Gadgeteer XBee module improvements

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I don’t know if this is possible (e.g. you have manufactured 10k boards already) but if you would like to improve the hardware design of this module I have a few suggestions:

[ol]Add a reset button. Right know there is no other way to reset the module other then unpluging and it from the mainboard. Those sockets are so tiny I’m afraid to break something, and I have to reset the modules from time to time without reseting the whole board. I reset the module in order for them to join the network.
Connect the ‘sleep request’ pin from XBee to one of the unused pins in gadgeteer socket. When using XBee configured as end device it needs to have one of the sleep modes set (cyclic, pin sleep, pin hibernate). If you set the pin hibernate mode you are able to control when the module sleep using the mentioned pin state. There is also another line that signal when the module is asleep which is usefull when using cyclic sleep mode. I consider the first one more important and usefull.
Adding a commissioning button is optional[/ol]

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Good points. We will see what we can do.

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We have your notes aside from your email but thanks for the detailed explanation.

Add one more, we should change the name as xbee is a digi trademark I think. No big deal as we use their module do they shouldn’t complain but better to change.

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How about GBee ? and the G goes as Gadgeteer or GHI you interpret the G your way ;D

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Rob Faludi from Digi (rob.faludi at digi.com) might be the right person to ask. Ransomhall contacted him regarding using word XBee in the name of our driver. This is what he wrote back:

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Sparfun sells XBee Explorer which is very popular

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8687