Bluetooth Low Energy uses Services as opposed to the set of standardized profiles that exists for Classic Bluetooth. While some Bluetooth Low Energy services have been standardized by the Bluetooth SIG, the development of custom services is allowed to meet custom application requirements.
 
Because Bluetooth Low Energy uses a completely different protocol than Classic Bluetooth and supports custom services, Bluetooth Low Energy devices cannot connect to a computer through the typical Bluetooth configuration of a computer. Therefore, connecting to a PC requires writing and running a Bluetooth Low Energy Central Role/Client application to collect the data sent from the Bluetooth Low Energy peripheral modules. Application development for PCs and Mobile devices is outside the scope of our support. Alternatively, a BL654 USB dongle could be used as a BLE Central Role device, to collect the BLE data and pass it to the PC over a COM Port. However, you would still need an application to view and process the data received over that COM Port.
 
We generally recommend customers who are new to Bluetooth Low Energy obtain a copy of Getting Started with Bluetooth Low Energy to help them understand the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol and the GATT table. There are also many resources available online which explain this. 

When Bluetooth Low Energy was first introduced and we launched our BL6xx product line (predecessors to the BL65x series) we produced the BL600 and BL620 smartBASIC Application Walkthrough document, which provides an overview of how Bluetooth Low Energy works and how a GATT table is constructed. 

Yes, the following modules share the same pin layout:

BT800 --> BT850
BT830 --> BT860

There are some No Connect (NC) pins on the BT850/860

Any BT stack with USB driver support should work with the BT800 (CSR8510). When only dealing with the radio chip, the stack should be agnostic to the underlying radio. This should, in theory, be true in all cases. That being said we recommend that the customer confirm this through testing before making any commitments to a specific stack. Previous scenarios have shown that this holds true, particularly in cases where the USB is the host interface.

No.  The purpose of SPI interface is to access the module inner settings such as selecting different WLAN CO-EXIST scheme, enabling HID proxy mode and so on. Furthermore, the SPI interface can be used to put the module in RF test mode. However, you may not use the module over the SPI interface for normal operation as main host interface.

A programming jig can be used for loose modules (BT800/BT810). You should consider obtaining the CSR-SPI adaptor although a USB interface also works. If the modules need to first be soldered to your PCB, the USB/SPI interface should be externally available to a PC. The programming PC should be running the Windows 8 operating system.

You can use Windows 7 to run CSR Pstools to enable HID proxy mode. But you cannot do it for a second time because Windows 7 does not ‘switch’ to HCI mode. HCI mode is required to run the Pstools over a USB interface.

This depends on your computer’s operating system and in which mode you have the BT8xx configured.

If the BT8xx is configured in HID mode, it will work with the following:

BLE Keyboard and Mouse in Computer BIOS screen

BLE Keyboard and Mouse in Windows 8

Classic BT HID keyboard and mouse in Windows 8

If the BT8xx is configured in HCI mode, it will work with the following:

Classic BT HID keyboard and mouse in Windows 8

BLE Keyboard and Mouse in Windows 8

Classic BT HID keyboard and mouse in Windows XP and 7.

We recommend using de-ionized water. Additionally, we recommend avoiding any sonic vibration, heat, and pressure washing as well as any other soaps/chemicals.

I have migrated bluez libraries from 4.x to 5.x, in order to get BLE support. But I could no longer hcitattach the serial HCI module. BlueZ has introduced the btattach command in release 5.37, as the successor to hciattach, and command syntax is quite different. Please check BlueZ manual for details.  

No. The attach command is for serial HCI modules. The driver for modules with USB interface should be found in the Linux Kernel. The drivers are not included in the BlueZ.

For the CSR based USB HCI BT module/dongle, the MAC address is stored in Pskey. It can be quite easily on Linux BlueZ.  sudo bccmd psset ?s 0 bdaddr 0x06 0x00 0xA2 0xB5 0xA4 0x00 0x16 0x00   

Even though the module HW supports BLE, you still need the host BT stack to support it. Windows CE only supports Classic BT, but not BLE. Customer should consider built-in stack module such as BT900.  

The Manufacturer's Specific Data Type is used for manufacturer specific data which can be proprietary data structures defined by the manufacturer and only identifiable by manufacturer's equipment/applications. To use the Manufacturer's Specific Data Type you need to have a Company Identifier as assigned by the BT SIG. You must be a registered member of the BT SIG and must apply for the company identifier using the process below (found at this link: https://www.bluetooth.com/specifications/assigned-numbers/company-ident…)   Application & Assignment Process Submit the following below to  Bluetooth Support : Company information (legal name of company) Name of company's primary contact (name and email) A statement that your company is currently a Bluetooth SIG member in good standing* Please allow five business days for your request to be fulfilled, and two business days from the time your request is fulfilled to view your Company Identifier on this page. *  ? BLUETOOTH Member in Good Standing ? shall mean any firm, corporation or other legal entity that has been admitted to membership in the BLUETOOTH SIG, whether a Promoter Member, Associate Member or Adopter Member, as defined in the organizational documents, that has fulfilled all of the requirements for membership, has paid and is current with payment of any and all membership fees, dues and assessments, and whose membership neither has been voluntarily or involuntarily suspended, terminated, or withdrawn from membership consistent with the lawful provisions of the organizational documents of the BLUETOOTH SIG.?

