Arduino
Arduino
SparkFun – Bluetooth Mate Silver
SparkFun: WRL-10393
Description: The Bluetooth Mate is very similar to our BlueSMiRF modem, but it is designed specifically to be used with our Arduino Pros and LilyPad Arduinos. These modems work as a serial (RX/TX) pipe, and are a great wireless replacement for serial cables. Any serial stream from 2400 to 115200bps can be passed seamlessly from your computer to your target.
Bluetooth Mate has the same pin out as the FTDI Basic, and is meant to plug directly into an Arduino Pro, Pro Mini, or LilyPad Mainboard. Because we’ve arranged the pins to do this, you cannot directly plug the Bluetooth Mate to an FTDI Basic board (you’ll have to swap TX and RX).
The RN-42 is perfect for short range, battery powered applications. The RN-42 uses only 26uA in sleep mode while still being discoverable and connectable. Multiple user configurable power modes allow the user to dial in the lowest power profile for a given application. If you need longer range, check out the Bluetooth Mate Gold.
The Bluetooth Mate has on-board voltage regulators, so it can be powered from any 3.3 to 6VDC power supply. We’ve got level shifting all set up so the RX and TX pins on the remote unit are 3-6VDC tolerant. Do not attach this device directly to a serial port. You will need an RS232 to TTL converter circuit if you need to attach this to a computer.
Unit comes without a connector; if you want to connect it to an Arduino Pro, we’d suggest the 6-pin right-angle female header.
Note: The hardware reset pin of the RN-42 module is broken out on the bottom side of the board. This pin is mislabeled as ‘PIO6’, it is actually PIO4. Should you need to reset the Mate, pull this pin high upon power-up, and then toggle it 3 times.
Features:
- Designed to work directly with Arduino Pro’s and LilyPad main boards
- FCC Approved Class 2 Bluetooth® Radio Modem!
- Low power consumption: 25mA avg
- Hardy frequency hopping scheme – operates in harsh RF environments like WiFi, 802.11g, and Zigbee
- Encrypted connection
- Frequency: 2.4~2.524 GHz
- Operating Voltage: 3.3V-6V
- Serial communications: 2400-115200bps
- Operating Temperature: -40 ~ +70C
- Built-in antenna
Dimensions:
- Board: 1.75×0.65″
Don Luc
SparkFun – Bluetooth SMD Module – RN-42-HID
SparkFun: WRL-10823
Description: This is the same Roving Networks Bluetooth module that you already know and love, but it comes firmware-configured for the HID protocol. HID, or “Human Interface Device”, is the communication protocol used for computer peripherals such as keyboards, mice and joysticks. This makes the RN-42-HID a simple and powerful tool for creating wireless peripheral devices which can be universally recognized and used without the installation of special drivers. The manual included in the documentation below goes into more detail about the Bluetooth HID profile.
The RN-42 is perfect for short range, battery powered applications. The RN-42 uses only 26uA in sleep mode while still being discoverable and connectable. Multiple user configurable power modes allow the user to dial in the lowest power profile for a given application.The RN-42 is even FCC and Bluetooth SIG certified making it a complete embedded Bluetooth solution.
Features:
- Fully qualified Bluetooth module
- FCC Certified
- Over air data rate of 721kbps to 2.0Mbps
- Low power sleep mode
- 3.3V operation
- Status pin
- Bluetooth Technology v2.0 compatible
- Class 2 power output
Don Luc
Pololu – Adjustable Boost Regulator 2.5-9.5V
Pololu: 791
This powerful, adjustable boost regulator can generate an output voltage as high as 9.5 V from an input voltage as low as 1.5 V, all in a compact, 0.42? x 0.88? x 0.23? package. A trimmer potentiometer lets you set the boost regulator’s output voltage to a value between 2.5 and 9.5 V.
