book

Building iPhone and iPad Electronic Projects

by Mike Westerfield

September 2013

Intermediate to advanced

332 pages

8h 30m

English

O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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Conventions Used in This BookUsing Code ExamplesSafari® Books OnlineHow to Contact UsAcknowledgmentsCredits
Your Own TricorderA Crash Course in techBASICtechBASIC SamplerRunning Your First ProgramCreating a ProgramThe Accelerometer
The GyroscopeRadians or Degrees?The MagnetometerFaster Sensor ResponseHeadingLocationYour Own Tricorder
The iPhone/iPad MagnetometerThe Earth’s Magnetic FieldUsing the iPhone or iPad as a Metal DetectorConverting the Magnetometer Sample into a Metal DetectorUsing the Metal DetectorFinding Out More
What Is HiJack?Building the SensorExternal Power for HiJackHello HiJackWhen Things Go WrongA Better HiJack ProgramFor More Information
Adding a Moisture Meter to the TricorderAssembling the Moisture MeterCalibrationCollecting the Calibration DataMoving Datafiles to and from techBASICUsing the Calibration DataBetter SoftwareThe Complete Moisture Meter Source
What Is Bluetooth Low Energy?The TI SensorTagWriting Bluetooth Low Energy ProgramsThe AccelerometerWhat’s an Accelerometer?Accessing the AccelerometerUsing the AccelerometerThe SourceThe BarometerAccessing the BarometerThe SourceThe GyroscopeAccessing the GyroscopeUsing the GyroscopeThe SourceThe MagnetometerAccessing the MagnetometerUsing the MagnetometerThe SourceThe Humidity Sensor (Hygrometer)Accessing the HygrometerThe SourceThe ThermometerAccessing the ThermometerUsing the ThermometerThe SourceFurther Explorations
A Bit of Rocket ScienceParts ListsST-1ST-2Other Items for Both RocketsWhy Use a SensorTag?ConstructionST-2: The iPhone/SensorTag RocketST-1: The SensorTag RocketThe Data Collection ProgramSensorTag 8G SoftwareFlight TipsEnginesParachutesFlight ConditionsPower Up!The DataAnalyzing the DataRocket Data AnalysisVelocity and AltitudeRotation and PressureWhat We FoundST-1 ResultsST-2 Results
Controlling a Truck with BLESelecting a TruckDisassemblyHacking the TruckThe H BridgeThe TI ChipWiring the Complete CircuitControlling the Arduino UnoInstalling ArduinoDownloading FirmataInstalling FirmataThe SoftwarePulse Width ModulationState enginesBack to the SoftwareStart Your Engines!
Bluetooth Low Energy Slave ModeBLE ChatSetting Up the ServicesUsing the Services

The Classic Game of PongThe Paddles GameThe Paddle SoftwareThe Paddles Console Software
Worldwide SensorsHTTP, FTP, and TCP/IPWiFlyThe CircuitEstablishing a Network ConnectionCommunication with TCP/IPA Simple Terminal ProgramWiFi ArduinoLoading Software onto the ArduinoThe CircuitCommunication Using the Terminal Program
Servos: They’re Where the Action IsThe Pololu Serial Servo ControllerThe CircuitHalloween HijinksThe SoftwareTake It for a SpinPush and Pull with ServosPomp and Circumstance

Content preview from Building iPhone and iPad Electronic Projects

Chapter 11. WiFi

Prerequisites

Read Chapter 1 and the end of Chapter 2 (the section on the techBASIC help system) if you need some help with techBASIC.

Equipment

You will need an iPhone, iPod, or iPad running iOS 5 or later. You will also need a WiFly device, an Arduino Uno, and various common electronics parts like a small regulated power supply, jumper wires, and a breadboard. See Table 11-1 for a complete parts list.

Software

You will need a copy of techBASIC or techBASIC Sampler and a copy of the Arduino software for programming the Arduino. The Arduino software is a free download.

What You Will Learn

This project shows how to use a WiFi to serial bridge to set up communication with practically any device that uses serial input.

Worldwide Sensors

Bluetooth low energy is a great way to communicate over short distances, but it does have a couple of limitations. The first is bandwidth, or the amount of information it can move in a given amount of time. Bluetooth low energy typically delivers 100 Kbps (kilobits per second) or less. The second is range. Depending on the antenna and what the radio waves need to pass through, Bluetooth low energy is limited to a range of about 20 to 100 meters.

Our next technology is a bit better in both areas. WiFi connects your device to the Internet, where, with the proper passwords, you can communicate with the International Space Station. Just a tad further than 100 meters, right? As for bandwidth, it depends a lot on what you are connected ...