Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. The microcontroller on the Arduino board is programmed using the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring and C) and the Arduino development environment (based on Processing). This combination of tools have made it a very easy to use platform for all kinds of experimenters to create many kinds of project hacks and even commercial products. Why the Arduino Won and Why It’s Here to Stay article gives you idea why the platform is so popular. Arduino and it’s tool-set started with 8-bit Atmel microcontrollers, but nowdays the tools can also be used to program also ARM based microcontrollers.
Every now and then different sources show another “Arduino-like platform”. Here are pointers to some most interesting looking new Arduino platforms (look interesting but I have not had change to personally test any of them):
EDN magazine article Coin-sized Arduino-compatible computer with Bluetooth LE wirelessly connects to smartphones, tablets tells that about the world’s first ‘Arduino’ compatible open-source micro-computer that can communicate wirelessly with any Bluetooth® v4.0 compatible smartphone or tablet. This ‘RFduino’ is based on nRF51822′s powerful on-board 32-bit ARM Cortex M0-based processor. Open Source RF claims that the overriding focus of the RFduino is on building new wireless applications. The RFduino can be powered by anything from household outlets down to a regular CR2032 coin cell (watch) battery. The RFduino 7 GPIO lines all support, Digital IO, Analog ADC, SPI, I2C, UART and PWM. The RFduino is similar to the Arduino UNO or DUE, except the RFduino is a fraction of the cost and size, in addition has wireless smartphone connectivity built-in! There are several open-source RFduino and iPhone apps which are free to use, extend, and share.
The JeeNode is a small wireless board with an 8-bit Atmel RISC microprocessor. JeeNodes are compatible with the Arduino platform and can be programmed under Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux using sketches created with the Arduino IDE. Kits include the ISM-band 868 MHz radio module as used in Europe for short range wireless communications.
The PICnDuino Review page tells about PICnDuino board. The PICnDuino is an Open Source dual microcontroller development platform built into a tiny direct to USB device. It is compatible with both Arduino (Atmega 328P) and Amicus18 (PIC18F25K20). The PICnDuino provides a fantastic opportunity to learn two programming languages in one device (Arduino which is C and Amicus18 which is Basic). You just plug it in to USB and start coding. The board has LEDss onboard and had bread-board friendly format.
CuteUino: Only use the parts of the Arduino that you need for each project article tells of a new small version of the Arduino that has a fitting within the outline of an SD card. In this design the Arduino platform is broken it up into several modules (that you can stack on top of each other) so you can choose only the components that you need for the project. For more details check Prototyping The CuteUino web page.
212 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
WIDGEDUINO
http://hackaday.io/post/3764
Widgeduino is a revolutionary, intelligent and easily configured Windows based application which can be connected to Arduino or any other microcontroller based systems.
It is connected to the microcontroller based systems to allow the users to add multiple widgets such as keypad, LEDs, Gauges, Knobs, Sliders, Thermometer, Tanks, and Buttons etc. to their designs either for a rapid prototyping or to develop a complete automation system.
Widgeduino uses the power of PC / laptop to simplify the electronics prototyping process and allows the user to use multiple widgets at the same time to create complete SCADA systems.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LoFi
http://hackaday.io/project/1552-LoFi
LoFi is a very low cost ($5), small, auto-transmitting module. Preassembled and preprogrammed. Simply attach to your appliances or projects!
LoFi is a very low cost ($5), small, auto-transmitting module. All you need to do is to attach the modules to interesting appliance circuit points or sensors throughout your home and garden. The data arrives on your PC or can be sent to the Internet with a WiFi hotspot.
No programming, no protocols to learn, and no carrier boards for you to make. Just attach!
The sender module is about the size of a AA battery. It operates from 1.8 to 5.5 V. It consists primarily of an Atmel ATtiny44A (or better) which monitors the inputs and outputs the data. A red and green LED provides visual status. In volume, the module should cost less than $2 in parts.
Configuration is accomplished using a phone, laptop, or desktop connected via a standard FTDI serial cable
The actual transmitter on the sender module is an off-the-shelf, inexpensive 433 MHz AM board and a simple wire antenna.
LoFi is designed to open up the devices in your house.
When all of the transmitters are quiet, the receiver is listening to static on AM 433 MHz (see earlier log post). To avoid interpreting static as valid serial data, LoFi requires a message to start with 10 high bits followed by the letter ‘L’.
LoFi uses Hamming error-correcting codes to detect and correct transmission errors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Science project phones home
http://edn.com/electronics-blogs/diy-zone/4430467/Science-project-phones-home-
Ardusat, the Kickstarter-funded, Arduino-powered, open-source science satellites
Amateur radio enthusiasts have been building their own communication satellites since the 1960s2, but Ardusat’s extensive use of open-source technologies and commercially-available components puts a new twist on DIY space programs. The tiny spacecraft’s structure and power subsystems are based on the CubeSat standard3, an open-source specification created in 1999 which defines a standard platform for low-cost space research.
One of the biggest advantages that CubeSat offers to would-be rocket scientists is that there are now several vendors offering commercially-available, off-the-shelf mechanical and electronic components for nearly every CubeSat structure and subsystem. For some applications, it’s possible to build a simple, but complete CubeSat for $10-$15,000.
Ardusat is based on the simplest variant of the CubeSat (a one-liter cube (10 cm/side) with a total mass to no more than 1.33 kilograms) but its electronics are far from basic. Besides a sophisticated solar power and battery subsystem, it has a radiation-hardened flight computer, a digital transceiver, and an attitude control system which includes a 3-axis accelerometer/gyro platform and a horizon sensor. Ardusat can also “point” itself using a set of electromagnetic coils which interact with the Earth’s magnetic fields much the way a compass needle does.
