SmartEverything is like the Swiss Army knife of IoT boards

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The SmartEverything dev board is an Arduino form-factor prototyping platform that combines SIGFOX, BLE, NFC, GPS and a suite of sensors.

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Announced earlier this year, SmartEverything is an IoT development platform from Arrow Electronics. Living up to its name, the latest iteration of the SoC, dubbed the SmartEverything Fox, boasts a familiar Arduino form-factor with an array of factory-bundled I/O ports, sensors and wireless connectivity.

Impressively, the kit combines SIGFOX, Bluetooth and NFC technologies with GPS and a suite of embedded sensors. An Atmel | SMART D21 at its heart is used to integrate the featured devices, while a SIGFOX module provides IoT enablement.

The SIGFOX standard is energy efficient and wide-transmission-range technology that employs UNB (Ultra Narrow Band) based radio and offers low data-transfer speeds of 10 to 1000 bits per second. However, it is highly energy-efficient and typically consumes only 50μW compared to 5000μW for cellular communication, meaning significantly enhanced battery life for mobile or portable smart devices.

A Telit LE51-868 S wireless module gives design engineers access to the rapidly expanding SIGFOX cellular wireless network and covers the 863-870MHz unlicensed ISM band. It is preloaded with the SIGFOX network stack and the Telit proprietary Star Network protocol. What’s more, the Telit cloud management software provides easy connection up to the cloud.

Truly like the Swiss Army knife of the IoT, the SmartEverything board is equipped with: an Atmel Crypto Authentication chipset; an 868MHz antenna; a GPS module with embedded antenna for localizations applications, which supports the GPS, QZSS and GLONASS standards, and is Galileo ready; a proximity and ambient light sensor; a capacitive digital sensor for humidity and temperature measurement; a nine-axis 3D accelerometer, a 3D gyroscope and 3D magnetometer combination sensor; a MEMS-based pressure sensor; an NTAG I2C NFC module; and a Bluetooth Low Energy transceiver.

The SmartEverything measures only 68.8mm x 53.3mm in size, and includes USB connectors, a power jack and an antenna extending that extend the board. The unit can be powered in one of three ways, either through two AA 1.5V batteries (1.4V to 3.2V), a 5 to 45V external supply or a 5V mini-USB connector.

For quick and easy software development, the SmartEverything Fox board is fully supported by the Arduino IDE and Atmel Studio. Can it get any better than that? If you’re looking for an IoT board that does just about everything, you may want to check this SoC out.

Superman freefalls from space

It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s Superman! While we may have seen record-breaking freefalls from daredevils Felix Baumgartner and most recently, Alan Eustace, none may compare to the latest project from a group of RS DesignSpark engineers which was brought to our attention during Electronica 2014.

Earlier this summer, Mattel launched an Extreme Toys Travel Campaign that took their action figures to exotic and extreme locations all around the globe. Inspired by the latest attempts of falling from the edge of space, the toy company asked RS if they would be able to replicate these jumps with one of its new Superman action figures.

RS teamed up with Rlab, a peer run community hackspace, card modeller Jude Pullen, and high altitude balloonist Dave Akerman, to send Superman to space and back in a custom-built capsule. After a couple of planning sessions, the team comprised of Makers, hackers and engineers went right to work. In early September, the group then got together for a long weekend at RLab to bring it all together and prepare for launch.

The team attached the specially-designed capsule to a weather balloon filled with hydrogen gas, which transported the toy Superman approximately 24 miles into the sky to the edge of space. Once the optimal altitude was achieved, Superman “jumped” from the capsule, safely falling back down to Earth’s surface. During the flight, mission data, HD video and pictures were captured, while both Superman and the capsule itself were tracked throughout the flight using a low power radio link and GPS.

Prior to launch, the group designed a chassis in RS Components’ DesignSpark mechanical tool to house the electronics, which was then 3D-printed using a SAM3X8E Cortex-M3 powered RepRap Pro Ormerod.

