Bluetooth Setup on Raspberry Pi

Complete step-by-step guide to pair your Bambu Lab CyberBrick Time-Lapse Kit (BBL_SHUTTER) with a Raspberry Pi using Bluetooth.

Prerequisites

  • Raspberry Pi with Bluetooth capability (Pi Zero 2 W, Pi 4, or Pi 5)
  • Bambu Lab CyberBrick Time-Lapse Kit (BBL_SHUTTER)
  • SSH access to your Pi or direct terminal access
  • Administrator/sudo privileges

Step 1: Verify Bluetooth is Not Blocked

First, check the Bluetooth radio status using rfkill:

rfkill

Expected output:

ID  TYPE      DEVICE      SOFT      HARD
0   bluetooth hci0        unblocked unblocked
1   wlan      wlan0       unblocked unblocked

If Bluetooth shows as blocked, unblock it:

sudo rfkill unblock bluetooth

Step 2: Power Up the Bluetooth Adapter

Start the Bluetooth control utility:

bluetoothctl

You should see a prompt like:

[bluetooth]#

Check if Bluetooth is powered on:

[bluetooth]# show

Expected output (abbreviated):

Controller AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF (public)
	Name: 'raspberrypi'
	Alias: 'raspberrypi'
	Class: 0x0c010c
	Powered: yes
	Discoverable: no
	...

If Powered: no, power it on:

power on

Then verify:

show

You should now see Powered: yes.

Step 3: Enable Bluetooth Agent

Set up the agent for pairing:

agent on
default-agent

Example output:

[bluetooth]# agent on
Agent registered
[bluetooth]# default-agent
Default agent request successful
[bluetooth]#

Step 4: Scan for Your CyberBrick

On the CyberBrick:

  1. Press and hold the multifunction button for 3-5 seconds
  2. Device should enter pairing mode (look for LED indicator)

On the Raspberry Pi: Start scanning:

scan on

Wait for the BBL_SHUTTER to appear (may take 5-10 seconds):

Discovery started
[NEW] Device AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF BBL_SHUTTER
[bluetooth]#

Note the MAC address (e.g., AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF).

Note: Once paired, the shutter may sleep and stop advertising. If it does not show up in scans, press the shutter button to wake it and retry.

Step 5: Pair the Device

Stop scanning first:

scan off

Then pair using the MAC address you noted:

pair AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF

Expected output:

Attempting to pair with AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF
[CHG] Device AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF Connected: yes
[CHG] Device AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF UUIDs: 180a0000-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb
[CHG] Device AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF Paired: yes
Pairing successful
[CHG] Device AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF Connected: no
[BAT] Device AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF Battery: 85%
[bluetooth]#

Step 6: Trust the Device

While still in bluetoothctl, trust the device so it auto-connects:

trust AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF

Expected output:

[CHG] Device AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF Trusted: yes
Changing AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF trust succeeded
[bluetooth]#

Verify with info:

info AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF

Look for Trusted: yes in the output:

Device AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF (public)
	Name: BBL_SHUTTER
	...
	Paired: yes
	Trusted: yes
	Connected: no
	...

Step 7: Check All Devices

List all paired devices:

devices

Example output:

Device AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF BBL_SHUTTER
[bluetooth]#

Exit bluetoothctl:

quit

Verification

Your CyberBrick is now paired and ready! To verify from the command line:

sudo bluetoothctl info AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF

You should see Paired: yes and Trusted: yes.

Troubleshooting

Device Not Found During Scan

  • Ensure CyberBrick is in pairing mode (multifunction button held for 3+ seconds)
  • Check Bluetooth isn’t blocked: rfkill
  • Try increasing scan timeout: wait 15+ seconds before giving up
  • Try scanning again in fresh bluetoothctl session

Pairing Fails

  • Device may have already paired with another device (reset if possible)
  • Try unpairing first: 
    remove AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF
  • Then repeat pairing steps

Device Shows as Connected but No Signal Received

  • Device is in sleep mode; press the shutter button to wake it
  • Check signal is reaching the Pi with debugging: 
    bbl-shutter-cam debug --profile your-profile --mac AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF

Bluetooth Keeps Disconnecting

  • Check battery level: bluetoothctl show
  • Increase reconnect_delay in configuration if needed (default: 2 seconds)
  • Ensure Pi Bluetooth antenna is properly seated
  • If you see rapid connect/disconnect loops in bluetoothctl, the pairing may be corrupted: 
    bluetoothctl
remove AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF
scan on
# Press shutter button multiple times
pair AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF
trust AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF

Next Steps

Once Bluetooth is configured, you’re ready to:

  1. Configure your first profile
  2. Learn about trigger signals
  3. Set up camera settings

See Quick Start Guide for the next steps in setting up bbl-shutter-cam.