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Finally, the secrets of software controlled hardware development for tech enthusiasts are catching up speed in the public domain. It has been quite many years since the first programmable development boards for writing embedded software had hit the market. Since then the tech market gods have been producing a few open source platforms for generating and inculcating the technology strains in the mortals. Arduino and Raspberry Pi being two of the commonly used platforms for rapid hardware-software based system prototyping. Given below are some of the popular platforms for IoT (Internet of Things), Automation, Robotics ... call what you will !
This is my opener post for my tinkering with the various prototyping platforms. It just serves as a general compilation of the commonly used development boards in the market. Hence I have chosen not to bore you with loads of details (that you can anyway find in various wikis). So here you go...
The Embedded Revolution
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| Figure 1 - An "Arduino" Board |
The "Arduino" platform was introduced in the year 2005, it was an instant hit among both novices and professionals for creating devices that interacted with the environment using sensors and actuators. Some examples of such devices are simple automated machines/robots, temperature monitors, moisture sensors and motion detectors. This mini powerhouse has totally revolutionized the maker industry and can be used very creatively to build sophisticated automation projects. There are many revisions and versions of the Arduino platform: R3, Mega, Nano and Mini to name a few. The main programming language used is C and comes with an Arduino compatible IDE.
Then there are also the "Netduino" and "Gadgeteer" platforms. They are also open source electronics prototyping platforms. Both these platforms are based on Microsoft .NET Micro Framework where in the language of choice is C#.
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| Figure 2 - A "Netduino" Board |
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| Figure 3 - A "Gadgeteer" Board |
The SoC (System on a Chip) Revolution
The "Raspberry Pi" is a small single board computer system introduced in the year 2012 for teaching basic computer science in schools and developing nations. The Rpi (as it is also known as) is a powerful platform for computing and controlling various peripheral devices attached to it.
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| Figure 4 - A "Raspberry Pi" Board |
It is different from the "Arduino" platform in that it is a complete computer system in itself. You can hook up a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and other devices as well. In this case the Python programming language was originally promoted, however, it has support for various embedded OS and languages.
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| Figure 5 - A "BeagleBone" Board |
Similarly, the "BeagleBone" is yet another open source electronics prototyping platform introduced as a relatively low-cost development platform for hobbyists and professionals to experience the powerful computer on a single chip phenomenon.
As we proceed through this journey of exploring the various devices and platforms, I being a tech fan and instantly attracted to anything that even remotely smells automation, invite you and I hope you will enjoy your stay reading and participating here.
Cheers,
KB
Puja Control is the leading Hardware Development & Integration service Firm. We offer our service in foreign countries as well.
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