Overview
The Pololu adjustable boost regulator is a very flexible switching regulator (also called a switched-mode power supply, SMPS, or DC-to-DC converter) that can generate voltages higher than its input voltage. We offer two adjustable ranges: approximately 2.5 V to 9.5 V and 4 V to 25 V. The output voltage can be set using the trimmer potentiometer in the upper-right corner of the board. The input voltage range is 1.5 V to 16 V (the input voltage should be kept below the output voltage). The integrated 2 A switch allows for output currents high enough to drive small motors, as in our 3pi robot, and allows large voltage gains, such as obtaining 24 V from two NiMH or NiCd cells.
Some example applications include:
- Powering 5 V or 3.3 V systems from lower-voltage batteries
- Powering 5 V subsystems (e.g. sensors) in lower-voltage (e.g. 3.3 V) systems
- Achieving consistent actuator operation when powered by fluctuating batteries
- Powering high-brightness LEDs or a large number of LEDs in series
Note: For high-volume applications, this product can be customized with fixed output voltages ranging from 2 V to 30 V.
Feature Summary
- Input voltage: 1.5 V to 16 V
- Output adjustable from 2.5 V to 9.5 V or 4 V to 25 V
- 750 kHz switching frequency
- 2 A switch (and input) limit
- Integrated over-temperature and over-current shutoff
- Typical efficiency of 80-90% when doubling voltage and with 100-500 mA output
- Small size: 10.7 x 22.4 x 5.8 mm (0.42″ x 0.88″ x 0.23″)
- Weight without header pins: 1.6 g (0.06 oz)
Don Luc
SparkFun – Optical Detector / Phototransistor – QRD1114
SparkFun: SEN-00246
Description: This sensor uses an infrared emitted diode combined with an infrared phototransistor to detect the reflected infrared signal. Ideal for sensing black-to-white transitions or can be used to detect nearby objects (.5-1cm).
Don Luc
SparkFun – Max Power IR LED Kit
SparkFun: KIT-10732
Description: Infrared LEDs are awesome. Along with an IR receiver they can be used for remote control and even basic remote data communication. The only problem is that your Arduino won’t drive them to their full potential. The SparkFun Max Power IR LED kit solves this problem by providing you with everything you need to drive a 950nm IR LED properly. Simply solder together this easy through-hole kit and you can switch the LED using a transistor.
Once the kit is assembled, simply provide it with voltage (5V), ground, and connect the CTL pin to a digital pin on your Arduino, and you can drive this kit just like a normal LED. Although the LED won’t be visible to your naked eye, you can use a video camera, cell phone camera, or digital camera to see if the LED is working properly.
Don Luc
LowPowerLab – Moteino
LowPowerLab: Moteino R2
What is Moteino?
Moteino is a low cost low-power open-source wireless Arduino compatible development platform based on the popular ATMega328 chip used in traditional Arduinos, making it 100% compatible with the Arduino IDE (programming environment). Regular Moteino does not include an onboard USB-Serial converter (like traditional Arduinos), instead you need to use an external FTDI adapter to load sketches, the advantages being lower cost, smaller size. However there is a MoteinoUSB variant that the serial converter onboard. They are compatible with any other Arduino clones that use the popular HopeRF RFM69 transceiver, or the older RFM12B. Moteino also comes with an optional SPI flash memory chip for wireless programming, or data logging.
Soldering antenna and headers
Moteinos come without any soldered headers or antennas. Without the wire antenna the range will be only a few feet, and while this is OK for testing purposes it’s recommended that an antenna be soldered before real application use of the transmitter. The provided wire monopole antenna has to be soldered to the “ANT” pin hole (just above the FLASH chip) to achieve any usable range. Regular Moteinos will come with a 1×6 male header that you have to solder before you can power it and upload sketches through an FTDI Adapter.
Specifications for Moteino R2
- Microcontroller: ATmega328
- Transceiver: RFM69 W/HW/CW, RFM12B
- Transceivers frequencies: 434Mhz, 868Mhz (EU), 915Mhz (US, Australia, etc.)
