ST25R300 Evaluation Board GUI for the STEVAL-25R300KA Kit

Introduction

The PC software package (STSW-ST25R023) contains the ST25R300 evaluation board GUI and the ST25PC-NFC software (STSW-ST25PC001).

The ST25R300 evaluation board GUI allows the user to communicate with the ST25R300 evaluation board (STEVAL-25R300KA). It provides an interface to change a wide range of settings. It also allows different features of the STEVAL-25R300KA kit to be executed and evaluated. This user manual provides a detailed description of the ST25R300 evaluation board GUI.

The ST25PC-NFC software (STSW-ST25PC001) gives access to all features of the ST25 NFC/RFID tags and ST25 dynamic NFC tags. It is not the object of this user manual.

The PC software must be used with the ST25R300 evaluation board, which contains all the necessary modules for a fully functional NFC reader.

Preface

1.1 Downloading and installing the software

After downloading the software (available at st.com), double-click the executable file to begin the installation.

• Select whether to install the software for each user of the PC or only for the current user.

Figure 1. Selecting install mode

The setup wizard presents options for installing the software for the current user or for all users, with a recommendation for the former.

• Select the path to install the software.

Figure 2. Selecting the program destination

The setup wizard allows the user to choose the installation directory, displaying the required disk space.

• It is possible to add the ST25R300 evaluation GUI to the start menu. This is recommended to allow the user to always find the software easily using the Windows® search function. If the user does not want to add the software to the start menu, they just need to tick the checkbox in the bottom left corner of the window.

Figure 3. Selecting a start menu folder

The setup allows users to choose the Start Menu folder for program shortcuts or to opt out of creating one.

• To create a shortcut on the desktop, tick the checkbox shown below.

Figure 4. Creating a desktop shortcut

The setup wizard includes an option to create a desktop shortcut.

• The figure below shows a summary of the selected installation directories. Click install.

Figure 5. Ready to install

The installation summary screen displays the destination location and Start Menu folder, allowing the user to proceed with the installation or go back to change settings.

Installing takes no more than a few minutes to complete. Launch the application by clicking the finish button.

Figure 6. Installation completed

The setup wizard indicates that the installation is complete and provides an option to launch the application.

Note: This software is only available for PCs running on Microsoft® Windows®.

1.2 Hardware preparations

Communication with the board happens through the mini-USB J2 (STLINK-USB). On this port the STLINK provides a virtual COM port used for communication.

Using the on-board UI please select PCLink before connecting from PC GUI.

Figure 7. ST25R300 evaluation board - top view

An image displays the top view of the ST25R300 evaluation board, highlighting key components like the STLINK, USB connector, and NFC antenna.

The STEVAL-25R300KA kit is described in a separate user manual.

Reader mode

The application offers two different GUI modes:

• ST25PC-NFC: It opens a new window which allows to access ST25 Tags and its specific features through the connected STEVAL-25R300 board.
• Reader mode: It allows the user to explore a wide range of functions in detail.

This section provides an overview of all the functions available in reader mode.

Figure 8. GUI modes

The GUI modes include Web, Register Map, Readout Registers, and Config Manager.

The brighter blue color indicates that reader mode is enabled. To change the mode, click on the appropriate icon.

2.1 Main tab

The Main tab contains the Board Info tab and the Overview tab.

2.1.1 Board info tab

Figure 9. Board info tab

The Board Info tab displays the ST25R300 evaluation board's firmware version, demo board version, and STM32 UID. It also shows available serial ports and allows connection/disconnection. The tab provides information about connecting the board and accessing basic hardware information.

The Board info tab allows the GUI to be connected to the ST25R300 evaluation board. To connect a board, ensure that the correct COM port and baud rate are selected.

When a board is connected, this tab displays basic information about the connected hardware.

• Firmware version: The firmware version currently running on the MCU.
• Demo board version: The type of demonstration board.
• STM32 UID: The unique ID of the STM32 on the STEVAL-M25B1 main board.

The Update firmware button allows the user to update the firmware running on the STM32G0 on the STEVAL-M25B1 main board. See Updating the firmware for more information.

