Explore the New
ZeroG Technology
to Go RoboWireless
By Fred Eady
Gathering data is a meaningless
process unless you establish a method
of transporting and obtaining your data
on demand. There are many ways to
cultivate data these days. You can use
the Internet, IEEE 802.15.4, point-to-point radio, Ethernet, RS-232, or USB.
The data gathering method you choose
depends on the amount of and type of
data you are collecting. For instance, if
you are monitoring a bunch of robotic
devices that are equipped with sensors,
you would need to go with 802.15.4,
802.11b or Ethernet. A single command
and control robotic device could get
away with point-to-point radio access.
In any case, if you have a data
movement requirement that involves
using the Internet, you’ll also need to
call upon the services of Ethernet.
Everybody talks about setting up
Ethernet networks. However, few
actually detail their experiences. So,
this month, we’ll take a step-by-step
look at setting up a wireless Ethernet
network using the Microchip ZeroG
technology. By the time you read the
last sentence, you’ll know how you can
use the ZG2100M in your robotic
applications.
42 SERVO 03.2010
PHOTO 1. This is a shot of the ZG2100M PICtail which is
configured to be attached to the Explorer 16 development
platform. Note the ZG2100M’s printed circuit board antenna.
ZeroG
Recently, Microchip acquired ZeroG. Along with the
company came a new wireless Ethernet device that is well-suited for robotic applications. ZeroG’s ZG2100 is a single-chip 802.11b Wi-Fi transceiver that supports data rates up
to 2 Mbps. The words mobile, sensor, and robot all go
together. The ZG2100 adds yet another term to that list:
low power.
The ZG2100 chip is not sold in its native state. Instead,
the ZG2100 chip is incorporated into the ZG2100M module
which you see in Photo 1. The ZG2100M is integrated into
a PICtail configuration. PICtails are designed to be mounted
on Microchip Explorer 16 development boards. The
advantages of using a PICtail and development board
include a quick proof of concept and the ability to attach
multiple PICtail devices to the same Explorer 16. For
instance, I used a development board loaded with a USB-equipped PIC24FJ256GB110, an ENC624J600 100 Mbps
Ethernet PICtail, and a USB PICtail to develop a USB-to-Ethernet application for the Microchip 2009 MASTERS
