2.1 Quick Start

Demo Application

Out of the box, the PIC-BLE board comes programmed with the pic-lightblue-explorer-demo. This application can be used to demonstrate a number of the board features using the LightBlue® app by Punch Through.

  1. Download the latest demo firmware from the releases section on the pic-lightblue-explorer-demo GitHub page.
  2. Connect a USB cable (Standard-A to Micro-B or Micro-AB) between the PC and the debug USB port on the board.
  3. Program the PIC-BLE with the downloaded .hex file through the drag-and-drop feature.
  4. Download the LightBlue® app for iOS or Android.
  5. Power the board through a Micro-USB cable or CR2032 battery.
  6. Open the LightBlue® app and select the PIC-BLE peripheral.
  7. Use the custom interface to explore the board.
Info: The PIC-BLE will show up in the LightBlue® app as PIC-BLE_xxxx, where xxxx are the last two bytes of the RN4870 BLE module’s Bluetooth MAC address. This makes it possible to distinguish between multiple PIC-BLE boards.

Communication between the demo application and the LightBlue® app is done by using a protocol based on ASCII packets. Refer to the protocol section on the pic-lightblue-explorer-demo page for a list of commands with examples, as well as the full source code for the project.

Development Requirements

MPLAB® X IDE:For help with installation, view the MPLAB X installation guide.

Build an Application

View the default source code that is pre-loaded onto the development board. Explore, modify, and build off this source code to create a custom application.

  1. View the source code at the pic-lightblue-explorer-demo GitHub page.
  2. Read through the README.md to get more information on how to expand the solution.
  3. Download the project from GitHub and open it in the latest version of MPLAB® X IDE.
  4. Connect a USB cable (Standard-A to Micro-B or Micro-AB) between the Windows®, Mac®, or Linux® device and the debug USB port on the PIC-BLE. The board will be identified in the kit window in MPLAB® X IDE.
  5. Explore, modify, and build off the source code.
  6. Make and program the device. Select the PKoB nano serial number as the debug tool when prompted.
Driver Installation

When the board connects to your computer for the first time, the operating system will perform a driver software installation. The driver file supports both 32- and 64-bit versions of Microsoft® Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows® 7, Windows® 8, and Windows® 10. The drivers for the board are included with MPLAB® X IDE.

Kit Window
Once the board is powered, the green status LED will lit, and MPLAB® X IDE will auto-detect which boards are connected. The Kit Window in MPLAB® X IDE will present relevant information like data sheets and board documentation. The PIC16LF18456 device on the PIC-BLE board is programmed and debugged by the on-board debugger, and, therefore, no external programmer or debugger tool is required.
Tip: If closed, the Kit Window in MPLAB® X IDE can be reopened through the menu bar Window > Kit Window.