The printed circuit board (PCB) is at the center of nearly all electronics products in the 20th century. PCBs originally consisted of wires placed along paths connecting a series of components on a rigid board — these were deemed printed wiring boards. Eventually, the printed wiring board morphed into the circuit boards with conducting strips etched into multi-layer boards that we see on PCBs today. The PCB industry is associated with nearly $1 trillion in sales of electronics each year [read more at: "Printed circuit board industry"]. Thus, it is important for engineers to know at least the basics of PCB design, even if the manufacturing is outsourced to companies. In this tutorial, we will introduce the design of a simple PCB and the process required to get the PCB manufactured by a company called NextPCB. Their process is simple and easy, and even allows the engineer to view their design on their online gerber file viewer.

BLE Nano Arduino Board - Bluetooth Control with an iPhone (BLExAR App)

The BLE Nano is introduced as a hybrid between an Arduino Nano and a CC2540 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module. The Arduino Nano has an ATmega328P as its main microprocessor, which communicates over the serial port to send and receive Bluetooth packets from the CC2540 BLE chip. This creates a Bluetooth-enabled Arduino device - encased in a Nano-sized circuit board! Using the BLExAR iOS app, the BLE-Nano will be controlled using an iPhone. BLExAR allows users to control the pins on the Nano, which will be demonstrated by switching an RGB LED on and off.

ATtiny85 Internet of Things Bluetooth Arduino Board

In this tutorial, the ATtiny85 is reintroduced, this time as a Bluetooth-enabled device. First, some of the basics of burning the bootloader to the ATtiny85 and using the Arduino board as an in-system programmer (ISP) are explored. Then, a CC2541 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module is used to communicate with an iOS device using the BLExAR app. Lastly, temperature and humidity data is read by the ATtiny85 and transmitted via Bluetooth to the smartphone.

Bluetooth Module with Arduino (AT-09, MLT-BT05, HM-10)

In this tutorial, I will dive into the variations of CC2541 BLE board such as the AT-09, MLT-BT05, HM-10, JDY-08, etc. I will use either the specific module name or a blanketed “CC2541-based module” reference to refer to the BLE modules. The general process for interfacing with each module is nearly the same, however, some particularities define how each responds and functions depending on the given firmware. I will also be using the BLExAR app for iOS to communicate with the CC2541 modules.

iPhone Datalogger with Arduino Using The iOS Bluetooth App BLExAR

The BLExAR app will be used in conjunction with a CC2541 (HM-10, JDY-08, AT-09, SH-M08) Bluetooth module and an Arduino (ATmega328) board to create a simple data acquisition system. A DHT22 sensor will provide temperature and humidity data to the Arduino which will be recorded by an iOS device via the BLExAR app. This experiment is a real-world example of an Arduino application demonstrating data acquisition from a real sensor. This tutorial will allow users to solve their own engineering problems using the modern Arduino platform and wireless communication through the BLExAr app, which will ultimately expand the reach and compatibility of technology in the classical sciences through exploration and experimentation.

iOS and Arduino Bluetooth Communication Using The BLExAR App and CC2541 Module

An app called “BLExAR” allows Arduino users to communicate to an iOS device (iPhone or iPad) using a Bluetooth CC2541 module (different versions are called: HM-10, SH-M08, AT-09, or JDY-08). The app permits control of an Arduino board, wireless serial communication, and data acquisition. Click on the app logo shown here to download the app, as it will be used as the iOS communication software. On the Arduino side, we need to wire the CC2541 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module to an Arduino board and upload the appropriate software via the Arduino IDE. In this tutorial, we will demonstrate how to verify communication between an Arduino and CC2541 Bluetooth module, and then use Bluetooth communication to send strings between an iOS device and the Arduino ATmega328p board.