Introduction Are you ready to hit the airwaves and add to your project? With the line of products, you’re much closer than you think to replacing those pesky, tangled RX and TX wires with 2.4GHz wireless communication. Each of these modules has a Bluetooth transceiver on it, meaning they’re capable of both sending and receiving data. They’re perfect for directly replacing a wired. Free of wires, your devices can be up to 100 meters away from each other. On top of those benefits, these modules are also very easy to use.

Silver Stack Set Keygen. * Click on GENERATE KEY catch and let the GRID 2 CD- Key stack the serial key for couple of minutes. Acrobat 11 Amtlib Dll Fixer. Shock Infinite CD- Key Free.

There’s no messing with Bluetooth protocols or the stack, just send data over a serial interface, and it’s piped through to whatever Bluetooth module to which it’s connected. In this tutorial we’ll cover everything you need to know about these Bluetooth modules. We’ll begin with an overview of the hardware, and the differences between each device. Then we’ll get into hardware hookup and example Arduino code. Materials and Tools For starters, you’ll need one of the four Bluetooth modems we’ll be covering in this tutorial: the,,,. The modules all function in the same way, so this tutorial is applicable to all four. Wireless communication won’t do you any good unless you have two devices that can talk to each other!

These Bluetooth modems can talk to any other Bluetooth device that supports SPP. That (long) list includes other BlueSMiRFs or Bluetooth Mates, or Bluetooth modules embedded into your computer, or even your smartphone. If your computer doesn’t already have a Bluetooth module in it, you can plug a into an available USB slot. We’ll also need something to talk to the Bluetooth modem on the serial end. This will usually be a microcontroller of some sort.

In this tutorial we’ll be using an. Finally, in order to interface to the Bluetooth modem, you’ll need to solder headers or wires to it. So you’ll need a simple and. This topic is covered further in the section. Suggested Reading First and foremost, check out the if you want to learn some of the general concepts behind this nifty wireless standard.

It’d also be good if you’re familiar with these concepts: • • • •. Hardware Overview SMiRF? What’s the Difference? The “Silver” and “Gold” designations of these modules indicates whether they use an or an. The Silvers use the RN-42, and the Gold uses an RN-41.

The difference between those two modules? Range and transmit power.

The RN-41 is a class 1 Bluetooth module, so it can communicate at up to 100 meters, but it also transmits at a higher power (meaning shorter battery life). The RN-42 is class 2, which limits the transmit range to about 10 meters. The difference between Mate and SMiRF all comes down to the pin-out of the six-pin header. If you flip each of the boards over, and look at the pin labels, this is what you’ll see: The pinout of the Mate matches that of products like the and the. It’s a “standardized” pinout for a serial interface and power supply combination. This pinout allows the Mate to be plugged directly into the serial header of and.

A Bluetooth Mate can be plugged directly into the serial header of an Arduino Pro. That’s all there is to this whole Mate/SMiRF/Silver/Gold debacle: transmit range and pinout. Besides that, everything else on these boards is the exact same – schematic, command interface, size, you name it. Design Overview The RN-42 and RN-41 are pin-for-pin compatible, so the schematic for each of these boards is the same. The only difference exists at the connector pin-out for the Mate and SMiRF. Click the image below to see a bigger view of the schematic (or click to see it in PDF form).

Key to the design are level shifting circuits between the RN-41/42’s serial pins, and the output header. The maximum operating voltage of the Roving Networks modules is 3.3V, so these enable a device operating at 5V (like an Arduino) to safely communicate with the Bluetooth modems.

There is also a linear 3.3V regulator on the board, so a voltage from 3.3V to 6V can be used to supply power to the module. The boards also include two LEDs. There’s a red “Stat” LED, and a green “Connect” LED. These can be used to determine what state the Bluetooth module is in. Finally, be aware of where the antenna is – give it some room to breathe.

Don’t place it near any big chunks of metal or enclose it in a Faraday cage, and you should be just fine. The Pinouts Each of the four Bluetooth boards breaks out six pins. Four pins are devoted to the serial interface, and the other two are for power. Pin Label Pin Function Input, Output, Power? Description RTS-O Request to send Output RTS is used for hardware flow control in some serial interfaces. This output is not critical for simple serial communication. RX-I Serial receive Input This pin receives serial data from another device.

It should be connected to the TX of the other device. TX-O Serial transmit Output This pin sends serial data to another device. It should be connected to the RX of the other device.

VCC Voltage supply Power In This voltage supply signal is routed through a 3.3V regulator, then routed to the Bluetooth module. It should range from 3.3V to 6V. CTS-I Clear to send Input CTS is another serial flow control signal. Like RTS, it's not required for most, simple serial interfaces.

GND Ground Power In The 0V reference voltage, common to any other device connected to the Bluetooth modem. Powering the Modules These Bluetooth devices are designed to work seamlessly in both 3.3V and 5V systems.

