Jennic QuickStart

Where Do I Start?

If you have purchased a Jennic evaluation kit for the JN5121 or JN513x wireless microcontroller, you will find a wealth of resources in the Support area of the Jennic web site to help you develop wireless network applications for the JN5121/JN513x. These resources include:

  • Software Developer's Kit (SDK) containing easy-to-use function libraries
  • Development tools for command line and IDE (Integrated Development Environment) users
  • User documentation, including User Guides and Reference Manuals
  • Application Notes, many containing example application source code

This page guides you through the key steps in using your evaluation kit and Jennic's web site resources to start developing your own applications, for either IEEE 802.15.4 or ZigBee networks.

Step 1

Familiarise yourself with the evaluation kit and demo application
 

First of all, familiarise yourself with your Jennic evaluation kit that you will use to explore wireless networks. To do this, refer to the "Getting Started" sheet supplied as a paper copy with the kit. The boards of the evaluation kit are pre-loaded with a demonstration application based on a home sensor network. Set up and run the demonstration as described in the "Getting Started" sheet.

For JN5139-based evaluation kits, PDF versions of the "Getting Started" sheets are available under Support>User Guides on the Jennic web site:
Step 2

Install the Jennic SDK on your PC
 

Now install the Jennic SDK (Software Developer's Kit) on your PC. Two versions of the SDK are available under Support>Software on the Jennic web site:

  • JN-SW-4026 SDK with IDE: Use this version if you wish to develop applications in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). This installer packages the SDK with the Code::Blocks IDE, as well as Jennic's JN51xx compiler and Flash programmer.

  • JN-SW-4027 SDK with CLI: Use this version if you wish to develop applications in a Command Line Interface (CLI). This installer packages the SDK with the Cygwin CLI for Windows, as well as Jennic's development tools and Flash programmer.

Note that these installers contain the SDK components for both IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee application development. You will need the IEEE 802.15.4 software in both cases, but should only install the ZigBee software if you are going to develop ZigBee applications.

For full installation instructions, refer to the Software Developer's Kit Installation Guide, available under Support>User Guides on the Jennic web site: JN-UG-3035 SDK Installation. This manual also contains a full guide to the user documentation available for the SDK.

Step 3

Study the source code of the demo application

 

Now study the source code of the home sensor demonstration to introduce yourself to the basic structure of a simple wireless network application. The source files are available in the following ZIP files under Support>Application Notes on the Jennic web site:

The application is described in the corresponding guide available under Support>User Guides on the Jennic web site:

If you need introductory information on IEEE 802.15.4 or ZigBee, refer to the appropriate Jennic guide available under Support>User Guides on the Jennic web site:

Alternatively, for ZigBee, you may wish to follow Jennic's ZigBee e-learning course.

Step 4

Look at other examples from Jennic and start developing applications

 

Before starting your own application development, we recommend that you also study the source code of other example applications. We provide a range of examples that can be downloaded free-of-charge from the Jennic web site. They can be found under Support>Application Notes - the Application Notes available as ZIP files generally contain software.

To aid application development for IEEE 802.15.4 networks, Jennic provide an application template which you will find a good starting point for developing your own 802.15.4 applications. This template is contained in the Application Note JN-AN-1046 IEEE 802.15.4 Application Template. The template is supported by a dedicated manual available under Support>Reference Manuals on the Jennic web site: JN-RM-2024 IEEE 802.15.4 Application Development.

If you are developing ZigBee applications, you will find useful information in the last chapter of Jennic's ZigBee Stack User Guide, available under Support>User Guides on the Jennic web site: JN-UG-3017 ZigBee Stack.