3

In my project, I need bluetooth 4.0 TI CC2540 module works like a beacon to broadcast an ID to space. And it needs to sniff other beacon's signal. In some condition, it needs to trigger an event. Is that possible?

Is there any other processor required in this kind system?

I found modules on ebay like this: BLE module with TI CC2540, Bluetooth 4.0

I am new be, what I should to do to program this kind module. Does those modules must connect to a system (like Arduino or Raspberry Pi) via UART to work?

Yi Jiang
  • 133
  • 1
  • 6

1 Answers1

4

It is possible and Texas Instruments has the CC2540 Mini Development Kit available that might be a good starting point because it includes a debugger / programmer. The CC2540 product page contains all the information you should need along with some software and example downloads if you scroll down the page so you can take a look at what's involved in advance.

I haven't used that particular chipset but one thing to note is that there's likely to be quite a bit of effort getting up to speed with it. If it's for something low-volume the quicker path might be using a microcontroller considering suitable parts can be found for a few dollars or less, but it really depends on how confortable you are with hardware versus software development.

Something that Chris Stratton has pointed out is that the toolchain (development software) supplied with that kit is only a 30-day evaluation so also check into the licensensing costs before proceeding. From that point of view an AVR, PIC or similar microcontroller is likely to be cheaper because they have free compiler options available and hardware programmers tend to be around the $50 mark.

PeterJ
  • 17,201
  • 37
  • 57
  • 91
  • The real problem with this is not the learning curve, rather it's the pricing of the only supported toolchain after the 30-day evaluation window. – Chris Stratton Sep 22 '13 at 14:28
  • @ChrisStratton Sorry! would you explain more about the 30-day evaluation window? what is that? I found tons of existing BLE module on ebay. They are really cheap! Maybe we can find the toolchain on ebay. Is this possible? Thanks for your comments! ^_^ – Yi Jiang Sep 23 '13 at 01:01
  • @RobertYiJiang, the toolchain is the development software you'll need to purchase that from TI, I wasn't aware the supplied version was a 30-day demo so have updated my answer. Maybe Chris knows the rough price but otherwise it would be something to ask TI. – PeterJ Sep 23 '13 at 01:06
  • TI is not the vendor of the toolchain, IAR is - so it's not included in the kit. But TI supplies the BLE libraries for talking to undocumented aspects of the hardware in a format that only works with that toolchain. If using an external microcontroller for application logic, an option that opens up is using a 3rd party pre-written firmware for the CC2540 which takes serial (or whatever) commands, thus avoiding needing the compiler to build code for the CC2540. – Chris Stratton Sep 23 '13 at 14:11
  • @ChrisStratton Thanks Chris! Unfortunately, I am looking for a wearable BLE tag in my system like Apple's iBeacons. That is why I expect to write logic in CC2540 to broadcast signal. – Yi Jiang Sep 25 '13 at 13:36