The voltage supplied to the VCC/GND pins can be anywhere between 3.3V and 6V. Voltages on the input serial and control signals (RX-I and CTS-I) can be anywhere between 3.3V and 5V. The output signals (TX-O and RTS-O) will range from 0V for a LOW logic level, and VCC for a HIGH. That means if you power them at 6V, the TX and RTS signals will output up to 6V.

The current consumption of a modem depends on what it’s doing at the time. It can be as low as 0.026mA when the device is asleep, and as high as 50mA when data is being transmitted. This table from the datasheet provides some good estimates: Connecting a device up to the Bluetooth modems is as easy as applying power and wiring up the serial RX and TX pins.

What do we send over that serial interface, though? That’s where we need to look at the the firmware and the Bluetooth module’s operation modes. Hardware Hookup Assembly Happily, most of the assembly on these modules is done for you; you don’t need to learn how to solder SMD components just yet. However, before you can begin using these Bluetooth modules, you’ll need to solder something into the six plated-through-holes to form a solid electrical connection. What you solder into the holes depends mostly on what you’re going to connect the device to. If you’ve got a Bluetooth Mate, and want to connect it directly to an Arduino Pro, you may want to throw a on there. Another good option, which makes the board breadboard-compatible, is.

A third, ever-reliable option is to solder directly to the holes. Right-angle male or female headers are good options for assembly.

They make the modules breadboard or compatible. Connecting Everything Together We need to connect the Bluetooth modems to devices that can send and receive serial signals. These are serial signals, make sure you don’t confuse that with RS-232! Voltages should be between 3.3V and 5V.

There are loads of options here, for this tutorial we’ll use an Arduino. Instead of connecting the Bluetooth modem to the Arduino’s lone hardware UART, we’ll use and connect the modem’s RX and TX pins to any of the Arduino’s free digital pins. This will help to avoid bus contention and will make sure the Bluetooth modem doesn’t receive any spurious data during a sketch upload.

Here’s the connections we’ll make for the example code later in this tutorial: Note that this is a Bluetooth Mate shown in the Fritzing diagram, the BlueSMiRF will have a different pinout. TX-O is connected to D2 of the Arduino, RX-I is connected to D3, GND goes to GND, and VCC goes to 5V. The CTS-I and RTS-O pins are left floating.

The TX-O and RX-I pins could really be connected to any digital pin (besides 0 and 1), so if you need 2 and 3 for something else, feel free to move those around. Half of the hardware hookup is done. We still need to create a wireless connection to another Bluetooth device. Before we can delve further into that, though, we need to understand more about the Bluetooth modem’s firmware. Firmware Overview A is all it takes to control these Bluetooth modules and send data through them.

They act, essentially, like a data pipeline. Serial data that goes into the module (from the RX-I pin), is passed out the Bluetooth connection.

Data coming in from the Bluetooth side is passed out the serial side (out the TX-O pin). Establishing this data pipeline is a two step process. First, we need to connect something capable of sending and receiving serial data to the header of the Bluetooth modem.

We achieved this in the phase by connecting an Arduino to the serial header, but any microcontroller with a UART could work. With the device connected we need to to work at the same baud rate the the modem is configured to – they default to 115200 bps (8-N-1).

Secondly, on the Bluetooth end of things, we need to establish a wireless connection between the modem and another Bluetooth device. The only stipulation here is the other Bluetooth device must support SPP (which most do).

This connection involves a pairing process similar to connecting any other Bluetooth devices together. More on that later. Let’s talk a bit more about the serial interface. Data and Command Modes Controlling the Bluetooth module and sending data through it are two very separate operations, but they’re both done via the serial interface. To differentiate between these two forms of data, the Bluetooth modules implement two different communication modes. Command mode is used to configure the Bluetooth module.

Characteristics like the device name, baud rate, PIN code, and data rate can be adjusted in command mode. This is also where action commands are sent to the module, which can tell it to connect to a device or scan for other modules. In data mode, the Bluetooth module acts as a transparent data gateway. Any data received over the Bluetooth connection is routed out the module’s TX pin. And data sent to the module’s RX pin is piped out over the Bluetooth connection. To enter command mode from data mode, the host controller needs to send a string of three $ symbols ( $$$). Configuration Timer The configuration timer is the one obstacle to watch out for when entering command mode.

The config timer begins counting as soon as the Bluetooth modem is turned on, and once it’s done counting, you’ll be unable to enter config mode unless you cycle power. By default the config timer is set to 60 seconds, however this can be adjusted, or even turned off (that’s the ticket!). Deciphering the LEDs There are two LEDs on the Bluetooth modems: a red one labeled “Stat”, and a green one labeled “Connect”. These help to indicate the status of the module. Never forget the importance of blinkies! The green LED will illuminate when a wireless connection is formed. The “Stat” LED can indicate that the module is in one of three states, depending on how fast it blinks: Mode Stat Blink Rate Notes Configuration 10 per second Module is in config mode.

