- Author: Nabil Tewolde (nabil.tewolde@gmail.com)
- Version: 0.9
- Website: http://www.nabiltewolde.com
- GitHub: https://github.com/nabilt/nRF8001-Breakout-Board
This hardware project is the reference schematic for the nRF8001 Bluetooth Low Energy chip redone in Eagle. It is currently untested. The goal of this project is to develop a low power, cheap, cross-platform wireless module for wireless projects. I plan to include open firmware and demos for iOS and Android. Checkout my blog post for more info.
Why nRF8001 and not another Bluetooth 4 chip?
- Publicly available datasheet
- Simple circuitry, few passives and no integrated uC
- Cheap, $4.98 CAD on Mouser
- Small, currently the board is 1’’ x 0.9’’
Interesting Bluetooth 4 facts:
- Runs for years on a coin cell battery
- Works over a wide range; 10 to 100 meters
- 1Mbps over the air data rate; 0.2 Mbps throughput
- Virtually all new devices made in 2012 will contain Bluetooth 4
- Apple only provides a free API for Bluetooth 4 accessories
Checkout http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Bluetooth-Smart-Devices.aspx for a list of Bluetooth 4 compatible devices.
nRF8001-Breakout-Board by Nabil Tewolde is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.