Wireless Programming of the AVR Microcontroller Family

Although an established technology, Bluetooth has been experiencing various changes in order to follow the latest wireless technology trends such as high data rates, low energy consumption and secure communication channels. The prototyping of cyber-physical systems, which require the utilization of wireless technologies, is often performed with the use of Arduino development boards. This paper presents the design of an Arduino expansion board which can be used for both wireless programming and wireless communication using the Bluetooth 2.0 technology standard. Compared to similar existing solutions, our design provides an easy-to-use open-hardware educational platform. The board relies on ATmega8A microcontroller to communicate with HC-05 Bluetooth module. Proof of concept is implemented with the discrete components on a breadboard, while the design files are available to the public and briefly presented.