BL651 Series Bluetooth Module

The BL651 cannot be configured using AT commands, as the AT command set available with the BL65x modules requires loading a smartBASIC Application. Because of the limited Flash and RAM available on the BL651 it cannot support the smartBASIC firmware and therefore, the AT Interface application cannot be loaded to the module. It must be programmed using any of the developer platforms that support working with the nRF52810, such as Nordic SDK, Zephyr Project, or MyNewt, among others. All of these platforms require flashing the BLE application via the JTAG Interface, therefore it is required that you bring out the JTAG interface in order to program the BL651 module for BLE operation.

The BT900 and BL600 documents refer to the UwTerminal utility which was the primary utility when these documents were written. This utility is still available in the firmware zip files when they are downloaded from the BT900 Product Page or BL600 Product Page .

However, UwTerminalX is the new improved version of UwTerminal offering additional features not available in predecessor UwTerminal. We recommend working with UwTerminalX as it will support all the features mentioned in the BT900 documentation and offer the additional features, such as access to online Xcompilers.

The latest release of UwTerminalX can be downloaded from our GitHub Repository: UwTerminalX/releases


 

Unfortunately, we do not offer Boundary Scan functionality on the BL65x modules.

We do understand it is harder to place and recommend during development the use of an X-ray or some other means to verify to soldering process.

We do not offer a DVK for the BL651, however, as the BL651 and BL652 are pin for pin compatible, the DVK-BL652 can be used during development as the development platform. It is important you keep in mind that the BL651 has half the flash/RAM so it cannot support any central role functions such as scanning and initiating connections, and it is not capable of supporting smartBASIC firmware, therefore it will be necessary to flash the DVK with custom firmware, via the JTAG interface, based on the development platform that you elect to work with.

BL651 software development can be completed with any platform that supports working with the nRF52810 such as Nordic SDK, Zephyr Project or MyNewt to name a few.

The BL651 is for simple BLE applications, and does not support smartBASIC firmware due to its limited flash. Therefore, if you will be working with the BL651 you would need to program the module using a platform which supports working with Nordic's nRF52810 such as the Nordic SDK or Zephyr Project. Both Nordic and Zephyr Project offer sample code when you download and install their platform. Software development support requests will need to be directed to the resources for the platform selected.

Laird does not provide a Windows utility for scanning and connecting to BLE devices. We are also not aware of any existing third party apps to do this either. Android and iOS are the best options for scanning for and connecting to BLE radios. 

Bluetooth Low Energy uses Services as opposed to the set of standardized profiles that exists for Classic Bluetooth. While some Bluetooth Low Energy services have been standardized by the Bluetooth SIG, the development of custom services is allowed to meet custom application requirements.
 
Because Bluetooth Low Energy uses a completely different protocol than Classic Bluetooth and supports custom services, Bluetooth Low Energy devices cannot connect to a computer through the typical Bluetooth configuration of a computer. Therefore, connecting to a PC requires writing and running a Bluetooth Low Energy Central Role/Client application to collect the data sent from the Bluetooth Low Energy peripheral modules. Application development for PCs and Mobile devices is outside the scope of our support. Alternatively, a BL654 USB dongle could be used as a BLE Central Role device, to collect the BLE data and pass it to the PC over a COM Port. However, you would still need an application to view and process the data received over that COM Port.
 
We generally recommend customers who are new to Bluetooth Low Energy obtain a copy of Getting Started with Bluetooth Low Energy to help them understand the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol and the GATT table. There are also many resources available online which explain this. 

When Bluetooth Low Energy was first introduced and we launched our BL6xx product line (predecessors to the BL65x series) we produced the BL600 and BL620 smartBASIC Application Walkthrough document, which provides an overview of how Bluetooth Low Energy works and how a GATT table is constructed. 

Yes, any programmer/debugger that supports the SWD 2-wire interface and the Cortex M4F processor should work with the Nordic-based modules. You can find information about the memory map in the nRF5xxxx Product Specification under the Memory and NVMC sections.