2. Hardware Setup

This chapter describes the RCM2100 series hardware in more detail, and explains how to set up and use the accompanying prototyping and development board.

NOTE	This chapter (and this manual) assume that you have the RabbitCore RCM2100 Development Kit. If you purchased an RCM2100 series module by itself, you will have to adapt the information in this chapter and elsewhere to your test and development setup.

2.1 Development Kit Contents

The RCM2100 Development Kit contains the following items:

• RCM2100 module with Ethernet port, 512K flash memory and 512K SRAM.
• RCM2100 Prototyping Board with accessory hardware and components.
• Wall transformer power supply, 12 V DC, 500 mA. (Included only with Development Kits sold for the North American market. Overseas users will have to substitute a power supply compatible with their local mains power.)
• 10-pin header to DE9 programming cable with integrated level-matching circuitry.
• Dynamic C SE CD-ROM, with complete product documentation on disk.
• This Getting Started manual.
• Registration card.

2.2 Overview of the Prototyping Board

The Prototyping Board included in the Development Kit makes it easy to connect an RCM2100 module to a power supply and a PC workstation for development. It also provides an array of basic I/O peripherals (switches and LEDs), as well as a prototyping area for more advanced hardware development.

For the most basic level of evaluation and development, the Prototyping Board can be used without modification.

As you progress to more sophisticated experimentation and hardware development, modifications and additions can be made to the board without modifying or damaging the RCM2100 module itself.

The Prototyping Board is shown in Figure 2 below, with its main features identified

Figure 2. RCM2100 Prototyping Board

2.2.1 Prototyping Board Features

Power Connection

A 3-pin header is provided for connection of a power supply. Note that it is symmetrical, with both outer pins connected to ground and the center pin connected to the raw V+ input. The cable of the wall transformer provided with the North American version of the Development Kit ends in a connector that is correctly connected in either orientation.

Users providing their own power supply should ensure that it delivers 9-24 V DC at not less than 500 mA. The voltage regulator will get warm in use, but lower supply voltages will reduce thermal dissipation from the device.

Regulated Power Supply

The raw DC voltage provided at the POWER IN jack is routed to a 5 V linear voltage regulator, which provides stable power to the RCM2100 module and the Prototyping Board. A Shottky diode protects the power supply against damage from reversed raw power connections.

Power LED

The power LED lights whenever power is connected to the Prototyping Board.

Reset Switch

A momentary-contact, normally open switch is connected directly to the RCM2100's /RES_IN pin. Pressing the switch forces a hardware reset of the system.

I/O Switches & LEDs

Two momentary-contact, normally open switches are connected to the PB2 and PB3 pins of the RCM2100 module, and may be read as inputs by sample applications.

Two LEDs are connected to the PA0 and PA1 pins of the module, and may be driven as output indicators by sample applications. (Two more LEDs, driven by PA2 and PA3, may be added to the Prototyping Board for additional outputs.)

All the LEDs are connected through JP1, which has traces shorting adjacent pads together. These traces may be cut to disconnect the LEDs, and an 8-pin header soldered into JP1 to permit their selective reconnection with jumpers. See Figure 3 for details.

Expansion Areas

The Prototyping Board is provided with several unpopulated areas for expansion of I/O and interfacing capabilities. See the next section for details.

Prototyping Area

A generous prototyping area has been provided for the installation of through-hole components. Vcc (5 V DC) and Ground buses run around the edge of this area. An area for surface-mount devices is provided to the right of the through-hole area. (Note that there are SMT device pads on both top and bottom of the Prototyping Board.)

2.2.2 Prototyping Board Expansion

The Prototyping Board comes with several unpopulated areas, which may be filled with components to suit the user's development needs. After you have experimented with the sample programs in Chapter 4, you may wish to expand the board's capabilities for further experimentation and development. Refer to the Prototyping Board schematic (090-0116) for details as necessary.

Module Extension Headers

The complete pin set of the RCM2100 module is duplicated at these two headers. Developers can solder wires directly into the appropriate holes, or, for more flexible development, two 40-pin header strips can be soldered into place. See Figure 1 on page 3 for the header pinouts.

RS-232 Port

Two 2-wire or one 5-wire RS-232 serial port can be added to the Prototyping Board by installing a driver IC and four capacitors where indicated. The Maxim MAX232 driver chip or a similar device is recommended for U2. Refer to the Prototyping Board schematic for additional details.

A 10-pin 0.1-inch spacing header strip can be installed at J6 to permit connection of a ribbon cable leading to a standard DE-9 serial connector.

NOTE	The RS-232 chip, capacitors and header strip are available from electronics distributors such as Digi-Key and Mouser Electronics.

Additional LEDs

Two additional LEDs (supplied with the development kit) can be soldered into place at DS4 and DS5. The cathode lead (longer of the two, marked by a flat on the LED case) should go towards the module.

Prototyping Board Component Header

Several I/O pins from the module are hardwired to the prototyping board LEDs and switches.

To disconnect these devices and permit the pins to be used for other purposes, cut the traces between the pin rows. Use an exacto knife or similar tool to cut or break the traces crossing JP1, in the area indicated in Figure 3.

To permit selective reconnection of the devices, jumpers may be placed across the 8-pin header strip at JP1.

