I just got a new WiTilt v3 from Sparkfun, but I have trouble connecting to the device. Here is the setup I use:
I am connecting to WiTilt from a Windows desktop over a bluetooth connection using a bluesoleil bluetooth dongle. I have switched on the WiTilt device and set the wireless/debug switch to wireless. The status LED on the device is solid green (it blinks for a second when I switch on the device.)
When I search for a new Bluetooth device to pair with my desktop I do not see any WiTilt device in the device list. Instead, I see a device called “FireFly-016F”. I suspect that this is the name for WiTilt because switching the WiTilt on/off makes this device appear/disappear in the bluetooth devices list. (I have tried it multiple times to rule out chance). Does anyone else have a similar experience?
Next, I dont know the passkey for WiTilt V3. Leaving that key blank (using no key) I can connect to the device and establish a serial connection. That seems strange, because online I read that the passkey for WiTilt is “default”, which does not work with the device I have. Again, I dont know if this behaviour is normal, so please let me know if the new version of WiTilt does not require a passkey to connect.
Finally, after all this I do not know which terminal program to use to read the device output. I have tried Putty but it cannot establish the connection. Any suggestion on what a good program is for reading serial input on Windows?
I have tried similar steps from a Mac. I get the same problems: 1. Connection to Firefly-016F that does not need a passkey. Reading the input using screen command does not help either. Please let me know how I can conect to the device and read data off it.
Any helpful link, document, or step-by-step guide will be great.
The passkey for WiTilt v3 is “1234”. Funny its not mentioned anywhere.
Firefly-016F is indeed my WiTilt board. Again, I wish Sparkfun would document this somewhere.
I could connect to, calibrate, and read the data from WiTilt on a Mac by simply reading the serial port using the screen command).
On a Windows (XP SP2) machine, however, the problems persist. I can pair with the device but I cannot use Putty to read data from it. On Putty I have set the COM port correctly, changed the Baud rate, and even tried changing the terminal speed (under “Data” section) to match the Baud rate. I still get an error saying that Putty cannot connect to the serial port. What am I missing? Anybody out there with experience of reading a serial port using Putty?
Are there other (preferably free) software that read a serial terminal?
On the bright side, I could get the initial set up data screen data from WiTilt using some C++ code that uses Windows Serial port library.
Some further updates for others who are trying to access WiTilt data from a serial port on Windows. I have tried Putty and it is not happy when the Serial port is over a bluetooth connection. Maybe newer versions of Putty can do it.
However, one software that works is the X-CTU software for XBees. X-CTU has a terminal tab that can read your serial port. Put in the serial port for WiTilt and the configuration menu pops up. I could change data mode, calibrate, and stream data from WiTilt.
Of course, I would like a programmatic solution to get/interpret the data. But, if you are looking for a serial terminal software to read the output, X-CTU should work.