How does an Arduino board “talk” to an Android device without OS instructional code? With the Bluetooth-based (2.1 module WT11i by Bluegiga) Annikken Andee – which can be mounted on an Arduino Uno (Atmel ATmega328), Mega (ATmega1280) or Leonardo (ATmega32u4).
“With the free Annikken Andee Library and Android app, you can create your very own monitor and control UI on Android devices from the Arduino IDE,” the Anniken Andee crew wrote in a recent IndieGoGo post. “This means you are NOT required to develop any Android apps at all.”
So how does it work? Well, the shield communicates with Arduino via the ICSP header (SPI) and pin 8.
On the software side, you simply download the Annikken Andee library for Arduino, unpack the content and copy the ‘Andee’ folder into Arduino IDE library folder. This library contains all the necessary functions to create the user interface on your Android device.
You then download and install the Annikken Andee Android Application from the Google Play Store. Connect your phone to your Arduino via the installed app and voila – you now have a smartphone UI for Arduino.
Additional information about the Annikken Andee is available here on IndieGoGo.