SparkFun
SparkFun XBee 3 Wireless Kit
This is the SparkFun XBee 3 Wireless Kit, the perfect box full of goodies to get you started using XBees. Inside this kit you will find two XBee 3 Modules, o...
This is the SparkFun XBee 3 Wireless Kit, the perfect box full of goodies to get you started using XBees. Inside this kit you will find two XBee 3 Modules, one XBee Explorer, one Xbee Shield and a set of Arduino R3 headers to solder onto the shield. Our entire goal for the XBee Kit was to make wireless communication simple. Connect one XBee to the shield and your Arduino, connect the other XBee to the Explorer board and your computer, and you'll be able to seamlessly pass serial data to and from your Arduino wirelessly! Using this connection, you can transmit remote sensor data, or send data from your computer to update a scoreboard, or drive a robot from your keyboard!
The XBee Shield mates directly with an Arduino Pro or USB board, and equips it with wireless communication capabilities using the popular XBee module. The serial pins (DIN and DOUT) of the XBee are connected through an SPDT switch, which allows you to select a connection to either the UART pins (D0, D1) or any digital pins on the Arduino (D2 and D3 default). Power is taken from the 5V pin of the Arduino and regulated on-board to 3.3VDC before being supplied to the XBee. The shield also takes care of level shifting on the DIN pin of the XBee.
The board also includes LEDs to indicate power and activity on DIN, DOUT, RSSI, and DIO5 pins of the XBee. The Arduino's reset button is brought out on the shield, and a 12x11 grid of 0.1" holes are available for prototyping. The boards in this kit cannot source the power required for the Cellular XBee line. It will only work with the 802.15.4 XBee variants like the ones included in this kit.
Note: If you are using these outside of the United States, please check with your local laws regarding radio communication.
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- DIN
- DIN means data in, the pin where this display receives data from the controller. Connecting DIN to the correct SPI data output pin is needed for the screen to receive pixel and command information.
- Headers
- Rows of metal pins used to plug a module into a breadboard or connect it with jumper wires. Pre-soldered headers make the module easier to use straight away without needing to solder the pins yourself.
- Shield
- An add-on board that plugs into a main controller board to give it extra features such as sensing, motor control or communication. Knowing a product supports shields helps you judge whether it can connect neatly into an existing maker-board setup.
- UART
- UART is a simple serial connection that sends data over separate transmit and receive wires, often labelled TX and RX. It matters because this module is designed to replace a wired UART cable with a wireless link while keeping the same serial data format.
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XBee Shield Reference Design
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XBee Explorer USB Reference Design
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Supplier page — sparkfun.com
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