Elektor Uses BL600 in BLE Design for IoT

Elektor.Labs BL600-eBoB

No doubt you’ve been hearing about the Internet of Things (IoT) for some time now. Until recently, the IoT has been a concept of the future, but in recent years it has evolved into a globally recognized movement where developers and OEMs are actually creating IoT devices. Today there are a total of 1.9 Billion IoT devices deployed in various consumer and enterprise applications [1], and this number is expected to grow to more than 23.3 billion by 2020 [2]. In the March & April issue, Elektor.MAGAZINE published an article showcasing their wireless outdoor thermometer, fitted with Laird’s BL600. Designed with the IoT in mind, the BL600-eBoB from Elektor.Labs is a BreakOut Board (BoB) that allows users to access the main signals on the BL600-SA Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module from Laird and experiment with Bluetooth 4.0 technology. The project enables users to read remotely measured temperature data on a smartphone via BLE. Jennifer Aubinais of Elektor.Labs says, “The BL600 Bluetooth Low Energy module is an ideal accessory for achieving wireless communication with connected objects.” In the article, Aubinais explains how they used the BL600-eBoB in a wireless outdoor thermometer for iOS and Android applications.

Titled, “Part 1 wireless Communication on a Plate”, the article gives an overview of Bluetooth and BLE, highlighting the advantages of BLE in the IoT, and provides a step-by-step overview of the project. Aubinais explains, “The BL600 has enough inputs/outputs and its programming language, smartBASIC, is powerful enough to allow the module to operate without the help of a microcontroller.” smartBASIC is Laird’s event driven programming language. smartBASIC is a modern event driven version of BASIC that has no line numbers and has subroutines and functions just like Visual BASIC. smartBASIC for BLE has been designed to make wireless development quick and simple, vastly cutting down time to market. The programming language enables standalone operation of modules and simplifies BLE module integration.

Register for the full article, here, and keep an eye out for the next issue of the magazine which will go into detail of smartBASIC.

A video demonstration of the BL600-eBoB is available below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKc3R8z_fUM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[1] Adler, Emily (2014, August 19). Here’s why ‘The Internet of Things’ will be Huge and Drive Tremendous Value for People and Businesses. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/growth-in-the-internet-of-things-market-…

[2] Greenough, John (2014, January 16). The Corporate ‘Internet of Things’ Will Encompass More Devices than the Smartphone and Tablet Markets Combined. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/the-enterprise-internet-of-things-market…