Pmod ESP32 BT Classic Class 1 compatible

[JMarshall97]

Hello,

 

I am interested in purchasing a Pmod ESP32 for a project for my work. We have an arduino located in a remote and very extreme environment collecting sensor data. We are then transmitting this data to a host computer nearby, about 100 feet away. The data stream is very simple bit information, however we need to transmit a long distance and through various metal machinery. For this reason we need a class 1 bluetooth classic transmitter. We are currently using a sparkfun Bluesmirf Gold, however these have been discontinued and we need a replacement. The Pmod ESP32 looks promising, and I did see the ESPWROOM32 chip is capable of class 1 BT classic. My question is does the Pmod come out of the box setup for class 1 protocol, or is there additional hardware needed to achieve this? For reference we are using UART to communicate between the Arduino and the transmitter.

 

Thank you

[JColvin]

Hi @JMarshall97,

My understanding is that you would not need any other hardware (like an antenna) to get the maximum 100 mW power transmit rating from this chip (Table 5-4 from here: https://www.espressif.com/sites/default/files/documentation/esp32-wroom-32_datasheet_en.pdf, which I think applies to the Bluetooth Classic since the datasheet doesn't specify non Bluetooth LE ratings otherwise).

What I don't know is which particular AT firmware release version is loaded onto Digilent's Pmod ESP32 modules, though based on the Bluetooth API reference, https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/esp32/api-reference/index.html, I think the default configuration enables a dual-mode Bluetooth to support both Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy...actually I don't think it does support Classic Bluetooth commands out of the box as per here: https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-at/en/latest/esp32/AT_Command_Set/BT_AT_Commands.html. The Espressif documentation indicates you would have to compile your own firmware and load it onto the module which might be more effort than you are looking for, depending on your situation.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
JColvin