Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on QuickDAQ.mikroBUS Development Board Leverages Visual Programming and MikroE Click Boards (Crowdfunding)

QuickDAQ.mikroBUS Development Board Leverages Visual Programming and MikroE Click Boards (Crowdfunding)

mikroBUS is a socket interface that allows you to connect MikroElektronik (MikroE) Click add-on boards that can be buttons, sensors, a servo controller, a wireless module, and practically anything you may think of since there are over 700 Click boards to choose from. We already covered several SBC with MikroBUS sockets starting with SolidRun HummingBoard Gate board that offered a single socket for 150+ Click boards at the time (2015). Other boards include Azure Sphere MT3620 with two MikroBUS sockets and MikroElektronika’s own Flip & Click board designed to take one Arduino shield and up to four Click boards. Another upcoming option is QuickDAQ.mikroBUS developer by EmbeddeTech in collaboration with MikroElektronika, powered by a Microchip PIC32 MCU, offering three MikroBUS sockets, and designed to work with “Virtuoso Low-Code Environment” that allows people to program the board using NodeRed-like visual programming and generate a Visual Studio project with code from the visual representation. QuickDAQ.mikroBUS hardware specifications: MCU – Microchip PIC32 microcontroller […]

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Posted on by Dejan Petrović - 3 Comments on MikroElektronika Launches Fusion for ARM & EasyPic MCU Development Boards

MikroElektronika Launches Fusion for ARM & EasyPic MCU Development Boards

During Embedded World 2020 (EW2020), some companies withdrew their presence, while some were at the event. MikroElektronika presented several new boards and among them Fusion for ARM v8 and EasyPic v8 development boards. While we already wrote about Fusion fo TIVA, we haven’t covered any EasyPic board yet. Development boards from MikroElektronika allow rapid prototyping in the most efficient and effortless way. Fusion for ARM v8 Fusion for ARM v8 belongs to the Fusion family of development boards. It has integrated the world’s first embedded debugger/programmer over WiFi, while the CODEGRIP WiFi license is available as an add-on feature. The board is designed to be used in almost every environment retaining full debugging and programming access. The CODEGRIP currently supports more than 1600 microcontrollers from different vendors. The Fusion board integrates a new MCU card standard. It is a low profile standard where sockets consist of two connectors (male/female) which prevents the wrong insertion. The MCU card has standardized dimensions […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Fusion for TIVA v8 Development Board Enables Debugging & Programming over WiFi

Fusion for TIVA v8 Development Board Enables Debugging & Programming over WiFi

Fusion for TIVA V8 Development Board

Texas Instruments TIVA Arm Cortex-M4 MCU family was first introduced in 2013, I tested a TIVA Launchpad the following years, and since microcontrollers have usually a long life span they are still in use today, and should still be available for many years. I’m writing about this TI MCU family today because MikroElektronika has just announced Fusion for TIVA V8 development board for TI TIVA, Stellaris and MSP432 microcontrollers with plenty of I/Os including some MikroBus expansion slots, as well as support for debugging and programming over WiFi in addition to the usual USB-UART interface. Fusion for TIVA v8 board specifications: MCU – Socket for MikroElektronika MCU CARD Display Interfaces 2x 20-pin TFT display connector 1x 16-pin LCD connector for 2×16 characters LCD displays in 4-bit mode,  optional PWM backlight driving feature Programming – On-board CODEGRIP programmer/debugger, JTAG connector for connecting an external programmer/debugger Connectivity – Ethernet port, WiFI in CODEGRIP programmer/debugger USB – 1x USB port, 1x USB-UART, Expansion […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Detect Lightning with Those AMS AS3935 “Thunder” Boards

