The Alpha Geek – Geeking Out

Digital Electronics

Digital Electronics

SparkFun – Arduino Fio

SparkFun DEV-10116 Mk01

SparkFun DEV-10116 Mk02

SparkFun DEV-10116 Mk03

SparkFun: DEV-10116

Description: The Arduino Funnel I/O (Fio) is a board designed by Shigeru Kobayashi, based on the original design from LilyPad.

Funnel is a toolkit to sketch your idea physically, and consists of software libraries and hardware. By using Funnel, the user can interface to sensors and/or actuators with various programming languages such as ActionScript 3, Processing, and Ruby.

Arduino Fio is compatible with Funnel. It has connections for a Lithium Polymer battery and includes a charge circuit over USB. An XBee socket is available on the bottom of the board. The Fio has been designed to be wirelessly reprogrammable. Checkout our tutorial on wireless bootloading!

Note: The miniUSB connector is used for battery charging only. To bootload new firmware, you will need an external serial connection over an FTDI Basic, FTDI cable, or other serial connection. Check the related products below.

Note: The XBee socket and FTDI connection live on the same TX/RX pins of the ATmega328. You will need to remove the XBee module while reprogramming over serial. We recommend using a wireless bootloader whenever possible to avoid this step.

Note: A portion of this sale is given back to Arduino LLC to help fund continued development of new tools and new IDE features.

Features:

  • ATmega328V running at 8MHz
  • Arduino Bootloader
  • XBee socket
  • Lithium Polymer battery compatible
  • MCP73831T LiPo Charger
  • Reset button
  • On/Off Switch
  • Status/Charge/RSSI LEDs

Don Luc

SparkFun – Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout – MMA7361

SparkFun SEN-09652 Mk01

SparkFun SEN-09652 Mk02

SparkFun SEN-09652 Mk03

SparkFun: SEN-09652

Description: This is a breakout board for Freescale’s MMA7361L three-axis analog MEMS accelerometer. The sensor requires a very low amount of power and has a g-select input which switches the accelerometer between ±1.5g and ±6g measurement ranges. Other features include a sleep mode, signal conditioning, a 1-pole low pass filter, temperature compensation, self test, and 0g-detect which detects linear freefall. Zero-g offset and sensitivity are factory set and require no external devices.

This breadboard friendly board breaks out every pin of the MMA7361L to a 9-pin, 0.1″ pitch header. The sensor works on power between 2.2 and 3.6VDC (3.3V optimal), and typically consumes just 400µA of current. All three axes have their own analog output.

Features:

  • Two selectable measuring ranges (±1.5g, ±6g)
  • Breadboard friendly – 0.1″ pitch header
  • Low current consumption: 400 µA
  • Sleep mode: 3 µA
  • Low voltage operation: 2.2 V – 3.6 V
  • High sensitivity (800 mV/g at 1.5g)
  • Fast turn on time (0.5 ms enable response time)
  • Self test for freefall detect diagnosis
  • 0g-Detect for freefall protection
  • Signal conditioning with low pass filter
  • Robust design, high shocks survivability

Dimensions: 0.90 x 0.50″

Don Luc

SparkFun – Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout – BMA180

SparkFun SEN-09723 Mk01

SparkFun SEN-09723 Mk02

SparkFun SEN-09723 Mk03

SparkFun: SEN-09723

Description: This is a breakout board for Bosch’s BMA180 three-axis, ultra-high performance digital accelerometer. The BMA180 provides a digital 14-bit output signal via a 4-wire SPI or I2C interface. The full-scale measurement range can be set to ±1g, 1.5g, 2g, 3g, 4g, 8g or 16g. Other features include programmable wake-up, low-g and high-g detection, tap sensing, slope detection, and self-test capability. The sensor also has two operating modes: low-noise and low-power.

This breadboard friendly board breaks out every pin of the BMA180 to an 8-pin, 0.1″ pitch header. The board doesn’t have any on-board regulation, so the provided voltage should be between 1.62 and 3.6V for VDD and 1.2 to 3.6V for VDDIO. The sensor will typically only consume 650uA in standard mode.

Features:

  • Wide variety of measurment ranges (±1g, 1.5g, 2g, 3g, 4g, 8g and 16g)
  • 14- or 12-bit ADC conversion
  • 2 selectable I2C addresses
  • Programmable integrated digital filters (no external components necessary)
      8 low-pass filters
      1 high-pass filter
      1 band-pass filter
  • Programmable interrupt features:
      Wake-up
      Low-g detection
      High-g detection
      Tap sensing
      Slope detection
  • 2 main standard modes: low-noise and low-power
  • Sleep mode
  • Wake-up mode
  • Self-test capability

Dimensions: 0.80 x 0.40″

Don Luc

SparkFun – Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout – ADXL335

SparkFun SEN-09269 Mk01

SparkFun SEN-09269 Mk02

SparkFun SEN-09269 Mk03

SparkFun: SEN-09269

Description: Breakout board for the 3 axis ADXL335 from Analog Devices. This is the latest in a long, proven line of analog sensors – the holy grail of accelerometers. The ADXL335 is a triple axis MEMS accelerometer with extremely low noise and power consumption – only 320uA! The sensor has a full sensing range of +/-3g.

