circuitpython-nrf24l01 1.1.0

Features currently supported

• change the addresses’ length (can be 3 to 5 bytes long)

• dynamically sized payloads (max 32 bytes each) or statically sized payloads

• automatic responding acknowledgment (ACK) for verifying transmission success

• custom acknowledgment (ACK) payloads for bi-directional communication

• flag a single payload for no acknowledgment (ACK) from the receiving nRF24L01

• “re-use the same payload” feature (for manually re-transmitting failed transmissions that remain in the buffer)

• multiple payload transmissions with one function call (MUST read documentation on the “send()” function)

• context manager compatible for easily switching between different radio configurations using “with” statements

• configure the interrupt (IRQ) pin to trigger (active low) on received, sent, and/or failed transmissions (these 3 flags control the 1 IRQ pin). There’s also virtual representations of these interrupt flags available (see “irq_DR”, “irq_DS”, “irq_DF” attributes)

• invoke sleep mode (AKA power down mode) for ultra-low current consumption

• cycle redundancy checking (CRC) up to 2 bytes long

• adjust the nRF24L01’s builtin automatic re-transmit feature’s parameters (arc: number of attempts, ard: delay between attempts)

• adjust the nRF24L01’s frequency channel (2.4-2.525 GHz)

• adjust the nRF24L01’s power amplifier level (0, -6, -12, or -18 dBm)

• adjust the nRF24L01’s RF data rate (250Kbps is buggy due to hardware design, but 1Mbps and 2Mbps are reliable)

Features currently unsupported

• as of yet, no [intended] implementation for Multiceiver mode (up to 6 TX nRF24L01 “talking” to 1 RX nRF24L01 simultaneously). Although this might be acheived easily using the “automatic retry delay” (ard) and “automatic retry count” (arc) attributes set accordingly (varyingly high).

• for reason(s) unknown, a nRF24L01 driven by this library will not “talk” to a nRF24L01 on an Arduino driven by the TMRh20 RF24 library. There is no problems when a nRF24L01 driven by this library “talks” to another nRF24L01 that’s also driven by this library. Other Arduino-based nRF24L01 libraries are available, but they have not been tested to communicate with this CircuitPython-nRF24L01 library.

Key Features:

• Worldwide 2.4GHz ISM band operation

• 250kbps, 1Mbps and 2Mbps on air data rates

• Ultra low power operation

• 11.3mA TX at 0dBm output power

• 13.5mA RX at 2Mbps air data rate

• 900nA in power down

• 26μA in standby-I

• On chip voltage regulator

• 1.9 to 3.6V supply range

• Enhanced ShockBurst™

• Automatic packet handling

• Auto packet transaction handling

• 6 data pipe MultiCeiver™

• Drop-in compatibility with nRF24L01

• On-air compatible in 250kbps and 1Mbps with nRF2401A, nRF2402, nRF24E1 and nRF24E2

• Low cost BOM

• ±60ppm 16MHz crystal

• 5V tolerant inputs

• Compact 20-pin 4x4mm QFN package

Applications

• Wireless PC Peripherals

• Mouse, keyboards and remotes

• 3-in-1 desktop bundles

• Advanced Media center remote controls

• VoIP headsets

• Game controllers

• Sports watches and sensors

• RF remote controls for consumer electronics

• Home and commercial automation

• Ultra low power sensor networks

• Active RFID

• Asset tracking systems

• Toys

Future Project Ideas/Additions using the nRF24L01 (not currently supported by this circuitpython library):

• There’s a few blog posts by Nerd Ralph demonstrating how to use the nRF24L01 via 2 or 3 pins (uses custom bitbanging SPI functions and an external circuit involving a resistor and a capacitor)

• network linking layer, maybe something like TMRh20’s RF24Network

Sphinx documentation

Sphinx is used to build the documentation based on rST files and comments in the code. First, install dependencies (feel free to reuse the virtual environment from above):

python3 -m venv .env
source .env/bin/activate
pip install Sphinx sphinx-rtd-theme

Now, once you have the virtual environment activated:

cd docs
sphinx-build -E -W -b html . _build/html

This will output the documentation to docs/_build/html. Open the index.html in your browser to view them. It will also (due to -W) error out on any warning like Travis will. This is a good way to locally verify it will pass.