30-Minute Quick Start Guide

中文

Follow this step-by-step guide and you’ll have your first LED blinking program running on the development board within 30 minutes.

Preparation (10–15 minutes, first time only)

Hardware Checklist

Item	Description
Dev Board / Module	Lierda LTE-EC71X series module or development board
SIM Card	Activated 4G SIM card (required for networking, not needed for LED blinking)
USB Cable	Micro-USB or Type-C (depends on board model), for connecting to PC
PC	Windows 10/11

Software Checklist

Item	Description
SDK Source Code	GitHub Repository / Gitee Repository
Code Editor	Visual Studio Code or any text editor (only for viewing and editing source code; compilation is handled by the tool)
USB Driver	Download lierdaCat1usbSetup_V3.4.4.exe, Lierda ports will appear in Device Manager after installation (Installation Guide)
Lierda Tools (Flash Tool)	Download lierda_upgrade_tool_latest.zip, integrates compilation and flashing (User Guide)

Tip: You don’t need to install GCC or set up the build environment yourself — Lierda Tools includes the complete toolchain.

Step 1: Understand the SDK Structure (2 minutes)

The SDK has three layers. You only need to focus on the top user layer:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  User Layer    examples/                │ ← Where you write code
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  System Layer  components/              │ ← SDK capabilities (drivers, network, OS)
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Base Package  components/basePkg/      │ ← Communication protocol stack (read-only)
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

User Layer: Your code goes in the examples/ directory; the entry point is void user_main(void)
System Layer: SDK-provided drivers, FreeRTOS, MQTT/HTTP and other middleware
Base Package Layer: Communication protocol stack maintained by Lierda, separated by module model — just pick the right one

Step 2: Hardware Connection (1 minute)

Connect the development board to your PC with a USB cable:

After connecting, open Windows Device Manager and verify that Lierda ports are visible (as shown below). If not, the USB driver is not installed correctly — please install the driver first.

Step 3: Identify Your Module Model (1 minute)

Check the silkscreen on the module’s shielding can to find the model number:

_images/quick_run_demo/module_NT26F6D0.png

For example, if the silkscreen reads NT26F6D0, look up the corresponding base package name F6D_A in the table below:

Currently supported versions and models (latest mapping available in rules/Makefile.modem):

Base Package	Chip	Compatible Modules	Notes
F6D_A	EC718PM	NT26F6D0	D series general version
F6D_GL	EC718PM	NT26F6D0_GL	D series global version
K2B_A	EC716E	NT26K2B1	B series, no full OTA support

Remember these two values for later: Module model = NT26F6D0, Base package = F6D_A

Step 4: Configure the Project (2 minutes)

We’ll run an LED blinking demo. Two things need to be changed.

4.1 Edit the Root Makefile

Open the Makefile in the SDK root directory and find the following three variables. Set them to match your module:

export PROJECT    ?= demo
export MODEM      ?= NT26F6D0
export MODEMPKG   ?= F6D_A

PROJECT: The project to compile — use demo here (the built-in example project)
MODEM: Your module model, use the value confirmed in the previous step
MODEMPKG: Base package name, use the value found in the previous step

4.2 Enable the LED Demo

Open the examples/demo/config file, find EXDEMO_WS2812B_EN, and set it to y:

EXDEMO_WS2812B_EN=y

This ensures the WS2812B LED example code is included during compilation.

Checkpoint: The three Makefile variables are set correctly, and the LED demo switch is enabled in the config file.

Step 5: Build (3 minutes)

5.1 Build with Lierda Tools (Recommended)

Open Lierda Tools
Click “Browse” next to “Application Folder Path” and select the examples/demo folder under the SDK root (e.g., D:\CAT1.bis_OpenCPU\examples\demo)
Click “Browse” next to “Base Package Path” and select the components/basePkg/F6D_A folder under the SDK root (matching your base package name)
Click the Build button

The first build takes about 1–3 minutes. A “Build Successful” message means everything is fine.

Step 6: Flash to the Development Board (2 minutes)

6.1 Enter Download Mode

Before flashing, the module must enter download mode:

Method 1: Hold the BOOT button on the board, press the RESET button (or re-plug USB), then release BOOT
Method 2: Click “Full Download” in Lierda Tools — the tool will prompt you to enter download mode, then perform the above operation

Tip: The BOOT and RESET buttons are usually located on the edge of the board with silkscreen labels nearby. If you can’t find them, check the back of the board for button annotations.

