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With this [DvD youcan ao produc ard copy of PCB layoutsatprintreslution. adapt PCB ay ususng your favourite grashes program, 200m in/out on selected PCE areas and ‘export cuit lagrams andilstrations to other programs. sen 9789053812679+ $57.90= RIICLE a my rn by Indranil Majumdar (India) MCU-Based GSM Connection A Fixed Cell Phone with Emergency Auto-Dial A little embedded intelligence (El) goes a long way. This microcontroller-based design features a GSM platform, a controller, a keypad, and a handset for easy dialing and wireless calling, con't eall me crazy for trying to design things that are already on the market, There's a method to my madness. I'm interested in making exist- ing technologies better. Most electronics—from satel- lites to dishwashers—have some form of low-level artifi- cial intelligence or embedded intelligence (El). But engi- neers are never complacent. We're always trying to build in additional intelligence. And so [assure you that we aren’t far froma day when ubiquitous con- sumer gadgets (eg, cellular phones, MP3 players, and home appliances) will have high-level EL. (Get ready for the “gadgetoids."| Our produets will ‘work in unison to protect the inter. cats and the wel: fare of their users. Photo 1—Dont let the retza casing foo! you (2) Inside is 2 crochip Technology PIC24FJ64cA0de microcontroller, 2 (OSM board with an antenna, and a con. nected keypad (b) ‘The aforementioned ideas ate the guiding principles for my global system for mobile communications (GSM) wireless phone design. The low-cost system has the look, of a “retro” phone with a hook switch and cradle jsee Photo La}. But that’s where its old-fashioned characteris- ties end. The phone's MCU-driven EI—along with i GSM platform, touchpad, and concealed antenna— proves it is truly a 21"-century design (see Photo 1b). ‘The system also features emergency autodialing func- tionality and a fire alarm that can transmit precanned SMS ‘messages to preprogrammed telephone and mobile phone ‘numbers, For instance, consider an elderly person who needs to call a pharmacist, a physician, or a family mem- ber. Memorizing all of the numbers or looking for the fre- quently called numbers before dialing is a common prob: Jem. My wireless phone design uses FI to address the prob- Jem. A user can simply press the “A” key for 911 alerts or press the "B” key for a medical emergency. Table 1 shows the phone's various functions, DESIGN ESSENTIALS ‘The phone is built around a Microchip Technology PIC24FJ64GA002 16-bit microcontroller that performs the GSM module initialization, dials, and sends the commands for GSM module dial-up. The phone's Microchip Technology MCP9700 thermistor can send a fire ‘Sumber Keypad baton Functional eescipion 1 Namoickays(018) Diana eephove namber 2 D ater Make cal 3 c Caroait cal 4 a 11 Emergerey alot SS 5 5 Mecca SUS \s Tempera sree Fe alot SMS i sods Unused Table Keypad functionsFigure 1—An WOW cSt evaluation board with 2 TR-800 Trband GSM/GPRS medule and a Sih ‘cahcer wath an Sit8 antenna pore anterna, The board features a crochp Teer. ‘ology FC247I640002 16-b¢ microconzoller and Microchip MCP9700 thermistor a 16% 16 membrane ype heyped, ae miscelaneous components bought ata lac market. alert to a preprogrammed number (see Bigure I} 1002 Debugger roam prs, PC, and PD, respectey Cutt = GSM mode rest ine (ven) (GPO Pepi ‘Alea fncionmeppng PO-rBORE: GPOREORES LUARTOTXDRXD prs, espctvely PII Hook sth state sensor acne ew) Pires P!0-AN0 ‘2810- ADC np ote temperate sneer | cPio-paerart GPv-rBaNatals Kaypad 44 matic ined ih) Keypad 4 4 matic colu ive curt ow) Table 2—The GPIO port pinslaitemate function mapping ‘You can power the portable phone with ether a back-up battery or through an AC mains wall outlet adapter. The phone’s anatomy is simple. Flashy LCDs, speakerphone features, and voicemail aren't included. Ie’ just 2 16-bit digital engine driving a GSM ‘module with a preloaded SIM card. No special activation is necessary, You can ‘choose any SIM module from a service provider to run this phone. The design accommodates the use of the typical GSM module working with standard attention (AT} commands and such a ‘module having the GSM foram cert cation and homologated to the GSM cartier network The antenna is a high-gain con- cealed antenna that does not stick out of the telephone. A distinct advantage of this design is that it looks like a key telephone, so you could have a dummy RJ11 socket for an intruder to think it’s a phone that’s not plugged into the wall socket, and at the same time i wouldn't give the slightest hint that it's wireless, Although it's not incorporated here, you could include a small secu- rity system that detects when doors and windows are opened, and then sends an SMS alert about a possible 252 Figure 2—The complete crculty 2011 — | Jol w 9B Jay 