Design Details
/* Use the current time as an anchor point for future time stamps.
* The Nth transmission in the future will be exactly N * 500ms after
* this time stamp. */
RF_cmdPropTx.startTime = RF_getCurrentTime();
/* Set absolute TX time in the future to utilize "deferred dispatching of commands with absolute timing".
* This is explained in the proprietary RF user's guide. */
RF_cmdPropTx.startTime += RF_convertMsToRatTicks(BEACON_INTERVAL_MS);
SpontaneousBeacon
state, the next transmission start time is calculated
based on the last value transmission start time: /* We need to find the next synchronized time slot that is far enough
* in the future to allow the RF driver to power up the RF core.
* We use 2 ms as safety margin. */
uint32_t currentTime = RF_getCurrentTime() + RF_convertMsToRatTicks(2);
uint32_t intervalsSinceLastPacket = DIV_INT_ROUND_UP(currentTime - RF_cmdPropTx.startTime, RF_convertMsToRatTicks(BEACON_INTERVAL_MS));
RF_cmdPropTx.startTime += intervalsSinceLastPacket * RF_convertMsToRatTicks(BEACON_INTERVAL_MS);