Atmel+ARM SoC = Crystal Board

The Crystal Board is an integrated development platform for DIY Makers and engineers. The open source board, powered by a quad-core 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor (RK3188), is also equipped with Atmel’s Atmega328 MCU to facilitate Arduino compatibility.

Additional platform specs include a MALI 400 GPU (ARM), SD card, 1-2GB RAM, Bluetooth, WiFi, Ethernet, GPS an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), along with multiple connections and sensors. The board only requires a single power supply and can be powered via an external battery or laptop USB port.

“With Atmel’s Atmega328 and Arduino UNO compatible pins, you can use any Arduino shields on the market [with] ease,” a Red Crystal rep explained in a recent Kickstarter post. “In addition, Atmel’s MCU communicates with [the] ARM SoC via UART.”

On the software side, the Red Crystal crew has developed a web server app with a slick GUI and is currently working on coding cloud-based software that will allow users to more effectively manage and control multiple boards.

Interested in learning more about Crystal Board? You can check out the project’s official Kickstarter page here.

SquareWear 2.0 is powered by Atmel’s ATmega328 MCU

Designed by Rayshobby Shop, SquareWear 2.0 is an open-source, Atmel-based wearable microcontroller board. The board – which runs at at 3.3V and 12MHz – is equipped with large pin holes to allow conductive thread to be stitched through. Of course, Makers can also solder wires directly, or solder snaps for quick attachment and detachment from textiles.

Aside from the Atmel’s ATmega328 MCU (pre-flashed with USBasp bootloader), the device includes an on-board mini-USB port (for programming, charging and serial comms), a color LED, a general-purpose push-button, a buzzer, a light sensor, a temperature sensor and three MOSFETs to drive high-current load.

In addition, the board features a built-in rechargeable lithium coin battery, allowing Makers to power their projects right away without external power supply. Indeed, the coin battery is charged automatically every time the mini-USB cable is plugged in. Makers who want a higher-capacity battery can also plug in an external lithium battery via an on-board battery jack, which is capable of charging either the coin battery or external battery.

Interestingly, SquareWear is not designed with a separate USB-to-serial chip. Rather, the board simulates USB functionality all in software via a V-USB library. To be sure, the platform is loaded with a USBasp bootloader and is capable of performing serial communication via USB. As expected, it can also simulate a mouse, keyboard, or other human interface devices.

Interested in learning more? You can check out the SquareWear’s (2.0) official product page here.