RAK4260 sensor wiring

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Nodes
#1

Good day everybody,

I am kind of new in LoraWAN and planning to learn more about LoraWAN be practicing… I think I almost done with basics …
I understand how does LoraWAN works gateways … connectivity … nodes…

and planning to buy RAK gateway and RAK4260…
but couldn’t understand how to wire RAK4260 breakout board to my sensor for example DHT11, is that possible? do I need another microcontroller to connect my sensor to it? or the MCU that integrated to the module would be enough? Do I need to use specific serial communication to get data from the sensor?
I have tried to search for tutorials but couldn’t find any related to this subject…
in case is it possible to wire the sensor directly with RAK4260… can I configure it using AT commands or I have to modify the “App end device node” code ?
I am totally lost … any advise would be helpful …

#2

Welcome @beadamant to RAK forum :slight_smile:

You can have a look on RAK3244 BastWAN RAK3244 BastWAN | RAKwireless Documentation Center which is based on RAK4260. You can program this via arduino so you won’t need extra microcontroller and you can easily attach sensors with Arduino libraries.

Your other option is to use RAK4260 breakout board and develop your firmware via Atmel studio.

Personally, I think BastWAN might be easier and quicker if you want to use RAK4260.

#3

I really appreciate your respond.
in fact I was looking at BastWAN and I think I will go with it as start, but later I need to upgrade to the RAK4260 moudle …
I tried to compare it to RAK4260 breakout board and I can’t find a lot of differences in PCB design except for some battery charger and USB port …
in case I managed to flash RAK4260 breakout board with the same bootloader … can I still program it with Arduino IDE ?
and the big question is it possible to wire sensor directly to RAK4260 breakout board?

#4

You can do Bastwan development using RAK4260 module. You can write arduino codes and directly wire the sensors to it. The disadvantage on RAK4260 is lesser pinout available unlike Bastwan board and the missing external components like regulators, etc. But RAK4260 is smaller.

#5

You can also check here for some hints and tips on using the 4260 module:
http://www.marvellconsultants.com/LoRaNode/
If your sensor is analog I don’t recommend the on-board ADC and would suggest an external (I2C) ADC, If your sensors are I2C then you’ll be able to connect directly.

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