The spacecraft’s experiments are managed by a custom board manufactured by Freetronics
The controller board also has a master controller (similar to the ATmega2561-based Arduino Mega) which controls and monitors up to 16 payload subsystems
Each of the board’s 16 payload controllers have their own ATmega328P and are functionally compatible with the Nano boards you buy from Arduino or SparkFun. Once aboard Ardusat, each payload controller behaves exactly like any Earth-bound Arduino compatible board.
Open-source technology made it easy for the Ardusat team to modify Arduino’s baseline IDE and create a downloadable software development kit which allows subscribers to design the command sequences they’ll use to conduct their experiments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pinoccio: Mesh All The (Internet Of) Things
http://hackaday.com/2014/07/15/pinoccio-mesh-all-the-internet-of-things/
Yes, IoT can be done with a few cheap radios and a hacked router, but then you don’t get all the cool features of a real Things project – mesh networking and a well designed network. Pinoccio is the first Thing we’ve seen that puts a proper mesh network together with a server you can own.
The hardware on the Pinoccio is basically an Arduino Mega with a LiPo battery and an 802.15.4 radio provided by an ATmega256RFR2. The base board – technically called a ‘field scout’ – can be equipped with a WiFi backpack that serves as a bridge for the WiFi network. It’s a pretty clever solution to putting a whole lot of Things on a network, without having all the Things directly connected to the Internet.
Tomi Engdahl says:
THP Entry: Tinusaur AVR Platform Teaches Noobs, Plays Game of Life
http://hackaday.com/2014/07/29/thp-entry-tinusaur-avr-platform-teaches-noobs-plays-game-of-life/
[Neven Boyanov] says there’s nothing special about Tinusaur, the bite-sized platform for learning and teaching the joys of programming AVRs.
Tinusaur is easy to assemble and contains only the components necessary for ATTiny13/25/45/85 operation (the kit comes with an ’85).
[Neven] is selling boards and kits through the Tinusaur site, or you can get the board from a few 3rd party vendors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sparkfun Ships 2000 MicroViews Without Bootloaders
http://hackaday.com/2014/08/21/sparkfun-ships-2000-microviews-without-bootloaders/
MicroView is the tiny OLED enabled, Arduino based, microcontroller system which had a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign earlier this year. [Marcus Schappi], the project creator, partnered up with SparkFun to get the MicroViews manufactured and shipped out to backers. This wasn’t a decision made on a whim, Sparkfun had proven themselves by fulfilling over 11,000 Makey Makey boards to backers of that campaign.
First things first, anyone who receives an affected MicroView is getting a second working unit shipped out by the beginning of November. Furthermore, the bootloaderless units can be brought to life relatively easily.
Sparkfun will publish a full tutorial in a few weeks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pokewithastick, an Arduino programmable web-logger/server
http://hackaday.com/2013/10/08/pokewithastick-an-arduino-programmable-web-loggerserver/
[Stewart] tipped us about his very nice project: pokewithastick. It is an Arduino compatible board (hardware, not footprint) based on the ATMEGA1284P which can be programmed to collect and post data to internet logging sites such as Thingspeak or Xively.
As you can see in the picture above, it has a small 50x37mm footprint (roughly 2″x1.5″). The pokewithastick is composed of an Wiz820 Ethernet module, a micro-SD card slot, 2 serial ports, one battery backed Real Time Clock (RTC), one radio connector (for the usual nRF24L01 2.4GHz radio), one power & user LED and finally a reset button.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Smallest ATtiny85 Based USB Board
http://hackaday.com/2014/05/07/the-smallest-attiny85-based-usb-board/
“Possibly the smallest ATtiny85 based ‘duino derivative”. Indeed! When Olimex announced the Olimexino 85s as the smallest Arduino ever, [Tim] took that as a challenge. His very small Arduino based USB devboard is quite a bit smaller than the Olimexino!
One of the coolest aspects of this design is that it has the same pinout and size as a DIP ATtiny85. This means that you can use the Nanite 85 for developing your code with the USB bootloader, and then you can directly replace it with a standard (pre-programmed) ATtiny85.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Nanite 85
Possibly the smallestest ATtiny85 based ‘duino derivative.
http://cpldcpu.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/the-nanite-85/
I designed this board for fun after the Digispark and, subsequentally, the Adafruit Trinket were announced. The motivation was to have my own ATtiny85 based development board based on a USB bootloader and optimized for the ubiquitous 170 point mini-breadboards. In contrast to the Digispark it even sports a reset button. However, it lacks an integrated voltage converter as it is supposed to be powered by USB.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chachka: A Trinket Clone
http://hackaday.com/2014/01/20/chachka-a-trinket-clone/
Why would you clone something as cheap as the adafruit Trinket? Well, because you can, of course. And that’s exactly why [Ray] started to build a clone two days after his Trinket came in the mail. He encourages you to support adafruit by buying at least one Trinket before attempting a clone, and we agree
[Ray]‘s design uses an 1800Ω pull-up resistor rather than the 1500Ω in the Trinket. He made this change based on his experience with V-USB and the ATtiny85.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chachka (Trinket clone)
Chachka is to the Adafruit Trinket what boarduino is to Uno: a clone.
http://www.hackster.io/rayburne/chachka-trinket-attiny85-clone
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cloning the Trinket for a USB Volume Knob
http://hackaday.com/2013/11/14/cloning-the-trinket-for-a-usb-volume-knob/
A while back, [Rupert] wrote a blog post on using V-USB with the very small, 8-pin ATtiny85. Since then, the space of dev boards for 8-pin micros with USB has exploded, the most recent being Adafruit’s Trinket. [Rupert] liked what he saw with the Trinket bootloader and decided to clone the circuit into a useful package. Thus was born an awesome looking USB volume knob complete with a heavy aluminum knob, rotary encoder, and RGB LED strip.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digispark Pro, The Bigger Smaller Dev Board
http://hackaday.com/2014/04/23/digispark-pro-the-bigger-smaller-dev-board/
There has recently been a huge influx of extremely small dev board based on the ATtiny85. This small 8-pin microcontroller is able to run most Arduino sketches, and the small size and low price of these dev boards means they have been extremely popular. The Digispark was among the first of these small boards, and now the creator is releasing a newer, bigger version dubbed the Digispark Pro.
