Hexabitz Modular Electronics Let Users Design and Prototype with Geometric Shapes
Not all development or prototyping boards need to be in linear, horizontal form, some, like Hexabitz’s electronic modules, let you design using different geometric shapes that can be linked together for any number of projects.
As the company explains, Hexabitz is a revolutionary modular prototyping platform designed for both bench-top and real-life applications. Inspired by nature, the architecture combines small boards with specific geometric shapes and ratios to create larger flat and curved electronics.
The company offers 14 different modules that can all be connected together using what they term ‘a novel, edge-soldering technique,’ and while they can still be arranged horizontally, users can also join them in any geodesic shape they want- essentially moving from 2D to 3D.
As mentioned earlier, Hexabitz offers a series of different prototyping / development boards, each with their own function, including the H12R00 sensor hub (temperature, humidity, ambient light, color, sound, and motion), H02R10 Bluetooth/BLE V4 module and H09R00 600 VAC Max/1.2A solid-state relay module.
They also offer RGB LED, I/O, USB-B-to-UART, micro SD, and CR2032 coin-cell battery modules as well, all with hexagonal or pentagonal shapes, and have plans to offer several new designs in the future. While they all have their differences, they also share in some of the same technology as each is outfitted with its own low-power 32-bit Arm Cortex-M0 MCU, making each configurable in its own right and able to execute several tasks in parallel (depending on the module). This also provides them with a mesh network of sorts, as each of the MCUs can communicate with each other.
An exciting feature of the Hexabitz modules is that they can utilize ‘self-discovery’ using an algorithm that lets them auto-discover their neighbors and configure the mesh network without the need for additional inputs or communication protocols. They are also equipped with distributed processing, meaning they can perform local processing and share the data with others in the network, thereby making it easy to add or subtract modules in the system.
Hexabitz is currently crowdfunding their modules on Crowd Supply, and those interested can pledge $35 and up for mix and match kits that feature several or more units as the price increases. The company is also offering several accessories to help get your projects started, including a modified Kelvin clamp and an EZ-Hook Kit with pre-soldered SMD probe pads and connection wires, making it easy to connect the modules.
