Designer of the Keyglove and other open electronic devices, based in Roanoke, VA.
BLE112 Bluetooth Low Energy Breakout
Description
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SHIPPING NOTE: The "Worldwide Standard" shipping method applies to the US as well. The standard shipping method is USPS First Class, or USPS First Class International if you are outside of the US. The domestic express method is USPS Flat Rate Express Mail, which usually arrives the next business day by 3pm.
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Current design: Version 2.0, Jan. 12, 2013
This breakout board gives you full access to all of the pins of Bluegiga's new BLE112 Bluetooth Low Energy module. Notable features include:
NOTE 1: These modules come from me with a "BLE112 BGAPI" firmware image flashed on them. This has the USB interface enabled for DFU updates and the UART interface enabled for BGAPI control. This firmware is NOT visible by default from BLE scanning apps or tools; advertisements must be enabled specifically with a BGAPI command. Once this is done, the module should be visible in the LightBlue (free), BLExplr ($3), BLE Diag Tool ($1), and other iOS apps (no reliable Android support known yet). This firmware also allows limited reprogramming using the Bluegiga-supplied "dfutool.exe" from their SDK. This kind of programming is mainly suitable for changing the GATT database structure, if desired. To reprogram it completely, you will need the TI CC Debugger:
For those of you looking to use this with an Arduino or similar prototyping environment, check out my BGLib Arduino code library, complete with a Bluetooth Smart scanner example:
More documentation to come shortly, when I can make time for it. Note that this firmware is custom from me, while bare modules straight from the factory will require a CC debugger to reprogram (USB won't work).
NOTE 2: Building this by hand is not an easy task. If you are not very comfortable with SMT modules and hot-air rework, I strongly recommend buying the assembled module instead of the board itself.
The BLE112 is a single-mode Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth 4.0) device. It is not backwards-compatible with older "regular" Bluetooth (2.0, 2.1, and 3.0) and can only communicate with other BLE devices (such as the BLED112 USB dongle, iPhone 4S, iPad 3rd Gen, or other certain very new mobile devices). Details on the module are available here:
Check out the technical resource area of Bluegiga's site, where you can find all kinds of documentation and application notes for the BLE112 (free registration required). The other links provide more resources for BLE programming as well. Michael Kroll's work is particularly interesting for Arduino users. The blog.bluetooth-smart.com link is a great step-by-step guide for getting started with BGScript.
You can buy the BLE112 module itself from SemiconductorStore or Mouser for about $17.50:
A full Mouser project with single-module quantities of all parts for the current version of the board is here:
Licenses
| Open Source | Hardware | Docs & Files | Software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Source Hardware Definition v1.0 | Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 | Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 | MIT License |
Downloads
Shipping Options
| Destination & Service | Shipping Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide - Standard | 7-14 Business Days | $5.00 for first item, $0.00 for each additional item |
| Domestic (United States) - Express | 2 Business Days | $20.00 for first item, $0.00 for each additional item |
* shipping times are estimates.
Community Feedback
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question
Jeff,
It looks like some of the parts you've selected for this board are now only available on Mouser for > 5k minimum order quantities. Can you update the mouser project with alternative resistors?
jrowberg May 11, 2013:
Oops! That one snuck up on me. They changed it since the last time I had to place an order. I've updated all the affected parts as of a moment ago.
question
I am using BLE-112 A module for my project. I want to use it in master (scan) mode. I am able to scan the advertising devices but not sure how to connect to them. I have tried many attempts but no success. Is it possible in BGScript? I am attaching the code used. Any possible help would be appreciated.
gsgill112 May 09, 2013:
event system_boot(major ,minor ,patch ,build ,ll_version ,protocol_version ,hw ) call gap_set_scan_parameters(1000, 100, 1) call gap_discover(1) end event gap_scan_response(rssi, packet_type, sender, address_type, bond, data_len, data_data) # call gap_connect_direct(sender(0:6), address_type, 800, 800, 5000, 0) call system_whitelist_append(sender(0:6), address_type) call gap_connect_selective(800, 800, 5000, 0) end
question
We're ordering a set of your new boards and are using one of your V1.0 boards for testing. We just ran into a problem reading ADIO P0_0, P0_1 and P0_2, looks like they're being held high on your board. Could you possibly send your v1.0 schematic to me so we can verify it's functionality?
