Pyboard MicroPython ARM Cortex M4 Board is Now Available for $45

MicroPython is both a lightweight implementation of Python 3.4 programming language, and a board, aka pyBoard, based on STMicro STM32F4 ARM Cortex M4 micro-controller running Micro Python. The project had a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013, and they’ve completed shipment of the perks to their backers last June. The company has now launched its own store, so let’s see the progress of the project. The board has been re-designed since Kickstarter campaign, but the specifications remains the similar, but with some extra I/Os exposed: MCU – STMicro STM32F405RG micro-controller @ 168 MHz with 1MB flash, 192KB RAM, and an FPU. External Storage – Micro SD card slot, supporting standard and high capacity SD cards Expansion Headers: 24x GPIO on left and right edges and 5x GPIO on bottom row, plus LED and switch GPIO available on bottom row 3x 12-bit analog to digital converters, available on 16 pins, 4 with […]

openPicus Introduces Wi-Fi and GPRS IoT Kits Powered by Microchip PIC24 MCU

openPicus has launched two new development kits for the Internet of Things with either Wi-Fi or GPRS connectivity, based on their FlyportPRO modules featuring a 16-bit Microchip PIC24 MCU, and sharing the same baseboard. These kits can be used as a Web server with firmware update over the air (FOTA) (Wi-Fi version only) among other things, and support TCP, UDP, FTP, & HTTP protocols, as well as MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport), a light weight messaging protocol running on top of the TCP/IP protocol, used when a small code footprint is required and/or network bandwidth is limited. openPicus FlyportPRO Wi-Fi and GPRS modules share mostly the same specifications: MCU – Microchip PIC24FJ256GB206 16-bit MCU @ 32 MHz with 256KB Flash,  96KB RAM External Storage – 16Mbit Flash memory (for FOTA), 64Kbit EEPROM Connectivity GPRS Module – SAGEM HILONC GPRS Transceiver (quad band: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) with uFL connector for external […]

Howchip Introduces ExSOM-4412 Module and Development Kit Powered by Samsung Exynos 4412 Quad Core SoC

Howchip, the company that normally distribute Insignal Origen and Arndale boards, has just introduced ExSOM-4412 system-on-module, and a corresponding development kit called ExSOM-4412-DVK. ExSOM-4412 module specifications: SoC – Samsung Exynos 4412 quad core Cortex A9 CPU with Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – N/A (TBC) Storage – Up to 8GB eMMC + SD/SDIO interface Connectivity – 10/100Mbps Ethernet, optional  Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module Video Output – HDMI(1080p) for TV, 2-ch LVDS for TFT LCD Camera – 2x parallel camera interfaces Audio – Line in/out  and Headphone out. USB – 4x USB 2.0 Host ch and OTG Configurable GPIOs, Analog inputs, PWMs and Serial interfaces such as I2Cs, SPIs,  and UARTs SoM Connector – 213-pin MXM connector Dimensions – 70mm x 70mm The dimensions and connector used points to the module following Qseven standard, but the company does not mention anything about Qseven, so the pin assignment may be different. Software support […]

Getting Started with LinkIt ONE Development Kit for Wearables & IoT

After going through WRTnode Quick Start Guide, it’s now time to play with LinkIt ONE, the IoT development board from Mediatek designed by Seeed Studio. LinkIt ONE is the first Hardware Development Kit (HDK) for Mediatek LinkIt, so there may be a LinkIt TWO, and/or other hardware platforms in the future. LinkIt ONE specifications Let’s quickly go through the specifications first: Processor – Mediatek MT2502A (Aster) ARM7 EJ-STM processor @ 260 MHz System Memory – 4 MB Storage – 16MB Flash for firmware + micro SD slot shared with SIM slot for up to 32GB additional storage Connectivity: Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n (MT5931) with external antenna Bluetooth – BR/EDR/BLE(Dual Mode) GPS – Mediatek MT3332 with external antenna GSM/GPRS – 850/900/1800/1900 MHz band, Class 12 GPS with external antenna Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack (including mic support) – Support for MP3, AAC, and AMR codecs. Serial – Software Serial (Serial), and […]

