I am involved working on new hardware LED products where we are selecting a Bluetooth chipset to use in multiple products controlled by iOS and Android apps, for at minimum the next 3-4 years. Also I am not the developer, a third party will be contracted for this project.
As part of background research, I wanted to ask for feedback from Stack Overflow communities' experience with programming for Bluetooth, more specifically with custom firmware and GPIO PWM for LED?
What kind of challenges did you come across?
Are there any granular details or features to look out for with the hardware?
**Edit: based on first answer-
Requirements:
BLE 5
I do need OTA update capability
Chip size not big constraint, plastic enclosure can accommodate up to 1 inch/25mm or bit more easily.
Not high temp application
Single-chip solution, that will be programmed with our firmware, controlling 4x PWM Channels is ideal for our LED strips, avoiding separate MCU
Cost per unit (lowest average cost/unit)- important factor at volume, TBD
**Qualities I can not gauge well myself, being a designer and not an experienced programmer:
Ease of integration/support (lowest cost of development)
Quality of the chip manufacturer's software tools
Quality of the chips documentation
I have found some questions related with Raspberry Pi that seem generally helpful, but those questions don't help me with features or the support and documentation as related to BT SOCs.
**Edit: Yes I we are only considering BLE, and the NORDIC Semiconductor link I have included below are BLE and BT 5.
NORDIC chips are on my short list, they seem well supported and capable of 3x or 4x PWM channels for example nRF52832 Nordic nRF52832 Spec info. or the newer model RF5340. Does anyone have experience with them?
I really appreciate any answers regarding development considerations with Bluetooth.
I will edit & clarify if needed.
If you wish to support iOS Apps, a BLE device is necessary, BT classic requires a special apple license (for your product) to be able to connect with iOS Apps.
But other than that, your specifications dont really help to rule out ANY chip.
The first question that comes to mind is what other features do you
have already on your specification list that could be satisfied with
a common solution. I.e. if you also need WiFi, don't choose two
separate BLE/WiFi Chips, buy a chip that can do both (it's both
2.4GHz RF). If you need OTA updates for your firmware, choose a chip manufacturer with extensive and well documented tooling.
Consider special requirements:
Do you need a very small chip?
Does it need to be run at high temperatures (i.e. inside a light bulb)?
Do you need to run at ultra-low-power?
Does it need a high performance RF transceiver?
Decide whether you need a single-chip solution, that will be programmed with your firmware, or if your firmware will run on a dedicated microcontroller which is connected to the BLE chip.
Unless you have absolutely no special requirements to narrow down the selection, I'd base my decision along these criteria (not ordered):
Ease of integration (lowest cost of development)
Cost per unit (lowest average cost/unit)
Quality of the chip manufacturer's software tools
Quality of the chips documentation
GPIO-PWM Output should be possible with almost any programmable BLE chip.
Related
I was just curious because on phones it will say in the spec sheet "Bluetooth: BT4.1, BLE"
I want to buy a motherboard that supports both Bluetooth 5 Classic and low energy and was just curious if that motherboard would list BLE in the spec sheet? Or is just listing Bluetooth 5 enough?
I just didn't know if the Bluetooth 5 standard consumed low energy and classic and held it under one roof.
Everything in the Bluetooth specification is optional, (although there are a lot of depencency rules). Each specification version basically adds a bunch of optional new features, as well as fixing some bugs etc., but hardly ever imposes new requirements to implement new features.
In practice the Bluetooth version of a product just tells the age of the product, although it's often likely that newer products often implement more of the new Bluetooth features.
If you want to know exactly which Bluetooth features a Bluetooth certified product implements, have a look at the certification document for the product at https://www.bluetooth.org/tpg/listings.cfm (may require Bluetooth membership to see the detailed list).
An article on Hackaday piqued my curiosity, and I see Kinect + Linux questions being asked here (mostly about configuration), so I'll venture this question:
It is clear to me that Kinect can be used together with Linux on a "regular pc" -- but I can't help wondering why, that is, what might you actually use this for?
I don't suppose people really like the human/computer interface presented in movies such as "Minority Report" -- surely, nobody is actually doing text editing, coding, or business data processing by "hand-waving". So besides just games & exercises, what are examples of actual, real-world, useful (ie. 'professional') applications of such a setup?
