SIM300 Breakout Board Probots Starter Guide

Contents
1) 2) 3) 4) Features Testing the board Using the board Troubleshooting and getting help

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1. Features
A breakout board for the SIM300. The SIM300 is an all in one GSM/GPRS compact module. With an industry-standard serial interface, the SIM300 offers GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900MHz performance for carrying out voice, SMS, data, and Fax operation all in one small sized module that is perfect for integration in any handheld device. Use this breakout board to make GSM based calls, send messages (SMS), etc through a serial interface from a microcontroller or a computer. This breakout board comes with a SIM300 module soldered onto the breakout board through the module's ultra-fine board to board connector, which is quite tough to solder by hand. The board brings out all the pins of the SIM300 to individual holes on either edges, with clear pin labeling for rapid prototyping and development. Header pins, berg sticks or wires can be soldered onto these holes and taken out to an external circuit. The board also comes with a SIM Card holder that is wired to the appropriate pins on SIM300. The SIM300 module comes with a wire antenna, which provided good performance and reception. For better reception, an external antenna can be added to the breakout board by soldering an SMA connector to it. This breakout board can be easily interfaced with AT commands over a TTL serial interface, which makes it easy to connect it to microcontrollers, computers, and other devices. Uses the extremely popular SIM300 GSM module Provides serial TTL interface for easy and direct interface to microcontrollers Power Indicator LED for easy debugging Onboard buzzer for general audio indication Can be used for GSM based Voice communications, Data/Fax, SMS,GPRS and TCP/IP stack Can be controlled through standard AT commands Comes with an onboard wire antenna for better reception. Board provides an option for adding an external antenna through an SMA connector The SIM300 allows an adjustable serial baudrate from 1200 to 115200 bps Modem a low power consumption of 0.25 A during normal operations and around 1 A during transmission Operating Voltage: 3.4V to 4.5V

2. Testing the board

Insert a SIM card into the SIM tray on the board Connect the board to a computer or a microcontroller capable of issuing commands through a serial interface. Power the board with a input voltage in the range of 3.4V to 4.5V To read the text being sent by the modem, you will need a serial monitoring software. Windows has a built in serial monitoring software called Hyperterminal. Run it at Start > Programs -> Accessories -> Communications -> Hyperterminal Enter connection name,
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 Select the serial port to which the modem is connected under the Connect Using option(usually COM1) Select Baudrate of 9600 and Flow control as none. The board works on a serial communication that can work within a wide range of speeds from 1200 bps to 1152000 bps Enter AT in the Hyperterminal and press enter, the board will echo OK if everything is properly setup

3. Using the board Power Input

The operates within an input voltage range of 3.4 to 4.5V. The power input is to be given to the +V and the Gnd pins. The positive supply to +V and negative to Gnd. The power input to these pins is directly supplied to the onboard SIM300 hence, please take care to provide a voltage within the supported input voltage range and to observe polarity when applying the voltage. If improper input voltage is applied, you might risk permanent damage to the module and render the board useless. The SIM300 takes a lot of current during transmission of signals. These surge currents may go upto 1 - 1.5A. Make sure your power supply can handle such large current draws.

Serial Tx and Rx lines

All communication between the module takes place between the serial transmit and receive lines marked Tx and Rx on the board. These pins are provided along with the power pins - +V and Gnd. The Tx line of the breakout board should be connected to the Rx line of the microcontroller or the computer and the Rx line of the breakout board should be connected to the Tx line of the microcontroller or the computer. The maximum voltage that can be applied to the Rx line of the breakout board without casing damage to the module is 0.3V + the operating voltage operating voltage. So if you are running the board on 3.6V, the maximum voltage you can apply on the Rx line without damaging the module is 3.9V. You may use appropriate signal regulation circuits to achieve this. A simple resistor divider should also work fine. Also, make sure that the breakout board and you microcontroller, computers serial port or any circuit issuing the serial commands have a common ground. To do this connect the Gnd pin of the breakout board to the Gnd pin of the microcontroller or the serial port. This will provide a return path for the current carried the signals between the two circuits.

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You will have to use standard AT commands to interface with the modem. Here are some of the common GSM operations that can be achieved using the board a) To Dial a Number To dial a number you will have to send the command -> ATD NUM; where NUM is the number you want to dial. For instance to dial 9008620582, send the command ATD 9008620852; To disconnect the number use the command ATH To redial a number use the command ATDL b) To Send a SMS To send SMS send the command -> AT+CMGF=1 Modem will then send the text -> OK Then send -> AT+CMGS="NUM" where NUM is the number you want to send the SMS to. Modem will then send the text - TYPE THE MESSAGE> Enter the message and then press ctrl+z to send SMS Here are a few useful AT commands for changing the settings To change the baudrate AT+IPR=BAUDRATE(Ex 9600) For more details refer AT commands Document page 33 To save the settings AT&W To restore factory defaults type AT&F then save it by sending AT&W

Things to keep in mind when using the SIM300 breakout board The GSM Modem consumes a lot of current during transmission, make sure your power supply can handle large currents without giving substantial voltage drops at the output If the GSM Modem is unable to connect to the network, try coming to a place with clear surroundings for best reception The SIM Card holder used on the Modem is quite delicate and can easily break upon rough use. Use it with care and caution

5. Troubleshooting and Getting Help

We are committed to ensure that our customers' projects, designs and research go as efficiently and as smoothly as possible. And for this we promise and provide an excellent after-sales support facility. Due to the nature of the products we sell, we are sure to receive a lot of request for support. In anticipation of this, we have created a separate section, "Resources", where we have many tutorials covering how to use our products. Your first step to seek support from us would be to surf through the "Resources" section for answers to your query.
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If our "Resources" section doesn't address your query, mail us directly at info@probots.co.in for further support. When you contact us for support, please keep the following things in mind you will have to provide us with the invoice information(order no., date of purchase, etc.) provide us with all the required details(operating system being used, compiler being used, etc) do not ask us questions or doubts about products we do not sell do not contact us 2 days before a project deadline for any sort of immediate or urgent support do not mail us a rephrased version of your project contact us only if you know what you are doing, do not expect any sort of help from our side otherwise

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