The new board isn’t based on the ‘tiny85, but rather the ATtiny167.
There are also a few more shields this time around
Tomi Engdahl says:
Adafruit GEMMA – Miniature wearable electronic platform
http://www.adafruit.com/gemma
Love FLORA but want a bite-sized version? Look no further, GEMMA is a tiny wearable platform board with a lot of might in a 1″ diameter package. Powered by a Attiny85 and programmable with an Arduino IDE over USB, you’ll be able to realize any wearable project!
The Attiny85 is a fun processor because despite being so small, it has 8K of flash, and 5 I/O pins, including analog inputs and PWM ‘analog’ outputs.
Even though you can program GEMMA using the Arduino IDE, it’s not a fully 100% Arduino-compatible. There are some things you trade off for such a small and low cost microcontroller!
GEMMA does not have a Serial port connection for debugging so the serial port monitor will not be able to send/receive data
Some computers’ USB v3 ports don’t recognize the GEMMAs bootloader. Simply use a USB v2 port or a USB hub in between
Trinket is not supported on Linux operating system at this time – try Mac OS or Windows!
Tomi Engdahl says:
THP Semifinalist: The Moteino
http://hackaday.com/2014/09/03/thp-semifinalist-the-moteino/
The Moteino is based on the Arduino, and adds a low-cost radio module to talk to the rest of the world. The module is the HopeRF RFM12B or RFM69. Both of these radios operate in the ISM band at 434, 868, or 915 MHz. Being pretty much the same as an Arduino with a radio module strapped to the back, programming is easy and it should be able to do anything that has been done with an ATMega328.
Tomi Engdahl says:
All about Moteino
http://lowpowerlab.com/moteino/
Moteino is a low cost low-power open-source wireless Arduino UNO development platform clone based on the popular ATMega328 chip used in traditional Arduinos, making it 100% compatible with the Arduino IDE (programming environment). Unlike traditional Arduinos, the regular Moteino does not include an onboard USB-Serial converter, instead you need to use an external FTDI adapter to load sketches, the advantages being lower cost, smaller size. They are compatible with any other Arduino clones that use the popular HopeRF RFM12B transceiver or the newer RFM69 transceiver. Moteino also comes with an optional SPI flash chip for data logging or wireless programming.
Moteino-USB includes the USB-serial FTDI chip so you can use it like any other Arduino (direct programming through USB mini). Otherwise it’s no different from the regular Moteino
MoteinoMEGA is a new generation Moteino based on the more resourceful Atmega1284p microcontroller. It runs at 3.3V/16Mhz.
Moteinos come without any soldered headers or antennas. Without the wire antenna the range will be only a few feet. The provided wire monopole antenna has to be soldered to the “ANT” pin hole
The Moteino can be used like any Arduino, but for wireless communications you will need a library for the onboard RFM12B or RFM69 transceiver. In my Github repository you can find a RFM12B library I’ve adapted from Jeelib, and a RFM69 library, both have some basic examples and other projects making use of the library.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CONTROLLINO: The first ARDUINO – PLC
http://www.controllino.cc/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Moteino Framework
Automation framework based on wireless Moteino nodes.
http://hackaday.io/project/2197-The-Moteino-Framework
The Moteino automation system is a decoupled framework designed to add convenience, monitoring, security and safety to a residence. It is comprised of several devices that are all based on the Moteino wireless Arduino clone.
the Moteino, a low power wireless Arduino clone based on the popular Atmega328p chip, that accepts RFM69W/HW/CW or RFM12B transceivers on reverse, is of SD card size and can fit in very small enclosures.
Mailbox via MailboxNotifier(aka MailboxAlert or MailMote). This little sensor box can run for many months on a small LiPoly battery and reports back motion detected at the mailbox, battery level, and the last time the mailbox was opened.
Garage door via GarageMote. This device can detect the garage doors position (open, closed, unknown), and trigger an open/close action.
Lights via SwitchMote. Swap your current mechanical light switches with SwitchMotes and control your lights wirelessly in addition to the new push button. They work at 120-250V but are designed to fit US electrical boxes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
All about SwitchMote (R2)
http://lowpowerlab.com/switchmote/
SwitchMote (SM) is a wireless light switch controller that replaces traditional mechanical switches and allows you to wireleslly control a light AC load (5A at 220V – up to ~1000W). SwitchMotes can be independent of each other or they can be linked in such a way that when a button is pressed one or more SwitchMotes can turn their loads ON/OFF.
Wireless programming via Moteino
Tomi Engdahl says:
UDOO
http://www.udoo.org/
http://shop.udoo.org/eu/?___from_store=usa&popup=no&gclid=CJqS-_2P4cACFUuQcgodspEAkg
Freescale i.MX 6 DualLite + Atmel SAM3X8E
Freescale i.MX 6 Quad + Atmel SAM3X8E
Arduino-compatible R3 1.0 pinout
Tomi Engdahl says:
IMUduino BTLE
http://www.femtoduino.com/spex/imuduino-btle
The smallest Arduino Leonardo compatible clone, feature packed with USB keyboard/mouse emulation, on-board Bluetooth LE, real-time orientation and motion sensing IMU, and 10V max voltage regulator..
