u-blox EVK-SARA-R52 Series Cellular Evaluation Kits User Guide

: August 21, 2024
: u-blox

**u-blox EVK-SARA-R52 Series Cellular Evaluation Kits User Guide

**

Document information

Title	EVK-SARA-R52
Subtitle	SARA-R52 series cellular evaluation kits
Document type	User guide
Document number	UBX-23006467
Revision and date	R01
Disclosure restriction	C1-Public

This document applies to the following products:

Product name	Type number
EVK-SARA-R520	EVK-SARA-R520-02-00
EVK-SARA-R520M10	EVK-SARA-R520M10-02-00

Introduction

The EVK-SARA-R52 kit is a powerful and easy-to-use tool that simplifies the evaluation of the u-blox SARA-R5 series LTE-M / NB-IoT cellular modules.

The following evaluation kits are available with u-blox SARA-R52 series cellular modules:

The EVK-SARA-R520 evaluation kit, for evaluation of SARA-R520-02B
The EVK-SARA-R520M10 evaluation kit, for evaluation of SARA-R520M10-02B

All evaluation kits are referred to as EVK-SARA-R52, as they are the same in the related variants, except for the specific module product variant installed on it, with possible related parts.

See the SARA-R52 series data sheet [2] and the SARA-R52 series system integration manual [3] for features supported by each SARA-R5 series module product version.

As shown in Figure 1, the EVK-SARA-R52 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-SARA-R52, contains the SARA-R52 series 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.

Figure 1: EVK-SARA-R52 evaluation kit formed by three boards

For more hardware details about the EVK-SARA-R52 evaluation kit, see section 5.

Board quick start

Board setup

SIM and antenna

Figure 2: SIM and antenna set up

Insert a SIM card into J300, the SIM card holder;
Connect the cellular antenna provided with the EVK-SARA-R52 evaluation kit box to J106, the cellular antenna SMA connector;
If the GNSS functionality is required:
- For EVK-SARA-R520M10, connect the GNSS antenna provided with the EVK-SARA-R52 evaluation kit box to J112, the GNSS antenna SMA connector on ADP-SARA-R52;
- For EVK-SARA-R520:
  For u-blox SpotNow A-GPS receiver functionalities, connect the GNSS antenna provided with the EVK-SARA-R52 evaluation kit box to J112, the GNSS antenna SMA connector on ADP-SARA-R52;
  For MAX-M10S GNSS module functionalities, connect the GNSS antenna provided with the EVK-SARA R52 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.

Power supply

Figure 3: Power supply set up

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

Local connectivity

Figure 4: Local connectivity set up

For communication via the UART interfaces, 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):

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.
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.
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).

Type of connections	SW401	SW403
Access to the main UART interface over J501 (EVB-WL3)	ON BOARD	MINIUSB
Jumper socket on pins 1-2	DL403 DL501
Access to the main UART interface over J500 (EVB-WL3)	ON BOARD	DB9
Jumper socket on pins 1-2	DL405
Access to the two UART interfaces over J201 (ADP-SARA-R52)	B2B	Do not
care	Jumper socket on pins 2-3	DL404 DS201

Access to UART(s) interface(s) over

J104 (ADP-SARA-R52)

| B2B| Do not care| No jumper socket| DL404

Table 1: Serial interface configuration

See the SARA-R52 series data sheet [2] and the +USIO AT command description in the SARA-R5 series AT commands manual [1] for the description and configuration of the USIO variants.

Run an AT terminal application (such as the u-blox m-center tool) selecting the AT port, with these settings:

Data rate| Data bits| Parity| Stop bits| Flow control
---|---|---|---|---
115200 bit/s| 8| N| 1| HW

See appendix A for how to configure the u-blox m-center AT terminal for Windows.

Switch off the cellular system

To switch off the cellular system in the EVK-SARA-R52, 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.

Register to network

Enabling error result codes

Command sent by DTE (user)| DCE response (module)| Description
---|---|---
AT+CMEE=2| OK| Enable the cellular module to report verbose error result codes.

PIN code insertion (when required)

Command sent by DTE (user)| DCE response (module)| Description
---|---|---
AT+CPIN=”8180″| OK| Enter the PIN code, if needed (enter the PIN of the SIM card – 8180 is an example).
AT+CLCK=”SC”,0,”8180″| OK| Unlock the PIN at power-on (the last parameter is the PIN of the SIM card – 8180 is an example).
AT+CLCK=”SC”,1,”8180″| OK| Lock the PIN at power-on (the last parameter is the PIN of the SIM card – 8180 is an example).