2.1.2 Overview tab

The Overview tab is a quick demonstration showing a typical NFC application combining wake-up mode and NFC polling. As soon as wake-up mode detects a variation, standard NFC polling is performed and the cards/devices found are listed.

The demonstration remains in polling mode until no more cards/devices are detected.

Figure 10. ST25R300 overview

The overview displays NFC reader status, detected NFC devices, and a demonstration of wake-up and polling modes.

Figure 11. Polling configuration

The Polling Configuration window allows users to set technologies, polling duration, and wakeup settings, including custom configurations.

These settings allow the user to enable/disable polling for different technologies. It is also possible to enable polling only and not to perform a wake-up.

Features tab

This tab allows the user to discover the different features of the ST25R300 in the subtabs. Each subtab represents a feature and provides different settings for the corresponding functionality.

2.2.1 Power tab

The Power tab allows the user to set the ST25R300 to five different modes:

• Reset
• Power-down
• Wake-up
• Ready
• Ready + Field on

Each mode has a different power consumption (use the pins of L200 to measure the actual power consumption of the chip). The mode can be changed using the radio buttons on the left. The bar graph on the right side visualizes the different power consumption of the different modes. The currently selected mode is highlighted by a darker color in Figure 13.

Figure 12. Extended view

An icon to switch to a full-screen view of the current tab.

Click the same button again to exit full screen mode.

Figure 13. Power consumption

The Power tab displays power consumption for different modes (Reset, Power Down, Wake-up, Ready, Ready+Tx) with a bar graph visualization. It also shows the location of L200 for current measurement.

2.2.2 Antenna tab

The needle shows the amplitude as measured on RFI, and the phase difference between RFI and RFO (calculated back from I/Q channel values).

Additionally, other analog voltages and current can be measured.

• Click on the measure antenna button to measure these values.

Activate VNA puts the output driver into high-Z state to be able to connect a VNA without damaging it. This blocks the GUI until the user has confirmed that VNA is removed.

Amplitude and phase difference can be continuously monitored using the continuous measurement button. Moreover, when this option is activated and a piece of metal is approached to the antenna, a detuning effect can be observed.

Figure 14. Antenna tab

The Antenna tab displays measurements of Phase, Amplitude, VDD_DR, and VDD_TX. It includes controls for measurement, continuous measurement, and VNA mode.

2.2.3 Wake-up tab

The wake-up mode uses very low power to detect if an object has entered the reader field. The field is switched on for a short time to measure whether an object has entered the field. The measurement provides the I and Q channel values. For more information, see the ST25R300 datasheet (DS14655) and application note (AN6298).

Two graphs show the measured I and Q values. Click the Start button to start wake-up mode. The graphs in pink correspond to the measured values. The blue-colored graphs represent the upper and lower thresholds. The last measured I and Q ADC values are displayed above the two graphs.

Figure 15. Wake-up tab with the configuration shown

The Wake-up tab displays I and Q channel measurements against time, with thresholds indicated. It also shows configuration options for wake-up functionality.

Figure 16. Wake-up configuration shown

The Wake-up configuration settings include options for generic configuration, I and Q channel configuration, and timer features.

Click the Send To Overview button to apply the selected settings to the wake-up functionality provided by the Overview tab (refer to Overview tab).

The timer feature allows to monitor the I/Q values over a fixed time for post-processing (e.g. calculate standard deviation).

2.2.4 Analog config tab

This tab contains important configuration settings required to set chip-specific configurations for different technologies and bitrates at different operating times. The concept of analog configuration is part of the RFAL library and is used throughout the different ST25R devices. See the RFAL user manual (UM2890) for more details.

Figure 17. ST25R300 Analog config tab

The Analog Config tab is organized into Mode, Functions, and Actions sections, allowing detailed configuration of analog parameters.

The Analog Config tab is divided into the Mode, Functions, Actions, and Hashes sections.

• Mode: The Mode section provides a drop-down box containing several chip-specific supported technologies and events. A specific mode can be added to the mode list. This makes it easy to have individual settings for all transmit and receive modes. The CHIP_INIT mode sets global registers that must be used independently of other selected modes. For example, the pull-down of SPI lines can be enabled.
• Functions: The Functions section contains register values associated with modes. A function consists of a name, the corresponding register, a mask, and the required value for the register. Frequently used functions can be selected from the drop-down box and added to the functions list. These functions are already defined and can be selected from a drop-down box.

