USR K5 interface

Is it possible to interface using a USR K5 and wired Ethernet?
I found this post:

which involves a different USR module which is also interfaced via AT+ commands.

I guess it might be possible, but it’s probably going to take quite a bit of work.
Serial communication with a network adapter isn’t the best approach though.

What type of board are you wanting to use with this Ethernet adapter, and is there any reason why you’re choosing this particular Ethernet adapter and whatever type of board it is that you’re wanting to link it to?

Pete.

Because I’ve got one on the bench?

I’ve also got a W5500, and a Renesas RA4M1 (Arm Cortex M4) processor. Is that a better direction to set off in?

I’d say that a better direction would be to choose Blynk supported hardware.

Pete.

There aren’t many wired-ethernet devices listed, so I chose a SEEED WT32-ETH1 (it will be a week or so before I get it). A quick perusal of the datasheet seems to suggest it is virtually identical to the USR K5 - controlled via AT commands

The only ESP32 Ethernet board I have experience with is this one, which works very well with Blynk…

I’m not sure how you’ll get the Seeed Studio device to work with Blynk, but I guess it may be possible.

Pete.

I chose it off your list of supported hardware!

I guess you mean “Blynk’s list of supported hardware”?

Looks like it’s a recent addition using the new NCP system, so should be fine then.

Pete.

I think I get the concept now. It takes one of the UART based interfaces which can be reprogrammed and “improves” it so that data can still be sent via the original UART but it works with the Blynk platform.
I wish they’d said that instead of hiding it behind acronyms.

The only tests I’ve done with NCP were with an Uno and ESP-01 (for WiFi obviously).

The ESP-01 is re-flashed with NCP firmware and the Uno talks to it via a serial UART - except that the Uno has only hardware UART, which is best used for debugging and firmware uploads, so I used a SoftwareSerial UART instead.

The ESP32 has three hardware UARTS, and it looks like the Seeed board has one of these hard-wired to the Ethernet interface. I’m not sure if NCP firmware reprograms this Ethernet interface, the documentation isn’t really that clear about this.

Pete.

I’m not short of UARTs to talk to it, I think my RA4M1 has half a dozen. I’ve found how to get the NCP software into it (and I have already got a lead).
Now to study what data I have to send to the module.

Okay, I think I understand the architecture now.
I’d assumed that as the Seeed board contains an ESP32 and an Ethernet interface users would be running their own code on the ESP32, but I see now that it’s listed under the list of connectivity modules.
Presumably the downloadable image is flashed to the ESP32 and when you then boot it you’ll see some info about how to connect a separate MCU and the baud rate etc to use.

If you’re programming your RA4M1 in C++ then this post…

and the ones that follow it may help?

Pete.