Registration on a cellular network

Command sent by DTE (user)| DCE response (module)| Description
---|---|---
AT+CREG?| +CREG: 0,1 OK| Verify the CS network registration.
AT+CEREG?| +CEREG: 0,1,”5684″,”03761b14″,7 OK| Verify the EPS network registration.
AT+COPS=0| OK| Register the module on the network.

The cellular module automatically registers itself on the cellular network. This command is necessary only if the auto-registration failed (AT+CREG? returns 0,0).

AT+COPS?| +COPS: 0,0,”I TIM”,7 OK| Read the operator name and radio access technology (RAT).

For the complete description and syntax of the AT commands supported by SARA-R52 series modules, see the SARA-R5 series AT commands manual [1].

Setting up cellular packet data connection on Windows

This section describes how to set up a packet data connection on Windows 10 using the operating system’s TCP/IP stack and EVK-R5. This is also referred to as a dial-up connection.

Install a new modem from the control panel

From Control Panel, select Phone and Modem > Modems > Add.
This opens the Add Hardware Wizard.
Tick “Don’t detect my modem” checkbox. Click Next.
Select Standard 33600 bps Modem. Click Next.
Select COM port for data communication and click Next. The modem will be installed on this COM port.
Click Finish to complete the installation.
Now the new modem is visible in Control Panel, under Phone and Modem > Modems. Any extra initialization AT command (e.g., to set a specific APN name) can be entered by selecting Properties and filling in Advanced > Extra initialization commands text box.

Now the module is ready and the connection can be configured.

The modem configuration can also be edited in Device Manager, by clicking on the modem name.

Configuring a new connection

From Control Panel, select Network and Sharing Center > Set up a new connection or network.
Click Connect to the Internet and then Next.
Select Dial-up and, if requested, the modem previously installed.
Enter the parameters for the dial-up connection:
- The module telephone number: *99***1# (change if using a PDP context different from 1)
- The specific account information for the network operator
- A name for the connection (e.g., “R5 Dial-up”)

The packet data connection is now ready to be used with EVK-SARA-R52. 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.

EVK-SARA-R52 hardware

EVK-SARA-R52 block diagram and basic description

Figure 5 shows the main interfaces and internal connections of the EVK- SARA-R52 evaluation kit:

Figure 5: Block diagram of EVK-SARA-R52

The ADP-SARA-R52 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.

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 6), then the main UART interface of the SARA-R52 series 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 mini-USB / DB9 switch (SW403) setting.

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 6), the UART interfaces of SARA-R52 series module can be accessed as USB interfaces on the USB connector (J201) on the cellular adapter board.

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 6), then the UART interface(s) of the SARA-R52 series 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.

Figure 6: 3-pin header J248 available to set the routing of the UART interfaces

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 SARA-R52 series peripherals are available on the dual-in-line male board-to-board connectors (J103 and J104) and the 2-pin header connector (J107) 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.

Switches, jumpers and buttons

Function	Description	Name	Board
Main power switch	Power on / off the whole evaluation kit	SW400	EVB-WL3
Cellular VCC	Jumper socket to provide the 3.8 V supply to the cellular VCC
input	J404	EVB-WL3
J109	ADP-SARA-R52
Cellular power-on	Push button to switch on / off the cellular system	SW302

EVB-WL3
Cellular reset| Push button to reset the cellular system| SW303| EVB-WL3
Cellular UART detach| Slide switch to attach / detach cellular UART from USB / RS232 connectors| SW401| EVB-WL3
Cellular UART routing| Slide switch to select cellular main UART routing on USB or RS232 connector| SW403| EVB-WL3
Cellular UARTs routing| 3-pin header jumper to route cellular UART(s) interfaces to the USB two UARTs connector on the ADP-SARA-R52, or over the USB or RS232 connectors on the EVB-WL3, or over the DIL B2B connector on the ADP- SARA-R52| J248| ADP-SARA-R52
Cellular GPIO detach| Slide switch to attach / detach the cellular GPIOs from peripherals: when detached, the signals are available only on DIL B2B connector on ADP-SARA-R52 board| SW300| EVB-WL3
Cellular GNSS detach 1| Slide switch to attach / detach the cellular system to the GNSS module mounted on the ADP-GNSS: when detached, signals are available only on DIL B2B connector on ADP-SARA-R52 board| SW304| EVB-WL3
GNSS BCKP| Slide switch to connect / disconnect backup battery to V_BCKP pin of the GNSS module mounted on the ADP-GNSS| SW204| EVB-WL3