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dr. Duino Diagnostic Shield Deduces Dilemmas in Arduino Shield Stacks
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=216&doc_id=1323964&
Some of these projects involve the use of shields, which are boards that can be plugged on top of the Arduino in order to extend its capabilities. The thing is that you can quickly end up with a stack of shields
Every now and again, you run into a situation whereby things aren’t working quite as expected. You aren’t sure exactly what’s going wrong, and it can be really difficult to diagnose the problem. As discussed in this column, Guido Bonelli ran into this type of problem while creating an Arduino-based piece of abstract art called Orbis. His solution was to create a board he calls Dr. Duino.
You can tell that Guido has put a lot of thought into this. If you plug the Dr. Duino onto the top of your Arduino Uno
Alternatively, you can sandwich your Dr. Duino between two of the boards in the stack.
By means of jumpers on the Dr. Duino, you can either pass the signal directly through from the board below to the board above (and vice versa, of course), or you can break the connection between the adjacent boards and route the signal to one of the components on the Dr. Duino.
Speaking of which, the Dr. Duino comes complete with test points, LEDs, switches, potentiometers, a piezo buzzer, an RS-232 interface, and an external reset switch that will not be blocked by any shields above it.
Any shield that uses the standard Arduino Uno footprint can benefit, including the chipKIT Uno32 from Digilent.
Orbis & Dr. Duino: A Tale of Maker Happiness
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=-1%27&doc_id=1323948&page_number=2
At one point while I was developing Orbis, my control board and remote box were separated by a large enough distance that I could attach a probe and make code changes on the fly only if my arms were the length of a three-toed pigeon sloth. ”
I wanted to provide a mechanism that would allow for pseudo hardware to always be available. The next time anything like this happened, I wanted to be ready simply to add a switch or a LED and be up and running.
My main gripe with debugging Arduino was related to the feature that makes Arduino development so effortless in the first place — the stacking of shields on top of one another. The pain in this scenario was twofold.
When I wanted to test something on my last stacked shield, I still had no way of attaching my oscilloscope’s ground probe and the probe itself. I wanted a convenient way to do so on my test shield. however, I also wanted to ensure that my test shield would not block access to the board underneath it. This led my designing a large hole in the center of my test shield, as shown in the image below.
You know the drill… You’ve got three stacked shields. Something is wrong on shield No. 2, but you need shield No. 3 in place in order to debug it. So you unstack, swap, and restack your shields for the quinbillionth time (don’t bend that pin now), tack on your probe, etc., etc. I wanted things to be easier. I wanted my test shield to be able to be sandwiched in between the two shields of interest. Then, with a simple jumper setting, I wanted to be able to break the connection between the board above and the one below. This would allow me to determine whether I had a hardware or firmware problem. This led to yet another eureka moment: What if I could provide the ability, not only to break the signal path, but also to reroute and interface to it? This would mean that, with a simple jumper setting, the user could switch between routing the signal up to the shield above or out to any of the LEDs, switches, piezo buzzer, potentiometer, RS-232, or other elements on the test shield. This truly would me my test shield’s most powerful feature.
As you can imagine, I was very enthused by this idea. After constructing a prototype for myself, I decided to launch a Kickstarter project, so I could share my test shield with other enthusiasts.
My original name for my test shield simply didn’t work; Testy Shield
What does this board do?” Well, it helps developers by providing diagnoses about the problem — kind of like a doctor. Finally, a name I could be proud of — Dr. Duino was born. It’s like a doctor shield for your shields.
Dr. Duino helps you debug your projects with an arsenal of tools that can be deployed at a moment’s notice. It comes complete with test points, RS-232, LEDs, switches, potentiometers, piezo buzzer, and an external reset switch that will not be blocked by any shields above it.
Dr.Duino – Arduino Debugging tool!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1366304364/drduino-its-like-a-shield-for-your-shields
Tomi Engdahl says:
This is not Arduino, but comes q
Low-Level Computing with Entry-Level Difficulty: DUO Light
http://hackaday.com/2014/09/20/low-level-computing-with-entry-level-difficulty-duo-light/
The hardware can’t get much simpler. The DUO Light uses an ATmega328 (commonly found on Arduino boards) along with an external SRAM chip to provide a low-level computer programming experience that will suit those new to programming and some more experienced tinkerers.
The SD card slot accepts a FAT16 card with byte code for the programs. The available Psuedo C compiler, and assembler let you pick your poison, or you can simply dig into the byte code directly. We didn’t see a schematic, but the firmware and BOM are both available.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MediaTek takes aim at Arduino with IoT wearables project
SoC, SDK, breadboards
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/09/23/mediatek_takes_aim_at_arduino_with_iot_wearables_project/
MediaTek is dipping its toe in the murky waters of the Internet of Things, announcing a lab initiative with software and hardware development kits targeting the wearables market.
The MediaTek Labs program is based on the Linkit Developer Platform, which puts the Aster MT2502 system-on-chip together with an operating system (LinkIt OS), the LinkIt One developer board, and the SDK.
The SDK, MediaTek says, is designed to help users port existing Arduino code to LinkIt OS, with APIs providing access to the hardware’s GSM, GPRS, Bluetooth and WiFi communications.
LinkIt OS is a realtime kernel overlaid with drivers, middleware and protocol stacks that expose the chipsets features. Developers can create applications as Arduino sketches, and APIs in the OS provide access to third-party hardware.