Detect Lightning with Those AMS AS3935 “Thunder” Boards

Launched in 2012, AMS AS3935 Franklin lightning sensor  is – at its name implies – a lightning sensing IC. The chip was designed for low power, portable or fixed wire-line applications, and beside detecting electrical emissions from lightning activity, it can also provide an estimation of the distance to the head of the storm from 40km away down to 1km, while filtering out other signals from motors, microwave ovens, etc… The chip interfaces via SPI or I2C to the host processor / micro-controller, and comes in a small MLPW-16 (4x4mm) package. Price is $3.55 per unit for 1k orders. Applications include wearables, golf carts, pool safety, portable GPS, bike computers, weather stations, uninterruptible power supplies, smart grid systems, environmental monitoring systems, etc… Basically, AS3935 can be used either for weather monitoring, or safety applications. I’ve found two maker boards with the chip: MikroElectronika Thunder Click board compatible with MikroBUS socket (available now), and SwitchDoc Labs Thunder Board recently launched on […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Hexiwear is an Open Source Wearable Development Kit Expandable with Add-on Boards (Crowdfunding)

Hexiwear is an Open Source Wearable Development Kit Expandable with Add-on Boards (Crowdfunding)

MikroElektronika has designed Hexiwear, a wearable development kit that you can wear and hack as a smartwatch thanks to an (optionally) included wristband, or use a an IoT development kit thanks to its docking station taking up to three “Click” boards among a choice of over 180 modules. . Hexiwear hardware specifications: MCU – NXP Kinetis K64x ARM Cortex-M4 MCU @ 120 MHz with 1MB Flash and 256KB SRAM Storage – 8 MB Flash memory Display – 1.1” full color OLED display with capacitive touch Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 LE and 802.15.4 via NXP Kinetis KW4x Cortex-M0+ wireless MCU Sensors -3D accelerometer and magnetometer (NXP FXOS8700CQ), 3-Axis gyroscope (NXP FXAS21002), pressure sensor (NXP MPL3115A2R1), light-to-digital converter, humidity and temperature sensor, heart-rate sensor (HRM) USB – micro USB cable for power and charging Misc – RGB LED, haptic feedback engine, docking connector Battery – 190 mAh 2C Li-Po battery; 600 mA single-cell Li-Ion/Li-Po battery charger (NXP MC34671) Dimensions – N/A The […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments on MIPS Creator Ci40 Development Board Powered by cXT200 SoC Launched for $53 on Kickstarter

MIPS Creator Ci40 Development Board Powered by cXT200 SoC Launched for $53 on Kickstarter

Last year, Imagination Technologies launched their first community development board with MIPS Creator CI20 powered by Ingenic JZ4780 dual core MIPS processor running both Android and Linux, and now supported by various projects. The company has been teasing about its MIPS Creatort Ci40 for a few weeks, and was already announced as the MIPS platform of choice for Google Brillo operating system, but the board has now officially been launched via a Kickstarter campaign where you can get the board for $53, as well as some add-on boards. But instead of using a processor from one of their partner, Imagination just designed their own MIPS interAptiv SoC for the board. Creator Ci40 board specifications: SoC – Imagination Technologies Creator cXT200 with 2x MIPS interAptiv core @ 550MHz, 512KB L2 cache, and an Ensigma C4500 RPU (for 802.11ac/ BT 4.1 LE) System Memory – 256 MB DDR3 Storage – 512 MB NAND flash, micro SD card slot Connectivity – Ethernet, 802.11ac […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Flip & Click Board with Atmel SAM3X8E MCU Features 4 mikroBUS Sockets & Arduino Headers

Flip & Click Board with Atmel SAM3X8E MCU Features 4 mikroBUS Sockets & Arduino Headers

HummingBoard Gate introduced last month was the first board I saw with a mikroBUS socket that can be used with over 150 “Click boards” by MikroElektronika adding functionalities such as sensors, OLED displays, relays, servos, and so on. But if you project don’t quite need the power of a full featured Linux board, or you simply prefer working with the Arduino IDE, MikroElektronika has just launched Flip & Click board powered by an Atmel SAM3X8E Cortex-M3 micro-controller and featuring four mikroBUS sockets on the back of the board, as well as Arduino compatible headers on the top. Flip & Click board specifications: MCU – Atmel AT91SAM3X8E Cortex M3 micro-controller @ 84MHz with 512 KB flash, 100 KB SRAM (64+32+4), also used in Arduino Due. Expansions Headers Arduino UNO compatible headers on the top 4x mikroBUS socket on the bottom USB – micro USB port for programming and power Misc – Reset button, LEDs Power Supply – 5V via micro USB […]

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