The capsule featured a Raspberry Pi to capture mission data, as well as a customized Atmel ATxmega128A4U based tracking unit to locate and retrieve Superman. In total, the team had utilized five trackers located on the heroic Superman and his accompanying capsule. Not only did the trackers send GPS positions in real-time, but took and transmitted snapshots back down to the land-dwellers as well.

Additionally, the RS DesignSpark innovators selected radio modules (were on the 433 mhz band) and receivers tuned to the frequencies of the trackers on Superman and his capsule. Once the Mattel toy jumped out using a “low-tech ejection mechanism,” the team hopped into their cars and continued to follow along with its signal.

So did he make it? Yes, indeed! It took the embedded Superman just under an hour (50 minutes) to reach the ground — where it coincidentally landed at the end of Hope Lane. (For those who may not know, Superman’s “S” isn’t a letter, but rather the Kryptonian symbol for hope.)

Perhaps you have an extra action figure (or even a Barbie) lying around and interested in creating your own high-altitude tracker. If so, fly on over to RS DesignSpark’s step-by-step breakdown here.

Challenge: Hacking the Atmel-based Arduino Robot

RobotChallenge – in conjunction with Arduino and RS Components – has kicked off a new open source competition.

Dubbed “Hack the Arduino Robot,” the contest challenges participants to answer the following questions:

• What would you do with an Atmel-based Arduino Robot?
• What makes your idea special?
• What real life problem does your robot solve?

An international jury is slated to select the 10 best project ideas based on feasibility, creativity and innovation. The teams will receive a free 
Arduino Robot to implement their respective project ideas and showcase the modded ‘bots at RobotChallenge 2014. 
Each team will also be required to document their project online and submit a short video (3 – 5 minutes) by the 23rd of February.

Interested in applying? You have until the 26th of January to submit a short project idea (up to 120 words) that answers the questions listed above (detailed rules are available here). 

Prizes donated by RS Components will be awarded in two categories: Best Project & Documentation and Community.

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the Arduino Robot – the first official Arduino on wheels – boasts two processors, one on each board. The Motor Board controls the motors, while the Control Board interacts with the sensors and decides how to operate. Both Arduino microcontroller boards are powered by Atmel’s ATmega32u4 and can be programmed using Arduino IDE.

The Robot has many of its pins mapped to on-board sensors and actuators, so programming the ‘bot is similar to the process with the Arduino Leonardo. Both processors are equipped with integrated USB communication, eliminating the need for a secondary processor. This allows the Robot to appear to a connected computer as a virtual (CDC) serial / COM port.

As expected, every element of the Robot platform – hardware, software and documentation – is freely available and open-source. Meaning, users can learn exactly how the device is put together, while exploiting its design as a starting point to create and mod various configurations.

Additional key specs? The ATmega32u4 has 32 KB (with 4 KB used for the bootloader), along with 2.5 KB of SRAM and 1 KB of EEPROM (which can be read and written with the EEPROM library). Meanwhile, the Control Board is fitted with an extra 512 Kbit EEPROM that can be accessed via I2C. There is also an external SD card reader attached to the GTFT screen accessible by the Control Board’s processor for additional storage.

 The Robot can be powered via a USB connection or with 4 AA batteries and features an on-board battery charger that requires 9V external power generated by an AC-to-DC adapter (wall-wart).

The adapter can be connected by plugging a 2.1mm center-positive plug into the Motor Board’s power jack, although the charger will not operate if powered by USB (the Control Board is powered by the power supply on the Motor Board).

As noted above, the Robot is programmable with Arduino software, while the ATmega32u4 processors on the Arduino Robot arrive pre-burned with a bootloader that allows users to upload new code without an external hardware programmer via the AVR109 protocol. Of course, users can also bypass the bootloader and program the microcontroller through the ICSP (In-Circuit Serial Programming) header.

Interested in learning more about the Atmel-powered Arduino Robot? Additional details and specs can be found here on the official Arduino Robot page here.

