Bluetooth client connection

[aisyah]

Hi all,

I'm interested to use bluetooth as the main medium of transferring data from my circuit to my PC wirelessly. Data received would be processed in Labview for further analysis.

I understand that Labview provides such functions. I've read up on the given link (https://www.ni.com/en/support/documentation/supplemental/06/developing-bluetooth-applications-with-l...) to start my bluetooth development. But i'm a bit lost and stuck at understanding it.

Given that I want to create a VI that can receive data from a bluetooth device, must I start of with the Bluetooth server application? What is the difference between bluetooth server and client application.

I've also tried searching on Bluetooth VIs available in Labview, but I could find any.Could anyone suggest some useful insight of how to begin creating my Bluetooth application?

Thanks, Aisyah.

[Donovan_B]

Hi Aisyah,

Thank you for contacting National Instruments.  The LabVIEW Help includes a description of the Bluetooth VIs.  This should explain a little about what each does.  You should also be able to find some more information by going to Help in LabVIEW and selecting Search the LabVIEW Help... where you can do a search for Bluetooth.

Another useful thing to help get you started should be in the LabVIEW Example Finder.  In LabVIEW, go to Help » Find Examples... and then select the Search tab and search for Bluetooth.  This will provide some examples on using the server/client architecture with Bluetooth.  Your PC would be the client as the data is "served" from your circuit.  How would your circuit transmit this data for LabVIEW to use?  If you know how you are going to get the data to the PC, the NI Example Finder should provide a good starting place.

[aisyah]

Hello,

Thank you for your kind assistance.

To make things clear, it means that I would only have to create a client application in LabVIEW to receive the incoming data from my circuit?

For my circuit, I'm using a Bluetooth Toothpick 2.0 module as seen in the link: http://www.rfsolutions.co.uk/acatalog/Toothpick_Bluetooth_Module.html The module will be programmed to capture data from sensor output to transmit wirelessly to my PC for LabVIEW use.

regards,

aisyah

[Donovan_B]

Hi Aisyah,

You are correct.  As long as your circuit has the capability to transmit Bluetooth signals, you will only need to build the client application (if you do not need to send messages to the circuit).  The client examples in the NI Example Finder should go a long way to get you started.  Good luck with your application!

[aisyah]

Hey Donovan B,

Thanks!

Just one more question, if i also need the labview to send messages to the circuit, (that means creating a server application) can I create both server and client application hand-in-hand, altogether in one VI?

[Donovan_B]

Hi Aisyah,

I think I may have caused some confusion.  There would be no need for you to create a server application.  In the examples, the server application sets up the Bluetooth connection in the absence of an actual Bluetooth transceiver.  It is designed to accomodate Bluetooth communication between a host computer and a PDA, for example.  You can read and write from the client application itself, but your Toothpick transceiver will function as the server.  Your client application will only need to be able to discover the device (LabVIEW provides VIs for this) and then you will be able to communicate back and forth with your circuit.

[hecmar.arreola]

Just out of curiosity,

Is this a circuit that you plan on making a LOT of them?  As in, a couple thousand or so units?

Are you being paid for your time for all this bluetooth programming?

I ask this, because I went down a similar path awhile back in a circuit design and found that it took a lot of time debugging the bluetooth communication on both ends of the application (the circuit and LabVIEW).  In the end it would have been more worthwhile, less expensive, and overall more flexible/configurable to simply purchase a Laptop with WiFI along with appropriate DAQ hardware from NI and attach the outputs of my circuit to that and utilize Shared Network Variables.

[aisyah]

Hi Donovan B,

ouh, ok, i got it now.

thank you!

regards,

aisyah.

Message Edited by aisyah on 11-30-2007 08:39 PM

[aisyah]

Hey Nick..

I'm doing this for a school project. meaning, i'm only creating one unit.

My team have created a unit that is wired to a DAQ card (Emant300), and it turns out successful. Right now we're improving on it by making the unit wireless. Hence the need to use Bluetooth.

In your case, are you using Wi-Fi?

regards,

aisyah.

Message Edited by aisyah on 11-30-2007 08:44 PM

[hecmar.arreola]

I don't want to discourage your learning efforts by any means.  Sounds like a very interesting project that I'm sure you are learning a lot on.  I got the basic code for the bluetooth to work...i could send a waveform to my main machine over a bluetooth dongle, but the range was not very good.  This was back in the Bluetooth 1.0 (or was it 1.1) days.  That took a lot of time to discover and since I'm paid a wage, it was not a cost effective thing for me to do.  What would have been more cost effective was to just buy a laptop computer with WiFi and compile a LabVIEW program that used shared network variables for my data collection machine and aquire over the network with my console.  So much easier, faster, and much more flexible.

Some things to consider in any design project:

• How many of these things are we going to make?
• If the answer was 1000+, then going with bluetooth makes complete sense.  Bluetooth is cheep, small, energy efficent and has less security concerns then WiFi.  There are other wireless solutions to consider, but if you are using a Microcontroller or a PC then there are libraries available for Bluetooth (such as those in LabVIEW) that make you job easier.  With 1000+ units, saving pennies on each component is benneficial to your overall cost.  I knew a guy at HP that saved 30 cents on a part and once added up to the number of units produced, that more than paid for his salary for a couple of years.
  
• If the answer is 1, then you can probably spend more on more expensive parts to leverage against the amount of time the project will take.  Try to find things that are pre-fabricated and appropriate to your application.
• Whats the most limiting factor in the requirements?
• Size?  If size matters, then go with bluetooth.  Bluetooth on a dedicated circuit is a lot smaller than a laptop :P.
• Power?  If power matters, then go with bluetooth.  Bluetooth does not use as much power is most radio technologies.
  
• Time?
• Flexibility?

-Nic