Nexsys-3 PmodBT2 Demo

Introduction

This is a port of the Nexys3 GPIO ISE demo so that it uses the PmodBT2 instead of the onboard USB-UART bridge. It demonstrates the ability of the PmodBT2 to be used as a drop-in wireless UART solution.

Required materials

  • Nexys3
  • PmodBT2
  • Host computer with bluetooth and general purpose Terminal program (e.g. TeraTerm or Hyperterminal). Xilinx ISE and/or Digilent Adept will also need to be installed.

Instructions

  1. Download the project here: nexys3_ise_gpio_uart.zip
  2. Unzip the project and build it using Xilinx ISE, or simply grab the pre-built .bit file called gpio_demo.bit
  3. Short JP4 on the PmodBT2. Leave all other jumpers unshorted.
  4. Attach the PmodBT2 to Pmod port JA on the Nexys3.
  5. Connect the PROG port of the Nexys3 to your host computer and power it on.
  6. Use Adept or iMPACT to program the Nexys3 with the .bit file
  7. Connect to the PmodBT2 using your bluetooth software. It should appear as a device called “RNBT-xxxx”. If prompted for a password, use 1234 (some devices can auto-negotiate a pin and this isn't necessary). When successfully connected, the software should have created a virtual com port for the PmodBT2.
  8. Open your terminal software and connect it to the PmodBT2 COM port @ 9600 baud, 1 stop bit, 8 data bits, no parity.
  9. Try pressing the different (non-red) pushbuttons on the Nexys3. You should now be able to see UART output from the demo running on the Nexys3 inside your terminal window.

Additonal Notes

You can also connect to the PmodBT2 using an Android phone with Bluetooth and a terminal app like BlueTerm. Iphones cannot be used to communicate with the PmodBT2.