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Introduction

  • Our BlueSMiRF product line is a series of wireless Bluetooth® serial links. The SparkFun BlueSMiRF v2 is a reboot of the previous BlueSMiRF board, utilizing the Espressif's ESP32 Pico Mini for wireless communication and comes in several variants, with PTH pins, male headers, or a JST connector. These boards operate as a serial data link and are a great replacement for hardwired between boards. Simply connect a BlueSMiRF v2, pair the devices over Bluetooth®, and simultaneously transmit and receive data! Any serial stream from 2400 to 921600 baud can be passed between two devices; with a range of 100' (33m). In this tutorial, we'll go over the hardware and the connections to a BlueSMiRF v2. We will also provide a few examples; including, how to connect to the BlueSMiRF v2 with a smartphone and a basic Arduino example transmitting data between two BlueSMiRF v2s... so let's get started!

Required Materials

To follow along with the examples in this tutorial, you will need the following materials. You may not need everything though depending on what you have. Add it to your cart, read through the guide, and adjust the cart as necessary. We recommend the board with headers to minimize the amount of soldering to your application.

Tools (Optional)

You will need a soldering iron, solder, and general soldering accessories for a secure connection when using the plated through holes. You may also need to solder headers or wires to any devices that the BlueSMiRF v2 is connecting to.

Prototyping Accessories (Optional)

For those using the PTH version, you will need to connect to the PTHs. You could use IC hooks and a breadboard for a temporary connection depending on your setup and what you have available. Of course, you will want to the solder header pins for a secure connection. We'll assume that you will want to solder a female header since there is already a BlueSMiRF v2 with the male headers available. Then again, you can still solder wire or even your own male headers if you prefer. Below are a few prototyping accessories that you may want to consider.

You Will Also Need

Depending on your setup or what you are doing, you may need the following as well.

  • 2.4GHz WiFi Network for firmware updates
  • Smartphone with an Internet Service

Suggested Reading

If you aren’t familiar with the following concepts, we also recommend checking out a few of these tutorials before continuing.