- Input Voltage: 3.5V-16V (up to 12V recommended)
- Operating Voltage: 3.3V (regulated by MCP1703 on most recent Moteinos)
- Digital I/O Pins: 14+6 (6 PWM capable: marked with “~” symbol)
- Analog Input Pins: 8 (2 analog-only pins more than regular Arduinos)
- DC Current per I/O Pin: 20 mA
- Flash Memory: 32 KB of which 1 KB used by DualOptiboot bootloader
- SRAM: 2 KB
- EEPROM: 1 KB
- Clock Speed: 16 MHz
MISC
- Onboard LED on pin D9 instead of D13 (D9 is PWM!)
- RFM12B or RFM69 SPI-CS on D10
- FLASH SPI-CS on D8
- A6 and A7 are analog pins only, cannot be used as digital pins
Don Luc
Seeed Studio – Music Shield V1.2
Seeed Studio: Music Shield V1.2
Introduction
The Music Shield is a professional audio codec.It can work with Arduino, Seeeduino, Seeeduino Mega and Arduino Mega. It is based on VS1053b IC, and can play a variety of music formats stored on MicroSD cards with Seeed the provided Arduino Library.
Note: Recording is only supported on Seeeduino Mega and Arduino Mega for now.
Features
- Arduino,Seeeduino, Arduino Mega, and Seeeduino Mega compatible
- 2 control-push buttons and 1 knob switch
- Plays music from micro SD cards Decodes: MP3, WAV, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis
I2S interface for external DAC - Headphone/Line Out for playback
- Line In for recording in OGG format
- Excellent sound quality with ±1dB Frequency Response
- FCC verification
Usage – Hardware Installation
Insert the Micro SD card and the earphone; Plug the Music Shield onto the Arduino/Seeeduino; Connect the board to PC using USB cable.
Don Luc
Adafruit – Stereo 3.7W Class D Audio Amplifier – MAX98306
Adafruit: 987
Description
This incredibly small stereo amplifier is surprisingly powerful – able to deliver 2 x 3.7W channels into 3 ohm impedance speakers. Inside the miniature chip is a class D controller, able to run from 2.7V-5.5VDC. Since the amp is a class D, its incredibly efficient (over 90% efficient when driving an speaker at over a Watt) – making it perfect for portable and battery-powered projects. It has built in thermal and over-current protection but we could barely tell it got hot. This board is a welcome upgrade to basic “LM386” amps!
The inputs of the amplifier go through 1.0uF capacitors, so they are fully ‘differential’ – if you don’t have differential outputs, simply tie the R- and L- to ground. The outputs are “Bridge Tied” – that means they connect directly to the outputs, no connection to ground. The output is a 360KHz square wave PWM that is then ‘averaged out’ by the speaker coil – the high frequencies are not heard. All the above means that you can’t connect the output into another amplifier, it should drive the speakers directly.
Comes with a fully assembled and tested breakout board with 1.0uF input capacitors. We also include header to plug it into a breadboard, 3.5mm screw-terminal blocks so you can easily attach/detach your speakers, and a 2×4 header + jumper to change the amplifier gain on the fly. You will be ready to rock in 15 minutes!
- Output Power: 3.7W at 3O, 10% THD, 1.7W at 8O, 10% THD, with 5V Supply
- Passes EMI limit unfiltered with up to 12 inches (30 cm) of speaker cable
- High 83dB PSRR at 217Hz
- Spread-Spectrum Modulation and Active Emissions Limiting
- Five pin-selectable gains: 6dB, 9dB, 12dB, 15dB and 18dB. Select with a jumper or by setting the G and G’ breakout pins
- Excellent click-and-pop suppression
- Thermal and short-circuit/over-current protection
- Low current draw: 2mA quiescent and 10uA in shutdown mode
Technical Details
Dimensions (without 0.1″ header):
- Length: 28.25mm/1.11in
- Width: 24.15mm/0.95in
- Height: 3.03mm/0.12in
- Weight: 2.33g
Don Luc
Adafruit – Breadboard-Friendly RGB Smart NeoPixel
Adafruit: 1312
Description
This is the easiest way possible to add small, bright RGB pixels to your project. We took the same technology from our Flora NeoPixels and made them breadboard friendly, with two rows of 3 x 0.1″ spaced header on each side for easy soldering, chaining and breadboarding. These ultra-bright LEDs have a constant-current driver cooked right into the LED package! The pixels are chainable – so you only need 1 pin/wire to control as many LEDs as you like.