Infineon XMC 2Go Cortex M0 Development Kit Sells for 5 Euros

Infineon brought another tiny, portable, and cheap ARM Cortex M0 board to market with XMC 2Go development kit featuring XMC1100 ARM Cortex M0 micro-controller with 16KB RAM, 64KB Flash, and tow breadboard friendly headers to access various serial interfaces and ADC pins.   Key features listed on Infineon website: MCU – Infineon XMC1100 ARM Cortex-M0 MCU @ 32 MHz with 64KB flash, 16KB RAM. Debugger – On-board J-Link Lite Debugger using an XMC4200 Microcontroller. Headers – 2×8 pin headers suitable for Breadbord with access to 2x USIC (Universal Serial Interface Channel: UART, SPI, I2C, I2S, LIN), 6x 12-bit ADC, external interrupts (via ERU), 4x 16-bit timers Misc – 2 x user LED, RTC Power – 5V Micro via USB, or 3.3V external power. ESD and reverse current protection Dimensions – 14.0 x 38.5 mm The board is programmed via USB using the same Dave IDE I tried with XMC4500 Relax […]

Broadcom Introduces WICED Sense Bluetooth Low Energy Development Kit

Broadcom has recently announced a new development board for IoT applications using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) called WICED Sense. The kit consists of a “sense tag” powered by the company’s BCM20737S Bluetooth SIP Module with five micro-electromechanical sensors (MEMS), and Bluetooth 4.1 compatible WICED SMART software stack. The key features of WICED Sense devkit are as follows: Broadcom BCM20737 Bluetooth Smart system in package (SiP) module Five low-power MEMS sensors by ST Micro (part of the module): Gyroscope (L3GD20) Accelerometer (LIS3DSH) eCompass (LSM303D) Pressure sensor (LPS25H) Humidity Temperature sensor (HTS221) Bluetooth Smart connection covers distance of roughly 30 meters. USB – 1x micro USB connector to update applications Encryption, decryption, certificate signing, verification and various algorithms for increased privacy Secure Over-the-air (OTA) download capability to enable firmware updates from central device including smartphone, tablet and computers Misc – iBeacon, NFC, Wireless charging (Rezence A4WP) support. Power – Coin-cell battery The […]

AMD Announces Availability of their $3,000 Opteron A1100-Series 64-bit ARM Development Kit

AMD Opteron A1100 Server SoCs, codenamed “Seattle”, come with four to eight ARM Cortex A57 cores, and earlier this year, the company unveiled both the processors and a development kit. You can now apply for “AMD Opteron A1100 Series 64-bit ARM developers kit”, and if you’re selected, you’ll “just” need to pay $2,999 to receive the board and related tools. The kit targets software and hardware developers, as well as early adopters in large datacenters. AMD Opteron A1100 Board hardware specifications: SoC – ARM Opeteron A1000 with 4 ARM Cortex-A57 cores System Memory – 2x Registered DIMM with 16 GB of DDR3 DRAM (upgradeable to 128GB) Storage – 8 Serial-ATA connectors Connectivity – Not mentioned, but there seems to be an RJ45 port on the pic, and another SFP cage, both probably 10 Gbit Ethernet since it’s the speed supported by Opteron A1100. Expansion slots – PCI Express connectors configurable […]

Freescale WaRPBoard Reference Platform for Wearables is Now Available for Pre-order

Back in January, Freescale announced WaRP (Wearable Reference Platform) comprised of the WaRPboard, a tiny board based on Freescale i.MX 6SoloLite running Android, and a daughter board with KL16 Cortex M0+ MCU and several sensors. The company collaborated with Revolution Robotics for the hardware design, and Kynetics for the software, and the platform is now available for pre-order for $149, and a few more details have surfaced since my first article. The hardware specifications of WaRP are as follows: WaRPboard: SoC – Freescale i.MX 6SoloLite Cortex A9 processor @ 1GHz with 2D graphics Vivante GC355 and  GC320 GPUs. System Memory – LPDDR2 (Micron Multi-Chip Package) Storage – 4Gbit eMMC  (Same Micron MCP chip as for RAM) Connectivity – WLAN and Bluetooth 4.0 LE via Murata LBEH17YSHC Display I/F: MIPI DSI for LCD display + touchscreen EPCD for E-Ink Display Sensors – Xtrinsic FXOS8700CQ, 6-Axis Sensor with Integrated Linear Accelerometer and Magnetometer. Daughtercard: […]

EDATEC Raspberry Pi 5 fanless case