BLE Buzzy Box

by Ruiz Brothers and Liz Clark

published May 13, 2020, last edited January 22, 2025

posted in 3D Printing CircuitPython Internet of Things - IOT/ Bluefruit / BLE

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Beginner

Project guide

Overview

BLE Notifications

Get your Apple Notifications with a Buzz! This project showcases how to use Adafruit Feather Sense nRF52840 and the DRV2605L haptic motor controller to trigger and display lights with Apple Notification Center Service (ANCS).

Modular Case Design

Inspired by the FREKVENS Ikea portable speaker, the enclosure pieces snap fits together and feature a modular design. Internal PCB mounting plate allows for swapping components and reusing enclosure pieces. The top cover pops open allowing for direct access to internal components.

Prerequisite Guides

The following learn guides will provide additional information and demo code.

Parts

Angled shot of blue, rectangular, microcontroller.

Adafruit Feather nRF52840 Sense

The Adafruit Feather Bluefruit Sense takes our popular Feather nRF52840 Express and adds a smorgasbord of sensors...

guides with product

$39.50

In Stock

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Video of a haptic controller breakout board with a vibrating motor disc soldered to it. The disc vibrates against the surface.

Adafruit DRV2605L Haptic Motor Controller - STEMMA QT / Qwiic

The DRV2605 from TI is a fancy little motor driver. Rather than controlling a stepper motor or DC motor, its designed specifically for controlling haptic motors -...

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$7.95

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Vibrating Mini Motor Disc

*BZZZZZZZZZZ* Feel that? That's your little buzzing motor, and for any haptic feedback project you'll want to pick up a few of them. These vibe motors are tiny discs,...

Out of Stock

Lithium Ion Polymer Battery - 3.7v 500mAh

Lithium-ion polymer (also known as 'lipo' or 'lipoly') batteries are thin, light, and powerful. The output ranges from 4.2V when completely charged to 3.7V. This...

$7.95

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Angled closeup of single 6mm metal ball tactile button.

Metal Ball Tactile Button (6mm) x 10 pack

Add some steely elegance to your project with these Metal Ball Tactile Buttons. They've got a nice industrial shine to them along with a light blue...

$5.95

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Mini Panel Mount SPDT Toggle Switch

This or that, one or the other, perhaps or perhaps not! So hard to make decisions these days without feeling like you're just going back and forth constantly. Deciding whether or...

$0.95

In Stock

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Hardware

List of screws and nuts required to build this project.

4x M2.5 x 18mm
6x M2.5 x 8mm
10x M2.5 Hex Nuts

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Circuit Diagram

The diagram below provides a visual reference for wiring of the components. This diagram was created using the software package Fritzing.

Adafruit Library for Fritzing

Use Adafruit's Fritzing parts library to create circuit diagrams for your projects. Download the library or just grab individual parts. Get the library and parts from GitHub - Adafruit Fritzing Parts.

Wired Connections

VCC from DRV2605L to VCC on Feather
GND from DRV2605L to GND on Feather
SCL from DRV2605L to SCL on Feather
SDA from DRV2605L to SDA on Feather
Switch to GND
Switch to EN
Button to RESET on Feather
Button to GND on Feather
Motor to GND on DRV2605L
Motor to VCCC on DRV2605L

Powering

The Adafruit board can be powered via USB or JST using a 3.7v lipo battery. In this project, a 420mAh lipo battery is used. The lipo battery is rechargeable via the USB port on the board. The switch is wired to the enable and ground pins on the board.

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3D Printing

Parts List

STL files for 3D printing are oriented to print "as-is" on FDM style machines. Parts are designed to 3D print without any support material. Original design source may be downloaded using the links below.

buzz-mount.stl
buzz-control-box.stl
buzz-back.stl
buzz-cone.stl
buzz-diffuser.stl
buzz-speaker-cover.stl

Download Fusion 360 Source

Download CAD files from Thingiverse

Download CAD files from Prusa Printers

CAD Assembly

PCBs are secured to a mounting plate with M2.5 hardware. The mounting plate is secured to the speaker cover using M2.5 x 16mm long screws and hex nuts. A toggle switch and tactile button are panel mounted to the back cover. The speaker cover snap fits onto the back cover. A diffuser is press fitted into the opening on the top cover. The top cover snap fits onto both of the covers.

Slicing Parts

No supports are required. Slice with setting for PLA material. Use white or translucent filament for the diffuser.

The parts were sliced using CURA using the slice settings below.

PLA filament 220c extruder
0.2 layer height
10% gyroid infill
60mm/s print speed
60c heated bed

Design Source Files

The project assembly was designed in Fusion 360. This can be downloaded in different formats like STEP, STL and more. Electronic components like Adafruit's board, displays, connectors and more can be downloaded from the Adafruit CAD parts GitHub Repo.

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CircuitPython on Feather Sense

CircuitPython is a derivative of MicroPython designed to simplify experimentation and education on low-cost microcontrollers. It makes it easier than ever to get prototyping by requiring no upfront desktop software downloads. Simply copy and edit files on the CIRCUITPY drive to iterate.

The following instructions will show you how to install CircuitPython. If you've already installed CircuitPython but are looking to update it or reinstall it, the same steps work for that as well!

Set up CircuitPython Quick Start!

Follow this quick step-by-step for super-fast Python power :)

Download the latest version of CircuitPython for this board via circuitpython.org

Click the link above to download the latest UF2 file.

Download and save it to your desktop (or wherever is handy).

Plug your Feather Sense into your computer using a known-good USB cable.

A lot of people end up using charge-only USB cables and it is very frustrating! So make sure you have a USB cable you know is good for data sync.

Double-click the Reset button next to the USB connector on your board, and you will see the NeoPixel RGB LED turn green (identified by the arrow in the image). If it turns red, check the USB cable, try another USB port, etc. Note: The little red LED next to the USB connector will pulse red. That's ok!

If double-clicking doesn't work the first time, try again. Sometimes it can take a few tries to get the rhythm right!

You will see a new disk drive appear called FTHRSNSBOOT.

Drag the adafruit_circuitpython_etc.uf2 file to FTHRSNSBOOT.

The LED will flash. Then, the FTHRSNSBOOT drive will disappear and a new disk drive called CIRCUITPY will appear.

That's it, you're done! :)

Note: Some early release Sense boards had the drive named FTHR840BOOT. You can still copy .UF2s to the board, just copy to the board name appearing when the board is plugged in.

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Coding the Buzzy Box

Adding Libraries

Installing Project Code

To use with CircuitPython, you need to first install a few libraries, into the lib folder on your CIRCUITPY drive. Then you need to update code.py with the example script.

Thankfully, we can do this in one go. In the example below, click the Download Project Bundle button below to download the necessary libraries and the code.py file in a zip file. Extract the contents of the zip file, open the directory BLE_Buzzy_Box/ and then click on the directory that matches the version of CircuitPython you're using and copy the contents of that directory to your CIRCUITPY drive.

Your CIRCUITPY drive should now look similar to the following image:

Download Project Bundle

Copy Code

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2020 Liz Clark for Adafruit Industries
#
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

import time
import board
import busio
import neopixel
import adafruit_drv2605
import adafruit_ble
from adafruit_ble.advertising.standard import SolicitServicesAdvertisement
from adafruit_ble.services.standard import CurrentTimeService
from adafruit_ble_apple_notification_center import AppleNotificationCenterService
from digitalio import DigitalInOut, Direction

#  setup for onboard NeoPixel
pixel_pin = board.NEOPIXEL
num_pixels = 1

pixel = neopixel.NeoPixel(pixel_pin, num_pixels, brightness=0.3, auto_write=False)

#  setup for haptic motor driver
i2c = busio.I2C(board.SCL, board.SDA)
drv = adafruit_drv2605.DRV2605(i2c)

#  onboard blue LED
blue_led = DigitalInOut(board.BLUE_LED)
blue_led.direction = Direction.OUTPUT

#  setup for BLE
ble = adafruit_ble.BLERadio()
if ble.connected:
    for c in ble.connections:
        c.disconnect()

advertisement = SolicitServicesAdvertisement()

#  adds ANCS and current time services for BLE to advertise
advertisement.solicited_services.append(AppleNotificationCenterService)
advertisement.solicited_services.append(CurrentTimeService)

#  state machines
current_notification = None #  tracks the current notification from ANCS
current_notifications = {} #  array to hold all current notifications from ANCS
cleared = False #  state to track if notifications have been cleared from ANCS
notification_service = None #  holds the array of active notifications from ANCS
all_ids = [] #  array to hold all of the ids from ANCS
hour = 0 #  used to track when it is on the hour for the mindfulness reminder
mindful = False #  state used to track if it is time for mindfulness
vibration = 16 #  vibration effect being used for the haptic motor
blue = (0, 0, 255) #  color blue for the NeoPixel
purple = (255, 0, 255) #  color purple for the NeoPixel
red = (255, 0, 0) #  color red for the NeoPixel
clear = (0, 0, 0) #  allows for NeoPixel to be turned 'off'

#  function for blinking NeoPixel
#  blinks: # of blinks
#  speed: how fast/slow blinks
#  color1: first color
#  color2: second color
def blink_pixel(blinks, speed, color1, color2):
    for _ in range(0, blinks):
        pixel.fill(color1)
        pixel.show()
        time.sleep(speed)
        pixel.fill(color2)
        pixel.show()
        time.sleep(speed)

#  function for haptic motor vibration
#  num_zzz: # of times vibrates
#  effect: type of vibration
#  delay: time between vibrations
def vibe(num_zzz, effect, delay):
    drv.sequence[0] = adafruit_drv2605.Effect(effect)
    for _ in range(0, num_zzz):
        drv.play()  # play the effect
        time.sleep(delay)  # for 0.5 seconds
        drv.stop()

#  start BLE
ble.start_advertising(advertisement)

while True:

    blue_led.value = False
    print("Waiting for connection")

    #  NeoPixel is red when not connected to BLE
    while not ble.connected:
        blue_led.value = False
        pixel.fill(red)
        pixel.show()

    print("Connected")

    while ble.connected:
        blue_led.value = True #  blue LED is on when connected
        all_ids.clear()
        for connection in ble.connections:
            if not connection.paired:
                #  pairs to phone
                connection.pair()
                print("paired")
            #  allows connection to CurrentTimeService
            cts = connection[CurrentTimeService]
            notification_service = connection[AppleNotificationCenterService]
        #  grabs notifications from ANCS
        current_notifications = notification_service.active_notifications

        for notif_id in current_notifications:
            #  adds notifications into array
            notification = current_notifications[notif_id]
            all_ids.append(notif_id)

        if current_notification and current_notification.removed:
            # Stop showing the latest and show that there are no new notifications.
            current_notification = None
            pixel.fill(clear)
            pixel.show()

        if not current_notification and not all_ids and not cleared:
            #  updates cleared state for notification
            cleared = True
            #  turns off NeoPixel when notifications are clear
            pixel.fill(clear)
            pixel.show()

        elif all_ids:
            cleared = False
            if current_notification and current_notification.id in all_ids:
                index = all_ids.index(current_notification.id)
            else:
                index = len(all_ids) - 1
                notif_id = all_ids[index]
            #  if there is a notification:
            if not current_notification or current_notification.id != notif_id:
                current_notification = current_notifications[notif_id]
                #  parses notification info into a string
                category = str(notification).split(" ", 1)[0]
                #  haptic motor vibrates
                vibe(2, vibration, 0.5)
                #  all info for notification is printed to REPL
                print('-'*36)
                print("Msg #%d - Category %s" % (notification.id, category))
                print("From app:", notification.app_id)
                if notification.title:
                    print("Title:", notification.title)
                if notification.subtitle:
                    print("Subtitle:", notification.subtitle)
                if notification.message:
                    print("Message:", notification.message)
                #  NeoPixel blinks and then stays on until cleared
                blink_pixel(2, 0.5, purple, clear)
                pixel.fill(purple)
                pixel.show()
        #  if it's on the hour:
        if cts.current_time[4] == hour and not mindful:
            print(cts.current_time[4])
            print("mindful time")
            #  haptic motor vibrates
            vibe(5, vibration, 1)
            #  NeoPixel blinks and then stays on
            blink_pixel(5, 1, blue, clear)
            mindful = True
            pixel.fill(blue)
            pixel.show()
            print("hour = ", hour)
        #  if it's no longer on the hour:
        if cts.current_time[4] == (hour + 1) and mindful:
            #  NeoPixel turns off
            mindful = False
            pixel.fill(clear)
            pixel.show()
            print("mindful time over")

    #  if BLE becomes disconnected then blue LED turns off
    #  and BLE begins advertising again to reconnect
    print("Disconnected")
    blue_led.value = False
    print()
    ble.start_advertising(advertisement)
    notification_service = None

# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2020 Liz Clark for Adafruit Industries
#
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

import time
import board
import busio
import neopixel
import adafruit_drv2605
import adafruit_ble
from adafruit_ble.advertising.standard import SolicitServicesAdvertisement
from adafruit_ble.services.standard import CurrentTimeService
from adafruit_ble_apple_notification_center import AppleNotificationCenterService
from digitalio import DigitalInOut, Direction

#  setup for onboard NeoPixel
pixel_pin = board.NEOPIXEL
num_pixels = 1

pixel = neopixel.NeoPixel(pixel_pin, num_pixels, brightness=0.3, auto_write=False)

#  setup for haptic motor driver
i2c = busio.I2C(board.SCL, board.SDA)
drv = adafruit_drv2605.DRV2605(i2c)

#  onboard blue LED
blue_led = DigitalInOut(board.BLUE_LED)
blue_led.direction = Direction.OUTPUT

#  setup for BLE
ble = adafruit_ble.BLERadio()
if ble.connected:
    for c in ble.connections:
        c.disconnect()

advertisement = SolicitServicesAdvertisement()

#  adds ANCS and current time services for BLE to advertise
advertisement.solicited_services.append(AppleNotificationCenterService)
advertisement.solicited_services.append(CurrentTimeService)

#  state machines
current_notification = None #  tracks the current notification from ANCS
current_notifications = {} #  array to hold all current notifications from ANCS
cleared = False #  state to track if notifications have been cleared from ANCS
notification_service = None #  holds the array of active notifications from ANCS
all_ids = [] #  array to hold all of the ids from ANCS
hour = 0 #  used to track when it is on the hour for the mindfulness reminder
mindful = False #  state used to track if it is time for mindfulness
vibration = 16 #  vibration effect being used for the haptic motor
blue = (0, 0, 255) #  color blue for the NeoPixel
purple = (255, 0, 255) #  color purple for the NeoPixel
red = (255, 0, 0) #  color red for the NeoPixel
clear = (0, 0, 0) #  allows for NeoPixel to be turned 'off'

#  function for blinking NeoPixel
#  blinks: # of blinks
#  speed: how fast/slow blinks
#  color1: first color
#  color2: second color
def blink_pixel(blinks, speed, color1, color2):
    for _ in range(0, blinks):
        pixel.fill(color1)
        pixel.show()
        time.sleep(speed)
        pixel.fill(color2)
        pixel.show()
        time.sleep(speed)

#  function for haptic motor vibration
#  num_zzz: # of times vibrates
#  effect: type of vibration
#  delay: time between vibrations
def vibe(num_zzz, effect, delay):
    drv.sequence[0] = adafruit_drv2605.Effect(effect)
    for _ in range(0, num_zzz):
        drv.play()  # play the effect
        time.sleep(delay)  # for 0.5 seconds
        drv.stop()

#  start BLE
ble.start_advertising(advertisement)

while True:

    blue_led.value = False
    print("Waiting for connection")

    #  NeoPixel is red when not connected to BLE
    while not ble.connected:
        blue_led.value = False
        pixel.fill(red)
        pixel.show()

    print("Connected")

    while ble.connected:
        blue_led.value = True #  blue LED is on when connected
        all_ids.clear()
        for connection in ble.connections:
            if not connection.paired:
                #  pairs to phone
                connection.pair()
                print("paired")
            #  allows connection to CurrentTimeService
            cts = connection[CurrentTimeService]
            notification_service = connection[AppleNotificationCenterService]
        #  grabs notifications from ANCS
        current_notifications = notification_service.active_notifications

        for notif_id in current_notifications:
            #  adds notifications into array
            notification = current_notifications[notif_id]
            all_ids.append(notif_id)

        if current_notification and current_notification.removed:
            # Stop showing the latest and show that there are no new notifications.
            current_notification = None
            pixel.fill(clear)
            pixel.show()

        if not current_notification and not all_ids and not cleared:
            #  updates cleared state for notification
            cleared = True
            #  turns off NeoPixel when notifications are clear
            pixel.fill(clear)
            pixel.show()

        elif all_ids:
            cleared = False
            if current_notification and current_notification.id in all_ids:
                index = all_ids.index(current_notification.id)
            else:
                index = len(all_ids) - 1
                notif_id = all_ids[index]
            #  if there is a notification:
            if not current_notification or current_notification.id != notif_id:
                current_notification = current_notifications[notif_id]
                #  parses notification info into a string
                category = str(notification).split(" ", 1)[0]
                #  haptic motor vibrates
                vibe(2, vibration, 0.5)
                #  all info for notification is printed to REPL
                print('-'*36)
                print("Msg #%d - Category %s" % (notification.id, category))
                print("From app:", notification.app_id)
                if notification.title:
                    print("Title:", notification.title)
                if notification.subtitle:
                    print("Subtitle:", notification.subtitle)
                if notification.message:
                    print("Message:", notification.message)
                #  NeoPixel blinks and then stays on until cleared
                blink_pixel(2, 0.5, purple, clear)
                pixel.fill(purple)
                pixel.show()
        #  if it's on the hour:
        if cts.current_time[4] == hour and not mindful:
            print(cts.current_time[4])
            print("mindful time")
            #  haptic motor vibrates
            vibe(5, vibration, 1)
            #  NeoPixel blinks and then stays on
            blink_pixel(5, 1, blue, clear)
            mindful = True
            pixel.fill(blue)
            pixel.show()
            print("hour = ", hour)
        #  if it's no longer on the hour:
        if cts.current_time[4] == (hour + 1) and mindful:
            #  NeoPixel turns off
            mindful = False
            pixel.fill(clear)
            pixel.show()
            print("mindful time over")

    #  if BLE becomes disconnected then blue LED turns off
    #  and BLE begins advertising again to reconnect
    print("Disconnected")
    blue_led.value = False
    print()
    ble.start_advertising(advertisement)
    notification_service = None

Page last edited March 08, 2024

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CircuitPython Code Walkthrough

Inspiration

The code for this project is based on two previous projects on the Adafruit Learn System: John Park's Bluefruit TFT Gizmo ANCS Notifier for iOS and Becky Stern's Buzzing Mindfulness Bracelet. Be sure to check out both of those Learn Guides for additional project inspiration.

Setup

CircuitPython Libraries

The CircuitPython code begins by importing the libraries.

Overview

BLE Notifications

Modular Case Design

Prerequisite Guides

Parts

Hardware

Circuit Diagram

Adafruit Library for Fritzing

Wired Connections

Powering

3D Printing

Parts List

CAD Assembly

Slicing Parts

Design Source Files

CircuitPython on Feather Sense

Set up CircuitPython Quick Start!

Coding the Buzzy Box

Adding Libraries

Installing Project Code

CircuitPython Code Walkthrough

Inspiration

Setup

CircuitPython Libraries

LEDs and Motors

Setting Up BLE

State Machines

Putting the "Fun" in Function

The Loop

Waiting for BLE

BLE Setup: Apple Notification Center Service and CurrentTimeService

Tracking Notifications

Dismissing Notifications

Indexing Notifications

Notification Alerts with Haptic Motors and NeoPixels

Mindfulness

Dropped Signals

Wiring

Button Wiring

Switch Wiring

Shared Common Ground

Vibrating Motor Wiring

DRV2605L Wiring

Feather Wiring

Wired Circuit

Assembly

PCB Mount

Install Feather to PCB Mount

Secure Feather

Secure DRV2605L

Motor Disc

Install Vibe Motor

Install Speaker Cone

Install Battery

Mount Toggle Switch

Install Button

Installing PCB Mount

Secure PCB Mount

Connect Battery

Check Point

Snap Fit Case

Install Diffuser

Install Top Cover

Final Build

Usage

Connect iOS devices to CircuitPython Bluetooth Devices

Connect Device

Bluetooth Pairing

Allow Notifications

Connection Status!

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