Attention: Be careful when defining the same registers or functions for multiple entries in the mode list: for example, if a function is added to ISO 14443A and not restored in ISO 14443B mode, it is also applied to ISO 14443B.

• Actions: The Actions buttons complete the analog configuration concept. They read and write information to the board or to the PC.

Note: The Read from board button reads the analog configuration from the connected board. The values currently displayed on the GUI are overwritten.

2.2.5 DPO CR

DPO CR is a software-based feature that allows dynamic control of the transmitter voltage (VDD_DR), driver resistance, and the generated RF field depending on the presence of a PICC. A dynamic RF power adjustment can be useful in challenging environments where strong antenna detuning causes an abrupt increase in driver current and a violation of the maximum allowed field strength in the applicable standard. The dynamic adjustment of output power uses the current measurement capabilities of the ST25R300.

Figure 18. DPO CR panel overview

The DPO CR panel provides controls for dynamic power output adjustment, including target current, threshold, rege, and dres settings.

The DPO function is enabled by clicking on the "Enable DPO" button.

The following section describes the DPO functionality and using the ST25R300.

Figure 19. DPO CR operation

The DPO CR operation illustration shows how current, rege, and dres values change in response to load conditions, demonstrating the dynamic power adjustment.

Figure 20. DPO CR settings

The DPO CR settings allow configuration of target current, hysteresis, rege, and dres parameters, with options for AWS levels.

The parameters are:

• Target current which the algorithm tries to achieve by changing regulator and driver resistance settings.
• Hysteresis threshold to avoid oscillation. The default is 2.
• Power output is adjusted through regulator voltage (rege) and driver resistance (dres). Minimum rege is the lowest driver supply, resulting in lower output power.
• Power output is adjusted through regulator voltage (rege) and driver resistance (dres). Maximum rege is the highest driver supply, resulting in higher output power.
• Power output is adjusted through regulator voltage (rege) and driver resistance (dres). Minimum dres results in lowest driver resistance and highest output power.
• Power output is adjusted through regulator voltage (rege) and driver resistance (dres). Maximum dres results in highest driver resistance and lowest output power.
• AWS levels can be used to define waveshape settings depending on the regulated voltage chosen by the algorithm.

The behavior of DPO CR can be observed by pressing the Continuous measure button. Then, the ST25R300 emits a continuous carrier with basic A/B polling, and displays the measured current, rege and dres values, and DPO status in the GUI.

The DPO CR area in the status bar at the bottom right displays the actual AWS level used by the algorithm. It is depicted by the background color (blue, green, yellow, or pink). The area is updated during continuous measurement, displaying the rege voltage and the dres value used by the regulation algorithm. The dres value is marked with an indicator showing when the limit set is reached: the character '_' denotes that the minimum dres value is reached, and the character '^' denotes that the maximum value is reached. Typically, DPO CR is used to reduce the generated field in close proximity to the reader.

Figure 21. Load and Save DPO dataset

The Load file and Save file buttons allow users to manage DPO CR parameters, loading from or saving to files.

The Load file button enables to restore DPO CR parameters from a file, tune them using the GUI until a satisfying configuration has been found, and save them thanks to the Save file button.

The Read from board button enables reading the current configuration used by the firmware within the connected board. The Write to board button allows writing the configuration displayed by the GUI to the board into volatile memory (RAM). This means that these parameters are lost after the board is reset or removed from the PC. To write the configuration permanently in persistent memory, click on the checkbox Store to flash and press the Write to board button: the configuration is applied to the board and remains after reset or removal of the board.

AWS

AWS (active wave shaping) is a feature of the ST25R300. It lets the user control the shaping of the rising and falling edges of the modulated signal. Choosing the number of levels makes more GUI features available, which let the user additionally influence the wave-shaping feature of ST25R300 depending on regulator setting and used technology. The DPO tab lets the user control the static AWS configuration of the ST25R300 in a more flexible way:

• Adjust transients for the waveshapes with slow to fast preset values
• Fine-tune RF undershoot and overshoot patterns per power level and mode
• More granular adjustments of driver resistance
• Selection of modulation index used for each DPO level.