Startup/Config Timer 2 per second Module is not in config mode, but the configuration timer is still counting. Discoverable/Inquiring/Idle 1 per second Not in config mode, and the config timer has run out. If you’re having trouble getting the module to enter configuration mode, make sure the timer hasn’t run out by checking for a very slow blink rate. Commanding the Bluetooth Modems Control of the Bluetooth modems is achieved through a series of AT commands, all of which are documented in the.

If you want to get the most out of these modules, make sure you read through that. The commands are split into five categories: set, get, change, action, and GPIO commands. Chapter 2 of the User’s Guide covers each of the commands in detail. Appendix B is a quick reference guide – an excellent resource. In the section we’ll go over a few of the more commonly used commands – naming the device, searching for available modules, and connecting to them. Connecting From Another Device In the example code section we attempted to connect to a device from the Bluetooth modem, but what if you wanted to initiate the connection from another Bluetooth device? This process varies by operating system and device, but most of the steps involved are pretty similar.

If your device (computer, phone, etc.) doesn’t already have an Bluetooth modem, you’ll need to connect an external module to it. The works for any computer with an available USB slot.

Connecting to the Modem in Windows Go to the Control Panel and navigate to the Devices and Printers window. In the top-left section of that window, there should be an Add a device button. When the Add a device window opens your computer’s Bluetooth module should automatically search for any in-range, available Bluetooth devices. Those it finds should show up in the window (give the window a few seconds to search). If you see your device in this window, double-click it to initiate a connection. You’ll then be presented with the Select a pairing option window.

Since the modems don’t have an attached keypad, select the Enter the device’s pairing code option. On the next window, enter 1234 as the PIN code. This is the default PIN value for every RN-42 and RN-41. Windows will take a few moments to install drivers for your device.

Once it’s done, it’ll pop up a notification to let you know that your device is ready to use! But how do you actually use it? You’ll need to open up a terminal emulator (check out our for help!). When Windows installed drivers for your new Bluetooth device, it created a new COM port for it. Opening up your device manager, and looking in the “Ports (COM & LPT)” tree, you’ll find a new port named “Standard Serial over Bluetooth link (COM##)” (there may be two of them).

To open up a connection between the Bluetooth devices, open up a terminal to that COM port at 9600 bps (8-N-1). (If you see two ports, try the lower number first). When the terminal opens up, your Bluetooth modem’s green connect LED should light up. Connection successful! If you have the sketch from the last example (the serial passthrough) still loaded up on your Arduino, you can open up a second terminal window to communicate between devices. If you’re within the config timer window (cycle power on the modem if you’re not), you can even remotely enter command mode by sending the “$$$” string. Now you can remotely alter the settings of your Bluetooth modem.

If your using a Mac, Linux, or even a smartphone, pairing and connecting should involve a similar process. If authentication is required, you’ll want to use the PIN-code option, and enter the default PIN of “1234”. Open up a serial terminal emulator – Terminal or CoolTerm on Mac OSX, a variety of apps are available for smartphones – to initiate the connection and start passing data. Resources and Going Further Hopefully this tutorial has prepared you for an exciting foray into the world of wireless communication. Now that you have a good idea of how to command these Bluetooth modems, and connect them to other devices, the rest is up to you. How are you going to make use of your pleasant lack of wire? Go hit the airwaves!

Resources • • – For “Silver” versions. • – For “Gold” versions. • • Going Further If you’re interested in checking out other Bluetooth-related tutorials, check these links out: • – The RN-52 is a Bluetooth v3.0 module, which (on top of SPP) supports the Bluetooth audio profile A2DP.

Using this module you could make a wireless boom box, or a Bluetooth-enabled MP3 player! • – The MetaWatch is a smartwatch with an embedded Bluetooth module. In this tutorial we use a Bluetooth Mate to communicate between the watch and an Arduino. Here are some other tutorials which features wireless communication: • - If you’re only really looking to transmit wireless data short distances, infrared may be a good (cheap!) option. • – The ATmega128RFA1 sports an RF module which operates on the same frequency as Bluetooth (2.4 GHz). If you want to dig down into the nitty, gritty area of RF communication, check out this board. • – The Electric Imp makes connecting to WiFi incredibly easy.

Follow along with this tutorial, and you’ll have an embedded module able to interact with web pages! • - In this project, we will use Windows Remote Arduino to turn an LED on and off.

It is a simple example, but will reveal the power that the library can give you to create many more advanced projects. Let’s get started! In 2003, CU student Nate Seidle blew a power supply in his dorm room and, in lieu of a way to order easy replacements, decided to start his own company. Since then, SparkFun has been committed to sustainably helping our world achieve electronics literacy from our headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. No matter your vision, SparkFun's products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible.

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