Getting started with bangle.js, connectivity and the system

Hello to all,

this is my first post in this forum. I have some minor experience with Espruino, but my bangle just arrived a view weeks ago.
I read through a lot of the documentation on the website and on github and I start to understand how Espruino and the bangle works.
Especially the documentation in https://github.com/espruino/BangleApps was helpful. To understand what's really going on, I wanted to download the apps on my watch and tried it using the web-ide, I googled and found the Espruino Tools. I thought that's it, but I couldn't get the Bluetooth connection to work. (Windows 10, two different laptops) Googled, but did not get it. I ordered a Silicon Labs Bluegiga BLED112-V1 USB Bluetooth dongle which I think might be a useful tool for experimenting with Bluetooth anyway. But also no clue, if it will aid me with the tools.

So, what I hope to find is an understanding of how to make my own bangle-scheduler-messenger-timer-fitness­-etc.-tool and a toolkit tailored to my personal needs that aids me in maintenance the watch.

So, at this time any additional tips or reading will be appreciated.
(Understanding bangle, apps, menu, files, communication, etc.,
get the tools to work,
probably writing some own software that communicates with the filesystem on the bangle in the same manner, the web Bluetooth IDE does.

It might happen that I post additional questions.

Regards
Dirk

I received the dongle. After inserting it on my desktop computer (win 10) it reports as COM9.

espruino --no-ble -e "Bangle.beep();"

fails. Although it seems that the dongle on COM9 has been found.

Sat 2021.03.06

Are any of the tutorials of assistance, beneath heading of same name:

http://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js

https://banglejs.com/reference#Bluetooth­Device

Hi - sorry to say but actually in the getting started docs, the BlueGiga is called out specifically as not working: http://www.espruino.com/Quick+Start+BLE#­requirements

Am I right in thinking that you do have working communications with the Bangle.js using the Web IDE and App Loader websites? So really your issues are because you'd like to get command-line tools working instead?

Getting command-line Bluetooth LE working on Windows is notoriously tricky I'm afraid. It's to do with the way the Bluetooth libraries like having low-level access to the Bluetooth radio. You'd likely have a lot of success just with a standard, cheap external Bluetooth USB adaptor (a few ones I tested are at that link above). You just add the adaptor then don't install the drivers so Windows happily uses your internal Bluetooth, leaving the other one for the command-line tools.

The other option you have is something like a Raspberry Pi (one of the wifi+bluetooth ones like the Zero W or Pi 4), which will 'just work' for command line tools.

As @Robin pointed out there are a bunch of tutorials on http://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js which should help you with the basics of making Bangle.js apps and also communicating with them, so that could be a good start - you can do all that using the Web IDE. I'm happy to help out with any questions on the forum though.

If you really want to get in at a lower level - communicating with the Bangle over Bluetooth from your own PC app - then you may find https://www.espruino.com/Interfacing#blu­etooth-le is helpful. If you're confident with C++/C# you could also look at directly using the Windows API calls for Bluetooth LE.

If you're confident with C++/C# you could also look at directly using the Windows API calls for Bluetooth LE.

Regarding this there is nice C# BLEConsole project on github, forked it and did few random changes https://github.com/fanoush/BLEConsole , the BLE API used there just works in windows 10. Example output

Thanks to all.
I got my 'cheap' CSR 4.0-Stick and it worked on my laptop after switching the driver using Zadig.
It did not work though on my Desktop PC.
I have cloned the github repository and will try to take my learning path in the way you pointed out.
On the long run I want to create an application that uses some kind of PC based BLE gateway to feed my own yet-to-write ToDo list application on the bangle.
If I come up with a more specific question I will ask again.

thanks
Dirk