The MT2502 SoC provides a 260 MHz ARM CPU
What is MediaTek Labs
http://labs.mediatek.com/site/global/about_labs/programs_overview/whatis_mediatek_labs/index.gsp
Create Account
http://labs.mediatek.com/dpRegister/create
Tomi Engdahl says:
Maple
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10664
If you’re familiar with Arduino then you’ll recognize the shape of the board, in fact the Maple is designed to be Arduino compatible and not just at the hardware level! The Maple IDE will make Processing/Arduino programmers feel right at home. By swapping the popular “avr-gcc” compiler with CodeSourcery’s****“arm-none-eabi-gcc,” LeafLabs manages to provide a nearly identical programming experience to Arduino despite targeting a completely different architecture. Also, while some Arduino shields are incompatible due to certain capabilities being allocated to different pins, several of them are currently supported and there are more to come.
Elecfreaks EFMaple Leaf Maple Rev5 Board for Arduino
http://www.dx.com/p/elecfreaks-efmaple-leaf-maple-rev5-board-for-arduino-347588?r=85273703
EFmaple is a microcontroller board based on Leaf Maple. The EFmaple can achieve the maximum 72 MHz, it has 39 digital input/output pins, 16 analog inputs, native full speed USB, 3 USARTs (hardware serial ports), integrated SPI/I2C support, with power jack, and reset button.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Elecfreaks E00475 DNFC Tag Board for Arduino
http://www.dx.com/p/elecfreaks-e00475-dnfc-tag-board-for-arduino-347809?r=85273703
Its size and shape DNFC TAG Module as its master IC is ATMEGA32U4, we put it in the I / O ports are reserved for external out, so that it can be used as an addition to a DNFC TAG Module driver board, but also can be used as an Arduino Leonardo motherboard to use.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Linduino is a USB-isolated Arduino
http://edn.com/electronics-blogs/the-workbench/4433294/Linduino-is-a-USB-isolated-Arduino
pals over at Linear Technology have developed the Linduino board to drive their ADCs (analog to digital converters) and DACs (digital to analog converters) as well as temp sensors and other devices.
So the first and most essential difference is that in addition to the normal shield headers on an Arduino, there is a header that Linear Tech has used for years to drive their demo boards.
But wait, there is more. So much more. Linear Tech also used one of their USB isolators on the Linduino board. This means that the board and what you plug into it are galvanically isolated from the computer you have the USB plugged into. This means you can measure things off a car or an audio system without worrying about ground loops polluting the measurement. It’s as handy as a hand-held DVM (digital voltmeter).
Since Linear Tech is also a power supply chip company, they beefed up the power supply on the board, using a switching regulator to replace the linear regulator on the Arduino. This means you can get 750mA out of the power system.
Since a USB can’t supply this much power, that means you have to feed the board with an external wall wart. Now you have the power to drive actuators or other heavy loads.
Just like Atmel’s demo boards, Linear Tech is selling the Linduino pretty much at cost. This can give you a great foundation to build an isolated data acquisition and control system for cheap.
More information:
http://www.linear.com/solutions/linduino
http://cds.linear.com/docs/en/demo-board-manual/DC2026AFB.PDF
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Duinos and VR Environments
http://hackaday.com/2014/09/27/duinos-and-vr-environments/
At the Atmel booth at Maker Faire, they were showing off a few very cool bits and baubles. We’ve got a post on the WiFi shield in the works
[Quin]‘s Qduino Mini is your basic Arduino compatible board with a LiPo charging circuit. There’s also a ‘fuel gauge’ of sorts for the battery. The project will be hitting Kickstarter sometime next month
Tomi Engdahl says:
Atmel and Arduino Announce Wi-Fi Shield 101 at World Maker Faire
http://hackaday.com/2014/09/30/atmel-and-arduino-announce-wi-fi-shield-101-at-world-maker-faire/
Atmel and Arduino teamed up at World Maker Faire to introduce the Wi-Fi shield 101. [Gary] from Atmel gave us the lowdown on this new shield and its components. The shield is a rather spartan affair, carrying only devices of note: an Atmel WINC1500 WiFi module, and an ATECC108 crypto chip.
The Wi-Fi shield 101 and associated libraries should be out in January 2015. We can’t wait to see all the new projects (and new ways to blink an LED) the shield will enable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Low-cost Arduino Wi-Fi shield provides security & intelligence needed for IoT apps
http://edn.com/electronics-products/electronic-product-reviews/other/4435361/Low-cost-Arduino-Wi-Fi-shield-provides-security—intelligence-needed-for-IoT-apps?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20141001&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20141001&elq=c769946e6bc245ff8dd321b948fe4693&elqCampaignId=19406
Arduino and Atmel have collaborated to create a secure version of Arduino’s Wi-Fi Shield 101 and it looks like a great tool for both hackers and commercial developers interested in rapid prototyping of smart lighting, or any other Arduino-based Internet of Things (IoT) application.
Arduino’s secure Wi-Fi shield adds secure Internet connectivity to nearly any modern R3-style Arduino board, including the Arduino Uno or Zero boards
In the end, we all agreed that the sub-$40 board was a must-have for most “serious” Arduino developers because it delivered many of the capabilities of a “professional” development platform for a tiny fraction of the cost.
Arduino’s secure Wi-Fi Shield 101 is based on the Wi-Fi 101 802.11.a/g/b/n shield introduced earlier in the month. Like the ’101, SecureShield is based on Atmel’s recently-introduced WINC1500 SmartConnect Wi-Fi SoC and an on-board firmware library which includes a complete 802.11 protocol stack from the Arduino board’s main processor. The processor can also implement a complete Wi-Fi access point by running a SoftAP stack, also available in the firmware.
The new SecureShield also includes one of Atmel’s Crypto-Authentication devices that is used by the on-board TLS security stack for storing keys, passwords or secret data, enabling users to easily incorporate hardware authentication capability in their design.
The new shield can add secure Wi-Fi connectivity to any modern R3-style Arduino board (like the Uno) but it’s been especially tailored to take advantage of the Arduino Zero, a board based on the Uno form factor which incorporates Atmel’s powerful SAMD-21, based on a 32-bit ARM M0 MCU which has been enhanced with all the cool bells and whistles that Atmel is famous for.
