u-blox EVK-LEXI-R422 Cellular Evaluation Kit User Guide

u-blox EVK-LEXI-R422 Cellular Evaluation Kit User Guide

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1 Introduction

The EVK-LEXI-R422 kit is a powerful and easy-to-use tool that simplifies the evaluation of the u-blox LEXI-R422 multi-band LTE-M / NB-IoT /EGPRS cellular modules.
See the LEXI-R422 data sheet [2] and the LEXI-R422 system integration manual [3] for features supported by LEXI-R422 modules. As shown in Figure 1, the EVK-LEXI-R422 evaluation kit is formed by three boards:

• The EVB-WL3 contains the power supply and other peripherals for the cellular module
• The cellular adapter board, ADP-LEXI-R422, contains the LEXI-R422 cellular module and other connectors
• The GNSS adapter board, ADP-GNSS, contains the u-blox MAX-M10S GNSS module, the GNSS antenna connector and the USB connector for the GNSS module

For more hardware details about the EVK-LEXI-R422 evaluation kit, see section 5.

2 Board quick start

2.1 Board setup

2.1.1 SIM and antenna

1. Insert a SIM card into J300, the SIM card holder;
2. Connect the cellular antenna provided with the EVK-LEXI-R422 evaluation kit box to J106, the cellular antenna SMA connector;
3. If GNSS functionality is required, connect the GNSS antenna provided with the EVK-LEXI-R422 evaluation kit box to J103, the GNSS antenna SMA connector on ADP-GNSS, and keep the cellular GNSS detach switch SW304 in “GNSS” position;
   Place the GNSS antenna in a location with a good view of the sky.

2.1.2 Power supply

1. Connect the AC / DC +12 V power supply adapter to J400, the 9 ­ 18 V power input connector; LED DL401 light turns blue;
2. Provide a jumper socket on both J404 and J109, the cellular VCC supply jumpers;
3. Turn SW400, the main power switch, to the “ON” position; LED DL400 light turns green.

2.1.3 Local connectivity

For communication via the UART interfaces of the cellular module, the following connections are allowed and can be alternatively enabled in a mutually exclusive way (see Table 1 for switches and jumper position and LED status):

• a. Connect a USB cable to J501 (mini-USB), the cellular USB main UART; the LED DL501 light turns blue. When a USB cable is connected to this mini-USB connector, two COM ports are enabled in Windows: the main 8-wire UART interface of the cellular system is available over the first COM port opened by the driver, after the end of the cellular system boot once the cellular system is switched on.
• b. Connect an RS232 cable to J500, the cellular RS232 main UART, a DB9 connector: the main 8-wire UART interface of the cellular system is available over RS232, after the cellular system boot once the cellular system is switched on.
• c. Connect a USB cable to J201 (mini-USB), the cellular USB two UARTs; the LED DS201 light turns blue. When a USB cable is connected to this mini-USB connector, two COM ports are enabled in Windows: the two 4-wire UART interfaces of the cellular system are respectively available over the two numbered COM ports opened by the driver, after the end of the cellular system boot once the cellular system is switched on (to enable two UART interfaces, see the AT commands manual [1], +USIO AT command).

2.2 Switch on the cellular system

To switch on the cellular system in the EVK-LEXI-R422, press SW302, the cellular power-ctrl button.

2.3 Switch off the cellular system

To switch off the cellular system in the EVK-LEXI-R422, send the +CPWROFF AT command.
Issue AT+CPWROFF command before switching off the main power supply, otherwise settings and configuration parameters may not be saved in the non-volatile memory of the cellular module.

3 Register to network

3.1 Enabling error result codes

3.2 PIN code insertion (when required)

3.3 Registration on a cellular network

4 Setting up data connection on Windows

This section describes how to set up a cellular packet data connection on Windows 10 using the operating system’s TCP/IP stack and EVK-LEXI-R422. This is also referred to as a dial-up connection.

4.1 Install a new modem from the control panel

4.2 Configuring a new connection

The packet data connection is now ready to be used with EVK-LEXI-R422. Click Connect to start the connection, then start a browser to check internet connectivity.
Consult the cellular network operator for username and password. In most cases, they can be left empty.

5 EVK-LEXI-R422 hardware

5.1 EVK-LEXI-R422 block diagram and basic description

Figure 6 shows the main interfaces and internal connections of the EVK- LEXI-R422 evaluation kit:

The ADP-LEXI-R422 and the ADP-GNSS are connected by male header board-to-board connectors on the bottom of the adapter boards and their corresponding female connectors on top of the EVB-WL3.
As also illustrated in section 2.1.3 and summarized in Table 1, for communication via the UART interfaces of the cellular module, the following connections are allowed and can be alternatively enabled in a mutually exclusive way:

1. If the ON-BOARD / B2B switch (SW401) on the EVB-WL3 board is set to “ON-BOARD” and if a jumper socket is inserted on the pin 1 and pin 2 of the 3-pin header J248 on the cellular adapter board (see Figure 7), then the main UART interface of the LEXI-R422 module, routed through the DIL header board-to-board connectors mounted on the bottom of the cellular adapter board, can be accessed as converted to USB interface on the USB connector (J501) on the EVB-WL3 board, or it can be accessed as converted to RS232 interface on the RS232 DB9 connector (J500) on the EVB-WL3 board, according to the MINIUSB / DB9 switch (SW403) setting.
2. If the ON-BOARD / B2B switch (SW401) on the EVB-WL3 board is set to “B2B” and if a jumper socket is inserted on the pin 2 and pin 3 of the 3-pin header J248 on the cellular adapter board (see Figure 7), the UART interfaces of LEXI-R422 module can be accessed as USB interfaces on the USB connector (J201) on the cellular adapter board.
3. If the ON-BOARD / B2B switch (SW401) on the EVB-WL3 board is set to “B2B” and if there is no jumper socket inserted on the 3-pin header J248 on the cellular adapter board (see Figure 7), then the UART interface(s) of the LEXI-R422 module can be accessed at 1.8 V CMOS signal levels on the DIL header connector mounted on the top of the cellular adapter board, to communicate, for example, with an external MCU.