Table 2: EVK-SARA-R52 switches, jumpers and buttons description

LEDs

Table 3: EVK-SARA-R52 LEDs description

Connectors

Function	Description		Name	Board
9 – 18 V power input	Connector for the AC / DC power adapter of EVK AC:

100-240 V, 0.8 A, 50-60 Hz / DC: +12 V, 2.5 A

| IEC 60417-5172

Class II equipment

Table 4: EVK-SARA-R52 connectors description

Caution! In the unlikely event of a failure in the internal protection circuitry, there is a risk of an explosion when charging a fully or a partially discharged battery. Replace the battery when it no longer has sufficient charge for unit operation. Check the battery before use if the device has not been used for an extended period.

Caution! Risk of explosion if the battery is replaced with an incorrect type. Dispose battery according to rules!

EVK-SARA-R52 pin out

Table 5 lists the interfaces of the SARA-R52 series modules, as routed up to the 42-pin dual-in-line board-to-board connectors (J103 and J104), the 2-pin header connector (J107), the mini USB connector (J105), the micro SD card connector (J203) or the SMA connectors (J106 and J112) available on the ADP- SARA-R52 adapter board of the evaluation kit.

SARA-R52 module	Connector	SARA-R52 module	Connector
Pin no.	Signal name	Name / pin number	Pin no.
Signal name	Name / pin number
1	GND	J104 pins 7-10	33
2	RSVD *

V_BCKP_GNSS **

J107 pin 1

| 36| GPIO7 * TXD_GNSS *| J103 pin 21
5| GND| J104 pins 7-10| 37| GPIO8

ANT_ON **

| J103 pin 24
6| DSR| J104 pin 17| 38| SIM_CLK| J103 pin 16
7| RI| J104 pin 18| 39| SIM_IO| J103 pin 13
8| DCD| J104 pin 12| 40| SIM_RST| J103 pin 15
9| DTR| J104 pin 11| 41| VSIM| J103 pin 14
10| RTS| J104 pin 14| 42| GPIO5| J104 pin 24
11| CTS| J104 pin 13| 43| GND| J104 pins 7-10
12| TXD| J104 pin 16| 44| SDIO_D2| J203 pin 1
13| RXD| J104 pin 15| 45| SDIO_CLK| J203 pin 5
14| GND| J104 pins 7-10| 46| SDIO_CMD| J203 pin 3
15| PWR_ON| J104 pin 30| 47| SDIO_D0| J203 pin 7
16| GPIO1| J104 pin 34| 48| SDIO_D3| J203 pin 2
17| VUSB_DET| J105 pin 1| 49| SDIO_D1| J203 pin 8
18| RESET_N| J103 pin 25| 50| GND| J104 pins 7-10
19| GPIO6| J104 pin 23| 51| VCC| J103 pins 7-10
20| GND| J104 pins 7-10| 52| VCC| J103 pins 7-10
21| ADC| J104 pin 22| 53| VCC| J103 pins 7-10
22| GND| J104 pins 7-10| 54| GND| J104 pins 7-10
23| GPIO2| J104 pin 32| 55| GND| J104 pins 7-10
24| GPIO3| J104 pin 31| 56| ANT| J106 pin 1
25| GPIO4| J104 pin 26| 57| GND| J104 pins 7-10
26| SDA| J103 pin 22| 58| GND| J104 pins 7-10
27| SCL| J103 pin 19| 59| GND| J104 pins 7-10
28| USB_D-| J105 pin 2| 60| GND| J104 pins 7-10
29| USB_D+| J105 pin 3| 61| GND| J104 pins 7-10
30| GND| J104 pins 7-10| 62| ANT_DET| J106 pin 1
31| ANT_GNSS| J112 pin 1| 63| GND| J104 pins 7-10
32| GND| J104 pins 7-10| 64| GND| J104 pins 7-10
/| /| /| /| /

SARA-R520

** SARA-R520M10

Table 5: Interfaces of SARA-R52 series modules

Dual-in-line board-to-board connector J104| Dual-in-line board-to- board connector J103
---|---
Signal name| Pin no.| Pin no.| Signal name| Signal name| Pin no.| Pin no.| Signal name
Not connected| 1| 2| GND| Not connected| 1| 2| GND
Not connected| 3| 4| RSVD *

