Has anyone used the Arduino Xbee Shield with the Maple?
http://www.robotshop.com/ca/Arduino-Xbee-Shield-Wireless-Module-5.html
Is it fully compatible?
Thanks,
Mod
I planning to create a small mesh network of robots...
Has anyone used the Arduino Xbee Shield with the Maple?
http://www.robotshop.com/ca/Arduino-Xbee-Shield-Wireless-Module-5.html
Is it fully compatible?
Thanks,
Mod
I planning to create a small mesh network of robots...
These shields WILL not work the Maple due to it powering the XBee module over the ICSP connection which doesn't exist on the maple. I'd recommend a custom shield for the maple which directly connects the XBee module to the Maple pins.
That particular shield has its own 5v to 3.3v voltage regulator, as do most 3.3v-based shields. It's a rather waste considering the Maple is 3.3v and has its own 3.3v supply. Personally, I would just get an XBee adapter from Adafruit and call it a day. It's $10 for the adapter and $22 for the XBee module. Save yourself $48 or buy yourself a second pair for communication.
Because the Maple has multiple serial ports, you also don't have to worry about disconnecting the XBee from the serial port, as you did on the Arduino. The jumpers to select/deselect the XBee on the shield are then simply useless for a Maple. You can keep the XBee connected to Serial2 even when programming the Maple.
I got my xbee working with an adapter from sparkfun and some a few wires, pretty basic, having the 3.3v logic levels and power supply of the maple makes it a breeze.
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If your soldering skills are up to it, you could solder wires straight to the xbee board.
Thanks for the great info and advice!....sounds pretty simple. I'll have to see what works best considering the other hardware I'll be using in my robot. I actually have very little space for my electronics - there's a lot going on in my mechanical design.
The XBee modules are actually rather small. The shield would actually add more size to your project than using a breakout board for the XBee.
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