For instance, can it be used for 3D scanning of real-world objects to obtain digital models? What sort of accuracy would such a scan yield?
The Kinect can be used for a wide variety of useful applications. I'm not sure if you are asking specifically about Linux or if Windows ("regular PC") is acceptable, but I'll provide you with some examples that come to mind.
For Linux specifically, it is likely that applications on Linux are using the sensor's raw sensor data only, rather the skeletal tracking feature. Many Kinect applications are on Windows because Microsoft's Kinect SDK is available only on Windows, and it provides the best skeletal tracking accuracy to-date.
You are right that the Kinect is rarely used where a keyboard & mouse would be faster and more accurate, but note that it is potentially relevant for accessibility.
And yes, it can be used for 3D scanning of real-world objects. I'm not sure about the exact accuracy, but I think it is acceptable for many applications. The main benefits are its low cost and speed.
For examples of 3D scanning, check out:
KinectFusion, a Microsoft Research project
Occipital Structure sensor for 3D scanning. (This is not the Kinect sensor, but provides an example application for 3D scanning. The company has a Kinect-related history as well.)
Styku - 3D body scanning for clothes fitting
Aside from 3D scanning, here are some other examples of applications:
Atlas5D - at-home patient monitoring
GestSure - 'Minority Report' interface for surgical rooms
Jintronix - games, exercises, assessments for physical therapy
There are many depth sensors like the Kinect3D on the market. The latest notable application would be iPhone X's depth sensor and FaceID. Many companies in the space are working actively in FaceID now, which would also be useful on Linux. Check out Microsoft's Window Hello biometric facial ID system - see Microsoft's official website:
Manufacturing of the Kinect sensor and adapter has been discontinued,
but the Kinect technology continues to live on in products like the
HoloLens, Cortana voice assistant, the Windows Hello biometric facial
ID system, and a context-aware user interface.
Kinect has applications in the robotics community as well, though I don't know the specifics. I assume many in robotics community use Linux when working with the Kinect. The depth and color cameras can be used to provide vision and the microphone array for audio input.
Generally, the Kinect had a big impact when it was released not just because of its technology but also because of its low price point, even if it's not the most accurate for every application. As this technology improves, I hope many other applications will emerge and become mainstream.
EDIT: also, check out this Hacker News discussion: "Microsoft Has Stopped Manufacturing The Kinect"
I have a couple of questions concerning BLE beacons:
1) Are beacons based on nRF51822 chip the best solution? Or are there any other chips better than nRF51822? I want to take up BLE beacon development and struggling to find the right hardware for these needs. As a novice developer I want the beacon to be as cheap as possible in order not to waste money in case of a failure.
2) Is it possible to buy pure Eddystone beacon (not iBeacon)? The reason for choosing Eddystone is that Eddystone is capable of broadcasting URLs that are essential for me.
The second question stems from my failed attempts to find a pure Eddystone beacon on Chinese electronics sites like alibaba.com or aliexpress.com where the only firmware available is iBeacon. But iBeacon is not an option because it can't broadcast URL the way Eddystone does.
Apart from the above questions It would be great if someone wrote a quick guide for taking up BLE development with Eddystone and covered basic topics like: chip to use, beacon model, best website to buy beacons at, etc.
Thanks in advance,
Pavel
1) I've worked with Estimote beacons and Chinese beacons from Amazon and in my opinion, they do not differ in terms of accuracy too much. Especially for prototyping, I'd buy cheaper ones to test if your use case can be satisfied with BLE beacons. If it is too inaccurate with Chinese beacons, chances are that it won't work with more expensive ones either.
2) Why do you need the URL broadcast? If the app is going to use the url, it would have to be connected to the internet. Therefore, you can just query the beacon's IDs to a web service to get back an URL and use that. Personally, I think this is a better approach as you can configure the web service from anywhere to change the url for beacons where as if you want to change the URL of the Eddystone, you have to go to the beacon to configure it.
The nRF51822 is a common implementation, is flexible, well understood and can be very inexpensive. Be aware though that development costs, add on circuitry for power and/or peripherals, and packaging can easily eclipse the Bluetooth chip when you get to production cost savings.
If you want to buy an off the shelf beacon, most models supporting Eddystone also support iBeacon, simply because supporting both adds no additional hardware cost. Newer Radius Networks and Estimote beacons all support both. And, yes, cheaper generic Chinese suppliers often have bulk manufactured inventory from before Eddystone existed at only support iBeacon.
