From simple to complex: a selection of boards for developers and electronics lovers

The boards for developers are good in that they can be used to create almost any device - from smart thermostats to home-made smartphones. Radio-controlled toys, complex systems such as "smart home" - all this can be done in a matter of days or even hours, with a board on hand.

At the same time, some boards are very well known, others are either forgotten, or they were simply not particularly promoted. This review identifies some interesting models that many may find useful, and it is worth learning about them. The selection of boards costs as functionality increases, so really, we go from simple to complex.

Espruino Pico: a miniature JavaScript development board

This device was created to quickly teach a person the basics of working with such boards. Moreover, you do not need to write your own drivers and firmware to establish the interaction of additional modules with the board - JavaScript is used instead. According to the developers, such a move helps to work directly with iron. If something needs to be changed or added, a few lines of code are enough to make it work:



You can use the board with almost any device that has a USB port.

Here are examples of several projects based on this miniature board:



One of the most interesting projects is the creation of a measuring laboratory based on the Espruino Pico, with an oscilloscope, a logic analyzer and simpler modules like a voltmeter and ammeter.

The board comes in two versions: with or without legs. The second option costs $ 23.

Specifications:

• 32mm x 15mm (1.26 x 0.6 inch)
• 22 GPIO pins: 9 Analogs inputs, 21 PWM, 2 Serial, 3 SPI, 3 I2C
• All GPIO is 5 volt tolerant (Arduino compatible)
• 2 rows of 8 pins, with 12 pins on double-sided end connector
• On-board USB Type A connector
• STM32F401 CPU - ARM Cortex M4, 384kb flash, 96kb RAM
• On-board 3.3v 150mA voltage regulator, accepts voltages from 3.5v to 16v
• Current draw in sleep: <0.05mA - over 2.5 years on a 2500mAh battery
• On-board FET can be used to drive high-current outputs

SuperDuino: a portable board with its own display

SuperDuino developers, at the same time as the board, offer additional modules - for example, a tiny color display. Usually motherboard manufacturers first release the main module, and then additional ones. Here, everything you need can be purchased in the kit immediately.



By their own example, the developers showed which devices can be created based on SuperDuino. This is a smart watch, and an advanced oscilloscope, and an electronic calendar, a home weather station and much more. By the way, this board is compatible with Arduino.

Specifications:

• USB Programmable (Micro USB Connector)
• 16Mhz / 32Khz System clock
• Two 8-bit Timer / Counters with Separate Prescaler and Compare Mode
• One 16-bit Timer / Counter with Separate Prescaler, Compare Mode, and Capture Mode
• Real Time Counter with Separate Oscillator
• Six PWM Channels8-channel 10-bit ADC USARTMaster / Slave SPI
• Byte-oriented 2-wire Serial Interface (I2C) On-chip Analog Comparator
• Interrupt and Wake-up on Pin Change23 Programmable I / O Lines
• 1.7 "128X160 16bit color TFT LCD
• USB / CR2032 coin cell (Can charge rechargeable cell) / 3-12V Supply operated
• 3 axes Accelrometer (can detect single click, double click, up, down, left, right tilt)
• 2.54mm I / O pin Header
• Speaker option
• Bluetooth add-on
• WIFI Add-on
• MicroSD add-on

A kit with the board itself, a color display and a display frame will cost the buyer about $ 25. Additionally, you can purchase a module for a memory card, a wireless module, all kinds of detectors and sensors.

Verve 2

Verve 2 has been designed as a quick learning tool for those who want to understand the world of electronics. It is believed that electronics is a very complex subject, and learning how to do something on your own is almost impossible. In order to show the unfairness of such a statement, the Verve 2

board was created. The board itself is a central module with feedback and remote access via the Internet. The following sensors can be connected to the board:

• Button sensor - a sensor that captures a button. It takes a measurement when you release the pressed button. Press the button for the sensor to respond;
• Light sensor - light sensor - measures the light level. For example, by shining a flashlight or creating a shadow (covering the sensor with your hands, your body, or in another way), you can get a sensor response;
• Magnet sensor - magnetic sensor - measures magnetic fields. Bring it close to a magnet, such as the one included in the kit, to get a response;
• Motion sensor - motion sensor - measures changes in speed. Shake it, for example, from left to right to get a reaction;
• Sound sensor - sound sensor - measures the ambient sound level. To get a sensor response, you can, for example, snap your fingers, clap your hands, or talk / scream next to him;
• Temperature sensor - temperature sensor - measures the ambient temperature. For the sensor to respond, place it in a cold or warm place;
• Touch sensor - a touch sensor - measures small changes in electrical conductivity, for example, when your body touches both contacts. Attach, for example, contacts to your body (and the body of your friends) to get a sensor response;
• Turn sensor - a rotation sensor. The rotation sensor measures the rotation of the rotary knob. To get a response, turn the knob back and forth.



The developers themselves argue that Verve 2 is three systems in one:

• feedback sensor system;
• a web server that provides access to the device via the Internet;
• a data collection and processing system that allows you to receive data from additional sensors connected to the device and analyze this data.

Now Medgadgets offers a discount on Verve 2 , the code for receiving a discount of 2000 rubles is the Fee .

Raspberry Pi 2 Model B

Actually, the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B is not a mini-board, but a fully functional computer that can be used to work in the office, and, of course, as the basis for the development of any systems. The release of the Raspberry Pi 2 took place quite unexpectedly for everyone - the manufacturers announced a new product when everything was ready to enter the market.

The device configuration includes such elements as a single-chip Broadcom BCM2836 system with four ARMv7 Cortex-A7 cores with a frequency of 900 MHz and Broadcom VideoCore IV 250 MHz, 1 gigabyte of RAM. According to the developers, the system is six times more productive than the first generation of devices. In addition, Microsoft has promised a special version of Windows 10, and, moreover, for free.

By the way, Raspberry Pi 2 flow is now expected, and while Medgadgets offers good discounts on the Raspberry Pi Model A . The code for receiving a discount of 500 rubles is Raspberry .

Specifications:

Merrii Pro A80

This is no longer a "board for beginners", but a complex system developed by Merrii based on the Allwinner UltraOcta A80. Actually, this is a device for professionals that works in the big.LITTLE configuration. So, four Cortex-A15 processor cores are combined with four Cortex-A7 and PowerVR G6230 graphics core. The latter supports the H.265 (Full HD) and H.264 (4K resolution) formats.



The amount of RAM (DDR3) is very significant - 4 GB, internal memory is 8 GB. There are all the necessary communication modules (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi), Ethernet, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, audio jacks, a slot for SIM standard 4G, the power and reboot buttons are also soldered. The developers took care of the JTAG, GPIO, UART and MIPI CSI and IrDA receiver interfaces.

Specifications: