Android and Arduino With Bluetooth Using Porta App!

Goal

In this tutorial I'll be showing how is super simple to exchange data between Android and Arduino using the app Porta.

As you will see, the BIG usage difference of Porta is widgets!

Now you really can use your Arduino project everyday without pain!

If you don't know it, please check it out!

Step 1: Arduino:

Connection

To keep things simple, connect the bluetooth module directly to the Arduino's main Serial pins (0 and 1). If you are already using the default Serial pins, you can implement a SoftwareSerial like this one.

Coding

Porta interprets messages using line-break character. You can set the line-break character in the Settings window. The important thing is to use the same character in both the Arduino and the app.

In this example, I'll be implementing some Serial read handling and Acknowledging income readings with a serial print. My line-break character will be \n.

Serial read handling

void loop() {
  if(Serial.available()){
    char serialBuffer[8];
    // IMPORTART: setting the Arduino to read until a break-line is detected
    char breakline = '\n'; \\ Here is the break-line character I talked about
    int finalSize = Serial.readBytesUntil(breakline, serialBuffer, 8);
    serialBuffer[finalSize] = '\0';
    handler(serialBuffer);
  }
}

Acknowledging income readings

void handler(String in){
  if(in == "toggle"){
    Serial.print("toggle");
    // IMPORTART: always send the line-break character after send your message
    Serial.print("\n");
    // ... do stuff related to 'toggle' action
  }
}

Closure

Now we are able to listen and to send response when the Serial receives the message toggle.

In the next step we are going to setup the Android connection.

sketch.ino
Download

Step 2: Android

Download Porta app

You can download it from PlayStore here.

Pair your device

In your bluetooth configuration, find and pair your device (hc-06, hc-05, other).

Setting Porta app

In Porta, you only have to set your configurations once!

Open Porta, go to Settings button, select your device from the list;
Change UUID if you need;
Write down what break-line character you want: any alphanumeric character, \n, \t or \r. Default is \n;
The Timeout option represents the time that your smartphone will wait for receive the message (after sending);
Choose what notifications do you want to see relative to the communication;

Set actions

In Porta, an Action is a protocol of sending and receiving a response.

Set the Action 1 to send the word toggle and to receive the word toggle.

PS: the receiving message can also be a regular expression, so instead of receiving toggle you can set \w+, \w{6,6}, ^\w+$, etc..

Implement widgets

Create an Action 1 widget in the Android home screen.

Have fun!

With a simple click, Porta will send and listen for the receiving message. Not complicated at all!

Step 3: Contribute

The goal of Porta is to be able to use DIY bluetooth projects in a daily basis.

If that is what you were looking for, feel free to contribute by purchasing the Ads Free version ofPorta (you can find it here).

Your feedback means the world

Tell me what functionalities you will love to see in Porta!

by a tech lover, Raphael Brandão

Introduction: Android and Arduino With Bluetooth Using Porta App!