These pixels have full 24-bit color ability with PWM taken care of by the controller chip. Since the LED is so bright, you need less current/power to get the effects you want. The driver is constant current so its OK if your battery power changes or fluctuates a little.
Each pixel draws as much as 60mA (all three RGB LEDs on for full brightness white). An Arduino can drive up to 500 pixels at 30 FPS (it will run out of RAM after that). Using ribbon cable you can string these up to 6″ apart (after that, you might get power droops and data corruption)
Each order comes with 4 individually controllable pixels. In the photos above we show the pixels with headers soldered on, but the pixels do not come with any headers.
Technical Details
- Dimensions: 0.4″ x 0.5″ x 0.1″ / 10.2mm x 12.7mm x 2.5mm
- 0.5″ (12.5mm) diameter circle PCB, 0.1″ (2.5mm) total thickness
- 800 KHz speed protocol
- Chainable design
- 5-9VDC power (can run at 3.5V but color will be dimmed), constant current 18.5mA per LED (~55mA max total per pixel)
Don Luc
Pololu – 3.3V Step-Up Voltage Regulator NCP1402
Pololu: #2114
This compact step-up (or boost) regulator generates 3.3 V from voltages as low as 0.8 V and delivers up to 200 mA, making it perfect for powering small 3.3 V electronics projects from one or two NiMH, NiCd, or alkaline cells.
Overview
These tiny boost (step-up) switching regulators are based on the NCP1402 boost regulator IC. Their small dimensions of just 0.33″ × 0.5″ (8.4 mm × 12.7 mm) and a startup voltage of down to 0.8 V make it easy to build 3.3 V and 5 V circuits that are powered by lower battery voltages. The available output current and output voltage ripple depend on the input voltage, but the regulator can provide up to 200 mA if the input voltage is high enough.
With low input voltages, the output voltage ripple is under 40 mV peak-to-peak. When the input voltage is close to the output, the output ripple quickly climbs to 150 mV peak-to-peak. Therefore, adding capacitance from the output to ground is recommended for noise-sensitive applications with input voltages close to the output voltage.
Some example applications include:
- Powering 3.3 V or 5 V systems from lower-voltage batteries.
- Powering higher-voltage subsystems in lower-voltage systems (e.g. powering a 5 V sensor in a 3.3 V system).
- This regulator is available with a fixed 3.3 V or 5 V output.
For higher-power applications, consider using one of our adjustable boost regulators or our U3V12Fx boost regulators. For a regulator that supports similarly low input voltages but higher currents, consider our U1V11x boost regulators, which offer features that the rest of our boost regulators lack, such as a true shutdown and automatic linear down-regulation when the input voltage exceeds the output voltage.
Using the Boost Regulator
The boost regulator has just three connections: the input voltage, ground, and the output voltage. These three connections are labeled on the back side of the PCB and they are arranged with a 0.1″ spacing along the edge of the board for compatibility with standard solderless breadboards and perfboards and connectors that use a 0.1″ grid. You can solder wires directly to the board or solder in either the 3×1 straight male header strip or the 3×1 right-angle male header strip that are included.
Features
- Operating voltage: 0.8 V – VOUT
- 3.3 V or 5.0 V output with 2.5% accuracy
- <3 mA typical no-load quiescent current
- Small size: 8.4 mm × 12.7 mm × 3.8 mm (0.33″ × 0.50″ × 0.15″)
- Weight without header pins: 0.6 g (0.02 oz)
Don Luc