Introduction

This is world of smartphones. Smartphones are becoming more powerful then they were yesterday.  This is because of its applications like Messaging applications which replaced standard SMS. Voice calling applications which allow free calling is now replacing standard calling.

Why don’t we build our personal application to communicate with evive and start sending some data to evive which can be manipulated by core Arduino.

MIT APP Inventor is a good tool to start  with app development which is available online and only needs a Google and Android Phone ( If you dont have you can install MIT simulator on Desktop.)

What do you need?

Procedure

Designing

  • Open MIT App Inventor In your browser
  • Sign in with your Google account
  • After Signing in click on start new project
  • Give the project a name (Ex. My_evive)
  • A blank project will be created having one blank screen
  • To select Bluetooth device from a list we need a list picker
  • Add a List picker from Left Palette in User Interface by dragging it to screen
  • Also from the Left Palette Drag button.
  • Click on button / List  picker and look for Properties on right side
  • You can change font height size and colour in Properties
  • In Left Palette go to Connectivity and select Bluetooth client and drag it  to screen
  • After dropping the file you can check BluetoothClient1in non-visible components
  • Now go to blocks in upper right corner to define what things do.
  • Designing is done.

Definition of Objects

  • Now in blocks view, we have a backpack which saves our functions when we drag any self-defined set of blocks
  • On left, we find components which we used in designing and some logical and control blocks which are necessary for building definition.
  • To make List Picker work first when it is not picked we have to define properties of it
  • click on List picker and add a block named (” when ListPicker.BeforePicking”)
  • in the same list, we can find set ListPicker.Elements to.
  • This block is used to choose from which elements we have to select our own element.
  • In the block of BluetoothClient we can find BluetoothClient.AdddressAndNames this block returns name and address of nearby and paired Bluetooth device.
  • In ListPicker blocks we now use ListPicker.AfterPicking to show the status that it is now picked.
  • In this block, we set the ListPicker Selection to attach to Bluetooth device connected
  • And then to show the status that it is connected.
  • Now we define the button’s property as if it is clicked?
  • To find this we go to Button’s block list and drags whenButton.click.
  • In this property, we call BluetoothClient to send Text to the remote end.
  • This ends the Definition Process.

Implement Process

  • In the upper menu click on build and select appropriate option.
  • QR code needs a QR code reader and the application is directly downloaded in Mobile
  • Save to PC downloads the .apk file in your PC and you can transfer and install to your phone.
  • Connect Bluetooth on evive and open serial 3 monitor at your Bluetooth’s Baud rate.
  • You can see data on Serial Monitor.

Images

Block View of App

Design View of App

 

Screenshot of Application

 

You can download and import project file here. My_evive

To import project file

  • Extract files.
  • Login to App Inventor
  • Under Projects category import project (.aia) from the computer and select downloaded file.

Or you can download ready installation file (.apk)  here  My_evive