pc-ble-driver replacement
The maintained replacement for pc-ble-driver
Nordic archived pc-ble-driver and pc-ble-driver-py in 2024, with no successor planned. SimpleBLE with a Dongl replaces them: it works better, it is easier to use, and it runs in many more languages.
Connect and read in a few lines
Pick the Dongl, scan, connect, and read. This is the whole program.
import simplepyble
adapter = simplepyble.Backend.get_dongl().adapters()[0]
adapter.scan_for(5000)
device = next(p for p in adapter.scan_get_results()
if p.address() == DEVICE_ADDRESS)
device.connect()
print(device.read(SERVICE, CHARACTERISTIC).decode())
device.disconnect()What you gain over pc-ble-driver
Actively maintained
pc-ble-driver is archived. SimpleBLE and the Dongl firmware are released together and supported by the team that builds them.
Far less code
Connect, read, write, and subscribe with one call each. There is no stack setup or event handling to write.
Far beyond C and Python
The Dongl works in every SimpleBLE binding with desktop support, from C# and Java to Go, Rust, Swift, and Node.js.
Nothing to configure
Plug in a Dongl and SimpleBLE finds it. There is no serial port, baud rate, or connectivity firmware version to match.
Any adapter, same code
The same code runs on a Dongl or on the computer's built-in Bluetooth. Select a different adapter and nothing else changes.
Several radios, stable names
Plug in several Dongls and tell them apart by address, which stays the same across restarts and USB ports.
Move off pc-ble-driver
Dongl hardware ships with the firmware installed and includes a commercial license to use SimpleBLE through the Dongl backend.
Frequently
asked questions
No. Nordic archived pc-ble-driver and pc-ble-driver-py in 2024, with no successor planned. SimpleBLE and the Dongl firmware are maintained together by the SimpleBLE team.
No. Nordic archived pc-ble-driver and pc-ble-driver-py in 2024, with no successor planned. SimpleBLE and the Dongl firmware are maintained together by the SimpleBLE team.
Yes. The Dongl N-Series firmware also runs on Nordic's nRF52840 Dongle and DK, programmed over SWD. It is free for non-commercial prototyping, testing, and validation.
Yes. The Dongl N-Series firmware also runs on Nordic's nRF52840 Dongle and DK, programmed over SWD. It is free for non-commercial prototyping, testing, and validation.
Every SimpleBLE binding with desktop support: C++, C, C#, Python, Java, Go, Rust, Node.js, Kotlin Multiplatform, Swift, Dart, Flutter, and Delphi, on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Every SimpleBLE binding with desktop support: C++, C, C#, Python, Java, Go, Rust, Node.js, Kotlin Multiplatform, Swift, Dart, Flutter, and Delphi, on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Yes. Each Dongl appears as another adapter. Tell them apart by adapter address, which stays the same across restarts and USB ports.
Yes. Each Dongl appears as another adapter. Tell them apart by adapter address, which stays the same across restarts and USB ports.
Each Dongl unit includes a commercial license to use SimpleBLE through the Dongl backend. SimpleBLE is source-available under the Business Source License 1.1 and free for non-commercial use.
Each Dongl unit includes a commercial license to use SimpleBLE through the Dongl backend. SimpleBLE is source-available under the Business Source License 1.1 and free for non-commercial use.