The responsibility for providing the QDID for a host system is with the provider of the stack that is used on that system. If for instance the host system uses a module that requires the Bluetooth stack to run on that system (e.g. Lairds Sterling-LWB in a Linux platform) the QDID must be provided by the stack vendor who's stack is running on that Linux platform. Challenges might occur when an open-source, community based stack is used. If a module with integrated stack us used (e.g. Lairds BL652) the QDID is provided by the module vendor.  

Currently you are unable to retrieve a BTADDR from a HID connection event with smartBASIC however an extension is planned for a future firmware update release which will include this functionality.  

The factors to confirm when checking the soldering job on Bluetooth modules are solder stencil aperture size, solder stencil thickness, solder ball size, solder type, and the MSL guidelines. If the parts have been left out for too long then the modules should be baked to remove any moisture prior to soldering. If there are any failures, we highly recommend providing an x-ray of the module.

Ezurio provides 3D files (STEP) files for most but not all of it's modules.  Based on the nature of the information in the files, in most cases Laird requires a login to access these files as well as layout files and software/firmware downloads.  As such, for most modules, the 3D files are found under the Software Downloads tab of the product page.  The page offers a credentials request link for customers who need credentials.  In most cases, the credentials are provided via return email within about 10 minutes. Please contact support if you have any additional questions or have any issues accessing our downloads.

We highly do not recommend conformal coating the radio module. If you plan on encapsulating the radio module in a potting compound or conformal coating, you must assure that the compound in liquid or solid form does not enter under the shield where there are sensitive RF components. Some of the capacitive and inductance values are as low (pF and nH) and could be sensitive to contacting materials such as potting compounds. There are potting compounds and conformal coatings which have very good dielectric constants and are suitable for 2.4 GHz potting applications, however, when you apply any of these, they were not accounted for in the circuit design and might reduce performance of the device (or all together cause it not to function).  You should run tests on their particular potting compound and evaluate radio's performance and range.  Also, it's worth mentioning that applying any compound, conformal coating or potting directly to the module WILL void the warranty. If your application requires 100% sealing of the radio module, there is a way to do this very successfully without impacting the module performance. Simply place the module on your PCB. Place a plastic cover over the module (like a hat), make the cover large enough to cover the whole module. Apply glue around the bottom perimeter of the cover where it sits on the PCB. This allows the module to function in free air-space while there is a complete seal around it. This information is only for reference and we recommend you should conduct your own testing with your prototype of your end application to find the best suitable fit for your design.  

We only recommend reflowing our modules once as it can damage the module and void the warranty.

Yes it is possible that Laird's BLE modules could be utilized in a end device that is certified as"Intrinsically Safe". We do not currently have any end customers doing this with all of Laird's BT/BLE modules, some of our BT/BLE modules have been successfully certified by our customers. As a valuable point of information, Intrinsically Safe certifications are detailed and extensive, requiring NDA restricted information on our modules which we can support based on the commercial opportunity. The detailed analysis and testing of the end production solution is the responsibility of the end customer working with their certified test house. 

Ezurio provides layout files PADS and PADS ASCII formats. The ASCII files will import to Altium (and Protel varients) as well as Cadence (Orcad and Allegro) CAD packages. As far as we know, there is no way to import to Eagle CAD. Please be sure to use the .asc file for PCB and the .txt file for the schematic when importing to Altium. Ezurio uses ORCAD for schematics (Gerbers). 

The recommended cleanser is "hydrocarbon cleaning oil", which can be used to clean the RF shield and PCB. We do not recommend the use of alcohol as it doesn't work as well and could leave residue on the boards.  

Only "Just works" is supported, as there is no way for the BT8X0 BLE HID proxy virtual machine to provide interface capability.  

If you have connected a BLE HID device in the proxy mode previously, you must delete the pairing before it will connect to new one.

HID Proxy mode on the BT8xx provides HID support for BLE keyboard and mouse services only. Note : These must be BLE enabled keyboard or mouse devices. 

No. The eeprom is used to store information such as module MAC address, crystal trim. It should contain information meaningful to the CSR chip.

For HCI modules, We are partnering with Searan for the BT stack. Customers can contact Laird regional Sales/FAE for contact information.

Yes. First, you'll need to have access to the pskeys. On Windows, you will need to obtain the Bluesuite from CSR. After opening Pstools, you can search the pskey "PSKEY_LC_MAX_TX_POWER" and modify the maximum TX power. As the module contains an eeprom, it will store the setting, and you will only need to do it once.

These are HCI modules. You will need a host MCU and have some sort of BT stack on the MCU side. We are partnering with Searan, and they have BT stack which can operate on these modules for audio application.

Check your schematic and the HIG. It is probably "VDD_PADS" not being powered properly. It is the power rail of alI I/O pads including the EEprom. The MAC address is stored in the EEprom.