Figure 22. Analog configuration with DPO modes

The figure shows various analog configurations with DPO modes, including settings for NFC-A and NFC-B technologies.

The active wave shaping in ST25R300 is accomplished primarily by using the corresponding AWS registers. Refer to the document for more details.

These parameters are stored and transferred to the analog configuration settings and are automatically parsed while switching to the DPO CR tab.

As a result, the user finds the following new modes controlling AWS:

• DPO_A_106_Level0
• DPO_A_106_Level1
• DPO_A_106_Level2
• DPO_A_106_Level3
• DPO_B_106_Level0
• DPO_B_106_Level1
• DPO_B_106_Level2
• DPO_B_106_Level3

They contain functions with register settings for mode A and B, with distinct parameters for up to four power levels.

Figure 23. DPO CR tab

The DPO CR tab displays parameters for different power levels, including NFC-A and NFC-B undershoot/overshoot protection.

Figure 24. Choose a power level set of parameters

Users can select a power level set by clicking on the corresponding bar, which updates the registers and wave shape background color.

The user can either set manually undershoot/overshoot register value both NFC-A and NFC-B, or click on the tick boxes. The corresponding register value is updated too.

Once the continuous measure button is pressed, the current AWS parameters are saved to the board, and alternatively WUPA and WUPB commands are continuously sent. This feature allows quickly fine-tuning and directly seeing the effect with a scope, without going through the different tabs provided by the tool.

New parameters are sent to the firmware when restarting the continuous measure.

The AWS settings are shared with the analog configuration tab. They are updated when switching back to the analog configuration tab. The log window shows:

Figure 25. Log confirming export of AWS registers

The log confirms the successful export of active waveshaping configurations to the Analog Config tab.

This allows the user to review them and uses the actions documented in the Analog Config tab chapter. For example: save a file or generate custom code.

Debug tab

The Debug tab allows the user to access the STEVAL-25R300KA at lower levels. Specifically, the user can explore the different technologies in detail using the NFC-A / ISO 14443A, NFC-B / ISO 14443B, and NFC-V / ISO 15693 subtabs. The Low level subtab is not dedicated to a specific technology. It allows the user to control the assembled reader chip using chip specific commands as specified in the DS13658 datasheet.

2.3.1 NFC-A / ISO 14443A tab

Figure 28. NFC-A/ISO 14443A tab

The NFC-A / ISO 14443A tab facilitates the execution and debugging of NFC-A technology stages according to NFC Forum™/ISO 14443A standards, guiding the user through the process.

The NFC-A / ISO 14443A tab allows the execution/debugging of the different stages of NFC-A technology in accordance with the NFC Forum™/ISO 14443A standard. The GUI highlights the next button to click to assist the user. If the button is clicked and the operation is successful, the next suggested button is highlighted in blue. If a card is present, successful communication guides the user through the TechnologyDetection and CollisionResolution steps. The user then activates the card by clicking HandleActivation. After activation of the card, the user sends predefined or custom commands to the card using the Transceive button.

Note: NFC Forum and the NFC Forum logo are trademarks of the Near Field Communication Forum.

2.3.2 NFC-B / ISO 14443B tab

Figure 29. NFC-B / ISO 14443B tab

The NFC-B / ISO 14443B tab provides functionality to execute/debug NFC-B communication stages according to the NFC Forum™/ISO 14443B standard, with GUI assistance for the next steps.

The NFC-B / ISO 14443B tab provides functionality to execute/debug the different stages of NFC-B communication according to the NFC Forum™/ISO 14443B standard. The GUI assists to the user by highlighting a suggestion of the next button to press. The highlighted buttons take the user through the Initialize, Technology Detection, CollisionResolution, and HandleActivation steps.

2.3.3 NFC-F/Felica tab

Figure 30. NFC-F / FeliCa tab

The NFC-F / Felica tab enables the execution and debugging of NFC-F communication stages according to the NFC Forum/FeliCa standard, with GUI guidance for the next steps.