For more information on Arduino’s secure Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 visit http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoWiFiShield
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino Zero, a board based on the Uno form factor which incorporates Atmel’s powerful SAMD-21, based on a 32-bit ARM M0 MCU which has been enhanced with all the cool bells and whistles that Atmel is famous for. The Zero’s feature set includes Atmel’s Embedded Debugger (EDBG), which provides a full debug interface without the need for additional hardware. Being able to run traces and set break points should make it TONS easier to perform even complex software debug tasks with nothing more than the basic Arduino development environment. EDBG also supports a virtual COM port that can be used for device programming and traditional Arduino boot loader functionality, as extend its trace/break capabilities to other Arduino systems.
Both the Zero board and the Secure Wi-Fi shield are totally compatible with the Arduino development environment and its associated tools.
Source: http://edn.com/electronics-products/electronic-product-reviews/other/4435361/Low-cost-Arduino-Wi-Fi-shield-provides-security—intelligence-needed-for-IoT-apps?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20141001&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20141001&elq=c769946e6bc245ff8dd321b948fe4693&elqCampaignId=19406
Arduino Zero
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardZero
The Arduino Zero is a simple and powerful 32-bit extension of the platform established by Arduino UNO. The Zero board aims to provide creative individuals with the potential to realize truly innovative ideas for smart IoT devices, wearable technology, high-tech automation, crazy robotics, and projects not yet imagined. The board is powered by Atmel’s SAMD21 MCU, which features a 32-bit ARM Cortex® M0+ core.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Develop Designs Faster with the Unique Pmod™ Adapter for Arduino® Platforms
http://www.maximintegrated.com/en/company/newsroom/pr_products/show.mvp/npk/1729
Maxim Integrated’s subsystem reference design allows designers to interface Pmod peripherals with an Arduino-compatible microcontroller board.
The Pmod form factor has long allowed integration of professional-grade peripherals into engineering prototypes, especially on FPGA-based platforms. The MAXREFDES72# bridges the gap between the Pmod and Arduino-compatible form factors, thus opening a new audience of developers using Arduino-compatible microcontroller boards.
Develop Designs Faster with the Unique Pmod™ Adapter for Arduino® Platforms
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/develop-designs-faster-unique-pmod-130000885.html
Maxim Integrated’s subsystem reference design allows designers to interface Pmod peripherals with an Arduino-compatible microcontroller board.
Availability and Pricing
The board is available for $25 at Maxim’s website and select franchised distributors. Evaluation software is provided free with the board.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digilent Announces New Pmod Enabling Arduino/Digilent Interface
http://www.trenz-electronic.de/news/news/article/digilent-announces-new-pmod-enabling-arduinodigilent-interface.html
Digilent has announced expanded capabilities for the chipKIT development platform for the Arduino community. The company has released another shield, the chipKIT Pmod Shield-Uno. This shield provides circuitry and connectors to enable Digilent peripheral modules (Pmods) to be used with the chipKIT Uno32.
“The Pmod Shield-Uno bridges the connection between chipKIT and Digilent Pmods. Professionals, hobbyists, and academics can now build both simple and advanced chipKIT-based projects with over 50 different Digilent Pmods,” said Clint Cole, president of Digilent.
Digilent Pmods include sensors, WiFi and Bluetooth interfaces, rotary encoders, LED displays, keypads, joy sticks, data acquisition & conversion, connectors, external memory, and much more.
The Pmod Shield-Uno has five 2×6 Pmod connectors.
The chipKIT Pmod Shield-Uno costs only $26.95
chipKIT Pmod Shield-Uno™
https://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?NavPath=2,892,993&Prod=CHIPKIT-PMOD-SHIELD-UNO
Sensors / Interfaces / Peripheral Modules (Pmods™)
http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Catalog.cfm?NavPath=2,401&Cat=9&CFID=1173064&CFTOKEN=30170264
Tomi Engdahl says:
Brushless Motor Controller Shield for Arduino
http://hackaday.com/2014/10/08/brushless-motor-controller-shield-for-arduino/
Brushless motors are ubiquitous in RC applications and robotics, but are usually driven with low-cost motor controllers that have to be controlled with RC-style PWM signals and don’t allow for much customization. While there are a couple of open-source brushless drivers already available, [neuromancer2701] created his own brushless motor controller on an Arduino shield.
[neuromancer2701]‘s shield is a sensorless design, which means it uses the back-EMF of the motor for feedback rather than hall effect sensors mounted on the motor. It may seem strange to leave those sensors unused but this allows for less expensive sensorless motors to work with the system.
The motor controller is commanded over the Arduino’s serial interface, and will support a serial interface to ROS (Robot Operating System) in the future.
OpenBLDC
BLDC shield for arduino and stand alone controller
http://hackaday.io/project/1490-openbldc
Tomi Engdahl says:
TinyScreen Lets You Put A Tiny Screen On It
http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/07/tinyscreen-lets-you-put-a-tiny-screen-on-it/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity
Need to put a tiny screen on your tiny thing? Is it your life’s mission to play Flappy Bird on the smallest device possible? Do you have excellent vision? Then put a TinyScreen on it!
This surprisingly clever little screen is about as big as a postage stamp and it works with the Tinyduino programmable board. The screen is small enough to fit into a watch casing and you can even use it to play games and get tiny notifications.
The screen costs $25 for just the display and $55 for the display, controller boards, and battery.