Does a hardware that needs to advertise BLE signals as an iBeacon need to be MFI certified? I have noticed that is easy to turn a Raspberry Pi into a device that can send out iBeacons.
I looked at Estimotes, and nowhere does it say that it MFI certified.
Will the CoreLocation API specific to iBeacons work with a non-MFI certified beaconing hardware?
You don't need to be part of the MFi Developer program, but if you want to use the iBeacon logo or market your product as being iBeacon compatible, you will need to be part of the iBeacon Program
As for Estimotes, I am assuming that they are in the program because they have the iBeacon logo under their 'certificates' section.
Apple's iBeacon certification program is the specific MFi-variant that applies to beacons. My company makes Raspberry Pi-based beacons that are iBeacon Certified as well as battery-powered and USB-powered units.
The certification program is a way of making sure that beacons meet Apple's requirements for proper operation. Vendors who make beacons that aren't certified may work just fine for development purposes. Often times, however, the broadcast frequency of these beacons is pretty slow (1 Hz or less to save battery power), which can make for less accurate distance estimates when using ranging APIs. Just make sure you test with these beacons before counting on them!
I'm looking for a development board for WinCE, preferably with the following connectors:
VGA/DVI for screen
USB for kb/mouse
Ethernet (10Mbit is OK, 100 would be even better ;-) )
Storage (eg: SD/MMC/CF cards)
I'm looking for this, because I want to attend the Imagine Cup , Embedded Systems design. And I'm looking for a challenge, ofcourse ;-).
I found a board called HawkBoard (http://www.hawkboard.org), but I want to know if there are alternatives for about the same price (max $200 incl. shipping/customs/taxes). I need the BSP, ofcourse ;-).
Thanks!
Yvan
The eBox 2300/3300 is a low cost device that has been used for past Imagine Cup challenges. It's x86, comes with a BSP, is in an enclosure, is low cost ($195 or $255) and meets most of your needs.
Of course CE has forever shipped with a reference BSP for x86, so you can usually get just about any x86 device working, though most other devices tend to be pretty big physically.
There are also open source CE BSPs available for the BeagleBoard and GumStix.
The BeagleBoard is a good ARM system that costs $150. It has all the features you want, from the product page:
DVI-D for connecting digital computer monitors
Compatibility with a huge collection of USB peripherals including hubs, keyboards, mice, WiFi, Bluetooth, web cameras, and much more
MMC+/SD/SDIO interface for memory or wireless connectivity
S-Video out for connecting your NTSC or PAL television or wearable visor
Stereo audio in and out for a microphone and headphones or speakers
Power via typical USB chargers for cell phones from your laptop, from an automobile adapter, from batteries, or even from a solar backpack
I never tried Windows CE myself, but a google search suggests it's possible, and there's even a video on YouTube.
Another option is Gumstix, and there's a project on codeplex to help you get Windows CE on it.
I guess it also depends if you want to start something for fun or rather serious.
Check some of the big manufacturers homepages too, so you can see what specifications could
help the realisation of your ideas or set limits to them.
What helps for shure is if you choose a platform, that can be configured easily and its much more fun if you start with something that can work out of the box too.
Here an example, like you can find it on a lot of manufactureres homepages on the web.
http://www.toradex.com/En/Products/Colibri
Colibri modules feature state of the art technology, and aimed at low power systems that require high CPU performance. They are equipped withall the interfaces needed in a modern embedded device.
Colibri T20 features include:
· Dual Core ARM Cortex A9 Processor
· 2 x 1.0GHz Processor Speed
· Full HD 1080p Video (Encode / Decode)
· Powerful 3D Rendering Performance
· True Dual Display
· Up to 12 Megapixel Camera Sensor Support
And if this is to much there are Colibri modules in the family which are in a lower price range with adapted specifications that might fit you needs better.
What I personally think is important, that you know that you can get good support and talk to the right people in person as well.
Give it a shot and good luck.
Regards
Any old PC that has a video adapter that is VESA compliant and a network adapter based on NE2000, realtek RTL8139 or 3COm 3Cx5 can be used as Windows CE target device using the CEPC BSP.
If you have an old 486 or more powerful PC lying unused somewhere in your garage, it's time to resurrect it! :)