GSM 5 Click

How does it work?

GSM 5 Click as its foundation uses the SARA-G450, a compact quad-band 2.5G GSM/GPRS module from u-blox. Alongside low power consumption, the SARA-G450 module also features a baseband, RF transceiver, power management unit, and power amplifier in a single solution, supporting 2G, 3G, LTE, and LPWA (Cat M1 and Cat NB1) radio access technologies. Covering frequencies of 850/900MHz and 1800/1900MHz, it provides a fully qualified and certified solution, reducing cost and enabling a short time to market. It is ideally suited for M2M applications such as automatic meter reading, remote monitoring automation and control, surveillance, and security, asset tracking, and more.

This module has a comprehensive feature set, including an extensive set of internet protocols. It is also designed to provide fully integrated access to u-blox GNSS positioning with embedded A-GPS (AssistNow Online and AssistNow Offline) functionality. Any host processor connected to the cellular module through a single serial port can control both the module and positioning. The SARA-G450 module also offers extensive audio features, which users can access via an onboard 3.5mm audio jack, all configurable through the AT commands.

This Click board™ communicates with MCU using the UART interface with commonly used UART RX, TX, and hardware flow control pins UART CTS, RTS, and RI (Clear to Send, Ready to Send, and Ring Indicator) by exchanging standard AT commands. It operates at 115200 bps by default configuration to transmit and exchange data with the host MCU. An additional interface can also be found on the board as a test point for firmware upgrades and trace log capture (diagnostics purposes).

In addition to the UART pins, this Click board™ also has two additional marked as ON and OFF routed to the AN and RST pins of the mikroBUS™ socket used to turn ON/OFF the chip itself. Besides, it uses two orange LED indicators labeled GP1 and GP2 for optional user-configurable network-status visual indications such as registered home network, registered roaming, voice or data call enabled, and no service.

GSM 5 Click possesses the SMA antenna connector on which an appropriate antenna connects that Mikroe has in its offer. It is also equipped with a USB type C connector, which allows the module to be powered and configured by a personal computer (PC) using FT230X, a compact USB to a serial UART interface bridge, and a Nano-SIM card slot that provides multiple connections and interface options.

This Click board™ can operate with both 3.3V and 5V MCUs. A proper logic voltage level conversion is performed by appropriate voltage level translators, while the on-board LDO, the TPS7A7002, ensures the recommended voltage levels power module. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing easy-to-use functions and an example code that can be used, as a reference, for further development.

Specifications

Pinout diagram

This table shows how the pinout on GSM 5 Click corresponds to the pinout on the mikroBUS™ socket (the latter shown in the two middle columns).

Notes	Pin					Pin	Notes
Module Power-On	ON	1	AN	PWM	16	RI	UART RI
Module Power-Off	OFF	2	RST	INT	15	CTS	UART CTS
UART RTS	RTS	3	CS	RX	14	TX	UART TX
	NC	4	SCK	TX	13	RX	UART RX
	NC	5	MISO	SCL	12	NC
	NC	6	MOSI	SDA	11	NC
Power Supply	3.3V	7	3.3V	5V	10	5V	Power Supply
Ground	GND	8	GND	GND	9	GND	Ground

Onboard settings and indicators

GSM 5 Click electrical specifications

Software Support

We provide a library for the GSM 5 Click as well as a demo application (example), developed using MikroElektronika compilers. The demo can run on all the main MikroElektronika development boards.

Package can be downloaded/installed directly from NECTO Studio Package Manager(recommended way), downloaded from our LibStock™ or found on Mikroe github account.

Library Description

This library contains API for GSM 5 Click driver.

Key functions

• gsm5_send_cmd This function sends a specified command to the click module.

• gsm5_set_sim_apn This function sets APN for sim card.

• gsm5_send_sms_text This function sends text message to a phone number.

Example Description

Application example shows device capability of connecting to the network and sending SMS or TCP/UDP messages using standard “AT” commands.

void application_task ( void ) 
 { 
     switch ( example_state ) 
     { 
         case GSM5_CONFIGURE_FOR_NETWORK: 
         { 
             if ( GSM5_OK == gsm5_configure_for_network( ) ) 
             { 
                 example_state = GSM5_WAIT_FOR_CONNECTION; 
             } 
             break; 
         } 
         case GSM5_WAIT_FOR_CONNECTION: 
         { 
             if ( GSM5_OK == gsm5_check_connection( ) ) 
             { 
                 example_state = GSM5_CONFIGURE_FOR_EXAMPLE; 
             } 
             break; 
         } 
         case GSM5_CONFIGURE_FOR_EXAMPLE: 
         { 
             if ( GSM5_OK == gsm5_configure_for_example( ) ) 
             { 
                 example_state = GSM5_EXAMPLE; 
             } 
             break; 
         } 
         case GSM5_EXAMPLE: 
         { 
             gsm5_example( ); 
             break; 
         } 
         default: 
         { 
             log_error( &logger, " Example state." ); 
             break; 
         } 
     } 
 }

The full application code, and ready to use projects can be installed directly from NECTO Studio Package Manager(recommended way), downloaded from our LibStock™ or found on Mikroe github account.

Other Mikroe Libraries used in the example:

• MikroSDK.Board
• MikroSDK.Log
• Click.GSM5

Additional notes and informations

Depending on the development board you are using, you may need USB UART click, USB UART 2 Click or RS232 Click to connect to your PC, for development systems with no UART to USB interface available on the board. UART terminal is available in all MikroElektronika compilers.

mikroSDK

This Click board™ is supported with mikroSDK – MikroElektronika Software Development Kit. To ensure proper operation of mikroSDK compliant Click board™ demo applications, mikroSDK should be downloaded from the LibStock and installed for the compiler you are using.

For more information about mikroSDK, visit the official page.