Using the USB and

Serial Interfaces

TDSR UWB Radios

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320-0287I
October 2020
2 Using the USB and Serial Interfaces

Copyright
TDSR LLC 2020. All rights reserved.

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 Using the USB and Serial Interfaces 3

Introduction
Many, if not all, of the members of the P400 series of Ultra Wideband (UWB) platforms offer the
ability to communicate with the device through either USB or a 3.3V serial UART port. The P400
series currently includes the P400, P410, P412, and P440 UWB platforms and will be collectively
referred to in this guide as a P4xx. The protocols used to communicate with P4xx modules are fully
defined in the MRM, CAT, and P400 RangeNet API Specification documents.

This document describes those features unique to the use of the USB and serial UART interfaces. It
should be noted that the P412 and P440 also are able to communicate via a CAN interface.
Information on how to interface with CAN is provided in the document 320-0326 CAN Interface
Application Note.

USB Connector Information

The location of the USB port for each of the various units is shown in Figure 1. The connector type
provided is a standard USB Micro-B connector.

J18 J18

J13- USB Power

J5- USB Data

Fig.1: USB connector locations for P400 (Top Left), P410 (Top Right), and P440 (Center)

Note that the P440 has two USB connections. J13 only provides power to the P440; it has no data
connections. Similarly, J5 provides USB data connections and does NOT provide power.

USB Protocol
When connected over USB, the Host recognizes the P4xx units as standard serial communications
ports. More precisely, the USB port is a Communications Device Class (CDC) Abstract Control
Model (ACM). The Host can communicate with the P4xx units using the Host operating system’s

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4 Using the USB and Serial Interfaces

standard serial port API functions. On Microsoft Windows machines, for example, the modules will
appear as a virtual COM port.

Commands sent to the P4xx modules via the USB interface are identical to the commands sent over
the Ethernet interface, except each command must have a prefix of 4 bytes. The first two bytes of the
prefix are a synchronization pattern (0xA5A5) and the next 2 bytes are the length of the command
packet (i.e., the length of the command packet itself, not counting the 4 prefix bytes).

To illustrate this, the sequence of bytes in the RCM_GET_CONFIG_REQUEST message (identical

to the MRM_GET_CONFIG_REQUEST message) sent over the USB interface is shown in Table 1.
All numbers are in hexadecimal format. For multi-byte fields, the most significant byte is designated
by the abbreviation MSB, and the least significant byte is LSB.

Byte Offset Value Description

0 A5 Sync header – first byte
1 A5 Sync header – second byte
2 00 Length – MSB
3 04 Length – LSB
4 00 Command byte – MSB
5 02 Command byte – LSB
6 00 Message ID – MSB
7 01 Message ID – LSB

Table 1: USB RCM_GET_CONFIG_REQUEST message

The resulting RCM_GET_CONFIG_CONFIRM packet sent from the P4xx is shown in Table 2.

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 Using the USB and Serial Interfaces 5

Byte Offset Value Description

00 A5 Sync header – first byte
01 A5 Sync header – second byte
02 00 Length – MSB
03 20 Length – LSB
04 01 Command byte – MSB
05 02 Command byte – LSB
06 00 Message ID – MSB
07 01 Message ID – LSB
08 00 Node ID – MSB
09 00 Node ID – 2nd byte
0A 00 Node ID – 3rd byte
0B 12 Node ID – LSB
0C 00 Pulse integration index – MSB
0D 07 Pulse integration index – LSB
0E 00 Antenna mode
0F 00 Code channel
10 00 Antenna delay A – MSB
11 00 Antenna delay A – 2nd byte
12 00 Antenna delay A – 3rd byte
13 00 Antenna delay A – LSB
14 00 Antenna delay B – MSB
15 00 Antenna delay B – 2nd byte
16 00 Antenna delay B – 3rd byte
17 00 Antenna delay B – LSB
18 00 Flags – MSB
19 00 Flags – LSB
1A 00 TX power
1B 00 Unused
1C 00 Timestamp – MSB
1D 08 Timestamp – 2nd byte
1E 93 Timestamp – 3rd byte
1F CC Timestamp – LSB
20 00 Status – MSB
21 00 Status – 2nd byte
22 00 Status – 3rd byte
23 00 Status – LSB

Table 2: USB RCM_GET_CONFIG_CONFIRM message

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6 Using the USB and Serial Interfaces

Serial Connector Information

The location of the P400, P410, and P440 serial UART connectors are shown in Figure 2.

Fig.2: Serial UART connector locations for P400 (Top Left), P410 (Top Right), P440 (Bottom
Center)

The connector is a 3-pin header (in the case of the P400) or a 6 pin header (P410 and P440) with the
pin definitions shown in Table 3. On a P400, pin 1 is the pin closest to the Ethernet connector. On a
P410, pin 1 is farthest from the USB connector. On a P440, pin 1 is farthest from the Ethernet
connector. Note that the serial UART uses 3.3V TTL levels as opposed to typical RS-232 voltages.

