Arduino News - Page 107 of 118 - CNX Software

December 8, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Arduino UNO R3 Clones Now Cost Less than $5

An original Arduino UNO R3 costs about nearly $25, and I remember clones would cost about $10 on Aliexpress, but today I’ve been informed about VISduino, an Arduino UNO R3 clone, with some cost optimizations such as cheaper components and connectors, which sells for just 15.50 CNY (~$2.50 US) on Taobao, and $4.90 on Electrodragon. But double checking on Aliexpress, I could find another popular Arduino UNO R3 clone for $4.58 including shipping, but no USB cable. Both boards cut costs by replacing ATmega16U2 by CH340 USB to serial chip, and replacing the ATMEGA328P-PU MCU (DIP) by an SMT version of the Atmel MCU such as ATMEGA328P-AU (QFP). Other changes on VISduino include: Replaced USB B-type connector by a micro USB port Added extra through holes side-by-side with the Arduino headers for easier debugging. Extra 2×4 pin holes with TX, RX, VCC, GND, and I2C pins You may have to install […]

November 20, 2014November 20, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Semtech LoRa SX1272 RF Module Enables Up to 30 KM Wireless Range for Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Waspmote, and More

Libelium’s Waspmote is a board based on Atmel ATmega1281 MCU that interfaces with over 80 sensors, and various wireless communication modules, and targets professional wireless sensor network applications such as irrigation systems, smart metering, smart cities, smartphone detection, building automation, and so on. They have some professional kits for over 3,000 Euros including training, but a more affordable Starter Kit is also available for 199 Euros on Cooking Hacks. But I’m not going to cover Waspmote in details today. I just mention it because of an article on embedded.com mentioning compatibility with a Libelium / Semtech LoRa SX1272 RF module delivering up to 30km range in ideal conditions (and usually 22+ km range in LOS), and about 2km range in urban settings. I previously featured XBee-PRO 900HP RF Module with a 45km range, so the Semtech module is just another option, and it works not only with Waspmote, but also the […]

November 17, 2014November 17, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Add Wi-Fi to Arduino Boards for $3 with ESP8266 Wi-Fi Serial Module

There has been some buzz around ESP8266 Wi-Fi module, mostly because of its low price, and SDK availability, meaning it could become the Wi-Fi equivalent of ENC28J60 Ethernet module, and that for $5 you could potentially add Wi-Fi to your Arduino board for example. Since then, the price has come down even further, and if you are prepared to buy 5 pieces, you can now get the module for less than $3 / piece shipped, alternatively a single module costs $4, and a complete Wi-Fi + Arduino Uno (clone) kit goes for $15. A community has also been built around the chip, and a several project have been made with Arduino boards and ESP8266 module. The best way to find information is to go to ESP8266 community forum, as well as read the Wiki on github. There’s currently a GCC toolchain for Espressif Systems ESP8266, open source tools for working […]

November 6, 2014November 6, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Robotics News – Hack-E-Bot and RiQ Educational Robots, and Maker Club 3D Printed Robots (Pre-Orders / Crowfunding)

I’ve come across several robotic projects this week, so instead of picking one up, or writing a post for each, I’ll summarize the three products into one post. Two of the projects are educational robots based on Arduino, with the sub $50 Hack-E-Bot, or the more advanced RiQ robot, and Maker Club is a company providing the electronics for robotics kit, and you print the plastic parts with your 3D printer. Hack-E-Bot Robot Hack-E-Bot is an affordable open source robot that hopes to encourage children to learn about engineering, electronics, and programming. The robot is powered by Adafruit’s Trinklet Arduino compatible board, connected to a breadboard, and some add-on boards sensors. The basic version comes with a Sonar sensor, but more add-on boards are on the way including bump sensors, a buzzer, colored lights, a claw, a servo scanner, and so on. The project is listed on CrowdSupply, and has […]

November 6, 2014November 7, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Connect Objects Wirelessly, and Create User Interfaces Easily With Xped DeB for Arduino (Crowdfunding)