More information: https://tiny-circuits.com/
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Low-cost Arduino Wi-Fi shield provides security & intelligence needed for IoT apps
http://edn.com/electronics-products/electronic-product-reviews/other/4435361/Low-cost-Arduino-Wi-Fi-shield-provides-security—intelligence-needed-for-IoT-apps?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20141009&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20141009&elq=8a300a26fe9f4eaea1466239b9fd9cff&elqCampaignId=19594
Arduino and Atmel have collaborated to create a secure version of Arduino’s Wi-Fi Shield 101 and it looks like a great tool for both hackers and commercial developers interested in rapid prototyping of smart lighting, or any other Arduino-based Internet of Things (IoT) application.
Arduino’s secure Wi-Fi Shield 101 is based on the Wi-Fi 101 802.11.a/g/b/n shield introduced earlier in the month. Like the ’101, SecureShield is based on Atmel’s recently-introduced WINC1500 SmartConnect Wi-Fi SoC and an on-board firmware library which includes a complete 802.11 protocol stack from the Arduino board’s main processor. The processor can also implement a complete Wi-Fi access point by running a SoftAP stack, also available in the firmware.
The new SecureShield also includes one of Atmel’s Crypto-Authentication devices that is used by the on-board TLS security stack for storing keys, passwords or secret data, enabling users to easily incorporate hardware authentication capability in their design.
For more information on Arduino’s secure Arduino Wi-Fi Shield 101 visit http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoWiFiShield
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Is This, A Microcontroller Board For Ants?
http://hackaday.com/2014/10/21/what-is-this-a-microcontroller-board-for-ants/
It’s an Atmel ATtiny85, with USB port, resistors, diodes, reset button, LED, and pin headers, that is just 72 mils larger than the PDIP package of the ‘tiny85. Outside of getting a bare die of ‘tiny85s, there isn’t much of a chance of this board becoming any smaller.
With a bit of work in KiCAD, the new board layout was created that is just a hair larger than the 0.4″ x 0.4″ footprint of the PDIP ATtiny85.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Smallest ATtiny85 Based USB Board
http://hackaday.com/2014/05/07/the-smallest-attiny85-based-usb-board/
“Possibly the smallest ATtiny85 based ‘duino derivative”. Indeed! When Olimex announced the Olimexino 85s as the smallest Arduino ever, [Tim] took that as a challenge. His very small Arduino based USB devboard is quite a bit smaller than the Olimexino!
Tomi Engdahl says:
RFduino
http://www.rfduino.com/
RFduino: A finger-tip sized, Arduino compatible, wireless enabled microcontroller, low cost enough to leave in all of your projects!
Shrunk down an Arduino to the size of a finger-tip! RFduino: A finger-tip sized, Arduino compatible, wireless enabled microcontroller, low cost enough to leave in all of your projects! The RFduino runs Arduino code and can do everything an Arduino can, plus much more. Using the RFduino USB shield, simply plug the RFduino into a USB port of any computer and use the Arduino IDE to load your Arduino sketch, which automatically begins running on the RFduino. Then you can detach the RFduino USB shield and plug the RFduino directly into your project. (The RFduino requires USB Shield part number RFD22121 for programming.)
Part Number RFD22102
Category Bluetooth LE RF Module
Type Transceiver / Controller
Band 2.4 GHz
CPU 16MHz ARM Cortex-M0
Flash 128kb
Ram 8kb
Tomi Engdahl says:
Now Let’s See The World’s Largest Arduino
http://hackaday.com/2014/10/22/now-lets-see-the-worlds-largest-arduino/
A few days ago we saw what would have been a killer Kickstarter a few years ago. It was the smallest conceivable ATtiny85 microcontroller board, with resistors, diodes, a USB connector, and eight pins for plugging into a breadboard. It’s a shame this design wasn’t around for the great Arduino Minification of Kickstarter in late 2011; it would have easily netted a few hundred thousand dollars, a TED talk, and a TechCrunch biopic.
[AtomSoftTech] has thrown his gauntlet down and created an even smaller ‘tiny85 board.
[AtomSoft] has the project up on OSH Park ($1.55 for three. How cool is that?), and we assume he’ll be selling the official World’s Smallest Arduino-compatible board at Tindie in time.
AtomNanite85
https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/GQzzQKLY
2 layer board of 0.40×0.78 inches (10.16×19.84 mm).
Shared on October 21st, 2014 21:05.
Smallest Arduino EVER!!!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino GRANDE
How to build a nearly 6x larger than real life, functioning Arduino.
http://makezine.com/projects/arduino-grande/
This is the Arduino GRANDE. It acts like an oversized, fully functional Arduino, but it is actually a shield of sorts.
Wiring an actual Arduino board to the GRAND allows you to demonstrate Arduino programing and use on a much larger scale.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tiny Display Rides Maker Wave
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1324345&
Makers are no strangers to modular hardware, and startup Tiny Circuits hopes to bridge the gap between hobbyists and OEMs with a variety of Ardunio-based click-and-play pieces.
“You can get to market much quicker if you use off-the-shelf tools where complex technology is getting boiled down to much a simpler, modular [level],” Tiny Circuits founder and president Ken Burns told EE Times. “We’re making electronic product design easier for low volume applications where someone might use a P/C 104-type stack.”
The Akron, Ohio-based company first released TinyDuino, a quarter-sized Arduino-compatible platform with stackable shields, to strong Kickstarter support. Its latest crowdfunding venture is TinyScreen, a 24.4 mm TinyDuino-based OLED 16-bit color screen capable of displaying information and 23 frames-per-second video from a micro SD card. Essentially expansion boards for the TinyDuino
TinyScreen is “more for the hobbyist to kind of get their brain churning as to what sort of things they can do,” Burns said. “It’s more for the different applications Apple or Samsung don’t address… Compared with other DIY things out there this is definitely a step up.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Daughter cards support FTDI’s Arduino-compatible HMI
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4436604/Daughter-cards-support-FTDI-s-Arduino-compatible-HMI?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20141030&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20141030&elq=5144565517df4990958797c521317fe1&elqCampaignId=19917
Following on the release of its VM800P development platforms, which facilitate more advanced human machine interface (HMI) implementation, FTDI Chip has introduced a series of accompanying daughter cards (or shields).