Great job with supplying these!
jrowberg April 25, 2013:
Hi Lauren, the original design files are here: https://github.com/jrowberg/sf-oshw/tree/master/bluegiga/eagle/BLE112/Full/BLE112%20Breakout%20Board%20v1.0 There isn't anything special about those pins, so I suspect maybe something in hardware.xml.
laurenwinter April 25, 2013:
Thanks for quick reply and link to those files, you rock. I'll look at my hardware.xml.
question
Hey Jeff,
I used your BLE112 breakout board, the BGLib you wrote for Arduino, and Bluegiga's iOS demo app (as a starting point) in my senior project.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpiFwMFoTYc
jrowberg April 17, 2013:
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing the project, and very nice work! I hope you get a good grade.
johnhimself April 21, 2013:
Thank you! The class really liked the project so I'm suspecting I will get a good grade. Side note - I'm graduating in a couple weeks and would be interested in learning/working with a real startup or company if anyone is looking for a recent graduate :-)
question
Jeff,
FYI, I have been using your breakout modules for all of our BLE development and love them. Any plans on doing a BLE113 version? My understanding is that they use the CC2541 256k part and that would help us do more testing with hardware I2C and the over-the-air firmwares updates. Plus the BLE112 is pretty tight on memory anyway (I want to build a Pawn version of the CC254x firmware, but cannot do it in just 128k).
Thanks!
- Tyler
jrowberg April 12, 2013:
Thanks, Tyler! That's great to hear. I do have a BLE113 version of the breakout designed, but no actual modules to test it with yet (they won't ship for a few more days). You can see the PCB here: https://twitter.com/SectorFej/status/320019481709654016/photo/1
tylerwilson April 12, 2013:
Very cool. Hope you get the modules soon. One question: I see a 5V pin on your breakout. Is this an input voltage so that we can power the board off a 5V line, or is it an output to run other components? Thanks.
jrowberg April 12, 2013:
It's input-only; it goes to a 3.3v regulator. The BLE112 board has the same part but uses it for regulating the 5v USB supply down to 3.3v. I figured I might as well leave it on this one to make it easier to use 5v power sources.
question
I also want some pcb items. Hope you inform us about the exact date. Thanks.
jrowberg April 05, 2013:
Unfortunately, I don't have an exact date since the manufacturing process was started right at the Easter holiday, and so it might be +/- a couple of days. I am expecting that it should be ready on the 12th or 13th of April though.
ipujol April 29, 2013:
Forgive us put ourselves in the middle of the conversation. Have we come late to this package? You still have not sent these pieces? Thanks for the responses. Good job! :-)
question
Hey Jeff, I need about (10) of these, how do I buy them?
jrowberg April 04, 2013:
I've got 100 being manufactured right now. You'll unfortunately have to wait until those are ready as I have literally none to sell, but hopefully they will be ready by the end of the 2nd week of April.
question
Hi Jeff, any news as to when will the new assembled batch will be available?
jrowberg March 29, 2013:
If we're all very lucky, perhaps 10-12 days from now (2nd week of April). I'm very close to wrapping up a manufacturing arrangement.
question
Got my board fast, Thanks!
jrowberg March 24, 2013:
Glad to hear it!
question
Is there anyway I can choose other than Express shipping for within the US? I like the fast ship time but it requires a personal signature. So I end up having to either wait a couple days after the first delivery attempt or make a trip to the post office.
Is that your choice or an iNMOJO thing?
jrowberg March 21, 2013:
This is the only available option for now, though that is my choice. However, I do have the option of waiving the signature requirement, and I can easily do that if you like. I will make a note to do that for any subsequent orders from you, and/or you (and anyone) may request it specifically in the PayPal payment notes.
duppypro March 21, 2013:
Ooops, our messages crossed. I just ordered the last of your PCBs. I did not make a PayPal note. Please note to waive the signature. Thanks!
question
Hi Jeff,
I have some questions before ordering a BLE112 breakout board. I want to use BLED112 board along with it, does that work with Linux? If Yes, can you point me where I can find a starting guide for Linux (I have been searching online, but no formal guide). And if I order it in a couple of days, when can I expect it to be shipped?
jrowberg March 21, 2013:
Both the BLE112 and BLED112 can be used with Linux (direct 3.3v UART with an RS232 transceiver, or as a driverless USB CDC device if USB is enabled in hardware.xml). The "thermometer-demo" code found in the "/src" folder in the SDK archive is the best starting point for this; there is unfortunately no real Linux "guide" available at this time. The new stub slave Arduino example sketch on my Github repository may be useful for general BGLib structural reference as well.
question
Hi Jeff, really very nice design and great work!. What about pairing with the metawatch? It should be possible because it's the same Ti controller or ?
cheers
sigges
jrowberg March 17, 2013:
Thanks! If the Metawatch version you have supports Bluetooth Smart, then you should theoretically be able to use it with the BLE112. However, I don't know what the GATT structure and application-layer communication protocols are that the Metawatch uses, so you'd need to know those somehow.
sigges March 18, 2013:
thanks for your reply. For my project, I want to take the new BLE113 and then I will test the pairing with the Metawatch and then I will publish my experience cheers
question
If I order an assembled board how long would that take? I would like to buy an assembled board but if it is going to be a long wait then it might be faster to do the assembly myself. Just trying to decide which way to go. Thanks!
jrowberg March 07, 2013:
I should have more parts + PCBs for the BLE112 breakout by about the middle of next week (2013-03-13), and then assembled a day after that. I would say if you wait for me, you'll probably be able to have the assembled board by 2013-03-20, though that's definitely just an estimate.
suggestion
Do you have plans to support the BLE113 when it is available?
jrowberg March 06, 2013:
I do, yes. I have a design in progress already, but no access to the modules just yet. The new board is considerably smaller as well, since there's no USB functionality. It's only 1.3" x 0.8" currently, though the PCB layout isn't 100% finished and that may change slightly.
question
Hi, do you have any bare pcb's in stock?
jrowberg February 27, 2013:
Unfortunately, I will not have access to more for about 1-12 days until I return from travels in CA and a new PCB order arrives. I'll keep the inventory updated though.
question
If I plug this in with the micro USB or otherwise power it up (green power light comes on), should I be able to see it with BLExplor or any of the other bluetooth apps on my iphone5? Also trying with an iPad with no luck..
jrowberg February 24, 2013:
Not by default, no, since API control is enabled. The module starts in idle mode, and you have to enable advertisements specifically with a BGAPI command. With my preloaded firmware, this means sendng a packet-mode BGAPI command into the RX pin (UART1/Alt1 peripheral configuration) at 38400 baud. This exact packet is, in hex: 06 00 02 06 01 02 02
question
Jeff, when are you expecting the next batch? Looks like I missed out on this round.
jrowberg February 20, 2013:
I won't be back at home with my assembly tools until March 6th, so it isn't likely to be any earlier than that. However, I'm also actively discussing a manufacturing arrangement for much faster and simpler production.
question
Q1) It looks like the solder jumpers (SJ1 - SJ4) come default connected. Correct?
Q2) What is the proper use of pins 2 and 9 on the debug connector?
In one design I connect pin 2 to my module's 3V Vbatt and pin 9 unconnected.
This seems to work though I suspect some programming errors when Vbatt is low
Using your PCB pins 2 and 9 are now both connected to 3V Vbatt coin cell. This is also working but I am worried its not proper. Is pin 2 or pin 9 an output from the CC Debugger power?
jrowberg February 16, 2013:
A1) Yes, they are all connected by default. A2) Pin 9 is the actual power pin, and I believe Pin 2 is an indicator of some kind. Connecting both 2 and 9 to use the CC debugger as a power source is fine as long as you aren't feeding voltage back into the battery or other power source--that is, make sure the battery is removed and other source is disconnected when the CC debugger is plugged in.
question
Regarding your BGLIB on Arduino, what kind of firmware have I to load on BLE112?
Is there a C Library for UART use?
