Hey everyone.
What are prototyping platforms and what is available to those out there wanting to learn and tinker with digital systems?
When I first started in electronics there was no such thing as a prototyping platform. Sure we had components and kits that could be had from places like A1 radio and the likes but everything we wanted to do or learn was a long process.
Information was still scarce and component info even more scarce. We used to use component books to look up component info etc. There was no internet and books where the only source of information. It was only when I was in high school that the internet really started becoming something that home users had and even then it was far and few between. SA was after all a late adopter.
Not going to dwell into the internet etc but lets just say anyone wanting to play with electronics now has it so much easier than 20 years ago.
In the image above from top left to bottom right:
- PCDuino V2.0 – An Arm Cortex based Arduino compatible mini computer which is similar to the Raspberry Pi but much more capable and powerful.
- LCD Sheild - These shields are used on the Arduino platform for development and testing.
- USBASP – This is used to program the AVR chips which Arduino and a few other platforms are based on.
- Breadboard PSU – This is both a 3.3v and 5.0v breadboard Power supply. It is super handy for getting the right voltages from a single power source.
- Freeduino – This is essentially an Arduino UNO with ATMEGA328P-PU microcontroller. I only prefer purchasing the Freeduino as it is cheaper and more customizable when it comes to assembly.
- Arduino Pro – This is essentially a miniture Arduino board minus the USB port and FTDI chip.
- IRF24L01 – 2.4ghz Radio Boards.
- 10 Pin to 6 Pin adaptor.
- FTDI Board – This essentially is a USB port for hardware projects.
- Arduino Mega 2560 – One of the bigger Arduino Boards. Very capable and awesome for systems development.
- Chipkit UNO32 – Technically this is a PIC based Arduino board. It is very Arduino compatible and runs most of the Arduino code however is far more powerful and capable with many more I/O lines compared to Arduino. The best thing is it costs the same. Please note that Arduino does feature more info and support and a much larger user base at present.
- Couple of LCD panels and breakout boards etc.
Most of my hardware development thus far has been done on the ARM based board as well as the Arduino and Freeduino. I tend to develop on Arduino then build the project standalone using an AVR chip with the needed components around it. This saves cost and makes things more practical. I also tend to use the Arduino environment to create the HEX files which I prefer to burn straight to the ATMEGA chips without the bootloader which makes them faster and more efficient.
At present I am working on a standalone micro PC which can be attached to any TV set essentially turning it into a home automation system, multimedia player, decoder, Internet browser, Email system all based on a standard home television. This system is being designed for ease of use and stability and will be easy to use. I am hoping to have the system on demo within a few more weeks. Am awaiting the Arm Cortex CPU’s etc to arrive from manufacturer.
My recommendation to those wanting to dable with digital systems at a high level is to get your hands on an Arduino UNO R3 and start googleing and playing with the sample code avail to you in the Arduino IDE.
Cheers for now.
Dionne
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