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Im going to be using XBees in my project to wirelessly communicate between things, one of the devices is going to have a set of switches and 1 output - the xbee has enough IO to handle it. Is it possible to program the XBee to do the processing instead of having to interface a microcontroller with it? As I'd like to reduce the need of these extra microcontrollers.

The idea of the system is that if a switch that is attached to the xbee is pressed the output is toggled, and then if it is toggled on the remote device, the output is toggled on the device. Is this possible or will I have to use microcontroller as well?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Digi supposedly has a SDK for some of their models. I think it's not really accessible to hobbyists, though (read: you have to sign a NDA, and probably have significant expected purchasing volumes to even get their attention). \$\endgroup\$
    – Connor Wolf
    Commented Jul 3, 2013 at 3:07
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    \$\begingroup\$ You can look into this product which has already integrated with ARM M3: (Xbee + MCU Options) Xbee Pro RF Modules 928MHz 200Kbps 20-Pin w/ Cortex-M3 EFM32G230 @28MHz - XBP9B-DMWT-022 \$\endgroup\$
    – Xianlin
    Commented Oct 8, 2014 at 9:19

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I don't believe there is any xbee with an integrated micrcocontroller. However, integrating a microcontroller isn't always expensive. Take a look at Ti's line of ValueLine MSP430. They should do what you need and for less than $1 (perhaps even less that 50 cents depending on your requirements). They come in PDIP so they're much easier to use than other SMD microcontrollers.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Yeah I was going to use a MSP430 was just hoping I could avoid it and reduce my component count. \$\endgroup\$
    – Dean
    Commented Jan 3, 2013 at 21:09
  • \$\begingroup\$ If xbee did have a micro you can access, it could be more trouble than it's worth. You wouldn't have as much flexibility as you would otherwise selecting your own microcontroller and being able to access it completely. You also get the benefit of tons of documentation out there. \$\endgroup\$
    – Gustavo Litovsky
    Commented Jan 3, 2013 at 21:14
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Dean MSP430 microcontrollers also come with integrated radios - maybe that's sufficient for your application? \$\endgroup\$
    – Rafał Rawicki
    Commented Jan 3, 2013 at 22:23
  • \$\begingroup\$ @RafałRawicki: The CC430 has a Sub 1GHz radio which is basically the CC1101. This will be a bit more work to get going than the xbee, as well as being completely different radio. \$\endgroup\$
    – Gustavo Litovsky
    Commented Jan 3, 2013 at 22:37
  • \$\begingroup\$ I know that, but we don't know what parameters are expected from the radio and it seems that OP is concerned about the price and simplicity (maybe he already had some Xbees unused). This was just a proposition of cheap and not very complicated solution. \$\endgroup\$
    – Rafał Rawicki
    Commented Jan 3, 2013 at 22:44
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You can use the new Programmable XBees. I'm testing them right now and I'm debugging an I2C sensor using nothing but an XBee and its integrated S08 MPU.

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I would probably not use XBee radios as I am a heavy user of NXP/Jennic JN5148 based modules. Since you stated you are trying to do this without an external microprocessor or software programming, here is a simple IEEE802.15.4 based alternative that you might want to consider: http://www.starmanelectric.com/Products/DataBridge/tabid/70/Default.aspx

Note that the SMT RF modules used in the DataBridge product are available without firmware from NXP/Jennic: http://www.jennic.com and can also support Zigbee Pro development if you desire. You can also do a single-chip level design without a module if you like to do RF work... I've used many other RF chips including those from TI, Freescale and Atmel and have found Jennic to be one of the best. The development environment is free and based on Eclipse IDE, they have good application notes and reference designs making it easy to learn.

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