There is no on-board regulation, provided power should be between 1.8 and 3.6VDC.

Board comes fully assembled and tested with external components installed. The included 0.1uF capacitors set the bandwidth of each axis to 50Hz.

Dimensions: 0.7×0.7″

Don Luc

SparkFun – 9 Degrees of Freedom – Sensor Stick

SparkFun SEN-10724 Mk01

SparkFun SEN-10724 Mk02

SparkFun SEN-10724 Mk03

SparkFun: SEN-10724

Description: The SparkFun 9DOF Sensor Stick is a very small sensor board with 9 degrees of freedom. It includes the ADXL345 accelerometer, the HMC5883L magnetometer, and the ITG-3200 MEMS gyro. The ‘stick’ has a simple I2C interface and a mounting hole for attaching it to your project. Also, the board is a mere 0.036″ thick (0.093″ overall), allowing it to be easily mounted in just about any application.

Dimensions: 1.37×0.42″

Don Luc

SparkFun – Logic Level Converter

SparkFun BOB-11978 Mk01

SparkFun BOB-11978 Mk02

SparkFun: BOB-11978

Description: If you’ve ever tried to connect a 3.3V device to a 5V system, you know what a challenge it can be. The SparkFun logic level converter is a small device that safely steps down either 5V signals to 3.3V or steps up 3.3V to 5V. This level converter also works with 2.8V and 1.8V devices. Each level converter has the capability of converting 4 pins on the high side to 4 pins on the low side with two inputs and two outputs provided for each side.

The level converter is very easy to use. The board needs to be powered from the two voltages sources (high voltage and low voltage) that your system is using. High voltage (5V for example) to the ‘HV’ pin, low voltage (2.8V for example) to ‘LV’, and ground from the system to the ‘GND’ pin.

This revision of the Logic Level Converter fixes the issue with the board not stepping down from 5V to 3.3V correctly.

Dimensions: 0.5×0.6″

Don Luc

SparkFun – Arduino Pro Mini 328 – 3.3V/8MHz

SparkFun DEV-11114 Mk01

SparkFun DEV-11114 Mk02

SparkFun: DEV-11114

Description: It’s blue! It’s thin! It’s the Arduino Pro Mini! SparkFun’s minimal design approach to Arduino. This is a 3.3V Arduino running the 8MHz bootloader. Arduino Pro Mini does not come with connectors populated so that you can solder in any connector or wire with any orientation you need. We recommend first time Arduino users start with the Uno R3. It’s a great board that will get you up and running quickly. The Arduino Pro series is meant for users that understand the limitations of system voltage (3.3V), lack of connectors, and USB off board.

We really wanted to minimize the cost of an Arduino. In order to accomplish this we used all SMD components, made it two layer, etc. This board connects directly to the FTDI Basic Breakout board and supports auto-reset. The Arduino Pro Mini also works with the FTDI cable but the FTDI cable does not bring out the DTR pin so the auto-reset feature will not work. There is a voltage regulator on board so it can accept voltage up to 12VDC. If you’re supplying unregulated power to the board, be sure to connect to the “RAW” pin on not VCC.

The latest and greatest version of this board breaks out the ADC6 and ADC7 pins as well as adds footprints for optional I2C pull-up resistors! We also took the opportunity to slap it with the OSHW logo.

Dimensions: 0.7×1.3″ (18x33mm)

Features:

  • ATmega328 running at 8MHz with external resonator (0.5% tolerance)
  • Low-voltage board needs no interfacing circuitry to popular 3.3V devices and modules (GPS, accelerometers, sensors, etc)
  • 0.8mm Thin PCB
  • USB connection off board
  • Weighs less than 2 grams!
  • Supports auto-reset
  • 3.3V regulator
  • Max 150mA output
  • Over current protected
  • DC input 3.3V up to 12V
  • On board Power and Status LEDs
  • Analog Pins: 8
  • Digital I/Os: 14

Don Luc

Metrologic – Voyager MS9540 Single-Line Laser Scanner

Voyager MS9540 Mk01

Voyager MS9540 Mk02

Voyager MS9540 Mk03

Metrologic Voyager MS9540

VoyagerCG® MS9540 hand-held, single-line laser scanners feature patented automatic infrared activation and can decode all standard 1D barcodes, including GS1 DataBar. The VoyagerCG hand-held barcode scanner also includes CodeGate® technology for menu scanning applications. CodeGate zeroes in on the desired code and completes barcode data transmission with the push of a single button.