Xped, an australian startup, has designed an ecosystem comprised of an Arduino shield with NFC and 802.15.4 connectivity, a Raspberry Pi Model B+ based gateway, and DeB browser that generates a user interface in Android, iOS, or Linux based on an XML file stored in an Arduino board. This allows to connect various objects wirelessly, with reduced power consumption thanks to 802.15.4, and to create user interfaces easily with a text file located in your Arduino board. ADRC stands for Auto-Discovery Remote Control, and that’s what Xped ADRC Shield allows thanks to the following hardware specifications: MCU – RM Cortex M3 32-bit microcontroller with 256 KB of FLASH memory. NFC – NDEF Type-2 Tag with bi-directional communications capability. NFP proximity communications technology which is similar to NFC but was developed by Xped to use less than 1,000th of the power and provide faster speeds than NFC. It is mainly used […]

November 4, 2014May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Rubix A10 is an Arduino Shield Running Linux Powered by Allwinner A10 Processor

There are plenty of ARM Linux boards featuring Arduino compatible headers such as UDOO, PcDuino, ATSAMA5D3 Xplained, etc…, and Rubix A10 looks like one of these boards, as it comes with an Allwinner A10 processor, boast Arduino compatible header, and runs Linux or Android, but instead of simply accepting Arduino shields, Rubix A10 can be used as a shield itself for Arduino (UNO?)boards. Rubix A10 specifications: SoC – Allwinner A10 ARM Cortex A8 processor @ 1.0 Ghz with Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4 to 8 GB MLC 64-bit ECC NAND Flash, micro SD slot up to 128 GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p60 Audio I/O – HDMI, 3.5 mm jack for MIC + headphone. Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi up to 150Mbps, USB – 2x USB 2.0 host interfaces, 1x mini USB OTG 2.0 port Expansions Headers Arduino compatible headers 26-pin Raspberry Pi […]

October 29, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Zero+ IoT Wi-Fi Board is Programmable with Lisp (Crowdfunding)

There have been so many low cost Wi-Fi modules and boards with GPIO headers announced this year, especially on crowdfunding sites, and from the hardware point of view, Zero+ (Zero Plus) board looks very much like many other Ralink RT5350 boards such as Vocore or AsiaRF AWM002, but what makes it different is that it can be programmed with Lisp from a web-based IDE. But let’s go through Zero+ board specifications first: SoC – Ralink/Mediatek RT5350 MIPS processor @ 360MHz with dual band 802.11n Wi-Fi with data Rate up to 150Mbps System Memory – 32 MB RAM Storage – 8MB to 16 MB SPI Flash (for firmware) Expansions Headers – 2x headers with access to I2C, SPI, USB, 2x UART, JTAG, and 14x GPIOs USB – 1x USB host port, 1x micro USB for power Misc – 2x buttons Dimensions – 36 x 25mm (possibly module dimensions only, not full board). I’m […]

October 7, 2014October 7, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

$25 TinyScreen is an OLED Display for TinyDuino Arduino Compatible Board (Crowdfunding)

Back in 2012, Tiny Circuits launched a Kickstarter campaign for TinyDuino, an Arduino compatible board that’s… tiny, based on Atmel Atmega328P, and supports tiny stackable shields in a similar fashion to Microduino (launched in 2013). The campaign was successful, and the company is now back on Kickstarter with TinyScreen, an OLED display that can be stacked on top of TinyDuino to create a smartwatch, a minuscule gamepad, smart glasses, and more. TinyScreen technical specifications: 96×64 OLED display, 16-bit color depth 0.96″ (24.4mm) viewable area Software controllable backlight (OLED brightness) Power down mode Four push buttons along the sides (connected to IO pins) SPI interface for display Power Supply – 3.0V to 5.5V operation (higher voltages supported with TinyShield power regulator) Power Consumption – 20 – 45mA max supply current (depending on brightness) Dimensions – 25.8mm x 25.0mm Programming of TinyDuino can be done through a web interface for Arduino called […]