2011 — bane 252 intrusion. You could activate this a antenna is used. The AT command alarm from your GSM mobile . interface to this module with the through SMS or DTME signaling PICDAFI64GAOO2 is through over a voice channel. To build a “| UARTO pins, as mapped on the security system, such as an intrud- Ee | microcontroller. eralere system, you'd need P> JP | The 4x4 keypad has rows as door] window sensors that aren't = * | inputs (pulled high! on port pins featured in this design. Acaivation BE pe | B6j7/10/11 and columns aa drive of the alarm system over SMS is #235 Je | ourputs on port pins RBI2/13/14/15. aerial raneiteareatenc ee fas F=7]m | The keypad subroutine loops on ters that could be passed by the H=S2 9 FF | making each column low and sean GSM to the MCU UART. Such =a ning the rows fora switch press that characters would be parsed to ae a dhves that particular pin low. The obtain the control code. DTME = state is read witha delay subroutine would require an additional = to debounce the key press and the decoder (e,, Mitel MT8870} over | = dialed digit information is sent as an the voice channel. {already men- . ‘ASCI character over the UART t0 tioned that this feature is not ee the GSM module. The keypad scan incorporated in the design, and it’s fee routine is a standard routine that’s a design that would include an [met explained in the source code with intruder alert system fone that comments. Refer tothe code posted would dial 911 during an inera- om the Circuit Cellar FIP sie sion). The idea is to have your if The MCP9700 voltage output phone perform functions ranging pgye 5 jhe GSM baad breakout header prauk temperature sensor s used to from autodialing to building moni- Geyem determine fie alert conditions toring to appliance eontzo. ft cam from a presct temperature value of be a communication gateway with 60°C and higher. Te supports a auded security features. Now, here's how to design this wide temperature range of ~40° to 125°C with an operat ‘ gadgetotd” with EL ing voltage of 2. to 5.5 V with a 10-mV/°C output. The sensor is biased from the VDD of 3.3 V, which serves as CONTROL, POWER, & MONITOR the maximum voltage value and is interfaced to ANO Refer back to Figure 1. The first module is the GSM __input on the PIC24FJ64GA002. The firmware scans for radio, interfaced to the PIC24FJ64GA002 microcontroller the ADC value, compares it with a preset hex value cor- swith a keypad and a temperature sensor interfaced to the responding to 60°C, and sends an SMS alert for all values microcontroller. That’ all ‘of 60°C and above. assembled the board with a Microchip Technology PIC The PIC24B/64GA002, the GSM module, and the SIM starter board reference design (see Figure 2}. The ‘operate from a 3.3-VDC source (see Figure 4}. The GSM PIC24F|64GA002 uses a 28-pin base and the GPIOs are _ module board accepts a 5-VDC input and generates 3.3 VDC, available on the I/O header (see Table 2), The 7.3728-MHz which is used for the GSM module, the SIM, and is rout- crystal is intended to achieve a 0% error on the UART at ed to the PIC board to power the PIC24F|64GA002 [see the data rate of 115.2 kbps required for this application. Figure 5 ‘The programming port is available on the default PGC/PGD pins on pins 4 and 5, and MCLR is available CODE & PROGRAMMING ‘on pin 1, The six-pin RJ12 port for programming the PIC _Tused the MPLAB ICD 2 debugger and programmer to hhas the PGC, PGD, MCLR, and GND terminated at this flash/dcbug the PIC board |see Photo 2), The PIC board has port that interfaces with a Microchip Technology MPLAB PGC/PGD pins available for the same thing, Programming ICD 2 debugger. The power supply to the PIC board, is 3.3 VDC through the DC connector onboard. The 3.3 VDC is generated from the LDOs on the GSM ‘module board. ‘The GSM module board runs from a 5-V eonres swith the LDO onboard generating 3.3 VDC for the ‘module and the SIM card (see Figure 3). The same supply of 3.3 VDC is routed to the PIC24F]64GA002, section, The RBS port pin from the PIC24F]64GA002, ee faeces microcontroller is used to reset (active low] the GSM Tea! module after power-up. The GSM audio I/O port is interfaced to the handset and an internal 3-dBi whip Figure 4—Board power supplyReco meena ek eee break onsen, the GSM module followed by a Goto SIM Card terface [= tines. The subroutine scans the key- coe ies agai fa woes galt—aer rr Diercheeks enmncok wicket ES apie se us and Soicarsla all, EnceaY1 ae ee Meare gaat eis elena Tin ot iy ee the call. Check checks the hook F -gHt Beale eee a we oe keyed. Transmit sends data to = Jew UITXREG. E ne paar, nee is an example: Figure 5—The SIN card and handset connection dagram 2 AT#CMGS="cNumber to be is straightforward and simple. Plug and performs call receive or state dialed” the debugger into a PC’s USB port, _alerts by sending a precanned SMS. plug the RJI2 into the RJI2 porton