WiFly Serial Adapter Setup and Operation
K3iConnect is designed to work with Roving Networks WiFly
Serial Adapter (Model RN-370M) operating in ad hoc mode. The WiFly Serial Adapter is also available from
Mouser. Mouser part number 765-RN-370M.
Take the following steps to set up your WiFly Serial Adapter for use with K3iConnect:
- Install two AAA batteries in the WiFly adapter. Rechargable batteries are best as the
adapter uses up batteries rapidly. Expect up to 8 hours of use from a set of fully
charged batteries.
- Set switch 1 on the WiFly adapter to ON. This places the adapter in default hardware
ad hoc network mode. This is the simplest approach to getting the WiFly adapter to work with K3iConnect.
- Do not try to configure the WiFly adapter according to the user manual. K3iConnect is
set to work with the WiFly adapter in default ad hoc mode. Just set switch 1 to ON.
- Set the K3 to 9600 baud. The default WiFly serial port setting is 9600 baud, 8 bit, no parity.
- Plug the WiFly adapter into the K3 RS232 port on the back of the K3.
- Turn on the K3. The WiFly adapter should turn on automatically. If not, press the red button
for one second.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap Wi-Fi. Under Choose a Network..., select
WiFly-GSX-xx, which is the WiFly adapter. (xx is the last two bytes of the WiFly device
MAC address. It is the last two digits of the device Serial number.)
- Once associated with the ad hoc network, (since there is likely no active DHCP server)
Auto-IP is used. This may take a couple of minutes to allocate an IP address for your
iPhone. To work around this you can assign a static IP address in the iPhone network settings window
in the Settings app. Tap the disclosure arrow to the right of WiFly-GSX-xx to open the WiFly network window. Take note
of the IP Address (you may have to wait a couple of minutes for it to appear). Then tap Static and
enter the IP Address (e.g. 169.254.129.90), and Subnet Mask (e.g. 255.255.0.0) you noted.
- To test the WiFly adapter with your K3, open a Telnet client on your iPhone. Enter
169.254.1.1 for the IP Address and 2000 for the Port. These are the default WiFly ad hoc network
settings. Tap Connect and the WiFly will respond with *HELLO*. At this point you can
communicate with the K3 by sending it commands. For example, type ID;. The response
should be ID017;. If you don't get a response, send ID; again until you do.
- The Telnet client I use is Telnet Lite, Ver 1.5 from
mochasoft.dk/iphone_telnet.htm. It is free.
- You may want to change the WiFly default device UART to 38400 baud if you have a P3 connected to the K3. The
P3 changes the K3 to 38400 baud automatically when connected to the RS232 port. You can plug the WiFly
adapter into the P3 PC serial port. To change the WiFly UART to 38400 baud take the following steps:
Open your Telnet client and connect to the WiFly (as above). When the WiFly responds with *HELLO* type
$$$. The WiFly will respond with CMD. Type set uart baud 38400 and tap Enter. The WiFly will
respond with OK. Type save and tap Enter. The WiFly will respond with OK. Type reboot and
tap Enter. The WiFly will restart with the new baud setting.
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