Does anyone see high battery usage on their iOS device when connected to a BLE keyboard? With other solutions, if I enable the HID service for a keyboard on my device, the battery drains very quickly on the phone even if I turn off the screen and not touch the keyboard. The keyboard itself does not have battery problems. I have not setup the DA14580 Basic kit for a keyboard test yet. I suspect the behavior will be the same but was wondering if someone can confirm it is an iOS issue. Thanks.
Hello jeffdev, I'm checking with a few people, but no reports of this . To set-up the BASIC kit and keyboard :
"The keyboard reference software can be used with key lay-out #10. Two key are defined on port/pin P1_1 and P0_6. If buttons are connected to these pins (and GND) one should be able to transmit two keys ( p & o)"
BR JE_Dialog
Hi,
A keyboard application requires that the central side (phone/tablet) is transmitting very frequently. This is necessary because a button press needs to be transmitted very quickly (typically within 17.5ms) after the key is pressed or released. The keyboard, however, is allowed to skip a lot of the connection events (anchor points), and will only wake up to maintain the connection or whenever a button is pressed. The central will negotiate connection paramters with the keyboard in attempt to balance latency with power consumption. Ultimately the central will dictate these parameters. Most implementations include a feature to disconnect the central and the keyboard after some minutes of user inactivity. This will lead to a noticeable delay when the user presses a key while the devices are disconnected. iOS has it's own set of rules as far as the connection scheme and you are not likely to be able to improve the power consumption.
Thanks for the info. I think the solution on the keyboard side is to disconnect after some period of inactivity. Are there any BLE keyboards commercially available so I can compare results? I can only find classic BT keyboards for sale or obscure models which seem to be rebranded devkits.
You can take a look at ours if that helps ? its a fully functioning keyboard ... I think we have a couple in the local office. There are multiple vendors working on bluetooth 4.x keyboards, but to date, its mouse that are the front-runners amonst the large OEM releasing.We'll see more 4.x keyboards from the major suppliers filter on the market later this year. BR JE_Dialog