6.2 Click Full Download

Verify that the Lierda download port is visible in Device Manager
Click Full Download in Lierda Tools
The tool will automatically detect the port → flash the firmware → reboot the device upon completion

_images/quick_run_demo/tools_download.png

Checkpoint: Flash progress reaches 100% and the device reboots automatically.

Step 7: See the Result (1 minute)

7.1 Observe the LED

After flashing, the device reboots automatically. If everything is correct, you’ll see the WS2812B LED cycling through colors every 500ms:

The corresponding code logic (located in the examples/demo/src/ directory):

void liot_ws2812b_demo_thread(void *argv)
{
    RGBColor_TypeDef gRGBColor[WS2812B_LED_NUM] = {0};
    uint8_t R = 0x00, G = 0x00, B = 0x00;

    ws2812b_init();

    while(1)
    {
        for(int i = 0; i < WS2812B_LED_NUM; i++) {
            RGBColor_Set(gRGBColor, i, R, G, B);
        }
        ws2812b_send_data(gRGBColor, WS2812B_LED_NUM);
        R += 0x20;  if(R > 0xff) R = 0x00;
        G += 0x40;  if(G > 0xff) G = 0x00;
        B += 0x60;  if(B > 0xff) B = 0x00;

        liot_rtos_task_sleep_ms(500);
    }
    liot_rtos_task_delete(NULL);
}

7.2 View Serial Logs

To confirm the program is running, you can check the serial log output:

Open Lierda Tools
Select the COM port corresponding to Lierda At Port
Set baud rate to 115200
Click the Start Print button

After the program starts, the serial port will print something like (values may vary depending on actual memory conditions):

hello word! Total Heap Size [xxxxx] Byte, Free Heap Size [xxxxx] Byte

Seeing this log confirms your program is running successfully.

What’s Next

Congratulations! You’ve completed the entire process from zero to blinking LED. Choose your next direction based on your project needs:

FAQ

Symptom	Possible Cause	Solution
Lierda ports not visible in Device Manager	USB driver not installed or installation failed	Reinstall USB driver and restart PC; make sure you’re using a data cable, not a charging-only cable
Build error `PROJECT not found`	`PROJECT` name misspelled in Makefile	Check that it’s set to `demo`, watch for case sensitivity
Build error: base package not found	`MODEMPKG` is incorrect or directory doesn’t exist	Verify the base package name from Step 3; confirm the folder exists under `components/basePkg/`
Port not detected during flashing	Device not in download mode	Retry: hold BOOT → press RESET → release BOOT; or try a different USB cable
Flash successful but LED doesn’t light up	LED demo switch not enabled in config, or board has no WS2812B LED	Confirm `EXDEMO_WS2812B_EN=y` is set; verify your board has a WS2812B LED onboard
Flash successful but no serial log output	Wrong COM port or incorrect baud rate	Confirm you selected the COM port for `Lierda At Port`, baud rate 115200
SDK path contains Chinese characters or spaces after extraction	Toolchain doesn’t support Chinese characters in paths	Extract SDK to a pure English path with no spaces, e.g., `D:\CAT1.bis_OpenCPU\`

Still stuck? Join the Lierda technical support group for help, or submit an Issue on the GitHub / Gitee repository.

Want to try other demos?

Edit the examples/demo/config file, set the desired feature switch to y, then rebuild and flash. For example, to try MQTT:

EXDEMO_MQTT_EN=y

Want to develop your own project?

It’s recommended to start from the examples/app project. Copy the app directory and rename it to your project name, write your logic in user_main.c, and change PROJECT in the Makefile to your project name.

Feature Development Reference:

Direction	Recommended Documentation
GPIO / PWM / ADC Peripheral Control	GPIO Guide, PWM Guide, ADC Guide
UART / SPI / I2C Communication	UART Guide, SPI Guide, I2C Guide
Network Data Call	Data Call Guide
MQTT / HTTP Cloud Communication	MQTT Guide, HTTP Guide
Socket / SSL Network Programming	Socket Guide, SSL Guide
File System	File System Guide
Low Power Optimization	Low Power Mode
OTA Remote Upgrade	FOTA Guide
TTS Voice Playback	TTS Guide
Audio	Audio Guide
Secure Boot	Secure Boot Configuration
Full API Reference	API Overview
Hardware Pin Assignment	Pin Multiplexing Table
System Resources & Chip Specifications	System Resource Introduction

Tool Documentation:

Tool	Documentation
Flash Tool Detailed Usage	Lierda Cellular Firmware Flash Tool Guide
USB Driver Installation	USB Driver Installation Guide
Log Capture & Analysis	Log Mechanism
Dump Analysis	Dump Analysis Guide
Packet Capture & Debugging	Packet Capture Guide