Hi Alex, I just wanted to thank-you for your reply, it certainly helped with my understanding. Initially, I thought the device was a HardMAC device, so thank-you for correcting me on that. It seems that the device simply implements a USB-to-SPI interface. I have used the schematics at [0] to build a few boards of my own. I would like to use the two boards to send data between two laptop computers running linux. The description at [1] indicates that the ATMega firmware implements a "home-brew protocol on top of USB". My plan is to do the following: 1. Examine the source ATUSB firmware source code to determine the home-brew protocol. 2. Write some application software in C for the two linux PCs using Netlink sockets to communicate with the devices and transfer data between the two PCs. I was wondering -- do you think I am on the right track? Do you have any suggestions? Thank-you kindly for your time. --Geoff. [0] http://projects.qi-hardware.com/index.php/p/ben-wpan/source/tree/master/ [1] http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/wpan/web/ On Thu, Apr 23, 2015 at 4:30 AM, Alexander Aring <alex.aring@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Hi, > > I will try to answer a little bit the questions here. > > On Tue, Apr 21, 2015 at 11:55:35AM -0400, Geoff Chapman wrote: >> Hello Mr. Almesberger, >> >> My name is Geoff Chapman, and I am working on project to setup a >> simple 6loWPAN network between two laptops running Linux. I am very >> interested in your work on the atusb device detailed at [0], and would >> like to use the device in my project. On each laptop, I would like to >> use one of your atusb devices to implement the 802.15.4 MAC/PHY, while >> using the 6loWPAN stack in the linux kernel. I picture something like >> the following setup for each laptop: >> >> >> Linux Laptop: >> >> | Application Layer | >> | >> socket API >> | >> | 6LoWPAN stack | >> | >> | >> <-----------------USB---------------> atusb >> device implementing 802.15.4 MAC/PHY (ATMega32U2 + at86rf233) >> > > So you want a HardMAC driver here. That's not how atusb works currently. > The atusb transceiver is a SoftMAC transceiver with _little_ mac > functionality, this contains checks on dsn/bsn to do some correct > frame deliviery in the firmware to the usb host, if I remember > correctly. I think you know that and you want to put full MAC functionality > into the atusb firmware. > > We don't have currently any HardMAC drivers mainline, but the idea is to > handle the HardMAC transceivers like wireless, so with the existing > architecture we have a possibility to access HardMAC transceivers and > write HardMAC drivers. But we don't have a HardMAC driver currently and > I think you need to making some movements from SoftMAC layer (net/mac802154) > to cfg802154/netlink (net/ieee802154) layer, or you have workarounds for > that in your driver layer. I would say for HardMAC drivers go ahead and > try to implement your stuff and orient you at existing wireless HardMAC > drivers and simple don't use any functionality from (net/mac802154) > directory. > > > Another thing is that I don't believe that ATMega32U2 can full store a compliant > 802.15.4 stack (maybe depends on your use case), because the ATMega32U2 has 32 > KB flash memory. Maybe I am wrong here, if you think you can do that > then I would give it a try. > > > Another solution would maybe the RZRAVENUSBSTICK [2] which contains and > AT90USB1287 with at86rf230. In my opinion it's the same like atusb but atusb > contains an easier to use 802.15.4 transceiver, smaller mcu (bigger one is not > necessary here), and of course the case is smaller, etc. The AT90USB1287 has a > 128 KB flash memory. Schematics of RZRAVENUSBSTICK can be found at [3]. > >> >> I have tried purchasing two atusb devices at [1] without any luck, as >> they no longer sell the devices. >> I have two questions: >> >> 1. Do you have any atusb devices available for purchase? >> 2. If you have none for purchase, do you have the schematics available >> that I can use to wire-up my own atusb device? The schematic link on >> your site [2] seems to be broken. >> > > The schematics for atusb can be found at the ben-wpan repository [0], > which also includes the firmware, etc., but this requires the great tool > kicad [1] and _maybe_ some additional libs for electronic components. > > - Alex > > [0] http://projects.qi-hardware.com/index.php/p/ben-wpan/source/tree/master/ > [1] http://www.kicad-pcb.org/display/KICAD/KiCad+EDA+Software+Suite > [2] http://www.atmel.com/tools/rzusbstick.aspx > [3] http://www.atmel.com/Images/doc8117.pdf page 22 -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-wpan" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
