Wixel to Arduino Mini Pro 5v? Best option?

Hi,

I’m a novice to hardware at this point. Just getting ramped up using a specific need to learn.

I have a space constraint for my components. They need to fit into a pipe diameter of about the size of a wixel. As such I am using an Arduino mini Pro. My project is 5v so the mini pro is the 5v version. I bought a pair of wixels to experiment. My first objective is to see if I can use them to communicate serial data to my project wirelessly. So far I am reading (after buying) that I might face some issues because the rx isn’t tolerant of 5v. As I need to connect to the mini pro this is probably going to be an issue. I could use a little help understanding the easiest way to connect a wixel to a mini pro. Any advice?

A second objective would be to eliminate the arduino and just use the wixel, but at the moment I’d like to keep the arduino for ease of use with the libraries and components I need to use. (MiniIMU etc)

Thanks in advance.

Hello, pounce.

For advice and diagrams for connecting a Wixel’s serial interface to a microcontroller such as the Arduino Mini Pro, see the section entitled “Connecting a Microcontroller via TTL Serial” in the Wixel User’s Guide.

–David

Thanks.

For a >>newbie<< it still leaves a few questions. The diagram doesn’t show the referenced diode and since I don’t yet understand what they do I’m left with the questions.

Could someone indicate perhaps some part numbers or just specific specs for the items required to correctly connect to the arduino. I think if I just saw what was needed I would understand better.

Would something like the Adafruit level shifter be a more robust solution?
adafruit.com/products/395

Thanks for being patient with someone new to hardware.

You do not need to use a diode. In fact, you should leave the Wixel’s RST line disconnected until you get the basic connections (GND, TX, and RX) working.

All you need are wires and two resistors.

You’ll probably want to build a prototype on a breadboard to make sure you can get things working and then later solder wires directly to the boards for a more compact installation that can fit inside your tube. For the wires on your breadboard, you can use our male-male premium jumper wires or get a 350-Piece Wire Kit with Adjustable Case.

We don’t sell resistors but you can find them at digikey.com or a local electronics shop. The only important parameter is the resistance. The resistance doesn’t have to be super precise. You need one resistor that is about 1000 Ohms (1 kOhm) and another resistor that is about 2000 Ohms (2 kOhms). Also make sure that you don’t get an surface mount resistor; you should get a through-hole resistor so you can plug it into breadboards and easily solder it to things:

I think that using that level shifter you linked to will only make things more complicated than they need to be.

–David