Is it possible to use only the UART interface of the ST25R3911B-DISCO instead of the USB?

[ESobr]

I'm using a ST25R3911B-DISCO for a project and I need to use the UART interface, instead of the USB one and the software provided by ST, to send commands (like INVENTORY, READ BLOCK, WRITE BLOCK) and receive the corresponding information.

Is it possible with this board? And if it is, how can I proceed to implement it?

Thanks in advance,

Eduardo

[Ulysses HERNIOSUS]

Hi Eduardo,

the ST25R3911B-DISCO does not have an ST-Link and as such also no UART->USB(PC) bridge. You may be better off with the XNUCLEO-NFC05A1 which does already do some logging through UART. This should be easily extendable to also perform some actions on (UART) request.

Regards, Ulysses

[ESobr]

Thank you for your answer but I still don't understand completely.

I want to send and receive data from the UART in order for the board to be seen by the computer as a COM port because with that I can make my own app in Visual Studio to work with the board.

Even if I modify the firmware of the board, it's still impossible to work through the UART?

Regards,

Eduardo

[Ulysses HERNIOSUS]

Hi Eduardo,

If you implement a USB CDC class and install a VCP driver (usbser.sys) on the PC you could be able to do this. But nothing of it is supported in the existing firmware.

Regards, Ulysses.

[DAbba]

Dear Eduardo

I already have your problem and I need just to know about the command and details to be send by my com port in my own software not in st25r3911b discovery gui .

have you found it way ?

[sener]

I have the same issue. Apparently one of the solutions is you have to implement the UART support using the source code of the firmware and flash to the MCU (if you are an embedded developer by chance)

https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/products/embedded-software/st25-nfc-rfid-software/stsw-st25r002.html

Another one is to write your own application with Eclipse/Java using the provided SDK.

https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/products/embedded-software/st25-nfc-rfid-software/stsw-st25sdk001.html

It is pity that this is not ready by the original firmware for a such nice design. It is just pity.

I will have to look for alternatives which are supporting UART/TTL/SPI/I2C natively.

[Ulysses HERNIOSUS]

Hi,

there is maybe a somewhat easy path to achieve this: You could use the XNUCLEO-NFC05A1 + X-CUBE-NFC5: This solution provides some simple demo to show communication with tags and does logging on UART (through ST-Link VCP).

Adding a few commands from host to device should not be too complicated.

How does that sound to you?

Regards, Ulysses

[sener]

Hi Ulysses,

I appreciate your response on my remarks. I have already read your similar suggestion above earlier.

That would be an option of course although the design is not that neat as that ST25R3911B-DISCO.

It has a nice product-look rather than a prototype board.

And My colleagues have already bought three of those ST25R3911B-DISCO.

Because, they were thinking, if the UART pins (GND, TX, RX, VCC) are exposed/featured from the PCB, it is supposed to work via this option as well out of the box. But, this turns out to be a disappointment now.

I would prefer ST makes an alternative-or-upgrade firmware to support UART originally. That wouldn't be that difficult for you guys I believe.

[Ulysses HERNIOSUS]

Hi,

it would need some effort for which we have currently don't have the resources. There are major efforts included: testing, signed driver, solution for USB/serial converter, documentation, GUI update, etc.

Regards, Ulysses

[sener]

Fair enough Ulysses, then I should hope, some enthusiast people can contribute this and be kind to share with the community who considers to use ST25R3911B-DISCO with UART.

[sener]

I like to share one of my experience with ST25R3911B-DISCO.

We have an implementation requiring to read 5 by 5 cm label RFID tags glued (no more that 0.3mm thickness) onto a massive (3cm thickness) aluminum metal block. And that device can still read it although the distance is just max. 2cm which is still good enough for the task.