The Arduino-compatible VM800P ‘PLUS boards’ are based on the company’s FT800 Embedded Video Engine (EVE) technology graphic controller devices, in which display, audio and touch functionality are all integrated onto a single chip.
The boards also incorporate an 8-bit ATMEGA MCU and a TFT display (with 3.5”, 4.3” and 5.0” inch sizes available). The 6 new daughter cards will allow the expansion of the boards’ I/O capabilities in order that they can be implemented into a wider range of application scenarios. They use 1 or 2 Micro-MaTch miniature connectors to interface with a VM800P.
The VI800A-ETH allows an external Ethernet interface to be connected and the VI800A_PoE enables Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) functionality to be benefited from.
The VI800A_TTLU, VI800A-ETH, VI800A_PoE, VI800A N485U and VI800A_232U each have a form factor of 63.50×37.50mm, while the VI800A_RELAY measure 68.90×48.75mm.
Visit FTDI at http://www.ftdichip.com/EVE.htm
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino USB Host Shield
http://store.arduino.cc/product/A000004
The Arduino USB Host Shield allows you to connect an USB device to your Arduino board. The Arduino USB Host Shield is based on the MAX3421E (datasheet), which is an USB peripheral/host controller contains the digital logic and analog circuitry necessary to implement a full-speed USB peripheral or a full-/low-speed host compliant to USB specification rev 2.0.The shield is TinkerKit compatible, which means you can quickly create projects by plugging TinkerKit modules to the board. The following device classes are supported by the shield: HID devices, such as keyboards, mice, joysticks, etc.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ATtami
http://telavivmakers.org/index.php/ATtami
a 5nis (1euro) open hardware microcontroller dev board
based on the
MCU [ATtiny85-20SU] – ~0.68$
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino Uno shield-compatible kit for Bluetooth Smart, ANT, 2.4 GHz designs
http://www.edn-europe.com/en/arduino-uno-shield-compatible-kit-for-bluetooth-smart-ant-2.4-ghz-designs.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=10005104&vID=1324#.VFs9wclsUik
Nordic Semiconductors’ low-cost nRF51 DK development kit comes in Arduino Uno shield-compatible single-board form factor – supporting a broad range of third-party Arduino shield expansion boards – and provides flexibility for product development with all key ULP wireless technologies.
The nRF51 DK is based on Nordic’s nRF51 Series System-on-Chip (SoC), a highly-integrated transceiver that combines a 2.4 GHz multiprotocol radio, 32-bit ARM Cortex M0 processor, 128 kB or 256 kB flash memory, and 16 kB or 32 kB RAM.
The nRF51 DK is compatible with the Arduino Uno connector standard enabling use with a broad range of third-party Arduino shield expansion boards. The nRF51 DK allows access to all device peripherals, interfaces, and I/Os. The kit has four user-programmable buttons and LEDS plus voltage and current pins to measure device power consumption.
nRF51 DK and nRF51 Dongle are supported by standard tool-chain options including Keil, IAR, and Gnu Compiler Collection (GCC). nRF51 DK can also be used when developing ARM mbed applications. When using the standard tool-chain, the nRF51 DK and nRF51 Dongle use Segger J-Link OB for program and debug options. The nRF51 DK also supports CMSIS-DAP program and debug when developing using the ARM mbed tool-chain.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Create a Buzz with the Mini Electric Ukulele
http://hackaday.com/2014/11/05/create-a-buzz-with-the-mini-electric-ukulele/
Everyone’s heard of the “World’s Smallest Violin,” but we think it’s time for something more upbeat. [Simone Giertz] of Punch Through Design has created a mini electric ukulele using a LightBlue Bean. The Bean is an Arduino-compatible microcontroller that you can wirelessly program using Bluetooth low energy (BLE).
The LightBlue Bean
https://punchthrough.com/bean/
We’ve bundled a microcontroller with our very own Low Energy Bluetooth module to give you a tiny little board that you can program wirelessly from your smartphone or desktop. It runs on a coin cell battery for extended periods of time while in sleep mode —ideal for use as a long-term sensor or data logger.
With an RGB LED, and a 3-axis accelerometer, there are thousands of applications that will not requiring any modifications.
The LightBlue Bean is programmed wirelessly using the Arduino IDE. Make, build, and invent from any device with Bluetooth 4.0 at any location. Finished encasing your project? No problem, you can easily connect to the LightBlue Bean wirelessly and tweak a line of code.
$30 each
Tomi Engdahl says:
RFToy Makes Wireless Projects Easier
http://hackaday.com/2014/11/10/rftoy-makes-wireless-projects-easier/
[Ray] has created RFToy, a simple gadget to aid in setting up wireless systems with a variety of common radio modules. RFToy is an open source microcontroller board running on an ATmega328. While RFToy is Arduino code compatible, [Ray] chose to ditch the familiar Arduino shield layout for one that makes it easier to install RF modules, and is more handheld friendly.
[RFToy] includes headers for the popular nRF24L01 2.4 GHz transceiver, as well as 433/315 transmitters and receivers found in many low-cost wireless electronic devices. The 128×64 pixel OLED screen and 3 button interface make it easy to set up simple user interfaces for testing new designs.
Introducing RFToy 1.0
http://rayshobby.net/?p=9938
Tomi Engdahl says:
RFDuino
http://www.rfduino.com/
RFD22301 RFduino Rapid Development and Prototyping kits