The USB interface of the cellular module (available for diagnostic purpose only) is available on the native USB connector (J105) mounted on the cellular adapter board.
Other LEXI-R422 peripherals are available on the dual-in-line male board-to- board connectors (J103 and J104) provided on the top layer of the cellular adapter board.
The lower board (EVB-WL3) is also designed to be used with other u-blox cellular adapter boards. It contains additional switches, jumpers, connectors, LEDs and parts that may be only partially described in this document, because they are intended for use only with other u-blox cellular modules. It is recommended to leave any additional connector unconnected and any additional switch in its default configuration.

5.2 Switches, jumpers and buttons

5.3 LEDs

5.4 Connectors

5.5 EVK-LEXI-R422 pin out

Table 5 lists the interfaces of the LEXI-R422 modules, as routed up to the 42-pin dual-in-line board-to-board connectors (J103 and J104) available on the ADP-LEXI-R422 adapter board of the evaluation kit.

The pins / interfaces that are not supported by LEXI-R422 modules should be not driven by an external device. See the LEXI-R422 data sheet [2] and the LEXI-R422 system integration manual [3] to learn about the features supported by LEXI-R422 module.

5.6 Current consumption measurement

To measure the current consumption of LEXI-R422 modules, remove the jumper socket from the cellular VCC supply jumper J109 on the ADP-LEXI-R422 board, as shown in Figure 8.

A suitable external digital multi-meter (as the Keysight 34465A, 34410A or 34411A) can be used for current consumption measurements: in this example, the 3.8 V supply circuit on the EVB-WL3 will supply the cellular module, with the digital multi-meter placed in series as illustrated in Figure 9.

Alternatively, a suitable external DC power supply with dynamic current measurement capabilities (e.g., the portable and cheap Qoitech Otii Arc, or the more accurate Keysight N6705B, or the models designed for mobile communications Keysight 66319B/D or 66321B/D) can be used, acting also as 3.8 V supply source for the cellular module mounted on the adapter board, as illustrated in Figure 10.

Appendix

A Setting up AT terminal communication

The u-blox m-center cellular module evaluation tool is a powerful platform for evaluating, configuring and testing u-blox cellular products. m-center includes an AT commands terminal for communication with the device and can be downloaded for free from www.u-blox.com. For m-center example scripts, visit https://github.com/u-blox/m-center.

1. Follow the board setup instructions in section 2 to provide all the required connections and switching on the cellular module.

2. Run the u-blox m-center tool: after the m-center start-up, the Home page appears, as shown in Figure 11.

3. On the Home page, set up the AT COM port with setting values below:
   o Data rate: 115200 bit/s
   o Data bits: 8
   o Parity: N
   o Stop bits: 1
   o Flow control: HW

4. Check in the Windows Device Manager to find out which specific COM port is being used by the EVK-LEXI-R422.

5. Enable the connection to u-blox cellular module by clicking on the Connect button.

6. Retrieve the module and network information by clicking on the Get info button.

7. The module information is retrieved and displayed on the Home page.

8. Click on the AT Terminal button, found at the upper right of the Home page. A new window opens, and the AT command terminal is now ready for communication with the EVK-LEXI-R422.

9. The AT terminal is ready to use.

For more information on using the u-blox m-center, press the F1 key to open the m-center help window on the computer. For the complete list of the AT commands supported by the modules and their syntax, see the AT commands manual [1].

B Glossary

C Conformity notice

The equipment is intended for indoor usage. It is the user’s duty to verify if further restrictions apply, such as in airplanes, hospitals, or hazardous locations (petrol stations, refineries…). Any changes or modification made to this equipment will void its compliance to the safety requirements. Maintenance, inspections and/or repairs of the EVK-LEXI-R422 shall be performed by u-blox AG.

Related documentation

1. u-blox SARA-R42 / LEXI-R422 AT commands Manual, UBX-17003787
2. u-blox LEXI-R422 data sheet, UBX-22020834
3. u-blox LEXI-R422 system integration manual, UBX-23007449
4. u-blox SARA-R42 / LEXI-R422 application development guide, UBX-20050829

All these documents are available on our website (http://www.u-blox.com).
For regular updates to u-blox documentation and to receive product change notifications, register on our homepage (www.u-blox.com).

Revision history

Contact

u-blox AG
Address: Zürcherstrasse 68
8800 Thalwil
Switzerland
For further support and contact information, visit us at www.u-blox.com/support.

References

• Home | u-blox
• Home | u-blox
• Contact u-blox | u-blox
• GitHub - u-blox/m-center: Collection of AT scripts that can be incorporated and used on the u-blox m-center tool.
• u-blox.com/docs/UBX-17003787
• u-blox.com/docs/UBX-20050829
• u-blox.com/docs/UBX-22020834
• u-blox.com/docs/UBX-23007449

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