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.

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.

4-Pin RGB LED Control Using iOS BLExAR App, HM-10 Bluetooth Module, and Arduino

Control an RGB LED using three PWM pins on an Arduino Uno board via Bluetooth communication. An RGB LED is a single casing with three cathode (or anode) pins and one anode (or cathode) pin. This results in a 4-pin LED. In this tutorial, I will be using an RGB LED with three anodes and one common cathode. This means that we can change the color of the LED to over 16.7 million different variations (assuming each anode produces a different luminosity for each voltage change of the Arduino PWM pin). This tutorial will help demonstrate the power of the BLExAR app, and the flexibility of an Arduino board under iOS Bluetooth control. In my case, I will be using an iPhone with the BLExAR app, but an iPad would suffice as well.