3.2 Operating Modes Overview
After connecting the supply voltage to the VS pin, the ATA8510/15 always starts in OFFMode. Disconnect all internal circuits from the power supply. Therefore, no SPI communication is supported. The user can wake up the ATA8510/15 by activating the PWRON pin or one of the NPWRONx pins. This triggers the power-on sequence. After the system initialization, the ATA8510/15 reaches the IDLEMode.
The IDLEMode is the basic system mode supporting the SPI communication and transitions to all other operating modes. There are two options of the IDLEMode requiring configuration in the EEPROM settings:
- IDLEMode(RC) with low power consumption using the fast RC (FRC) oscillator for processing
- IDLEMode(XTO) with active crystal oscillator for high accuracy clock output or timing measurements
The Transmit mode (TXMode) enables data transmission using the selected service/channel configurations. The Set System Mode SPI command enables the TXMode, or directly after power-on, when selected in the EEPROM setting. For more details, refer to the ATA8510/15 Industrial User's Guide (DS50003142).
The Receive mode (RXMode) provides data reception on the selected service/channel configuration. The precondition for data reception is a valid preamble. The receiver continuously scans for a valid telegram and receives the data if all pre-configured checks are successful. The RXMode can be enabled by the Set System Mode SPI command or directly after power-on when selected in the EEPROM setting. For more details, refer to the ATA8510/15 Industrial User's Guide (DS50003142).
In PollingMode, the user activates the receiver for a short period of time to check for a valid telegram on the selected service/channel configurations. The user deactivates the receiver if there is no valid telegram and a sleep period with very low power consumption elapses. This process is repeated periodically in accordance with the polling configuration. The initial settings (stored in the EEPROM) are copied to the SRAM during the firmware initialization. This allows modification of the PollingMode timing and service/channel configuration during IDLEMode.
The Tune and Check mode (TCMode) offers a calibration and self-checking functionality for the Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) and Fast Resistor Capacitor (FRC) oscillators as well as for antenna tuning, temperature measurement and polling cycle accuracy. Use the Calibrate and Check SPI command to activate this mode. When selected in the EEPROM settings, use the tune and check tasks during the system initialization after the power-on. Furthermore, the user can activate them periodically during PollingMode. For more details, refer to the ATA8510/15 Industrial User's Guide (DS50003142).
The following table shows the relations between the operating modes and their corresponding power supplies, clock sources and Sleep mode settings.
Operation Mode | AVR Sleep Mode | DVCC | AVCC | VS_PA | XTO | SRC | FRC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OFFMode | — | OFF | OFF | OFF | OFF | OFF | OFF |
IDLEMode(RC) | Active mode Power-down(1) | ON | OFF OFF | OFF OFF | OFF OFF | ON ON | ON OFF |
IDLEMode(XTO) | Active mode Power-down(1) | ON ON | OFF OFF | ON ON | ON ON | OFF OFF | |
TXMode | Active mode | ON | ON(2) | ON | ON | OFF | |
RXMode | Active mode | ON | OFF | ON | ON | OFF | |
PollingMode(RC)
| Active mode Power-down(1) | ON OFF | OFF OFF | ON OFF | ON ON | ON OFF | |
PollingMode(XTO)
| Active mode Power-down(1) | ON ON | OFF OFF | ON ON | ON ON | OFF OFF |
- During the IDLEMode(RC) and the IDLEMode(XTO), the AVR microcontroller enters into Sleep mode to reduce current consumption. The Sleep mode of the microcontroller section can be defined in the EEPROM. The Power-down mode is recommended for keeping current consumption low.
- Only activated in the 5V application after setting the VS5V bit. This is selectable in the EEPROM setting. For more details, refer to the ATA8510/15 Industrial User's Guide (DS50003142).