Well, it's not exactly news, but we have managed to import most of the old content back into the site. There are still a few more additions to go, but this should keep you tinkering on new projects until then. Head over to the BEAM Resources section for the added BEP Applications, Photo Galleries, and […]
Arduino Uno and Neeeew York City!
Dave Hrynkiw
September 29, 2010
We're back from the Open Source Hardware Summit and the Maker Faire! Did lots; learned lots; got lots of touristy things done too.
One of the main highlights was meeting and listening to talks by three of the principle members of the Arduino team. They took pity on English-speakers, and named the new revision the Arduino "UNO" which we now have in stock, along with the upgraded Arduino Mega 2560. Here (in short) are the principle differences between the Duemilanove and the new Uno:
- It uses the same microcontroller as before, but is on a new re-branded board ("Uno") with slicker packaging & graphics. Oh, and a logo too!
- The pin lables are a bit tighter, and better show how they are used (hardware PWM is marked with a "~")
- Stickers! And neat paperwork explaining warrantee, how it was made and tested, and how each purchase helps protect a 1/2 square meter of Madagascar forest. Cool.
- CE / FCC certification. This is an important one, which assures electronics performance & noise control. Not an inexpensive proposition - kudos on getting this certification!
- Smaller bootloader - gives you more space for code for sketches!
- Better 3.3V regulator on board (old 3.3V came from FTDI chip, which was a bit wimpy)
- MOST IMPORTANT CHANGE: Replacement of the FTDI USB/TTL interface chip with an ATmega8U2 microcontroller. It's apparently cheaper, faster and definitely a whole lot more flexible. There's even a separate ICSP header on the UNO to let you reprogram this second microcontroller to make your Arduino UNO appear to be something vastly different USB device to your operating system.
The Open Source Hardware Summit was a busy day (went by very quick) and in general was quite well attended. Practically all the rock-stars of the genre were there, and all the talks were well worth the price of admission. We were happy to put our sponsorship behind an event of this quality, as it brought out very interesting discussions. I won't delve too deep into it here - view the archived video of the event, and see for yourself!
MORE POSTS
Sumovore 3rd Place at PDXBot!
Just browsing through the results of the last PDXBot in Portland (if you ever get the chance, check it out - it's a quality gig). Anyways, I noticed that the Sumovore "Enterprise" entered by "Azalia Middle School comander" won 3rd place in the Amateur class! Well done!
Oomlout - Solarbotics Edition!
Good news, good news! We've been following the Oomlout system of learning Arduino since last February, and we've finally finished putting together our own Solarbotics Edition of the open-source ARDX Arduino Experimenter's Kit. Besides just working with the fine folks at Oomlout to make sure our edition meets their high standards, we've also been contributing […]
EZ-B Sale, More New Stuff
Well, we waited. Patiently you might say. After all, this Friday post is coming to you on a Saturday afternoon. But we still didn't receive any customer projects to show off. We don't ask much. Send us a photo. Maybe a handful of words to accompany it. But noooOooOooOOOoo. Now here we are, already part […]
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!
Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.
Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.