The NFC-F / Felica tab provides functionality to execute/debug the different stages of NFC-F communication according to the NFC Forum/FeliCa standard. The GUI assists to the user by highlighting a suggestion of the next button to press. The highlighted buttons take the user through the Initialize, TechnologyDetection, and CollisionResolution steps.

2.3.4 NFC-V / ISO 15693 tab

Figure 31. NFC-V / ISO 15693 tab

The NFC-V / ISO 15693 tab allows execution and debugging of NFC-V communication stages per NFC Forum™/ISO 15693, with GUI highlighting for Initialize, CheckPresence, and CollisionResolution steps, and the ability to read card memory blocks.

The NFC-V / ISO 15693 tab provides functionality to execute/debug the different stages of NFC-V communication according to NFC Forum™/ISO 15693. It provides help to the user by highlighting buttons to press. The highlighted buttons guide the user through the Initialize, CheckPresence, and CollisionResolution steps. After that, it is possible to execute ReadSingleBlock(s) to read one block of the card memory.

2.3.5 Low level tab

Figure 32. Low level tab

The Low level tab provides direct control of the ST25R300 reader on the board, as detailed in the ST25R300 datasheet (DS14655).

The Low level tab allows direct control of the ST25R300 reader mounted on the board. For details, see the ST25R300 datasheet (DS14655).

Other dialog boxes and panels

3.1 Register map

In the menu, click View > Register Map to open the register map.

Figure 33. Open the register map

The Register Map window, shown in the figure below, is a view that displays all registers and their values. It also allows changes to the register settings.

Figure 34. Register map

The Register Map displays registers with their addresses and hexadecimal values, allowing bit-level toggling for adjustable settings.

When the Register Map window is open, it displays a list of register names with their addresses on the left side. On the right side, it shows the register values in hexadecimal. Between the register names and the register values, there are also 8 bits, which represent the current contents of the registers. Click on a bit to toggle the state from 1 to 0, or vice versa. This feature is disabled for some read-only registers. When it is the case, the register bits are grayed out.

3.2 Updating the firmware

To update the firmware, do one of the following:

• Click the Update Firmware button in the Board Info tab.
• In the top menu, click Help > Firmware Update.
• Press CTRL + F.

The Firmware update dialog box illustrated below allows the flashing of firmware on the MCU of the ST25R300 evaluation board directly from the ST25R300 Eval GUI. The GUI comes with firmware for the evaluation board.

The firmware combo box shows all the pieces of firmware located in the firmware folder specified by the firmware dir parameter. The latest version of the firmware can be found at st.com. Clicking the Update Firmware (using mass storage transfer) button flashes the firmware to the board. If multiple boards are connected, ensure that the correct board is selected in the Boards combo box.

Figure 35. Firmware update

The Firmware update dialog allows selecting firmware files and updating the evaluation board's MCU via ST-LINK, with options to scan for connected boards.

3.3 Logging

The Logging window is at the bottom of the GUI. It can be enabled/disabled in the View menu by selecting Show/Hide > Logging. It shows the entire communication between the GUI and the connected reader. Any request from the GUI is displayed in gray, while a positive response is displayed in green.

Figure 36. Logging

The Logging window displays communication between the GUI and the reader, with requests in gray and responses in green. Red font indicates communication failure.

If the communication fails for any reason, this is indicated by a red font in the Logging window.

3.4 Help panel

To the right of each tab, there is a help panel that provides basic information about the current tab.

Figure 37. Overview

The Overview help panel provides a summary of the STEVAL-25R300 NFC reader's main features, including wake-up and polling functionalities.

3.5 Configuration manager

Figure 38. Configuration manager

The Configuration manager allows loading and storing bundles of analog Configs and DPO CR configurations in files or firmware (RAM or persistent flash).

The config manager allows to load and store complete bundles of analog Configs and DPO CR configuration in files and also in firmware - either RAM or with "Make persistent" also into an STM32 flash page.

Revision history

Table 1. Document revision history

List of tables

Table 1. Document revision history.

List of figures

The document lists figures from Figure 1 to Figure 38, detailing their respective page numbers.