iOS Sensor Apps with Arduino

How to Configure an XBee Series 1 Radio

To configure an XBee module, we need to be able to talk to it. Generally, we’ll be using your Mac to configure your XBee, although there is nothing stopping us from writing an iPhone or iPad application to allow us to do this configuration. For now, we’ll need a way to connect the XBee to your Mac’s USB port.

Since they were designed to be soldered directly to a PCB, XBee modules rather unfortunately use 2 mm headers instead of the more familiar 0.1 in headers we are all so used to. They therefore generally require a breakout board of some kind before they can be used on a standard bread- or proto-board, and an adaptor before they can be connected to your Mac.

There are a number of breakout boards on the market. Generally, you’ll just need a simple board that breaks the XBee pins out to standard 0.1 in header blocks, like SparkFun’s Breakout Board for XBee Module.

To connect the XBee to your computer, you’ll need a more complicated board that takes care of regulating the input voltage to the 3.3 V required by the module, signal conditioning, and providing basic activity indicator LEDs. Again, there are a large number of these on the market, like SparkFun’s XBee Explorer Regulated and Adafruit’s XBee Adaptor Kit. See Figure 5-2.

There are even boards allowing you to plug the XBee directly into your Mac’s USB port, such as SparkFun’s XBee Explorer Dongle; see Figure 5-2 again.

Note

Almost invariably, XBee USB adaptors require drivers from FTDI. You ...