Evaluation Report of HC-04 and FSC-BT986 Bluetooth Modules

Introduction

This evaluation report aims to provide an objective assessment of the HC-04 and FSC-BT986 Bluetooth modules. By comparing the test results, we hope to offer readers an unbiased evaluation of these two modules. This report will evaluate various product indicators such as functionality, performance, power consumption, compatibility, and ease of use for both modules.

Comparison

Functionality

We conducted a comprehensive comparison and analysis of the HC-04 and FSC-BT986 Bluetooth modules. We discussed the performance and features of these two modules in terms of wireless specifications, host interfaces, and peripherals.

In terms of wireless specifications, both HC-04 and FSC-BT986 adopt Bluetooth V5.0 dual-mode. However, the maximum transmit power of FSC-BT986 can be modified, while HC-04 is fixed at 6dbm. In terms of hardware features, HC-04 does not support hardware flow control, while FSC-BT986 does.

In terms of functionality, both HC-04 and FSC-BT986 support classic Bluetooth and low-power Bluetooth modes. However, FSC-BT986 also supports HID mode and single-mode master-slave integration, which HC-04 does not have.

Therefore, FSC-BT986 has a more comprehensive functionality compared to HC-04. During the evaluation process, we also discovered some issues and difficulties. For example, the lack of hardware flow control in HC-04 may have some impact on the stability of data transmission.

In this aspect, HC-04 scores 6, and FSC-BT986 scores 8.

Performance

We compared the performance of HC-04 and FSC-BT986 in terms of transmission speed through tests including phone-to-module, module-to-phone, and simultaneous data transmission.

SPP Transmission Rate

1. In the test of transmission speed from phone to module, HC-04 has an average speed of 68493 Byte/s, while FSC-BT986 has an average speed of 44642 Byte/s. This indicates that HC-04 is approximately 38% faster than FSC-BT986 in phone-to-module transmission.

2. In the test of transmission speed from module to phone, FSC-BT986 has an average speed of 65849.8 Byte/s. However, due to the lack of hardware flow control, HC-04 has a packet loss rate of approximately 0.2% to 0.5% when transmitting at a speed of 20K/s for one minute. On the other hand, FSC-BT986 has flow control pins and does not experience packet loss when transmitting 5M data. Therefore, FSC-BT986 has an advantage in this aspect.

3. In the test of simultaneous data transmission, HC-04 has an average speed of 37976.4 Byte/s, while FSC-BT986 has an average speed of 27146 Byte/s. In this test, HC-04 performs better than FSC-BT986.

BLE Transmission Rate

FSC-BT986 has an average speed of 5952.4 Byte/s in the process of transmission from phone to module and then to computer. This speed is comparable to HC-04's transmission rate but slightly slower.

Analysis and Evaluation

Overall, HC-04 performs better than FSC-BT986 in terms of transmission speed, especially in phone-to-module transmission. However, due to the lack of hardware flow control, FSC-BT986 has a slightly better performance than HC-04 in the test of module-to-phone transmission speed.

In this aspect, HC-04 scores 8, and FSC-BT986 scores 7.

Power Consumption

Through comparative testing, we found that FSC-BT986 has lower power consumption in both broadcasting and connected states compared to HC-04. This demonstrates that FSC-BT986 has better energy efficiency, which is advantageous for extending the battery life of end products.

In this aspect, HC-04 scores 7, and FSC-BT986 scores 8.

Compatibility

Both modules demonstrate good compatibility, making it difficult to determine a clear winner in this aspect.

In this aspect, HC-04 scores 10, and FSC-BT986 scores 10.

Ease of Use

HC-04 and FSC-BT986 are two commonly used Bluetooth modules, and they exhibit different characteristics in terms of ease of use and readability of documentation. FSC-BT986's user manual and documentation are more readable, with detailed content and accompanying flowcharts, making it easier for users to understand and operate. In comparison, HC-04's user manual is relatively concise, which may pose some learning difficulties for novice users. Therefore, FSC-BT986 has an advantage in terms of ease of use and readability of documentation.

In this aspect, HC-04 scores 6, and FSC-BT986 scores 8.

Technical Support and After-Sales Service

For HC-04, obtaining specification sheets requires searching on the official website, and contacting customer service is relatively difficult. In comparison, FSC-BT986 provides better customer support, and customers can obtain relevant information by contacting customer service and adding them on WeChat. Therefore, BT986 has higher reliability and convenience in terms of technical support and after-sales service.

In this aspect, HC-04 scores 6, and BT986 scores 8.

Conclusion

In conclusion, HC-04 has a higher SPP peak rate compared to FSC-BT986, but its lack of hardware flow control makes it difficult to guarantee data transmission stability. In terms of functionality, power consumption performance, ease of use, technical support, and service quality, FSC-BT986 outperforms HC-04. However, HC-04 has a much higher cost-effectiveness compared to BT986, making it more attractive for small-scale deployment applications.