Very good work!
jrowberg February 16, 2013:
You can use the example projects here, just updated. One has a non-sleeping UART1/Alt1 API connection (USB enabled), and the other (wakeup16) disables USB and enables sleep modes, with the P1_6 pin used for an active-high wake-up pin. https://github.com/jrowberg/bglib/tree/master/BGScriptProjects
costrutto17 February 20, 2013:
Hi Jeff, I just received the board and I'm trying to connect it to an arduino uno. 1) Is there a way to upload the firmware from a mac? 2) I noticed in your sketch you are using the pins 2/3 of the arduino uno for rx/tx serial communication. However my arduinovuno rx/tx pins are 0 and 1. Which one should I use? Sorry about the dumb questions, I'm not an expert, cheers!
jrowberg February 21, 2013:
(1) Not that I know of at this time. There is a "cc-tool" application built for Linux, but I'm not sure whether that works or if it is portable to a Mac. It is also CC-based and not a USB DFU solution, in case that is relevant. (2) The 0/1 pins are the hardware UART, which is used by the USB serial port. 2/3 are setup in the demo sketch as a SoftwareSerial interface, which is why I used them. The demo uses two UARTs, one for user control and one for module comms.
costrutto17 February 21, 2013:
Hi, thanks for the quick reply. I'm now working on a pc but the device is not showing up in the device manager. I tried to follow the guide and upload the firmware in dfu mode using the blegui application but no luck. any suggestions? thanks
costrutto17 February 22, 2013:
I sent a ticket to bluegiga and I received the following: "I think the USB port of the device is disabled by accident. If you have a cc-debugger, you can use it to download the firmware with the right configuration to fix this problem. Frankly speaking, this breakout board is out of our support scope. For further questions, you should directly contact Jeff Rowberg" So, I guess my board is bricked :(
jrowberg February 22, 2013:
The firmware I preload has USB enabled, and assuming good connections, should allow you to reset into DFU mode via BLEGUI. Do you get power through USB? And if so, does only the green LED come on, or does the blue LED also? It should be only green. Let me know if this is the case. Did you verify whether the microUSB side solder tabs were solidly mounted to the board, as mentioned in the email sent previously?
costrutto17 February 22, 2013:
hey, I didn't receive any mail, btw, the board receive power from the usb and the green led is on (blue off), the microUSB connections look alright.
costrutto17 February 23, 2013:
I managed to upload you firmware, it was probably an issue with the configuration of the pc I was using. I installed bootcamp on my mac, installed the drivers and uploaded the firmware in dfu mode. I will now try to connect it to arduino. how should I power the board? arduino 5v pin > board 5v pin ? thanks heap for the help
jrowberg February 23, 2013:
Ah, that's good news! You can supply 3.3v directly to any of the VDD pins on the two board sides, or you can supply up to 6v into the lone "5V" pin that is separated from the other pins. That is routed through the 3.3v LDO (same pin connection as the V+ pin from the USB connector).
costrutto17 February 24, 2013:
I'm still having problems, I connected arduino as suggested and the tx communication works fine, however I'm not receiving any response from the ble112. I tried to send some commands from the blegui as well when connected with the usb without luck. the only feedback I receive when connected with arduino is the boot callback when I press the reset button on the breakout board. any ideas? thanks
jrowberg February 24, 2013:
The API responses/events won't come back over the USB port because the UART port takes precedence, and I've enabled the API on both (generally only one is enabled). Do you have an FTDI board to test direct UART connectivity? If you use Command -> Reset from BLEGUI over USB, does it reboot as expected? You may need to use the packet-mode command construction with the firmware. A 3.3v FTDI board would be great for troubleshooting, if you have one.
costrutto17 February 25, 2013:
Hey, I don't have FDTI board however I'm slowly having some progress. Through BLEGUI I can reset the board (blue led flashes) and, if I send the command to enable the advertisments, I can discover the module with BLE Diag Tool and browse the gatt database. I tried to send a string through the rx service of your firmware and I'm getting the response in binary as expected. It looks like the module is ok but the uart is not working. I will get a ftdi board if needed.
costrutto17 February 27, 2013:
so, I got an 3.3v ftdi board for testing. I connected arduino pin3 (tx) to the module and the tx of the module to the ftdi (ground as well). When I send the commands from arduino i see the rx flashing on the ftdi board so it looks like it's responding. I'm starting to think it could be an issue related with the arduino sketch.
