This is a popular and simple breakout board for XBee, optimized for breadboard mounting and gateway applications, in other ways when you use it only as an interface. It can be directly connected to the FTDI cable or to a de-chipped Arduino board, the breakout board has all the components needed to interface with 5V boards, don’t forget that the XBee needs 3,3V.
There is also a detailed tutorial how to install and use the usb to serial converter and how to configure and test the XBee module, where you can set the XBee parameters which are also explained in details.
Great guide, you can’t go wrong using it.
XBee breakout board: [Link]
More and more applications are emerging with the XBee module, and the Arduino developers are the most dynamic users, but most of the projects take some basic things as granted, like connecting the two boards. Since the XBee needs 3,3V and all the inputs must be limited to 3,3V otherwise you can damage the XBee module and the outputs will deliver no more then 3,3V which can lead to communication problems. The project presented here solve this problem and gives you two solutions one with voltage level translators and one with a simple resistive divider.
Beside the schematics you will find a step by step tutorial how to make the connections and the configurations, and ideas for future improvements, like using a switching regulator or a rechargeable Li-ION cell.
Before you make any XBee project, my advise is to read trough this interfacing tutorial.
XBee with Arduino: [Link]
The Arduino system offers an easy and open-source method for programming microcontrollers. Normally this means using a serial cable or USB cable attached directly to the microcontroller project. But what if your project is floating in a weather balloon, glued to the bottom of a swimming pool or baked into a loaf of bread? It would be great to upload code changes wirelessly, and even greater if you could do it from several kilometers away.
The following example demonstrates how to build a complete wireless solution for uploading code to a remote Arduino microcontroller using a couple of XBee radios, and a handy function for accomplishing wireless resets.
Arduino Wirelessly Programming System Based on XBee: [Link]
The circuit contains 2x TRW-24G modules, 1x AT90S2313 microcontroller and 1x MAX202 TTL to RS232 voltage level converter. When you power-on this circuit, the AVR it will configure the IC1 as receiver and IC3 as transmitter. I’m not gonna give you any more technical specifications because they are well documented on the authors page. I say you give it a try when you need to setup a wifi connections between AVR’s.
Experimenting Wireless Comunications With AVR ATtiny2313: [Link]
The entire system consists of three main function blocks: The AVR as the central CPU running the high level network routines including the TCP/IP stack. The second main block is the compact flash WLAN card running all the low level network functions including encryption. The third block is a XC9572XL CPLD, a programmable logic device that forms the spi2cf interface between the AVRs SPI and the CF card. It is mainly doing the translation between the SPI interface used to connect to the AVR and the parallel interface used on the compact flash slot.
Wlan for AVR: [Link]