P400 Pin P410/P440 Pin Signal Name Voltages

1 5 TxD (connect to Host RxD) +3.3V when 1, Ground when 0
2 4 RxD (connect to Host TxD) +3.3V when 1, Ground when 0
3 1 Ground Reference

Table 3: Serial UART connector pin definitions

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 Using the USB and Serial Interfaces 7

Serial to USB cables compatible with the P410 and P440 are available from FTDI (part number TTL-
232R-3V3) or through Digi-Key (part number 768-1015-ND). These cables use connectors which are
not polarized. The user should insure that the cable connector is lined up such that pin 1 on the
connector (typically marked with a small triangle) is lined up with pin 1.

Serial Baud Rate Selection

The UART serial interface is an excellent means for establishing communications between the P4xx
and an embedded processor or single board computer. Since the P4xx modules do not have RS-232
line drivers, a baud rate must be selected that matches both the application's ranging rate and the cable
length. For very short cables (centimeters), baud rates higher than the default 115.2 kbps can be
achieved. For longer cables (meters), the baud rate may need to be decreased to support reliable
operation.

The operating baud rate is controlled by a register in the ATMEL processor. The API command
RCM_SET_SERIAL_BAUD_RATE_REQUEST will allow the user to access this register and
change the UART data rate. Valid settings are 9.6k, 19.2k, 38.4k, 57.6k, 115.2k (default), 230.4k,
460.8k, and 921.26k.

In general, TDSR does not recommend that users increase the data rate to a value greater than the
default. But operation at higher speeds is possible if the cable is “short enough.” TDSR does not
know what the highest operating rate might be for your system. It is the user’s responsibility to
confirm through experimentation that any increase in bit rate continues to provide reliable
communications in the intended operating environment and over the intended operating temperature.
However, one user has reported that for his system a baud rate of 230.4 kbps was stable.

Serial Protocol
The P4xx serial UART uses the following communications parameters: 115,200 baud, 8 data bits, no
parity, and 1 stop bit (115200, 8, N, 1). No flow control is used.

Like the USB interface, the serial UART interface requires all commands to have a 4 byte prefix.
However, unlike the USB interface, the serial interface also requires a 2 byte suffix. The first two
bytes of the prefix are a synchronization pattern (0xA5A5) and the next 2 bytes are the length of the
command packet (i.e., the length of the command packet itself, not counting the 4 prefix bytes or 2
suffix bytes). The suffix bytes are a 16-bit cyclic redundancy check (CRC) to ensure validity of the
packet data. The length bytes and CRC bytes must be sent in network (big-endian) byte order (all
multi-byte fields in the API are sent in network byte order).

The CRC used is the CCITT CRC-16. The CRC is computed over the command packet only; the
CRC does not include the 4 prefix bytes. CRC sample code is included at the end of this document.

For example, the sequence of bytes in the RCM_GET_CONFIG_REQUEST message sent over the
serial interface is shown in Table 4. All numbers are in hexadecimal format. For multi-byte fields,
the most significant byte is designated by the abbreviation MSB, and the least significant byte is LSB.

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8 Using the USB and Serial Interfaces

Byte Offset Value Description

0 A5 Sync header – first byte
1 A5 Sync header – second byte
2 00 Length – MSB
3 04 Length – LSB
4 00 Command byte – MSB
5 02 Command byte – LSB
6 00 Message ID – MSB
7 01 Message ID – LSB
8 7E CRC – MSB
9 41 CRC - LSB

Table 4: Serial RCM_GET_CONFIG_REQUEST message

The resulting RCM_GET_CONFIG_CONFIRM packet sent from theP4xx is shown in Table 5.

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 Using the USB and Serial Interfaces 9

Byte Offset Value Description

00 A5 Sync header – first byte
01 A5 Sync header – second byte
02 00 Length – MSB
03 20 Length – LSB
04 01 Command byte – MSB
05 02 Command byte – LSB
06 00 Message ID – MSB
07 01 Message ID – LSB
08 00 Node ID – MSB
09 00 Node ID – 2nd byte
0A 00 Node ID – 3rd byte
0B 12 Node ID – LSB
0C 00 Pulse integration index – MSB
0D 07 Pulse integration index – LSB
0E 00 Antenna mode
0F 00 Code channel
10 00 Antenna delay A – MSB
11 00 Antenna delay A – 2nd byte
12 00 Antenna delay A – 3rd byte
13 00 Antenna delay A – LSB
14 00 Antenna delay B – MSB
15 00 Antenna delay B – 2nd byte
16 00 Antenna delay B – 3rd byte
17 00 Antenna delay B – LSB
18 00 Flags – MSB
19 00 Flags – LSB
1A 00 TX power
1B 00 Unused
1C 00 Timestamp – MSB
1D 08 Timestamp – 2nd byte
1E 93 Timestamp – 3rd byte
1F CC Timestamp – LSB
20 00 Status – MSB
21 00 Status – 2nd byte
22 00 Status – 3rd byte
23 00 Status – LSB
24 35 CRC – MSB
25 15 CRC – LSB

Table 5: Serial RCM_GET_CONFIG_CONFIRM message

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10 Using the USB and Serial Interfaces

CRC Sample Code

The CRC used to protect the serial data is the CCITT CRC-16. The CRC is computed over the
command packet only (not the first 4 prefix bytes). Also, the 2 length bytes should not include the 2
bytes of the CRC. Like all multi-byte fields, the CRC should be sent in network byte order. Sample
C code to calculate the CRC is included below.