maaash March 04, 2013:
I think I'm having the same issue. I connected P0_4, P0_5 to mbed, GND and 3.3V. Nothing else (should I connect something else?). mbed is connected with my mac using USB. When I power the breakout board, green LED comes on, blue stays off. When I press the reset switch on the breakout board, I see following boot event sequence on my mac " <- RX [ 80 0C 00 00 01 00 01 00 01 00 40 00 02 00 01 01 ] ". So RX looks fine. When I press "0" or "1" or "2", it only timeouts.
maaash March 04, 2013:
I ported your https://github.com/jrowberg/bglib/tree/master/Arduino to mbed, my port might be broken,,, I'll investigate further.
giamby3000 March 04, 2013:
Sorry but I don't understand if with yours libraryhttps://github.com/jrowberg/bglib/tree/master/Arduino, you can send characters from Arduino connected to BT LE Bluegiga to a remote Bluegiga BT LE module. Can you do this? Thank you
jrowberg March 07, 2013:
It is possible to do this, but it isn't not simply a plug-and-play solution. You need to have application code to establish the connection and take care of the data transport logic on both ends. There is no direct equivalent in BLE for the classic Bluetooth "SPP" profile, in large part because the protocol wasn't built for streaming data. BLE is specifically designed for infrequent short bursts information.
maaash March 09, 2013:
Finally it worked, since the breakout board has <pre><usart mode="packet" channel="1" alternate="1" baud="38400" endpoint="api" flow="false" /></pre> in the firmware, we need the "BGAPI command length" byte prepended before sending a packet over UART. I patched the "sendCommand" function to add the byte, and it worked!!
question
Hey Jeff,
Really looking forward to incorporating this into some projects. I've got a quick question about programming the 8051 mp: you say the flashed program you include is capable of limited reprogramming using Bluegiga's "dfutool.exe" - can I use this to sample a signal from a pin, do some basic math computations on it and then transmit that data?
jrowberg February 20, 2013:
You can use the default firmware through an external MCU to do all of what you say; in order to run it all from an onboard BGScript application, you would need to reprogram it though. Using dfutool will allow you to do this. There is basically nothing you *can't* do with dfutool in terms of normal hardware reconfiguration and GATT database changes, or BGScript application changes.
question
I'm using BGLib, but I can't figure out how to create an uint8array in the Arduino sketch.
Specifically, I am trying to do a ble112.ble_cmd_attributes_write(25, 0, ????);
Jeff or anyone have any guidance? Thanks in advance.
jrowberg February 10, 2013:
The simplest way is to map a uint8array struct onto an existing block of binary data: uint8 data[] = "\x05Hello"; uint8array test = (uint8array &)data; Because the "data" member isn't a pointer, I don't think there's actually another way to do it at the moment. I am still considering alternatives and probably need to tweak the Arduino lib (the serial performance needs to be improved as well, currently fixable by changing the "available()" poll to a "read()" poll instead).
jrowberg February 10, 2013:
Well darn. That didn't format well. Imagine regular C syntax. Also, when I talked about the "data" member, I meant the member of the uint8array struct, not my unfortunately similarly named example binary data.
johnhimself February 23, 2013:
I'm still having trouble. I am able to successfully read values, but writing them is not working. I used the exact code you typed above, but 0xE90A050004 was writen instead of Hello in hex. I turned debug on and got this when using the attributes_write command: 00 02 02 00 00 00 <- RX [ 00 02 02 00 00 00 ] Could this be related to full SRAM in any way?
jrowberg February 24, 2013:
I doubt it is an SRAM issue; that RX packet is the correct reply to the command sent, but I expect there is an issue with the way uint8arrays are constructed. The struct definition itself works for reading, but is not conducive for creating. I need to modify the library to use a uint8_t pointer instead of a uint8_t array, I think.
question
I'm a little disappointed that after all the wait, the assembled version is already all sold out.
How long until a fresh batch will be ready?
jrowberg February 09, 2013:
They all disappeared faster than I anticipated. I will have a least a few more by tomorrow and I'm working on getting them manufactured, which will help tremendously. I have to figure out exactly much hardware I have left. Plenty of PCBs now though.
jrowberg February 09, 2013:
I have a few more available if you want to grab some now.
comment
The debugger connector is sold out on Mouser but is available from Newark, PN: 20021121-00006C4LF.
comment
@aussie ditto, but I'm more anxious over how many bare PCB's will be available. I need two for the unattached modules that came in the BLE112 dev kit.
comment
Is it wrong that this is the first page I refresh every morning to see how you're progressing? Looking forward to getting my hands on this kit, hope all is going as planned.
question
Jeff,
Looking forward to the new board becoming available.
