I'm a software developer looking to prototype an application that requires input from a 3-axis accelerometer, ideally via Bluetooth LE. Current specs on the accelerometer are +/-50G sensing range with +/-5% precision and at least 1kHz sample rate, ideally with peak sampling.
My primary question is whether I can do this with off-the-shelf hardware and APIs? If so what are good sources and standards, especially if I want to mass-produce the hardware?
E.g., can I pay up for an integrated prototype device that meets those specs and comes with an API that encapsulates the Bluetooth, self-test, and other hardware interaction, so I can just get to work on the software problem?
Or is this still a "hard"/custom electronics problem? If so is the Bluetooth requirement itself tricky, meaning I should start with a wired connection to the accelerometer and deal with Bluetooth integration later?
Best Answer
BLE has enough bandwidth to send 1kHz of accelerometer readings, but it does not have low enough latency to send 1000/second.
If you accept the latency limitations of BLE, you can build your product around a BLE capable HCI module. HCI is a request/event protocol that lets you drive the Bluetooth stack in the module. You can use HID over GATT profile (HOGP) and you will only need to know a little bit about Bluetooth to drive HCI and otherwise you will work mostly in terms of USB HID concepts.