Hi I’m Kristen Chonowski with Arrow.com and today we’re going to take a look at my January product picks. I am featuring tech items that will help make your next project build easier or inspire you by discovering something new. So, let’s get started!
Raspberry Pi to Arduino Connection Bridge from Libelium
This Raspberry Pi to Arduino connection bridge from Libelium is designed to allow the use of any Arduino shield, board or module with the Raspberry Pi. There are currently way more shields out there for the Arduino so this is an awesome way to pair that specialized RFID, Music or Weather shield with the power of the Raspberry Pi! The connection bridge offers the ability to connect digital and analog sensors, using the same pinout as the Arduino. Libelium even created the arduPi library so the Raspberry Pi can use the same code as Arduino. This connection bridge shield from Libelium will easily unlock a whole new realm of possibilities for your Raspberry Pi 3!
Starter Soldering Iron Kit from Weller
This 40 Watt soldering iron kit from Weller is the perfect low cost starter kit for those who don’t want to spend a few hundred dollars on a setup. As usual, Weller has thought of everything. This iron has an ergonomic rubber comfort handle and an easy-change soldering tip. But, the most unique thing has to be the 3 bright LEDs that aid in illuminating your work and serve as a great reminder that the iron is still powered on. This innovative design even won it the prestigious Red Dot product design award. Along with the soldering iron, you get a stand, user’s manual, soldering aid tool, some lead-free solder, and two more different-sized tips!
RFduino Development Kit from RF Digital Corporation
The RFduino dev kit is perfect for rapid development and prototyping projects. It’s basically an Arduino shrunken-down to the size of your finger-tip and made wireless! It comes with 7 shields including two RFduino DIPs, a USB shield, an RGB LED/Button shield, Servo shield, Prototyping shield, and a dual AAA battery shield. The RFduino can be programmed via Arduino IDE and it’s compatible with Bluetooth 4.0 compatible smartphones and computers, allowing it to be wirelessly controlled through apps written by the end user or downloaded from RF digital. All of this in a footprint just over a half-inch square.
Environment Sensor from Adafruit
Adafruit surface-mount soldered the BME280 environment sensor from Bosch onto a PCB with a 3.3V regulator and level shifter so it can be used with a 3V or 5V logic microcontroller. This flexible sensor can be used in both I2C and SPI communication protocols.
With ±1.0°C temperature accuracy, ±3% humidity accuracy, and ±1 hectoPa absolute barometric pressure accuracy, you get a pretty precise little sensor. And with the impressive 1 second response time, its hard to beat among environment sensors at this price point! So next time you’re looking to set up a health monitor or environment sensor for your home automation project, check out this 2652 sensor from Adafruit.
See related product
And there you have it! Hopefully you found some inspiration for your latest tech project OR you got some great gift ideas for that tech savvy family member. Check back soon for more featured products from Arrow.com.
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