I plan to use it with an ArduIMU v3 (I think you're familiar with this IMU) and powering everthing with a LIR 2450 coin cell battery (3.6v 110mAH). I've been unsuccessfully searching far and wide for info on how I'd connect the battery, IMU and your board together. Very little documentation about ArduIMU (particularly the pins on sides).
If it's not too much, could you provide some connection guidance (and a diagram would be great).
Thanks.
jrowberg February 02, 2013:
I'm not sure how much live you'll get out of a 110mAh coin cell and that much hardware, but I will be working on some documentation for how to connect the BLE to a microcontroller. The pins on the ArduIMU v3 are labeled on the bottom of the PCB, so you'd want RX/TX and maybe D8 for wake-up control. I'm not sure how ArduIMU is built specifically though. I will create some connection diagrams as soon as possible.
question
I see there are more than 100 people waiting for the assembled board... do you have an idea about how many will be available in february?
jrowberg February 02, 2013:
There will probably not be more than 15 or 20 in the very short term, but I am working with a manufacturer for higher volumes (finally!). However, the InMojo count is never, ever reset, so the actual count of people waiting for the new revision is significantly lower than 100.
question
How much will the new boards cost? And if we order the PCB alone, will it bring the required components minus the BLE112 module? Or will we have to find those components ourselves?
Thanks!
jrowberg January 24, 2013:
The new assembled boards will be $55, and the bare boards will be $10. The bare boards will not have the other components with them, but I will publish a parts list in the form of a shared Mouser project which allows you to order the full set(s) of parts, or any subset of them, very easily.
question
Hi, this is a great project and product! How many assembled modules and boards will be available on 1/25 for purchase? Thanks
jrowberg January 25, 2013:
Thanks! I expect to have at least 20 available when the boards show up, and I'm arranging for larger production as we speak. However, I learned today that the new PCBs aren't going to show up as early as I thought. They will not arrive before I have to leave for a week-long (Bluegiga-related) trip to Finland on 1/26, which means I can't build them until I get back. The wrong estimate of 1/25 was my fault for incorrectly estimating the delivery time and not verifying with the PCB fab house first.
jussivirkkala January 25, 2013:
Welcome to Helsinki, looking forward for breakout board.
question
So when you say January 25 as an estimate for the new boards, would that be the date when they would become available for purchase?
jrowberg January 23, 2013:
That is the expected availability date for purchase, yes. If I get the new boards in sooner and find that they work as desired (which I expect), I will update the stock as soon as I can.
andresmdn January 23, 2013:
Great! I'll be sure to keep an eye out then. Our PCB machine is broken so I appreciate it!
question
Is there any reason I shouldn't be able to carefully solder wires to pins 2-5, and 29-30 and hand-connect to a BLE112? I don't see anything else in the schematic, but even after carefully checking the connections, cc-debugger still shows a red light.
Very excited by your product - hope to have a couple in hand for an upcoming hack-a-thon in early Feb. Thanks for building it!
jrowberg January 19, 2013:
If you download and run TI SmartRF Flash Programmer, it may be that your CC debugger firmware is out of date. This can cause a red LED regardless of connection. Check to see if there an update available that way (SmartRF will tell you if so), and if there is, update the debugger itself with SmartRF. Soldering just those connections should work by itself, yes.
jtagen January 19, 2013:
Running latest, Rev 34. Tried w/ 3 differentboards, no success. Connects fine to the keyfob, so not the debugger itself. I can see ~3.3v between GND and VCC, reset is high, triple-checked connections for the data lines. Was quick with the iron, don't think I burned anything. Any other thoughts? Thanks!
question
Hi Jeff, it is now January 18th, are the boards available for order? (I live in Hong Kong).
savagekiwi January 18, 2013:
Nevermind, just saw your latest comment expecting the boards to be ready for 25th (yay).
question
Hi Jeff, thanks for your quick reply. Hopefully everything goes well :-) Is it possible to ship the unit to Taiwan? any special documents we have to prepare to pass the Custom?
question
Hi, i am excited about the product, when will it be available!!?
jrowberg January 10, 2013:
If the stencil arrives soon and the boards work as expected, then hopefully by the beginning of next week. We'll see. I'm glad you're excited! I am also. This is a major improvement from the last design.
question
Hey Jeff, on the new board that has the cc debugger connector. Are you using the 1.27mm pitch male connector on the board? If so what is your source for the part and part number?
