Is XBee adaptor necessary?

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osalg22

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Hello,

In one of my current projects I am using an Arduino to take several sensor measurements and send them wirelessly to another Arduino with an XBee. However, I have reached a point where i need to use more sensors. I am therefore looking into switching from Arduino to the Teensy. I have noticed that an XBee adaptor is sold for use with the Teensy. Is this adaptor necessary for the Teensy 3.1? I am asking because in my current setup there is no adaptor between XBee and Arduino (I just use 4 connections, V+, GND, RX, and TX). Thanks for the help.

Best,

Oscar Salgado
 
You do not need an adaptor, just keep in mind the 3.3 v regulator on the Teensy is rated at 100 mA so if you're using certain types of xbee (like the xbee pro rpsma version) it can consume more than 100 mA which would require an external regulator. A regular non-pro xbee is rated at 55 mA I believe which should be fine, depending on the other sensors you are using. Otherwise it should just work through any of the hardware serials.
 
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Be sure to use XBee Series 1, not Series 2+

The non-pro have less TX power and thus the range is reduced. But if you get the XBees with the U.FL antenna connector and use a gain antenna suitable for the goal range, you can avoid using the Pro.
 
Hello,
in my new project I need to transfer datas from the sensor to the PC. So I need to connect the Xbee adaptor to the Teensy 3.0 and receive them into my PC. Which module should I buy? How can I connect and transfer data from my remote board 8teensy) and the PC?.

Thanks
Regards
 
remote XBee series 1 can connect to digital and anlog sensors, acquire data at sample intervals you configure using XCTU software or your own equivalent commands.
Then configure the XBee pair to have destination addresses of each other.
The one going to a PC can connect by several means: Xbee serial port at 3.3V, tx,rx to rx,tx of a serial to USB adaptor such as from FTDI. Then your PC program on a plug-in for Excel or matlab can accept the sensor data sent wirelessly. Or buy a PCB with XBee socket and onboard USB - from Sparkfun or Adafruit or ...

Be sure your range expectations are realistic. XBee vs. Xbee Pro. The latter can use 80mA as I recall for a few mSec while transmitting. Otherwise, it's 45mA.
The XBee has an option to be programmed to sleep in between sample-taking.
In some apps, you don't need a microprocessor on the sensor side. Depends on what you need to so, what the sensors are, etc.
Series 2 are Zigbee only and a PITA for simple systems.

Have you studied the XBee series 1 OEM manual downloadable from Digi International's web site?
 
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Hi Steve,
ok...thank you very much. I took a look at the whole website and have read lot of thing.
Very helpful for me was this link and this here. They explain basically how it works and what it is.

But since I m still a newbye I need a little help. Since I wanted to buy the following item do you know, whether I can comunicate direct to my PC (a normal Notebook whit WiFi integrated)? Or should I buy two Xbee (same model in the link above) and then connect one in the model and the other one throught RS232 to my PC??

Thanks a lot.
Regards
 
Alone, an XBee cannot communicate with a PC - because the XBee's UART (serial data) is 3.3V whereas a PC's serial port is "RS232" levels. The usual way is to get a USB to 3.3V serial data adaptor, such as this:
http://www.adafruit.com/products/954?gclid=CNCnx9eu0r0CFcpfpQodtHMAUQ (one of many vendors for such).
The 3.3V RX and TX wires go to the opposite RX, TX connections on the XBee. The XBee also needs 3.3VDC as power. The cable, above, provides 5V not 3.3V. So you can purchase a 3.3V wall transformer.
OR...
http://www.adafruit.com/products/126?gclid=CKmHvp6v0r0CFVgSvQodIDEAxQ which has a 5V to 3.3V regulator on-board.
OR best...
This, which piggy-backs the XBee on to a Teensy 2 or 3.
http://www.pjrc.com/store/xbee_adaptor.html

This done, you'll need to read and get help on using/programming. There is library you can use - works with Teensy 2 or 3.

The other end of the wireless link is another XBee S1. How you power this and interface it to sensors, and whether you need a Teensy on that end, depends on the choice of sensors. This can be a balancing act - you may want to choose sensors that can interface directly to the XBee to avoid using a microprocessor on the sensor side. Or you may need a microprocessor due to the sensors you must use, etc.

Choice of XBee Series 1 - pro or non-pro. Price issue. Pro has a bit higher transmitter power. Need to know the intended transmission path(s) to decide. Shop well for XBees - the prices vary widely.
Look too at Digi International's web store, as well as Internet retailers.
 
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