Hello all, I have a project I am working on and expanding. I am looking for guidance on the feasibility of it, if anyone has done similar and any problems or suggestions people may have.
I have a DFRobot Bluno Mega 2560 which has a BLE module built in, I also have a DFRobot Gravity IO expansion shield connected with an additional three serial ports using Xbee slots.
Currently my project is fairly simple with some inputs, logic and some outputs both Digital and PWM. At this stage I don't really use the BLE but plan to use it for wireless programming and possible smart phone tablet connection.
What I am wanting to do is have another DFRobot Bluno Mega 2560 and transfer data between them such as digital and analogue values. In addition to this I have two relays I want to control wirelessly from the first Bluno.
My original thought was to use BLE for the communication between all devices however I don't think this will be a simple task. To add to this, I purchased a couple of Bluetooth relays thinking they were BLE but later found out they are Bluetooth classic. I can source genuine BLE relays but want to explore some other options first and use the existing hardware.
Although an inefficient use of ports my path now is focused on using the other serial ports using Xbee modules. Potentially two for Bluetooth connection to the two relays and one using either again Bluetooth or Zigbee. The transmission distance for all devices is only around three meters but some devices are enclosed in an aluminum box. The volume of data to be transferred is fairly low and not required to be high speed or too often.
From my homework I believe the Bluno Mega 2560 can handle multiple serial connections and that master/slave Bluetooth communications would be a simple option. The Zigbee module for inter Bluno communications would I think also be fairly simple. Doing it this way would effectively use three ports leaving the original BLE/usb connection for programming.
Thanks for reading, I welcome comments & feedback.