Posts tagged with arduino
Both the Arduino and the Raspberry Pi (pictured above) are stand-alone computing devices, have an array of expansion boards available, open source software, and either one can be purchased for about $30. However, the Arduino is a microcontroller, while the the Raspberry Pi is a full, modern computer– not as powerful as a laptop, but in some ways similar to a first generation Xbox.
Raspberry Pi homepage
Raspberry Pi wiki
Raspberry Pi expansion boards
The Open Hardware wave keeps rolling: MySpectral recently announced the Spectrino – an Arduino based spectrometer. It’s as barebones as spectrometers go, with the small enclosure containing a diffraction grating, CCD light sensor and an Arduino. Hooked up to a computer (PC, Mac, Linux) via a USB cable it is controlled and readout by a Processing based simple spectroscopy application. Given the open design, users will be able to adapt this or build their own applications for read out and analysis tailored exactly to their needs.
Obviously the Spectrino won’t be able to compete with OceanOptics or Oriel USB spectrometers in terms of speed or resolution (we’re talking 2 to 4 nm at 8-bit pixel depth here). But given at least my standard applications (Which LED was this? Which filter was that?), it’s an ideal addition to the lab bench. Especially given the expected significantly lower price tag.
Information is still a bit scarce and at the moment they only have a pre-order program running, but the idea is straight forward and they are already preparing to send a Spectrino into orbit, so we have good reasons to assume this is beyond vaporware.
Post by Christian Wilms.
I’ve referenced Toolduino before. Now I use Firmata more (upon which Toolduino is based). It turns the Arduino into a simple interface, rather than letting it think at all. I find this handy for prototyping up custom interfaces and checking the low level electronics. It’s cross-platform, of course.
