Can I get some clarification regarding pipes and addresses?

[JimR]

Hi,

I've asked a few questions previously regarding programming of the nRF24L01/+ for simple data interchange between two devices, and my questions were answered -- many thanks.

However I still don't seem to be able to get a PTX and a PRX device to 'talk' to each other, and I think it may be because I'm not doing the right thing regarding setting up the pipes and addresses. I've read through the relevant pages in the nRF24L01+ data sheet, but I must be 'thick' because I can't get things straight. I've also looked through the code in the RF24 library (for Arduinos), but to be honest I can't see how the functions work in that library -- or how the 'Getting Started.ino' example works, especially for PTX mode.

At present I'm setting 'Radio 0' to receive using pipe 0, and leaving its TX_ADDR at &H30E7E7E7E7E7, while 'Radio 1' is set to receive on pipe 1 with its address set to &H30C2C2C2C2C2 -- is that wrong? Then when either radio is set to PTX mode or PRX mode, I simply clear or set the PRX bit in the chip's CONFIG register -- with the CE line pulsed high for 20us in PTX mode, after loading the transmit data into the fifo.

There must be something wrong with the above, but I can't see what it is. I guess I'm also confused about the ACK packet which seems to be sent by the PRX device -- this is sent ahead of the returned payload, is it not?

I hope you can make sense of the above, and provide some clarification please.

Thanks, Jim

[Hung Bui]

Sorry, I meant "Appendix A" not "Appendix 1".

The nRF24 can listen to 6 different pipes (6 address) at the same time, you don't have to match the pipe on the PTX with the pipe on PRX. They don't care about pipe, the address is what they use to match.

There are many reasons that your chips don't communicate. We can think of there could be smth wrong with the firmware you use to test the chip. Have you made sure you can write and read the register on the chip normally ? Have you make sure the RF hardware part is done correctly ? Can you send the schematic and layout ? And a close up photo of your board ?