V_BCKP_GNSS **

| Not connected| 3| 4| Not connected
Not connected| 5| 6| Not connected| Not connected| 5| 6| Not connected
GND| 7| 8| GND| VCC| 7| 8| VCC
GND| 9| 10| GND| VCC| 9| 10| VCC
DTR| 11| 12| DCD| Not connected| 11| 12| Not connected
CTS| 13| 14| RTS| SIM_IO| 13| 14| VSIM
RXD| 15| 16| TXD| SIM_RST| 15| 16| SIM_CLK
DSR| 17| 18| RI| Not connected| 17| 18| Not connected
Not connected 2| 19| 20| Not connected| SCL| 19| 20| Not connected
Not connected| 21| 22| ADC| GPIO7 * TXD_GNSS *| 21| 22| SDA
GPIO6| 23| 24| GPIO5| RFCTRL2| 23| 24| GPIO8

ANT_ON **

Not connected| 25| 26| GPIO4| RESET_N| 25| 26| RFCTRL1
Not connected| 27| 28| Not connected| Not connected| 27| 28| Not connected
Not connected| 29| 30| PWR_ON| Not connected| 29| 30| Not connected
GPIO3| 31| 32| GPIO2| Not connected| 31| 32| Not connected
Not connected| 33| 34| GPIO1| Not connected| 33| 34| Not connected
V_INT| 35| 36| Not connected| Not connected| 35| 36| Not connected
Not connected| 37| 38| Not connected| Not connected| 37| 38| Not connected
Not connected| 39| 40| Not connected| Not connected| 39| 40| Not connected
GND| 41| 42| Not connected| GND| 41| 42| Not connected

SARA-R520

** SARA-R520M10

Table 6: Pin-out of the 42-pin dual-in-line board-to-board connectors (J103, J104)

The pins / interfaces that are not supported by a specific SARA-R52 series module product version should be not driven by an external device. (See the SARA-R52 series data sheet [2] and the SARA-R52 series system integration manual [3] to learn about the features supported by each SARA-R52 series module product version.)

Current consumption measurement

To measure the current consumption of SARA-R52 series modules, remove the jumper socket from the cellular VCC supply jumper J109 on the ADP-SARA-R52 board, as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7: Jumper socket to be removed for SARA-R52 series module’s current consumption measurement

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 8.

Figure 8: Setup for cellular module’s current consumption measurement using a current meter

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 9.

Figure 9: Setup for cellular module’s current consumption measurement using a DC power analyzer

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.

Follow the board setup instructions in section 2 to provide all the required connections and switching on the cellular module.
Run the m-center tool: after the m-center start-up, the Home page appears, as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10: m-center Home page

On the Home page, set up the AT COM port with setting values below:
- Data rate: 115200 bit/s
- Data bits: 8
- Parity: N
- Stop bits: 1
- Flow control: HW
Check in Windows Device Manager to find out which COM port is being used by the EVK-SARAR52.
Enable the connection to u-blox cellular module by clicking on the Connect button.
Retrieve the module and network information by clicking on the Get info button.
The module information is retrieved and displayed on the Home page.
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-SARA-R52.

Figure 11: AT terminal window

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 SARA-R52 series AT commands manual [1].

B Glossary

Abbreviation	Definition
ADP	Adapter Board
AT	AT Command Interpreter Software Subsystem, or attention
B2B	Board-To-Board
CTS	Clear To Send
DCD	Data Carrier Detect
DCE	Data Communication Equipment
DCI	Direct Current
DIL	Dual In Line
DSR	Data Set Ready
DTE	Data Terminal Equipment
DTR	Data Terminal Ready
EVB	Evaluation Board
EVK	Evaluation Kit
GND	Ground
GNSS	Global Navigation Satellite System
GPIO	General Purpose Input Output
HW	Hardware
I2C	Inter-Integrated Circuit
I2S	Inter IC Sound
IoT	Internet of Things
IP	Internet Protocol
LED	Light Emitting Diode
LTE	Long Term Evolution
NB	Narrow Band
PSD	Packet-Switched Data
PSU	Power Supply Unit
RAT	Radio Access Technology
RF	Radio Frequency
RI	Ring Indicator
RTS	Request To Send
Rx	Receiver
SDIO	Secure Digital Input Output
SIM	Subscriber Identity Module
SMA	SubMiniature version A
TCP	Transfer Control Protocol
Tx	Transmitter
UART	Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter serial interface
UDP	User Datagram Protocol
USB	Universal Serial Bus

C Declaration of conformities

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-R5 shall be performed by u-blox AG.