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.

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.