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Introduction

The SparkFun BlueSMiRF v2 is a wireless Bluetooth® serial link. This version of the popular BlueSMiRF uses the ESP32. These boards work as a wireless serial UART pipe and are a great wireless replacement for serial cables. Simply pair, connect, and transmit serial data between your TX/RX lines! Any serial stream from 2400 to 921600 baud can be passed seamlessly between two devices.

In this tutorial, we'll go over the hardware and how to hookup the breakout board. We will also go over how to connect to a smartphone and a basic Arduino example to get started!

Required Materials

To follow along with 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.