added API for creating iBeacons

[BlackstoneEngineering]

Problem

making iBeacons is really really really hard

The iBeacon example program on the website has code that looks like this:

   /**
     * The Beacon payload (encapsulated within the MSD advertising data structure)
     * has the following composition:
     * 128-Bit UUID = E2 0A 39 F4 73 F5 4B C4 A1 2F 17 D1 AD 07 A9 61
     * Major/Minor  = 0000 / 0000
     * Tx Power     = C8 (-56dB)
     */
    const static uint8_t iBeaconPayload[] = {
        0x4C, 0x00, // Company identifier code (0x004C == Apple)
        0x02,       // ID
        0x15,       // length of the remaining payload
        0xE2, 0x0A, 0x39, 0xF4, 0x73, 0xF5, 0x4B, 0xC4, // location UUID
        0xA1, 0x2F, 0x17, 0xD1, 0xAD, 0x07, 0xA9, 0x61,
        0x00, 0x00, // the major value to differentiate a location
        0x00, 0x00, // the minor value to differentiate a location
        0xC8        // 2's complement of the Tx power (-56dB)
    };

int main(void)
{
    /* Initialize BLE baselayer */
    ble.init();

    /* Set up iBeacon data*/
    ble.accumulateAdvertisingPayload(GapAdvertisingData::BREDR_NOT_SUPPORTED | GapAdvertisingData::LE_GENERAL_DISCOVERABLE );
    ble.accumulateAdvertisingPayload(GapAdvertisingData::MANUFACTURER_SPECIFIC_DATA, iBeaconPayload, sizeof(iBeaconPayload));

    /* Set advertising interval. Longer interval = longer battery life */
    ble.setAdvertisingType(GapAdvertisingParams::ADV_NON_CONNECTABLE_UNDIRECTED);
    ble.setAdvertisingInterval(160); /* 100ms; in multiples of 0.625ms. */
    ble.startAdvertising();

Solution

add this "service" to hide the bullshit and make it easier to use. Now the same code looks like this:

uint8_t uuid[] = {0xE2, 0x0A, 0x39, 0xF4, 0x73, 0xF5, 0x4B, 0xC4,
                  0xA1, 0x2F, 0x17, 0xD1, 0xAD, 0x07, 0xA9, 0x61
                 };
uint16_t majorNumber = 0x1122;
uint16_t minorNumber = 0x3344;
uint16_t txPower = 0xC8;

int main(void)
{
    // Initialize BLE baselayer
    ble.init();

    // Initialize ibeacon
    iBeaconService ibeacon(ble, uuid, majorNumber, minorNumber, txPower);

    // Set advertising time
    ble.setAdvertisingInterval(160); /* 100ms; in multiples of 0.625ms. */
    ble.startAdvertising();

The API exposes the 4 key characteristics required for an iBeacon, the UUID, Major Number, Minor Number, and TxPower level.

@rgrover @jaustin @sg-

I have an update pending and ready for the example code, will push it once this is added to the BLE library and pulled into the website code base.

[rgrover]

Updated the iBeacon demo as well.

[BlackstoneEngineering]

What did you change on the demo? I thought i had already updated it

[rgrover]

nothing much. just simplified the initialization of the iBeacon service.

[BlackstoneEngineering]

Rohit,

On the demo I see you removed the iBeaconService.h, thats cool, its in the BLE_API/services folder now, groovy.

But please change the example code back to what it was. Having the comments inline in the API call is terribly confusing. They code was explicitly setup with the variables listed out first and then passed into the API for a reason, to make it easy to read and teach with.

[rgrover]

I'm happy to have the variables back. Could you please do that? Thanks.

[BlackstoneEngineering]

done