To dial any number, the AT com-CTRL¥Z the application power, and apply mandis are used (sent over the UART power through the $-VDC adapter toto the GSM module]. The subroutine INTEGRATION & TESTING the PIC board. Next, open the is called while dialing a number or _—_I built the phone system on an MPLAB IDE v7.62, select ICD 2 sending an SMS. ‘existing TR-800 GSM evaluation under the Debug option, and the ‘SCANL23A 1s the keypad scan sub- board with a SIM cardholder and the application board is instantly detect- routine preceded by the Initiate power supply circuitry, antenna port, cd, Write the code, build flash, and run the same. ‘The Assembly language code for this application was written with the MPLAB IDE v7.62 (all higher versions are backward-compatible), Lower versions have a bug for the PIC24FJ64GA002 part and only ver- sions v7.62 or higher are recom- mended to build the code. (Refer to the PIC24F{64GA002 instruction set and the code listing in the project software file on the Circuit Cellar FIP site.) The code is relatively simple (sce Figure 6). The main loop initializes the microcontroller, sets up UART and input/output port pins on port ‘RAx and RBx, and initializes the ‘ADC function for fire alert sensing through ANO [temperature sensor} GSM_RESET initializes an iWOW ‘Technology TR-800 GSM/GPRS ‘module. This block is optional and ‘may be deleted for GSM modules that don’t need a start-up reset. SMS has the subroutines SMS and Receive. It scans RAI (GSM ring ere) ISiceojsolton osetia DSS | se ts nen ee eae er crc ceca 2011 — lane 252, “A” and “B”| for an incoming call eee eats Aly 2011 — lame 259 5 HUMANDATA FPGA Boards from Japan + Basicand simple features + Single ower suply operation + Sare Stseonnectrlyout-ACMACM series Fie dwricad cic comets ere putting High quality an igh reiable board ram Japan + Stocked tems ate ro shi immediately Feel fee to contact us to customize eae IW ALTERA FPGA boards il cases Galan yaa enc SR ce Fos ompiot eos res ieee Se ae Fekeqnbr ier | sine XCM018 Spartan-6 PGG484 FPGA board Spartan MRAM | BDR2 ierstivesrecusc Graton xe rossinion D DK.006 Viriex-5 USB-FPGA board 5) Sh con) [US8Covm. (MRAM) xesuLaesF0e76> Foe tie iste D Raters [aes eens yee) Beery Photo 2a—This is @ Microchip Technology PIceary84Gx002 microcontroller board b—This Is the Microchip Technology MPLAB 1@ 2 aedugger and programmer that | used for the project and other peripherals required to operate the GSM module. However, any standard GSM module (it must have an IMEI number and have a homologation approval from the GSM service providers in the coun. try of use) may be used with minor changes if required. AT commands for dialing/SMS are the same and the ‘modules are compatible with this design to operate in voice call/SMS mode. Photo 1b shows the system rigged up in the simple push button tele- phone mold. The results of my dial- ing and emergency SMS tests were satisfactory, The eall/receive fune- tion worked well. There was no appreciable difference in GSM signal quality with the onboard stealth = este | Foros oF) sug e | Figure 6—The program flow chart developed using INOW Technology's "AT Commands ‘Guide ” (Refer to the Resources section at the end ofthe arte) antenna used, and it worked error- free like a fixed cell phone terminal ‘The handset had standard voice quality and I didn’t have to inerease audio volume, although it may be achieved by using the standard AT commands, 1 built the emergency SMS num- bers into the program. In this design, didn’t keep the provision to input numbers dynamically from a key board. Many features can be added by integrating a I x 16 or 2x 16 LCD. The current system is fairly basic because it’s intended to be affordable yet effective. HANGING UP 1 was motivated to design my phone primatily for geriatric use where elderly people are left to fend for themselves. The idea was to cre- ate a simple, cost-effective wireless phone that has the added features of ‘emergency dialing, a fire alert, and other such services. And now I have a platiosma for variows El companion sadgets. ‘The possibilities for this platform are endless. Y'm confident you could casily add building surveillance and ‘monitoring features. Pethaps I'l read about your design in a future issue of Circuit Cella.Indrani Malumaar (majumder@ieee.org) Is an electronic communications engineer uno has been working on RF and wireless systems for the last 20 years. He has worked on embedded designs since 1998 and fas been extensively Involved in the design of wireless embedded systems for vehicle tracking (GPS-OSVOPRS), 05M POS terminals, smart eneray meters using GM and 2.4-Giie LPR, and 2.4-Oh Zig- Bee wireless systems for Industrial and home automation. Indranil is an amateur astronomer and an avid ham radio operator (VL2KFR, licensed since 1984), He ts also a member ofthe American Radio Relay League and IEEE (both U.5.) PROJECT FILES ‘To download the code, go to ftp//ftpcixcuitcellar/pub/Cireuit_Cellar/ 201/252. RESOURCES Y. Garg and J. Wilkes, Principles and Applications of GSM, Prentice Fall, 1999, iWOW Technology, “TR800 AT Commands Guide," 2006, www.iwow.com sg images/TR-800% 20GSMGPRS%20Moxtule(081007)-paf- Microchip Technology, Inc., “MPLAB, Integrated Development Environment User's Guide,” wwl microchip com/downloadsjenjdevicedoe/51519a pat Zighice Alliance, ZigHce Specifications, www.zigbec.org. SOURCES ‘TR-800 GSM/GPRS Module iWOW Technology | weww.iwow.com PIC24F]64GA002 Microcontroller, MCP9700 Thermistor IC, and MPLAB. ICD 2 Debugger Microchip Technology, Inc. | www:microchip.com -MT8870 DTME Receiver Mitel Networks Comp. | www.mitel.com NEED-TO-KNOW INFO ‘Knowledge is power. In the computer applications industry, informed engineers and programmers don’t just survive, they thrive and excel. For more need:to-know information about some of the topics covered in this article, the Circuit Cellar editorial staff recommends the fol: lowing content: GPS-GSM Mobile Navigator by Ma Chao & Lin Ming Circuit Cellar 151, 2003 What's the more laudable engineering feat, designing a navigation system capable of tracking ships in Shanghai Port or placing at the top of a competitive design contest? With the award-winning GPS- GSM Mobile Navigator, Ma and Lin accomplished both. Topics: GSM, Cellular, Mobile, GPS, Navigation, Communications, Trans- mission, SMS Go to Circuit Cellar's webshop to find these articles and more: www.ce-webshop.com onselect 59 equipment fora United time only! D61022-20mne Funetion/Arbirary Waveform Generator De1052D- som * Mixod-xignal Seopa 2ch + 16 Digital Channels seg 0€11020 - room Hy Mist sntsiee 20h sre Dta Chet 1022 + De1052E ‘Base Signal Arai Package 20s Fenetion AWE + 50 Mie 2-Ch Digital Osefloscope (Wes 91.094" Now only $799) Tr D1102CA + DG2041A ‘Standalone Sigal Anaieie Package OMe Faetion/ AWE + 100 Miz 2-Channel a Pern ag ra ered re ete fal) Multi-Funetion Too! with your order of $50 or moral WSaeli§iis B ely 2011 — ewe 2= rw by Marty McLeod (USA) Li-ion Battery System Solution Implement a BCU and Safety-Certified RTOS Current lithium-ion (li-ion) systems can be problematic. Here you learn how to implement a battery control unit (BCU) with a safety-certified RTOS. The design enables battery monitoring, data reporting, and circuit protection. Ky V hile working for a provider of large-capacity systems, I became familiar with the major requirements for the maintenance, charging, and circuit protection used in the design of such energy systems. Along the way, I discov- cred several arcas in the designs that needed improvement. In this article Il describe some of my findings, as well as a useful battery module project that you can build at your ‘own workbench. ‘My motivation for this project was ¢o find solutions to several design issues found in typical li-ion battery systems. I designed an eight-ccll, 32-V nominal voltage Photo 1—This fs @ working Ion battery cell module with simulated battery cells, proudly powered by the SafeRTOS system, thanks to the Texas Instruments Stellars LM359696 microcontroller evaluation, kit li-ion battery pack prototype complete with battery management electronics (see Photo!) STORAGE SYSTEMS Large capacity energy storage systems are finding, increased usage in applications such as electric/hybrid vchicles, solar and off-peak energy storage, and lab and development testing for replacing older energy sources and, lower energy-density batteries. Most, if not all, li-ion bat- tery systems share some common features including cir cuit protection {typically a circuit contactor, real-time cell voltage monitoring and cell balancing, and operational sta- tus data transmission to the user/ourside world, Some systems can be quite expensive. Some are also based on proprictary hardware or Iess-popular microcon- twollers, and upgrades can be extremely difficult, if at all possible, Some systems have moderate software perform- ance, at best, and may suffer from software response latency. They do not typically operate with a safety-guar- antee or high-reliability real time operating system {RTOS}, and they may not provide a fail-safe condition in the loss of external power. Some of the systems are inflexible and short on general-purpose input/outputs [GPIO}. Others rely heavily on external integrated cir- cuits {ICs} on the battery control unit (BCU) board, some: times for basie functionality rather dian implementing those in software. ‘To clarify a potential safety scenario, lev consider one of the weaknesses just mentioned, Fixure | shows a compari son of an actual battery management system in use and my proposed alternative design. Figure la is a system powered by an external supply, consuming energy 100% of the time due to the contactor design {using a normally closed con-