Electronic Prototyping Boards

Whenever we think of any system or project, the first basic thing that comes to mind is that it is going to take some inputs, process them and produce some results. I am going to introduce you to two such development boards where you can implement almost anything which can be categorized as an electronic system. These platforms can help you take your design from paper to actual working systems or we can say from imagination to reality. So, let’s get familiar with Arduino and Raspberry Pi.

Arduino:

Ardiuino UNO

Arduino is an open source and one of the most widely used electronic prototyping boards. Its heart is AVR ATmega328 microcontroller which has its own microprocessor, RAM and EEPROM. It can be used to control various devices, from a small LED or a motor to anything which you can think of. Different types of hardware and sensors can be interfaced with Arduino using relays, power outlets and shields. It comes with an easy to use software platform to program its IC using basic C and C++. So, you can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board. It works with digital input-output and analog input signals. It also facilitates serial communication using various protocols like I2C, SPI and UART. You can learn more about these protocols to decide which to use.

Arduino IDE

Moreover, the Arduino is not a single board, it is a family of boards, sensors, and shields with different functionalities from where you can choose the best suiting your application.

Arduino Family

It is the best device to start with and get basic hands on experience for electronic enthusiasts on prototyping. Thanks to its large and diverse community of users, troubleshooting and experimenting with Arduino has become so easy that even children can use it.

Arduino with an LCD Display Shield

These are some of the best Arduino tutorials for beginners.

Learn more about Arduino and its applications refer to these blogs:

Learn and explore the possibilities and know what people have done with this amazing board.

Raspberry Pi:

Raspberry Pi has nothing to do either with Raspberry or with Pi. You won’t believe this, but it is a complete computer in itself. It is a cheap and small computer originally developed for educational and programming purposes but soon it gained huge popularity among electronic enthusiasts. It became popular especially for applications where people wanted to use something more than just a microcontroller but cannot use a full computer.

This is how your Computer looks like!

It is slower than a computer but has all the features similar to a Linux based computer. It has USB Ports, Ethernet Port, GPIO headers, HDMI Port, MicroSD card slot, Audio Output pin and Power Supply pin. It has its own CPU, GPU, 1GB Memory and built in Bluetooth and Wifi Modules in the latest version. Ever imagined if you can hold your computer in your palm!

As a result of all these extraordinary features, it is used in various important and complex applications in various fields. It has a well documented and updated resources which make it easy to learn and use.

Raspberry Pi Desktop

Everything related to Raspberry Pi, from tutorials to project ideas can be found on its website. You can find some good tutorials here also.

Both, Pi and Arduino have their own special features and limitations. Now you have to decide what are you going to use for your project. Keep thinking and come up with some great ideas and see them working.

Get ready to make exciting projects with them!

)

Artificial Intelligence And Electronics Society

Written by

Artificial Intelligence and Electronics Society (ArIES) is a campus group of IIT Roorkee, with a mission to solve impactful problems of society .

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade