Firefly Design LLC

Product Design Consulting

Firefly Ice: Getting Started: Using the Development Kit

Firefly Ice Development Kit Contents

The Firefly Ice development kit includes:

Powering the Firefly Ice

The Firefly Ice is shipped to you without the battery connected.  You can test out the Firefly Ice plug PCBA without the battery by attaching a USB cable plugged into a power source, such as a laptop or wall charger.  Once this is done the device will startup and apps can connect to the device using Bluetooth and/or USB.

Using the Firefly Ice Utility App

Clone the firefly-ice-api repository and open the Firefly Utility Xcode project:

git clone https://github.com/denisbohm/firefly-ice-api.git
open firefly-ice-api/iOS/FireflyUtility/FireflyUtility.xcodeproj

Run the project using your iPhone 4s, 5, 5s, or 5c.  The first screen shows a list of all the Firefly Ice devices that have been discovered.  Touch one of the devices to move to the Overview panel for that device.  Touch "Connect" at the top right to open a connection to the device.  On a successful connection the LED on the device will indicate that the connection is open and the information on the overview panel will update in the app.

Firmware Development Setup

The Firefly Ice PCB has a Cortex Serial Wire Debug (SWD) JTAG port connection that can be used for development.  The included hardware is used to make the SWD connection.  Connect the supplied parts in the following order:

  1. JTAG Adapter to JTAG USB Cable.
  2. SWD Adapter to JTAG Adapter.
  3. SWD Cable to SWD Adapter.
  4. SWD Cable to Firefly Ice PCBA.
  5. Retaining Clip to SWD Cable.



Hardware Development Setup

An expansion socket and header are provided for expanding the hardware.  Solder the PCBA expansion socket to the Firefly Ice PCBA.  The expansion header is provided for use on your custom expansion PCBA.

Next Steps

Firefly Ice: Getting Started: Firmware Development