WITH the continued popularity of DIY-targeted development boards, increasing levels of modularity will allow makers and designers improved flexibility in piecing together their projects.
DIY mainstays like the Raspberry Pi and Arduino have spawned a whole new generation of building block development boards such as littleBits, Modulo, and Microduino.
One new board is the Flip & click from MikroElektronika, which at first glance shares many of the same features as the Arduino: a 32-bit AT91SAM3X8E core, similar to the Arduino Due’s, Uno pinout, and programmability via the Arduino IDE.
However, the Flip & click can be turned over to reveal four open sockets that allow users to click on a selection from over 160 available add-on boards similar to Arduino shields. These boards are smaller than shields, allowing multiple boards to be used at the same time on the Flip & click for enhanced functionality.
Examples of what can be built using a combination of “click boards” include a cooking controller complete with sous-vide capabilities, a breathalyser, and a weather centre.
MikroElektronika displayed the Flip & click at Maker Faire Rome, and will be making it available for sale shortly.