Figure 3. Where to Cut Traces to Permanently Disable
Demonstration Hardware on Prototyping Board

2.3 Development Hardware Connections

There are four steps to connecting the prototyping board for use with Dynamic C and the sample programs:

1. Attach the RCM2100 module to the Prototyping Board.
2. Connect the programming cable between the RCM2100 module and the workstation PC.
3. Connect the module's Ethernet port to a PC's Ethernet port, or to an Ethernet network.
4. Connect the power supply to the Prototyping Board.

2.3.1 Attach Module to Prototyping Board

Turn the RCM2100 module so that the Ethernet connector is on the left, as shown in Figure 4 below. Align the module headers J1 and J2 into sockets J1 and J3 on the Prototyping Board.

Figure 4. Installing the RCM2100 Module on the Prototyping Board.
Note the orientation of the module.

NOTE	It is important that you line up the RCM2100 pins on headers J1 and J2 exactly with the corresponding pins of headers J1 and J3 on the Prototyping Board. The header pins may become bent or damaged if the pin alignment is offset, and the module will not work.

Press the module's pins firmly into the Prototyping Board headers. The installed module is shown in Figure 5 below.

Figure 5. RCM2100 Installed and Seated on the Prototyping Board

2.3.2 Connect Programming Cable

The programming cable connects the RCM2100 module to the PC running Dynamic C, to download programs and to monitor the RCM2100 for debugging.

Connect the 10-pin connector of the programming cable labeled PROG to header J3 on the RCM2100 module as shown in Figure 6 below. Be sure to orient the red edge of the cable towards pin 1 of the connector. (Do not use the DIAG connector, which is used for a normal serial connection.)

Figure 6. Attaching Programming Cable to the RCM2100

NOTE	The stripe on the cable is towards pin 1 of the header J5.

Connect the other end of the programming cable to a COM port on your PC. Make a note of the port to which you connect the cable, as Dynamic C needs to have this parameter configured when it is installed.

NOTE	COM 1 is the default port used by Dynamic C.

2.3.3 Connect Ethernet Network Cable

Programming and development can be done with the RCM2100 without connecting the Ethernet port to a network. However, if you will be running the sample programs that use the Ethernet capability or will be doing Ethernet-enabled development, you should connect the RCM2100's Ethernet port at this time.

There are four options for connecting the RCM2100 module to a network for development and runtime purposes. The first two options permit total freedom of action in selecting network addresses and use of the "network," as no action can interfere with other users. We recommend one of these options for initial development.

• No LAN -- The simplest alternative for desktop development. Connect the RCM2100's Ethernet port directly to the workstation's network interface card using an RJ-45 crossover cable. A crossover cable is a special cable that flips some connections between the two connectors and permits direct connection of two client systems. A standard RJ-45 network cable will not work for this purpose.
• Micro-LAN -- Another simple alternative for desktop development. Use a small Ethernet 10Base-T hub and connect both the workstation's network interface card and the RCM2100's Ethernet port to it, using standard network cables.

The following options require more care in address selection and testing actions, as conflicts with other users, servers and systems can occur:

• LAN -- Connect the RCM2100's Ethernet port to an existing LAN, preferably one to which the development workstation is already connected. You will need to obtain IP addressing information from your network adminstrator.
• WAN -- The RCM2100 series is capable of direct connection to the Internet and other Wide Area Networks, but exceptional care should be used with IP address -settings and all network-related programming and development. We recommend that development and debugging be done on a local -network before connecting a RabbitCore -system to the Internet.

NOTE	Checking and debugging the initial setup on a micro-LAN is recommended before connecting the system to a LAN or WAN.

2.3.4 Connect Power

When all other connections have been made, you can connect power to the RCM2100 Prototyping Board.

Hook the connector from the wall transformer to header J5 on the Prototyping Board as shown in Figure 7 below. The connector may be attached either way as long as it is not offset to one side.

Figure 7. Power Supply Connections to Prototyping Board

Plug in the wall transformer. The power LED on the Prototyping Board should light up. The RCM2100 and the Prototyping Board are now ready to be used.

NOTE	A RESET button is provided on the Prototyping Board to allow hardware reset without disconnecting power.

To power down the Prototyping Board, unplug the power connector from J5. You should disconnect power before making any circuit adjustments in the prototyping area, changing any connections to the board, or removing the RCM2100 module from the Prototyping Board.

2.4 Where Do I Go From Here?

We recommend that you proceed to the next chapter and install Dynamic C (if you do not already have it installed), then run the first sample program to verify that the RabbitCore module and prototyping board are set up and functioning correctly.

If everything appears to be working, we recommend the following sequence of action:

1. Run all of the sample programs described in Chapter 4 to get a basic familiarity with Dynamic C and the RabbitCore module's capabilities.
2. For further development, refer to the RabbitCore RCM2100 Series User's Manual for details of the module's hardware and software components.
A documentation icon should have been installed on your workstation's desktop; click on it to reach the documentation menu. You can create a new desktop icon that points to default.htm in the docs folder in the Dynamic C installation folder.
3. For advanced development topics, refer to the Dynamic C Premier User's Manual and the Dynamic C TCP/IP User's Manual, also in the online documentation set.

2.4.1 Technical Support

If you encounter any problems, call our Technical Support center:

• Z-World Technical Support, (530) 757-3737
• Rabbit Semiconductor Technical Support, (530) 757-8400