XBEE assistance

Wireless & IoT
1

Hello all-

I’m new-ish to electronics, and new to XBees. I purchased 2 XBee 1mW Chip Antenna, and the XBee Explorer Regulated. I have plugged the explorer into my FTDI USB cable(which works fine on other devices), but cannot get any response from the XBEEs, either through putty or X-CTU. After making the putty connection, I get no response after typing the +++ that should get a “OK” response. With X-CTU, I get “Failed to enter command mode Unable to read Version (ATVR) Read parameters…Failed.” when trying to read in Modem Configuration, and “modem type = Name unknown” when using the “Test\Query” option in PC Settings.

Any Ideas? If I left out any information, just let me know.

Thanks in advance!

BW

2

I posted this while at work, and it was moderated until now. Once I got home, I realized that the Transmit and Receive pins on the explorer board were opposite of what the FTDI cable I have are. once I threw it on a breadboard and crossed the pins, both PuTTY and X-CTU worked perfectly.

3

I had a similar experience using a couple different FTDI breakout boards. One needed crossing over, one worked as-is.

4

You found one of the common gotta’s when working with serial communication. The labeling of TX and RX is referenced from one end but which end is not always clear.

Great you figured it out.