Mobile Apps
One of the best things about BLE is how easy it is to connect to a smartphone, eliminating the need for a separate LCD. Not surprisingly, the Smartphone App has become an essential building block for BLE applications that are based on microchip modules.
Microchip make it easy for you to develop your own Smartphone App by providing mobile apps and free source code to speed up development. The Microchip Bluetooth Data (MBD) App is available for both iOS® and Android™ operating systems.
Bluetooth Network Processors
Microchip preprogrammed Bluetooth Network Processor solutions remove the complexity of managing Bluetooth from your application, reducing your risk and time to market. They offer simple interfaces and support PIC®, SAM and third-party microcontrollers (MCUs) for maximum design flexibility while requiring minimal host resources.
- Easy to use with minimal support required
- Application runs on host MCU
- Offloads Bluetooth stack processing for design flexibility
- Simple ASCII or binary interface over UART
- Enhanced security and throughput
Ready to Get Started?
Step 1:
Order your development board. We recommend the BM71 Xplained Pro Development Board (DM164146). Featuring a BM71 Bluetooth Low Energy Module, this all-inclusive starter kit has everything you need to get up and running in a few minutes. Once you have purchased your board, follow the remainder of these steps to get started with your project
Step 2:
Ensure that the BM71 Xplained Pro Development Board is configured as follows:
- The jumper on the J2 header is closed to select USB power option
- The current measurement jumper on J3 is present
- Switch 1 (system configuration) on the DIP switch is set to OFF
- Switch 2 (Blue LED) on the DIP switch is set to ON
Step 3:
Connect the BM71 Xplained Pro Development Board to a host PC using the mini USB cable. Ensure that green LED (LD1) is solid ON indicating USB power.
Step 4:
Start the Terminal Emulator software.
Step 5:
Open the mBIoT app on the phone/tablet and ensure that Bluetooth is turned ON.
Step 6:
On the MBD App Dashboard screen, select "BM70"
Step 7:
In the follow-up screen, click on “Scan” and “Scan” again at the bottom.
Step 8:
Once the scanning process completes, the BM71 module should appear as “BM71_BLE” by default.
Step 9:
Click on the “BM71_BLE” to start a connection process. Once connected, the transparent UART service available on the BM71 module should show up.
Step 10:
Click on “Transfer data to device”. The Transparent UART screen should open. The data pipe is now open.
Step 11:
In the serial emulator application (TeraTerm), enter any text and this should show up in the transparent UART page in the app.
For more detailed information on how to get started, please refer to Section 3.1 of the BM71 Xplained Pro User guide
Featured Microchip bluetooth products:
| Product | Status | Command Interface | Bluetooth Core Spec | Antenna Range | Module Size |
| BM70 | In Production | Binary | 5 | Up to 50 meters | 22 x 12 x 2.4 mm |
| BM71 | In Production | Binary | 5 | Up to 10 meters | 9 x 11.5 x 2.1 mm |
| RN4678 | In Production | ASCII | 5 | Up to 50 meters | 22 x 12 x 2.4 mm |
| RN4870 | In Production | ASCII | 5 | Up to 50 meters | Shield 12 x 22 mm, Unshielded 12 x 15 mm |
| RN4871 | In Production | ASCII | 5 | Up to 10 meters | Shield 9 x 11.5 mm, Unshielded 6 x 8 mm |