Simblee LilyPad Hookup Guide
This Tutorial is Retired!
This tutorial covers concepts or technologies that are no longer current. It's still here for you to read and enjoy, but may not be as useful as our newest tutorials.
SFUptownMaker Introduction
The Simblee LilyPad Board is a programmable board that allows you to add mobile app functionality via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE, or Bluetooth 4.0) to your e-textile projects. Unlike other BLE solutions, the Simblee requires no specialized app development skills to realize the phone-side interface: all the necessary coding is done in the Arduino environment and then uploaded to a browser app on the phone.
If you want to skip directly to writing code, we have another tutorial covering coding concepts that are common to all Simblee products. If you're looking for a non-sewable option, checkout the SparkFun Simblee Breakout Board.
Suggested Reading
The Simblee LilyPad board is not a board for beginners. We suggest that you be comfortable with the topics covered in these tutorials before trying to use the Simblee LilyPad in a project:
- What is an Arduino? -- Fundamentally, the Simblee LilyPad is an Arduino board, so you should be comfortable working with Arduino, above all.
- E-textiles basics -- The Simblee LilyPad is, above all, an e-textile board, so you should undertsand e-textiles first.
- Sewing with conductive thread -- The e-textile basic skill.