Voyager MS9540 Single-Line Laser Scanner Features and Benefits

Automatic Trigger: Use scanner as either a hand-held device or a fixed presentation scanner when mounted in the stand.

650-nanometer laser: High-visibility laser allows user to place laser line on selected bar code.

CodeGate: Zero in on desired code and complete data transmission with the push of a single button ideal for menu scanning applications.

Flash ROM: Future proof POS system with free firmware updates via MetroSet®2 software and standard PC.

Parsing (Data Editing): Format bar code data to meet host system’s specific requirements.

Don Luc

SparkFun – FTDI Basic Breakout – 3.3V

SparkFun DEV-09873 Mk01

SparkFun DEV-09873 Mk02

SparkFun DEV-09873 Mk03

SparkFun: DEV-09873

Description: This is the newest revision of our FTDI Basic. We now use a SMD 6-pin header on the bottom, which makes it smaller and more compact. Functionality has remained the same.

This is a basic breakout board for the FTDI FT232RL USB to serial IC. The pinout of this board matches the FTDI cable to work with official Arduino and cloned 3.3V Arduino boards. It can also be used for general serial applications. The major difference with this board is that it brings out the DTR pin as opposed to the RTS pin of the FTDI cable. The DTR pin allows an Arduino target to auto-reset when a new Sketch is downloaded. This is a really nice feature to have and allows a sketch to be downloaded without having to hit the reset button. This board will auto reset any Arduino board that has the reset pin brought out to a 6-pin connector.

The pins labeled BLK and GRN correspond to the colored wires on the FTDI cable. The black wire on the FTDI cable is GND, green is DTR. Use these BLK and GRN pins to align the FTDI basic board with your Arduino target.

There are pros and cons to the FTDI Cable vs the FTDI Basic. This board has TX and RX LEDs that allow you to actually see serial traffic on the LEDs to verify if the board is working, but this board requires a Mini-B cable. The FTDI Cable is well protected against the elements, but is large and cannot be embedded into a project as easily. The FTDI Basic uses DTR to cause a hardware reset where the FTDI cable uses the RTS signal.

This board was designed to decrease the cost of Arduino development and increase ease of use (the auto-reset feature rocks!). Our Arduino Pro and LilyPad boards use this type of connector.

Don Luc

SparkFun – 9 Degrees of Freedom Breakout – MPU-9150

SparkFun SEN-11486 Mk01

SparkFun SEN-11486 Mk02

SparkFun SEN-11486 Mk03

SparkFun: SEN-11486

Description: The SparkFun 9DOF MPU-9150 is the world’s first 9-axis MotionTracking MEMS device designed for the low power, low cost, and high performance requirements of consumer electronics equipment including smartphones, tablets and wearable sensors. And guess what? You get to play with it.

This breakout board makes it easy to prototype with the InvenSense MPU-9150 by breaking out all the pins you need to standard 0.1″ spaced headers. The board also provides I2C pullup resistors and a solder jumper to switch the I2C address of the device.

The MPU-9150 is a System in Package (SiP) that combines two chips: the MPU-6050, which contains a 3-axis gyroscope, and 3-axis accelerometer. The part is offered in a 4x4x1mm LGA package and is upgrade-compatible with the MPU-6050 integrated 6-axis MotionTracking device, providing a simple upgrade path and making it easy to fit on space constrained boards.

Features:

  • Tri-Axis angular rate sensor (gyro) with a sensitivity up to 131 LSBs/dps and a full-scale range of ±250, ±500, ±1000, and ±2000dps
  • Tri-Axis accelerometer with a programmable full scale range of ±2g, ±4g, ±8g and ±16g
  • Tri-axis compass with a full scale range of ±1200µT
  • Reduced settling effects and sensor drift by elimination of board-level cross-axis alignment errors between accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass
  • VDD Supply voltage range of 2.4V-3.46V; VLOGIC of 1.8V±5% or VDD
  • Gyro operating current: 3.6mA (full power, gyro at all rates)
  • Gyro + Accel operating current: 3.8mA (full power, gyro at all rates, accel at 1kHz sample rate)
  • Gyro + Accel + Compass + DMP operating current: 4.25mA (full power, gyro at all rates, accel at 1kHz sample rate, compass at 8Hz rate)
  • Accel low power mode operating current: 10uA at 1Hz, 20uA at 5Hz, 70uA at 20Hz, 140uA at 40Hz
  • Full Chip Idle Mode Supply Current: 8µA
  • 400kHz Fast Mode I²C serial host interface
  • On-chip timing generator with ±1% frequency variation over full temperature range
  • 10,000g shock tolerant
  • I2C Pullup Resistors populated on board.
  • All Pins Broken Out to Standard 0.1″ Spaced Headers
  • Solder Jumper for Switching LSB of I2C Address

Don Luc

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