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lancaster-university / microbit-dal

http://lancaster-university.github.io/microbit-docs
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"Pairing mode" could become a more generic 'utility mode' #318

Open jaustin opened 6 years ago

jaustin commented 6 years ago

(this issues should theoretically be filed against microbit not microbit-dal but I think this is a better location for eyes/discussion - notice that this would still likely be implemented in the microbit class so that people integrating the DAL would be able to optionally take the behaviour)

The current 'pairing mode' is already mis-named - it's used for BOTH pairing and also updating the hex file when the micro:bit is running a program with the BLE radio.

However there are other things people might like to do that are 'under the hood' to their program

More dramatically, if flash allowed we could even include the BLE services and aserial messagebus bridge so that a more complete 'remote control mode' could be achieved without having to re-install a program.

@finneyj and @jamesadevine I know this has long been in your minds, and @martinwork and @bluetooth-mdw the idea of clarifying that 'PAIRING MODE' is not only about pairing is important.

jaustin commented 6 years ago

Note for battery level, the reading is quite simple - here's an example: https://os.mbed.com/teams/microbit/code/microbit-battery-test/

drmpf commented 6 years ago

Can we change the 'standard' microbit ADC to use this band gap ref as well. Currently the ADC output drops as the battery volts drop.

jaustin commented 6 years ago

@drmpf changing what happens by default is an issue because it'd be a breaking change for a bunch of accessories, etc.

Consider the fairly common case of a slide-switch potentiometer wired off the edge connector - using ADC readings relative to VDD is more useful in that situation...

I think if we were to do the following

then we'd be able to let people write more useful scripts. @dpgeorge may have a different ADC implementation in MicroPython, and I think we should do similar there.

I've spawned #322 to track the ADC flexibility side and we can continue the 'utility mode' discussion here.

jaustin commented 6 years ago

Also, when the micro:bit battery is low, flashing over BLE can be inconsistent or pairing won't work. We could set a battery threshold below which we abort pairing mode and instead say "battery too low"?

martinwork commented 6 years ago

Low battery level can cause BLE flashing to fail halfway, leaving micro:bit soft bricked. It would be good to have the ability for the client app to check battery level before flashing.