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32-bit Arduino Solution From Microchip
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32-bit Arduino Solution From Microchip
The new chipKIT platform launched by Microchip Technology and Digilent is the first Arduino-compatible platform to provide 32-bit performance. It offers more features, performance and functionality than any other Arduino solution on the market, at a low cost.
Now, it will be easy for hobbyists and academics to assimilate electronics into their projects, even if they do not have an electronics engineering background...that too on a modest budget. The folks from Microchip Technology have launched the first Arduino-compatible microcontroller-based, open-source development platform, which they claim to be the only 32-bit solution of its kind in the industry. The chipKIT platform was recently demonstrated at an embedded systems event in Bengaluru. It has been designed and manufactured by Digilent--one of Microchip's authorised design partners.
The platform provides an unprecedented level of features for the Arduino community, according to Microchip. With this platform, students, educators and hobbyists, (with or without electronics engineering backgrounds), from different disciplines can experience four times the performance of any existing Arduino solution at a low cost. All they need to do is to simply plug the boards into their design and download the open-source software, and their project will be up and running in minutes.
What is Arduino?
Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on
flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists,
designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive
objects or environments. (www.arduino.cc)
What simply started as a project in Italy in 2005 for Arduino to make a
device for controlling student-built interaction design projects less
expensively than other prototyping systems available at the time, has
since turned into an open-source hardware movement. Today, there are
thousands of Arduino projects ranging from electric meters and robotics,
to Arduino-based gadgets that indicate when your plants need water.
More than 1,20,000 Arduino boards had been shipped as of February 2010. |
"The Arduino platform has become very popular amongst hobbyists and academics within the past few years because it allows non-embedded experts to implement electronics without having much knowledge of electronics. The chipKIT platform (based on a modified Arduino IDE) allows engineers to start with very simple hardware and then if they want to get more advanced, they can move into Microchip's MPLAB development environment for further embedded development," shares Cheri Keller, senior worldwide design partner program manager at Microchip Technology.
As to what drove the manufacturer of microcontrollers, flash and analogue components to focus on the Arduino stack, Keller adds, "Microchip's foundation started with the hobbyist community and we are also well entrenched in the academic community worldwide. We were constantly receiving multiple requests and inquiries for a PIC MCU-based Arduino solution. So we decided to act on the voices we were hearing from these two groups and launched the PIC32-based chipKIT platform."
Key features
The chipKIT platform comprises two PIC32-based development boards and open-source software which is compatible with the Arduino programming language and development environment. Featuring compatibility with existing 3.3V Arduino shields and applications, the chipKIT hardware can be developed using a modified version of the Arduino IDE and existing Arduino resources, such as code examples, libraries, references and tutorials.
The PIC32-based chipKIT boards enable 80 MHz performance, and provide up to 512 KB Flash, with up to 128 KB RAM. The boards feature connectivity peripherals, including Ethernet, CAN, and USB (full-speed host, device and OTG); plus peripherals such as multiple timers, a 16-channel 1 MSPS analogue-to-digital converter (ADC), two comparators, and multiple I2C, SPI, and UART interfaces. The chipKIT platform also features the MIPS32 M4K core from MIPS Technologies.
chipKIT Uno32 vs. Arduino Uno board
The chipKIT Uno board is said to perform faster than the traditional Arduino Uno board at 80 MHz (compared to 20 MHz for the Arduino board). It features greater program memory, RAM and offers many more peripheral options. The chipKIT Uno32 also comes in at $3 less than the 8-bit Arduino Uno.
"The chipKIT platform is a more peripherals-rich MCU at a lower price than other existing solutions. Users can also take advantage of existing sketches, existing 3.3V shields and can expand into more applications, such as high-speed motor control and advanced communications applications like Ethernet, CAN and USB," Keller adds.
Contributions by FUBAR Labs and Digilent
All of the software development and Multi-Platform IDE (MPIDE) for the chipKIT platform was done by Fair Use Building and Research Labs (FUBAR Labs)--a hackerspace based in New Jersey, while the hardware design and development was taken care of by Digilent.
Keller also talks about the incredible work done by Arduino IDE developers Mark Sproul and Rick Anderson from the Fair Use Building and Research Labs for the project. "Mark Sproul, Rick Anderson and FUBAR Labs were instrumental in developing the software for the chipKIT platform. Both are very familiar with the Arduino platform and were key to the success of porting many of the core Arduino libraries over to the chipKIT platform as well as creating the Multi-Platform IDE (MPIDE) that is backwards-compatible with the existing Arduino IDE," she states.
The nice thing about open-source projects is that anybody can utilise existing schematics, sketches, libraries and hardware. "The open source hardware makes it easy for the Arduino community or engineers to create their own boards based on existing hardware and add features or additional functionality if they wish. It maximises users' flexibility enabling them to do more without worrying about the red tape that can come along with licencing. FUBAR Labs and Digilent were able to take advantage of these existing resources to get a jump start on their work to develop the chipKIT," Keller shares.
Board-specific features and availability
The chipKIT Uno32 (part # TDGL002) development board is a clone of the Arduino Uno board, and features 128 KB Flash program memory and 16 KB RAM, with two each of the I2C, SPI and UART peripherals. A clone of the Arduino Mega board, the chipKIT Max32 (part # TDGL003) development board features 512 KB Flash program memory and 128 KB RAM, with USB, CAN and Ethernet communication, as well as 5 each I2C, 4 each SPI, and 6 each UART peripherals.
Both chipKIT boards are available at http://www.microchip.com/get/TDD2. The chipKIT Uno32 costs around Rs 1,350 ($26.95) in India, while the chipKIT Max32 comes with a price band of Rs 2,475 ($49.50).
Benefits to Hobbyists
Open-source software/hardware:
*All schematics and CAD files are free to download and use
*Large existing repository of code examples and reference designs
*Expansion capabilities using existing Arduino shields (stackable daughter boards)
*Motor control, wireless communications, sensor interface and many more
*Lower cost and highest performance hardware
*Enabling you to do more
*Requires minimal to no MCU knowledge
Benefits to Academia
*Leverage FREE online course materials
*Lower cost and highest-performance hardware
*Enabling you to do more
*Compatible footprint with large number of Arduino shields (stackable daughter boards)
*Single platform for software and hardware learning
*Perfect for non-traditional embedded disciplines:
*Mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, aeronautical engineering, artists, etc.
Benefits to Embedded Engineering
*Easy-to-use rapid prototyping and development platform
*High-level introduction to Microchip's 32-bit products
*Novice or expert MCU users can explore advanced capabilities
*Lower cost and highest-performance hardware
*Enabling you to do more
*Expansion capabilities with existing Arduino shields (stackable daughter boards) |
--Monika Bhati
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