BTW that is great about new board we may get that.
jrowberg December 26, 2012:
Yes, and I get the header from Mouser ($0.74 in single quantities): http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=20021121-00010C4LFvirtualkey64910000virtualkey649-202112100010C4LF
question
I'm anxious to buy a board once they're available. Quick question, can it be powered with a 3.0 volt 240mAh coin cell battery like a CR2032? Any idea what the power consumption is when constantly transmitting? Also, I hope to share the power source with an ArduIMU and have it send out sensor readings from the IMU - think that would work?
jrowberg December 22, 2012:
The board can be powered from a coin cell, though I am also working on a new 1" square board specifically optimized for a CR2032 supply. Transmit current at the highest power is 36mA for this module, but transmissions are VERY short (~300 uSec). You'd have to be more specific about what you mean by "constantly transmitting" since BLE was designed for short, infrequent transmissions for optimal performance. The ArduIMU could work as long as the data rate is not too fast.
slachowiec December 24, 2012:
hello Jeff, the application I have in mind would be transmitting about 300 sets of sensor readings/second one way from the arduimu to a pc. Each set of readings is about 100 bytes long, so it's moving about 30000 bytes/sec. A session of use would last about 1/2 hour. Could BLE keep up? How many sessions would a CR2032 last (also powering the arduimu)?
jrowberg December 24, 2012:
The best you're likely to get is 4 kBytes/sec, maybe slightly faster if the other end isn't iOS (which requires a longer connection interval than the BT4.0 spec officially mandates). 30 kBytes/sec is far beyond what the BLE protocol can do, since it's built specifically for low power. The CR2032 isn't likely to last more than 10 or so sessions, if that, since the ArduIMU v3 will be ~6mA + BLE's TX power, and even with a DC/DC converter will be making the CR2032 work really hard a lot.
slachowiec December 26, 2012:
Thanks Jeff, you sure know your stuff. Appears I may need to rethink my application design to cut down on size of a set of readings. Testing will tell. I'm not sure if this is up your alley, but do you have any idea if a Samsung Galaxy 3 smart phone will be able to pair/communicate with the BLE112? I've read some conflicting things about Galaxy 3 support of BtLE (though advertising claims compatability) and I'm trying to sort this out. Thanks again.
question
Will you have any more of these in stock soon?
jrowberg December 15, 2012:
I have just finished a design revision on the board and now I'm just waiting on the parts to show up to build the first batch. Hopefully they will be ready by the end of the month or at the beginning of next month.
question
I ordered an assembled breakout, it was sent at 6th of November, but never delivered. The last scan is from 14th of November. I wrote several emails to inmojo support, but never got a response. I'm sure it will not be delivered and is lost :-(
What we'll do? Refund? Send another one?
jrowberg December 03, 2012:
Just responded via email. Sorry for the inconvenience!
question
I'm curious how you wired this up to your arduino since all of the I/O pins on this board are 3.3 volts while the arduino are 5V. Did you use a level shifter between them like a 74HC4050 ?
jrowberg December 02, 2012:
Actually no, I have it wired directly to the I/O pins on the Arduino. However, I am using the regulated 3.3v output from the Arduino as the supply for the BLE112. I believe the CC2540 is not officially 5V tolerant, but I have not run into any issues with my prototype setup yet.
question
Is the firmware bgscript you preload available anywhere if we wan to modify/enhance and reprogram?
bpatters November 29, 2012:
nevermind, after looking at the github page further I see all you did was configure it and don't have a BGScript file compiled into it.
question
I would love to see an simple example project. Mainly, I'm interested how hard it would be to create a "clicker": To just put a simple button on this thing and register the push of the button in Android or iOS.
