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Manual for BL-521 5_3.doc © Copyright Brainboxes Limited 2004 Page 4 of 41
1. Introduction
1.1. Preamble
Brainboxes’ RS232 Bluetooth converters are fully embedded, stand-alone Bluetooth solutions, which will Bluetooth
enable any device with an RS232 port. Unlike many of Brainboxes wide range of Bluetooth products, the converters
do not require any additional Bluetooth software.
For many applications, a Bluetooth converter used in combination with another Bluetooth product (e.g. Brainboxes’
USB adapter connected to a PC with Brainboxes’ Bluetooth Software Suite, or a second converter) essentially
replaces the serial cable, freeing the device from the limits imposed by the cable specification and in many
applications removes the need for expensive cable installation and maintenance. The devices are designed to
appear transparent to a user’s applications that would otherwise be communicating via a COM port and over a
cable, therefore no specific Bluetooth programming is required. The connection uses Bluetooth security to ensure
that sensitive data is not “sniffed” by any unauthorised source, although this feature can be turned off.
The products described by this document are designed as cable replacement products. Their primary function is to
offer “point to point” Bluetooth capabilities to devices which otherwise do not have the capacity for such behaviour.
This capability is configured by a “set and forget” interface, which is not designed to cater for multiple device
connection scenarios. At the time of publication, the converters are only capable of connecting to one other
Bluetooth device at a time.
The converter is user configurable to baud rates between 244 and 1.3Mbaud in steps of 244, with none, odd, or
even parity, and with 1 or 2 stop bits. Its default factory settings are 115,200 baud, no parity, 8 data bits and 1 stop
bit.
A convenient reset button can be used to restore various functions of the device including a restore of factory
settings.
We trust that if you adhere to the following procedures you will enjoy many years of useful service from your
Brainboxes Bluetooth Converter.
1.2. Products and Firmware
This document covers Brainboxes part numbers BL-521 and BL-730. Any features that apply to a specific part code
will be clearly identified.
This document covers firmware versions from 4.0 Onwards. For documentation of features in versions of firmware
prior to 4.0 please see previous revision manual. A superscripted version number, e.g. “Upgrade Device Firmware
3.0
”, identifies additions to the original firmware and specifies from which firmware revision the addition applies.
1.3. Changes from earlier versions
This manual begins a major transformation to the configuration utility application as well as the addition of four new
features and significant bug fixes. Based on customer feedback, the Windows configuration application has been
simplified and designed to reflect the new style incorporated into Windows XP Service Pack 2. It also has the ability
to upgrade the device directly.
There is also a new Configuration Wizard, which provides a wizard-style interface for the changing of BL-521
settings.
Additional features to the firmware include:
• Handshaking – DTR/DSR over-the-air handshaking is now available
• Remote Configuration
• Low Power Modes