Bluetooth is a great addition to a variety of projects, but the interface to most Bluetooth modules is through a serial UART, which can be a real bummer – serial port availability can be limited and they’re not always super-reliable. The Qwiic Bluetooth aims resolve that issue by providing an I2C interface to the HM-13 Bluetooth module.
This board’s HM-13 Bluetooth module supports both SPP (Serial Port Profile) and BLE (Bluetooth low-energy) Bluetooth profiles via Bluetooth 4.0. The HM-13’s support for BLE means it’s compatible with any smartphone. Or you can connect it to a computer via the old standard – SPP – and use it as a transparent Bluetooth data gateway. You can even use it in dual-mode, connected to a pair of devices simultaneously!
The board also features an ATtiny85, which has custom firmware to translate between between I2C and serial. There are a pair of Qwiic connectors, which allow you to string a variety of sensors up to a single I2C bus. Finally, a green “CON” LED indicates connection status – blinking when disconnected and solid when connected.
Check out our HM-13 Arduino library for help developing Bluetooth app of your own! There are a handful of “Qwiic” examples, which demonstrate how to set up a simple serial passthrough, adjust some of the module settings, and even set it up as an iBeacon.