As I'm a software developer and do not know much about hardware development this limits me in playing with this stuff :(
rinkle November 21, 2012:
Should of marked this as an suggestion...
jrowberg November 23, 2012:
I'd like to put together a demo like this, but I haven't had time just yet. Including iOS makes it pretty comprehensive (and much more valuable, for sure)...however, including Android would be quite a challenge due to the lack of standard API support for BLE, even in the new Android 4.2. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has a proprietary BLE API from Broadcom (I believe), but I don't have a GS3 for development unfortunately. I'll see what I can do to improve examples though.
rinkle November 23, 2012:
I dont mind it being iOS, actually I've been reading on the whole Android </3 BLE at the moment and yeah it s**ks... I'd love an small tutorial, mostly to understand the hardware-parts like how to add a button or a sensor etc
jrowberg November 23, 2012:
Okay. In the mean time, you can check out the DKBLE112 schematic provided by Bluegiga in their tech forums (http://techforum.bluegiga.com) and some of the examples in the v1.1.0-55 SDK archive they also provide. It's not step-by-step, but it might be more helpful than the examples I (don't) have up at the moment.
rinkle November 23, 2012:
Cool thanks, I've gon an CC2540DK-MINI (the keyfob seems to have everything i need to some experiments) on its way and will also be adding the breakout to the collection soon.
rinkle November 23, 2012:
I dont mind it being iOS, actually I've been reading on the whole Android </3 BLE at the moment and yeah it s**ks... I'd love an small tutorial, mostly to understand the hardware-parts like how to add a button or a sensor etc
question
How long will it take to make an assembled board and shipped to uk?
jrowberg November 16, 2012:
It will be a few more days before I get new PCBs (11/19 or 11/20), then assembly and shipping will be on the same day and transit time should be about 10 business days or less to the UK, not including holidays.
question
Is it possible to give an estimation when the breakout boards will be available if I'll order some PCB only or assembled now?
Thanks in advance & kind regards
jrowberg October 31, 2012:
I have new modules and new PCBs on their way, so they should be available by the end the week or the beginning of next week at the latest. Sorry for the delay!
question
Has anyone been able to program the module using an Arduino or similar instead of the CC-Debugger? I know there are several projects for flashing AVR MCUs by bit-banging, and as wondering if I could possibly save $50. Thanks-
jrowberg October 01, 2012:
So far, I haven't heard of (or been able to find) any information about programming the CC2540 with anything except the CC Debugger. It would be really nice to be able to do, I agree; but for now, we're stuck with TI's official tool. If I ever learn how to use something else like an Arduino, I'll be sure to post it here.
wholder October 22, 2012:
TI has an appnote, here: http://www.ti.com/lit/an/swra410/swra410.pdf that goes into detail on how to program this chip. It looks doable to create an Arduino sketch that could program one, but it's not trivial. Wayne
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Looking forward to ordering some of your PCBs. Cheers.
comment
Hi. Any updates on when the populated boards will be available (again?). I'd love to use a few of these in my University FYP.
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Is there a tutorial available for getting this to work with an arduino?
I would pay a bit more for a breakout board that comes preprogrammed to work with Arduino.
question
I've got a CC debugger, but am puzzled by what firmware needs to be downloaded to the module in order to then be able to download custom BGscripts. Anyone know what file I should be looking for?
Thanks a lot,
Krispin
jrowberg August 17, 2012:
I've just added some links towards the bottom of the product page that should help you out. Michael Kroll's stuff is particularly good.
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Hello. Any idea when the fully-populated board will be available for purchase? Thanks!
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Good day,
Just wanted to drop a note here and say how pleased we are with these modules. They have saved us a lot of time and made development much smoother. Also Jeff was very responsive and helpful in getting our purchase made and getting the parts to us.
Do yourself a favor and buy these! :-)
- Tyler
comment
Where can I find a parts list?
$50.00
Assembled
- Ships in 2 days -
BLE112 Breakout Board with mounted BLE112 module and required components. Just add header pins of your choice! (BGAPI-READY FIRMWARE LOADED)
$10.00
PCB only
- Ships in 2 days -
BLE112 Breakout Board (PCB only, no parts included). Some SMD work required to mount the module (pin pitch is 0.04")
Note: If shipping internationally, special local taxes (VAT) and customs may apply and are not included in prices or invoices unless otherwise noted. All prices are in USD.
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InMojo supports the Open Source Hardware Definition v1.0
Sorry, that was the 6 pos connector, here's the 10 pos: 20021121-00010C4LF