Quick Start Guide

What's New?

The design of the BlueSMiRF is similar to previous generations. However, we have made a few design improvements that users will appreciate. In testing, we got about ~110 feet (~33m) of range from a pair of BlueSMiRF v2s in the SparkFun building.

Features an ESP32-PICO-MINI-02 module programmed with our open-source firmware
- Easily update the firmware Over-the-Air or through the serial interface
- Configure the settings with AT-commands
A user button has been added to simplify pairing, triggering various modes of operation, and resetting the factory defaults
We manufacture three variants, with different connections to simplify hooking up the BlueSMiRF to your project
- PTH pad and male header variants, which now have pin labels on both sides of the boards
- JST variant that is easily connected to our high-precision GNSS breakout boards

Info

For a full background on the development and design revisions of the BlueSMiRF, check out the Board Revision History page of this guide.

Board Layout

The SparkFun BlueSMiRF v2 features the following:

ESP32 Module

Espressif's ESP32-PICO-MINI-02 module
PAIR Button

A multi-use button used to changes between the various modes of operation.
Status LEDs

The green CONNECT and red STATUS LEDs are used to indicate various modes of operation.
Hardware Connection

This connection breaks out the pins for the UART interface and power supply for the BlueSMiRF. Additionally, the three variants provide different options for connecting the BlueSMiRF to their project.

Board Variants

PTH Pads
Male Header Pins
JST-GH Connector

Manipulate 3D Model

Controls	Mouse	Touchscreen
Zoom	Scroll Wheel	2-Finger Pinch
Rotate	`Left-Click` & Drag	1-Finger Drag
Move/Translate	`Right-Click` & Drag	2-Finger Drag

Pin Connections

Each variant of the BlueSMiRF v2, has a different connector. The pin layout for these connections, are summarized in the table below.

Label	`V` `VCC`	`RI` `RXI`	`TO` `TXO`	`CT` `CTS`	`RT` `RTS`	`GND`
Function	Voltage Input 3.3 to 6.0V	UART - Receive	UART - Transmit	Flow Control Clear-to-Send	Flow Control Ready-to-Send	Ground

Backwards Compatibility

The pin layout of the BlueSMiRF v2 variants with the PTH pads and male header pins, will only be backwards compatible with previous versions of the BlueSMiRF Mate, as shown in the image below.

Pin compatibility of different generations of the BlueSMiRF.

Device Operation

Create a Serial Link

Device 1: By default, the device be in discoverable mode and be available for pairing.
- Device 1 will broadcast the name BlueSMiRF-Pairing and wait for an incoming connection.
Device 2: Hold the PAIR button for 4 to 8 seconds, then release.
Device 2: Will then enter pairing mode and scan for any compatible devices to pair with.
- The scan should find that Device 1 is in discoverable mode broadcasting the BlueSMiRF-Pairing name.
Device 2: Connects to Device 1
- Device 2 stores the MAC address of Device 1
- Whenever Device 2 boots up, it will always try to connect to the stored the MAC address (i.e. Device 1).
Device 1: Remains agnostic of any connections or pairing; no MAC address has been stored on it.
- When Device 1 boots, it will not attempt to connect to any devices.

Note

The BlueSMiRF that was detected (Device 1), does not store the MAC address of the pairing BlueSMiRF (Device 2). Upon restart, the BlueSMiRF (Device 1) will return to the (default) discoverable mode.

Configure Settings

Bluetooth Serial Link: +++ (remote access)

Tip

The settings of the command key can be reconfigured with the following commands:

Below is a short list of AT-commands and parameters that are commonly used:

AT Command	Command Description
`$$$`	Enter Command Mode - Hardware connection
`+++`	Enter Command Mode - Bluetooth connection
`AT?`	Display this help text
`ATF`	Restore factory settings
`ATP`	Start pairing process
`ATW`	Save current settings to NVM
`ATX`	Exit command mode
`ATZ`	Reboot the system
`AT-<Param>=<value>`	Set parameter's value to xxx by name (Param)

AT Command	Command Description	Factory Default Value
`AT-SerialSpeed`	The baud rate that the BlueSMiRF operates at.	115200
`AT-WiFiPassword`	Password for the SSID, used for over-the-air-updates
`AT-WiFiSSID`	SSID used for over-the-air-updates

Restore Factory Defaults

There are two methods to restore the device's settings to their factory defaults.

Access the command mode, then use the ATF and ATW AT-commands to restore and save all the settings to their factory defaults.
Hold the PAIR button down for more than 8 seconds, until the STATUS and CONNECT LEDs to quickly blink back and forth. When the button is released, all the settings will be restored to their factory defaults.

Firmware Update

Because it's much easier to use, we recommend the OTA firmware update process.

Enter command mode:
- UART Interface: $$$
- Bluetooth Serial Link: +++ (remote access)
Configure the AT-WiFiSSID and AT-WiFiPassword parameters for your local WiFi network
Save the new settings (ATW)
Issue the ATC command to check for new firmware.
If new firmware is available, send the ATU command to begin an update.
The device will restart after the update process is complete

Example

Below, is an example of this method using the UART interface. In the example, the WiFi network's SSID is sparkfun-guest and its password is sparkfun6333. The highlighted lines represent the commands that were sent.

Terminal

BlueSMiRF-v1.0

$$$
OK
at-wifissid=sparkfun-guest
AT-WIFISSID=sparkfun-guest
OK
at-wifipassword=sparkfun6333
AT-WIFIPASSWORD=sparkfun6333
OK
atw
ATW
OK
atc
ATC
Connecting to sparkfun-guest...
Connected!
Checking to see if an update is available from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sparkfun/SparkFun_BlueSMiRF-v2_Binaries/main/BlueSMiRF-Firmware.json

Current firmware version: v1.0

New firmware version available: 1.1

OK
atu
ATU
Connecting to sparkfun-guest...
Connected!
Getting new firmware
Installing new firmware

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BlueSMiRF-v1.1