playbulbcandle

Python library for communicating with PlayBulb Candles.

PlayBulb Candles are RGBW Bluetooth 4.0 candles which are controlled with a iOS/Android app.

Installation

Tested working on Raspberry Pi 3 with Noobs.

Install bluetooth and bluez

sudo apt-get install bluetooth bluez

Find your PlayBulb Candles

sudo hcitool lescan

This will stream all found devices on the screen. Use Ctrl+c to break the process, copy the MAC addresses for use later

The library is based on gatttool which allows you to send messages via command line

gatttool -b [mac address] --char-write-req -a [register] -n [value]
gatttool -b [mac address] --char-write -a [register] -n [value]
gatttool -b [mac address] --char-read -a [register]

Get the library

pip install playbulbcandle

Usage

Look in tester.py for a working example. More information can be found in this blob post.

  from playbulbcandle import PlayBulbCandle
  
  candle1 = PlayBulbCandle('AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA')
  candle2 = PlayBulbCandle('BB:BB:BB:BB:BB:BB')
  
  candle1.setColor(0, 255, 0, 0) # Set color to red
  candle1.setEffect(255, 0, 0, 0, 'candle', 0) # Candle flicker effect in white
  candle1.off() # There is no alternative for on
  
  print candle2.getBatteryLevel()

Troubleshooting

Bluetooth dongle

You can check whether your bluetooth dongle is connected

lsusb

On my system, I see with a dongle marked 'CSR 4.0' (cheap from ebay). For the Raspberry Pi 3, you don't need an adapter because BLE is built in.

$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0a12:0001 Cambridge Silicon Radio, Ltd Bluetooth Dongle (HCI mode)
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0424:ec00 Standard Microsystems Corp. SMSC9512/9514 Fast Ethernet Adapter
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0424:9514 Standard Microsystems Corp.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

Cannot connect

Make sure you're not already connected with the app. Only one device can connect to the bulb at once