Getting started with the Atmel-powered Arduino Robot

The recently launched Arduino Robot – the first official Arduino on wheels – boasts two processors, one on each board. The Motor Board controls the motors, while the Control Board interacts with the sensors and decides how to operate. Both Arduino microcontroller boards are powered by Atmel’s ATmega32u4 and can be programmed using the Arduino IDE.

The Robot has many of its pins mapped to on-board sensors and actuators, so programming the ‘bot is similar to the process with the Arduino Leonardo. Both processors are equipped with integrated USB communication, eliminating the need for a secondary processor. This allows the Robot to appear to a connected computer as a virtual (CDC) serial / COM port.

In honor of Maker Faire Rome 2013, RS Components has posted an exclusive video tutorial (the first in a series of five) featuring Arduino co-founder Massimo Banzi introducing the Robot and exploring various characteristics of the new open-source hardware platform on wheels.

“These videos from the makers of Arduino give a simple, step-by-step guide to using and developing projects with the Robot,” Glenn Jarrett, Global Head of Product Marketing, RS Components, told EDN. “The informative yet light-hearted content will appeal equally to existing Arduino enthusiasts and to anyone dipping their toes into the world of computer programming for the first time.”

As previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, every element of the Robot platform – hardware, software and documentation – is freely available and open-source. Meaning, users can learn exactly how the device is put together, while exploiting its design as a starting point to create and mod various configurations.

Additional key specs? The ATmega32u4 has 32 KB (with 4 KB used for the bootloader), along with 2.5 KB of SRAM and 1 KB of EEPROM (which can be read and written with the EEPROM library). Meanwhile, the Control Board is fitted with an extra 512 Kbit EEPROM that can be accessed via I2C. There is also an external SD card reader attached to the GTFT screen accessible by the Control Board’s processor for additional storage.

The Robot can be powered via a USB connection or with 4 AA batteries and features an on-board battery charger that requires 9V external power generated by an AC-to-DC adapter (wall-wart). The adapter can be connected by plugging a 2.1mm center-positive plug into the Motor Board’s power jack, although the charger will not operate if powered by USB (the Control Board is powered by the power supply on the Motor Board).

As noted above, the Robot can be programmed with Arduino software, while the ATmega32U4 processors on the Arduino Robot arrive pre-burned with a bootloader that allows users to upload new code without an external hardware programmer via the AVR109 protocol. Of course, users can also bypass the bootloader and program the microcontroller through the ICSP (In-Circuit Serial Programming) header.

Interested? Additional details can be found on Arduino’s official Robot page.

Open Source Design Centre goes live

RS Components has opened the virtual doors to its Open Source Design Centre, a comprehensive free guide to open source electronics design hosted on designspark.com.

Essentially, the Open Source Design Centre brings together all of the elements involved in open source design in a single, easy-to-access reference point.The site provides reliable information on a variety of subjects, ranging from open source licensing guidelines to advice on hardware and software management.

The aim of the Design Centre? To educate engineers in open source design, and to aid and encourage their active participation in open source projects.

RS developed the Open Source Design Centre in cooperation with Andrew Back, a founding member of the UK-based Open Source Hardware User Group (OSHUG).

“While open source hardware has until recently been at the low end of the electronics design spectrum, it is steadily increasing in interest as the opportunities for industry, education and experimentation become apparent,” said Back.

“By working with RS, we are tapping into a vast global base of engineers on designspark.com, many of whom will be the key players in taking forward open source hardware into mainstream electronics design.”

David Tarrant, Head of Community Development at RS Components, expressed similar sentiments.

“The growing popularity of open source hardware design has become self-evident over the past twelve months with the release of new versions of low-cost development boards such as [Atmel-powered] Arduinos  and [others], creating extraordinary demand around the world,” Tarrant noted.

“RS is a trusted source of information on new designs and new technologies for engineers. Our new Open Source Design Centre brings together essential information our users can rely on to support them throughout the research, development and design cycle.”