Pico-BLE

Introduction

Note

The module can only be connected to the mobile phone currently.
V1.1 (purchased after 2022/02/20), supports connection with Raspberry PI.

Introduction

The Pico-BLE is a dual-mode Bluetooth 5.1 expansion module designed for Raspberry Pi Pico, which is controlled via UART AT commands, with SPP and BLE support. Combined with the Raspberry Pi Pico, it can be used for Bluetooth wireless communication applications.

Features

Standard Raspberry Pi Pico header, supports Raspberry Pi Pico series.
Controlled via UART AT commands, get started quickly.
Comes with online development resources and manual (Raspberry Pi Pico C/C++ and MicroPython examples).

Specifications

Input voltage: 3.3V/5V
Communication: UART
Communication rate: up to 1,000,000 bps
Dimensions: 56.5 × 21mm

Pinout

Dimensions

Examples

For the Pico-BLE module, we provide an serial example. Hereby we take C codes to explain the function.

Hardware Interface

BLE.c

The Bluetooth module initialization function mainly judges whether the Bluetooth module is successfully connected to the mobile phone, whether the notify function is enabled, querying the baud rate of the Bluetooth module, judges whether it is in low power mode, name, address, and modifying the name of the module.

void BLE_Init()

Execute and process BLE commands.

uint8_t Cmd_Process(uint8_t *data)
    data: the address of the command pointer to send

Transparent transmission receiving function, what data the mobile phone sends to the module, the module receives and returns the same data with this function.

void UART_RX()     Query receive
void UART_RX_IRQ() Interrupt receive

Parameter Modification

BLE.h

#define UART_ID uart0       Pico serial port selection
#define BAUD_RATE 115200    Serial port baud rate selection
#define DATA_BITS 8         Serial port data bits
#define STOP_BITS 1         Serial port data stop bits
#define PARITY UART_PARITY_NONE  Whether the serial port performs parity check
#define UART_TX_PIN 0       Pico serial port TX pin selection
#define UART_RX_PIN 1       Pico serial port RX pin selection
#define BLE_MODE_PIN 15     Bluetooth module status detection pin

Module Command

CMD.h

For specific use, please refer to the user manual.

Demonstration

Mobile Phone APP Demo

Connect the Pico/Pico2 and Pico-BLE:
Open the Python demo and run:

Open the software on the smartphone. (This is just a demo, you can download any Bluetooth APP from the app store.)

Click to pair:

Click on Pairing and the following will appear on the computer and the phone:

Enter the data on your cell phone and click send (your computer will show you the screen where you sent it):

PS: Apps using the BLE protocol on the mobile side need to open the notify interface.

Computer AT Command Demonstration

Use the USB to the serial port module to connect the computer and Pico-BLE, open the SSCOM software, select the corresponding baud rate (the default is 115200), enter the command, and enable "carriage return and line feed" (must be, otherwise the command will be invalid).

The above command is a reset command, please refer to the user manual for more commands.

V1.1 (Purchased after 2022/02/20)

Includes all the features of the previous version, with the following new features.

Raspberry Pi Connection

Input "bluetoothctl" to enter the Bluetooth interactive mode.
Input "Show" to check the Bluetooth status.
"Powered: yes" means the Bluetooth can be opened.
"Discoverable: no" means it cannot be searched by other devices.
"Pairable: yes" runs to pair.

powered yes opens the Bluetooth, powered no closes the Bluetooth
pairable yes allows it to pair, pairable no means no pairing

Input "scan on" to query the Bluetooth.

Input "pair [MAC]" to pair the Bluetooth.
When pairing SPP, input the contents according to the requirements if the pairing code is set.
When pairing BLE, you can directly observe whether it is paired successfully.

Input "exit" to exit the Bluetooth interactive mode.
Automatically connect to the Bluetooth corresponding to the address.

sudo rfcomm conn /dev/rfcomm0 [MAC]

When it is successfully created the label characters are shown.

The port is already in use when the following content is shown.

After successfully creating, the Raspberry Pi will automatically generate a serial port number, rfcomm0.
Send the data

echo 1234541 > /dev/rfcomm0

Read the data.

cat /dev/rfcomm0

Resource

Document

Demo

Demo codes

Serial Port Assistant

Development Software

Pico Quick Start

Firmware Download

MicroPython Firmware Download

C_Blink Firmware Download

Firmware Download

MicroPython Firmware Download

C_Blink Firmware Download

Text Tutorial

Introduction

Raspberry Pi Pico

MicroPython Series

C/C++ Series

For C/C++, it is recommended to use Pico VS Code for development. This is a Microsoft Visual Studio Code extension designed to make it easier for you to create, develop, and debug projects for the Raspberry Pi Pico series development board. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced professional, this tool can help you confidently and easily develop Pico. Below we will introduce how to install and use the extension.

Official website tutorial: https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/pico-vscode-extension/.
This tutorial is applicable to Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico2, and our company's RP2040 and RP2350 series development boards.
The development environment defaults to Windows as an example. For other environments, please refer to the official website tutorial for installation.

Arduino IDE Series

Install Arduino IDE

Download the Arduino IDE installation package from Arduino website.
Just click on "JUST DOWNLOAD".
Click to install after downloading.
Note: You will be prompted to install the driver during the installation process, we can click Install.

Install Arduino-Pico Core on Arduino IDE

Open Arduino IDE, click the File on the left corner and choose "Preferences".

Add the following link in "Additional boards manager URLs", then click OK.

https://github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico/releases/download/global/package_rp2040_index.json

Note: If you already have the ESP32 board URL, you can separate the URLs with commas like this:

https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json,https://github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico/releases/download/global/package_rp2040_index.json

Click on Tools -> Board -> Board Manager -> Search for pico, it shows installed since my computer has already installed it.

Upload Demo At the First Time

Press and hold the BOOTSET button on the Pico board, connect the Pico to the USB port of the computer via the Micro USB cable, and release the button when the computer recognizes a removable hard drive (RPI-RP2).
Download the demo from #Resource, open the D1-LED.ino under arduino\PWM\D1-LED path.
Click Tools -> Port, remember the existing COM, do not need to click this COM (different computers show different COM, remember the existing COM on your computer).
Connect the driver board to the computer with a USB cable, then click Tools -> Ports, select uf2 Board for the first connection, and after the upload is complete, connecting again will result in an additional COM port.
Click Tools -> Board -> Raspberry Pi Pico/RP2040 -> Raspberry Pi Pico.
After setting, click the right arrow to upload.
- If you encounter problems during the period, you need to reinstall or replace the Arduino IDE version, uninstall the Arduino IDE clean, after uninstalling the software you need to manually delete all the contents of the folder C:\Users\[name]\AppData\Local\Arduino15 (you need to show the hidden files in order to see it) and then reinstall.

Open Source Demo

FAQ

Question:

Can Pico-BLE be used as a host?

Answer:

No, currently only the slave mode is supported

Support

Technical Support

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