// Table of CRC constants - implements x^16+x^12+x^5+1

static unsigned short crc16_tab[] = {

0x0000, 0x1021, 0x2042, 0x3063, 0x4084, 0x50a5, 0x60c6, 0x70e7,
0x8108, 0x9129, 0xa14a, 0xb16b, 0xc18c, 0xd1ad, 0xe1ce, 0xf1ef,
0x1231, 0x0210, 0x3273, 0x2252, 0x52b5, 0x4294, 0x72f7, 0x62d6,
0x9339, 0x8318, 0xb37b, 0xa35a, 0xd3bd, 0xc39c, 0xf3ff, 0xe3de,
0x2462, 0x3443, 0x0420, 0x1401, 0x64e6, 0x74c7, 0x44a4, 0x5485,
0xa56a, 0xb54b, 0x8528, 0x9509, 0xe5ee, 0xf5cf, 0xc5ac, 0xd58d,
0x3653, 0x2672, 0x1611, 0x0630, 0x76d7, 0x66f6, 0x5695, 0x46b4,
0xb75b, 0xa77a, 0x9719, 0x8738, 0xf7df, 0xe7fe, 0xd79d, 0xc7bc,
0x48c4, 0x58e5, 0x6886, 0x78a7, 0x0840, 0x1861, 0x2802, 0x3823,
0xc9cc, 0xd9ed, 0xe98e, 0xf9af, 0x8948, 0x9969, 0xa90a, 0xb92b,
0x5af5, 0x4ad4, 0x7ab7, 0x6a96, 0x1a71, 0x0a50, 0x3a33, 0x2a12,
0xdbfd, 0xcbdc, 0xfbbf, 0xeb9e, 0x9b79, 0x8b58, 0xbb3b, 0xab1a,
0x6ca6, 0x7c87, 0x4ce4, 0x5cc5, 0x2c22, 0x3c03, 0x0c60, 0x1c41,
0xedae, 0xfd8f, 0xcdec, 0xddcd, 0xad2a, 0xbd0b, 0x8d68, 0x9d49,
0x7e97, 0x6eb6, 0x5ed5, 0x4ef4, 0x3e13, 0x2e32, 0x1e51, 0x0e70,
0xff9f, 0xefbe, 0xdfdd, 0xcffc, 0xbf1b, 0xaf3a, 0x9f59, 0x8f78,
0x9188, 0x81a9, 0xb1ca, 0xa1eb, 0xd10c, 0xc12d, 0xf14e, 0xe16f,
0x1080, 0x00a1, 0x30c2, 0x20e3, 0x5004, 0x4025, 0x7046, 0x6067,
0x83b9, 0x9398, 0xa3fb, 0xb3da, 0xc33d, 0xd31c, 0xe37f, 0xf35e,
0x02b1, 0x1290, 0x22f3, 0x32d2, 0x4235, 0x5214, 0x6277, 0x7256,
0xb5ea, 0xa5cb, 0x95a8, 0x8589, 0xf56e, 0xe54f, 0xd52c, 0xc50d,
0x34e2, 0x24c3, 0x14a0, 0x0481, 0x7466, 0x6447, 0x5424, 0x4405,
0xa7db, 0xb7fa, 0x8799, 0x97b8, 0xe75f, 0xf77e, 0xc71d, 0xd73c,
0x26d3, 0x36f2, 0x0691, 0x16b0, 0x6657, 0x7676, 0x4615, 0x5634,
0xd94c, 0xc96d, 0xf90e, 0xe92f, 0x99c8, 0x89e9, 0xb98a, 0xa9ab,
0x5844, 0x4865, 0x7806, 0x6827, 0x18c0, 0x08e1, 0x3882, 0x28a3,
0xcb7d, 0xdb5c, 0xeb3f, 0xfb1e, 0x8bf9, 0x9bd8, 0xabbb, 0xbb9a,
0x4a75, 0x5a54, 0x6a37, 0x7a16, 0x0af1, 0x1ad0, 0x2ab3, 0x3a92,
0xfd2e, 0xed0f, 0xdd6c, 0xcd4d, 0xbdaa, 0xad8b, 0x9de8, 0x8dc9,
0x7c26, 0x6c07, 0x5c64, 0x4c45, 0x3ca2, 0x2c83, 0x1ce0, 0x0cc1,
0xef1f, 0xff3e, 0xcf5d, 0xdf7c, 0xaf9b, 0xbfba, 0x8fd9, 0x9ff8,
0x6e17, 0x7e36, 0x4e55, 0x5e74, 0x2e93, 0x3eb2, 0x0ed1, 0x1ef0
};

unsigned short crc16(unsigned char *buf, intlen)

{
int i;
unsigned short cksum = 0;

for (i = 0; i<len; i++) {

cksum = crc16_tab[((cksum>>8) ^ *buf++) & 0xFF] ^ (cksum<< 8);
}
return cksum;
}

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