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You can now incorporate Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (BLE) technology easily in your project with our BLE Mini.
BLE Mini requires only a serial port for communication so it supports all major development platforms that have UART interface including Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Netduino, BeagleBone etc.
In addition, we provide you with access to all Ti's CC2540 I/O pins and the ability to upload firmware via USB, making the BLE Mini an ideal development/prototyping board for your BLE project/accessory/Appcessory.
Requirement
Android 4.3 or above
Android devices with BLE hardware: Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Samsung Note 3
iOS 7 or 8
iPhone 5/6 (all models), iPhone 4S, iPad Air, iPad (3rd gen or later), iPad mini (all models) and iPod touch (5th gen or later)
Or a second BLE Mini (require BLE Central role support)
Quick Start
Connect pins from BLE Mini "J4" to Arduino/development board
- VIN > 5V
- GND > GND
- TX > Default RX (Pin 0)
- RX > Default TX (Pin 1)
The Green LED at D1 should light up, otherwise please check the Troubleshooting section below.
We recommend using Codebender, an online development and collaboration platform for all Arduino users, please read to our Quick Start with Codebender to start playing with your BLE Mini in just a few easy steps.
Please note that Codebender needs Firefox or Chrome to run, if you can't use either one of the browsers, continue with the instruction below.
Working with iOS
- Download the latest RedBearLab Library.
- Unzip the file and copy the "RBL_BLEMini" subfolder in "BLEMini/Arduino/libraries" to Arduino's libraries folder. For more information about Arduino's libraries folder, please visit http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/Libraries.
- Open our BleFirmata sketch: "File" > "Examples" > "RBL_BLEMini" > "BLEFirmataSketch".
- Compile and upload the program to your Arduino board.
- Download our free BLE Controller App from Apple's iTunes Store.
- Turn on Bluetooth on your iOS device. (*Please note that BLE Mini or any Bluetooth Low Energy device will not show in the “Devices” list as pairing to BLE device is not required)
- Start our BLE Controller App and press "Scan".
Working with Android
- Download the latest RedBearLab Library.
- Unzip the file and copy the "RBL_BLEMini" subfolder in "BLEMini/Arduino/libraries" to Arduino's libraries folder. For more information about Arduino's libraries folder, please visit http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/Libraries.
- Open our BLEController sketch: "File" > "Examples" > "RBL_BLEMini" > "BLEControllerSketch".
- Compile and upload the program to your Arduino board.
- Download our Android BLE Controller App from the browser on your Android device and simply "click" the downloaded file to install.
**For more information about “Sideloading” an Android App, please visit How to sideload and install Android applications [ANDROID 101] .
Features
Simple interface - with our pre-loaded firmware code name 'Biscuit', you could easily connect to any development board or IC with UART interface.
Compact form factor - (L)39mm x (W)18.5mm x (H)3.8mm this is a very popular request from makers using smaller Arduino boards like Arduino Mini/Micro/Nano/Pro Mini etc.
Support Central or Peripheral role - it can connect to other BLE Mini or BLE Shield, not just iOS device.
Standalone operation - Texas Instruments (TI) CC2540 is a SoC (System-on-Chip) IC that can operate without any external microcontroller. You can develop your own firmware using IAR Embedded Workbench for 8051 Compiler , all I/O pins of CC2540 are accessible.
Firmware upgradable - develop your own or download a "pre-packaged" firmware and upload to BLE Mini via the USB connector, TI CC Debugger is not required.
Provision for connection to external antenna.
Hardware Overview
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