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



Boards for developers are good because you can create almost any device based on them - from smart thermostats to self-made smartphones. Radio-controlled toys, complex systems such as "smart home" - all this can be done in a matter of days or even hours, having a fee on hand.

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

Espruino Pico: a miniature developer board with javascript


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This device was created to maximize the speed of human learning the basics of working with such boards. Moreover, it is not necessary to write your own drivers and firmware for establishing 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, just a few lines of code are enough for it to 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 an ammeter.

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

Specifications:



SuperDuino: portable board with its own display





Developers SuperDuino, along with the board, offer and additional modules - for example, a color display of a tiny size. Usually, motherboard manufacturers first produce the main module, and then the additional ones. Here everything you need can be purchased in the kit immediately.



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

Specifications:



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

Verve 2





Fee Verve 2 was developed as a means of rapid learning for those who want to understand the world of electronics. It is believed that electronics is a very complex subject, and learning to do something on your own is almost impossible. In order to show the unfairness of such a statement, a 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 fixes a button press. It takes a measurement when you release the pressed button. Press the button so the sensor responds;
• Light sensor - light sensor - measures the level of illumination. For example, by shining a flashlight or creating a shadow (by covering the sensor with your hands, with your body or in another way), you can get a sensor response;
• Magnet sensor - magnetic sensor - measures magnetic fields. Bring it close to the magnet, for example, to 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 level of the surround sound. To get a sensor response, you can, for example, click your fingers, clap your hands, or talk / shout next to it;
• Temperature sensor - temperature sensor - measures the ambient temperature. To react to the sensor, 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 your friends ’body) to get a sensor response;
• Turn sensor - turn sensor. The rotation sensor measures the rotation of the rotary knob. To get a response, you should rotate the knob back and forth.



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


Now Medgadgets offers a discount on Verve 2 , a code for receiving a discount of 2000 rubles - 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 for office work, and, of course, as a basis for developing any systems. The release of 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 elements such as the Broadcom BCM2836 single-chip system with four ARMv7 Cortex-A7 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, completely free.

By the way, the arrival of the Raspberry Pi 2 is now expected, but for now Medgadgets offers good discounts on the Raspberry Pi Model A. The code for receiving a discount of 500 rubles - Malina .

Specifications:



Merrii Pro A80





This is not a “newbies board” at all, but a complex system developed by Merrii based on Allwinner UltraOcta A80. Actually, this is a device for professionals, which works in a big.LITTLE configuration. So, the four cores of the Cortex-A15 processor are combined with the four Cortex-A7 and the graphics core of the PowerVR G6230. The latter supports H.265 (Full HD) and H.264 (4K resolution) formats.



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

Specifications:

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/376673/

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