Intel expansions & hats

Advanced Intel Joule board and DFRobot integrated modules

Intel is known for introducing more advanced processors. At this point, however, you can buy something a little different: advanced mini-computers and electronic starter kits. With the introduction of the computing-efficient SoM minicomputers from the Intel Joule series to the market, Intel has released dedicated starter kits. As a result, efficient minicomputers now provide users with a seamless opportunity to use the most-needed external interface connectors: power and peripheral input / output connectors.

Intel cooperates with the DFRobot brand - one of the largest manufacturers in the segment of development boards, modules and components for amateur robotics. The result of the cooperation are innovative overlays (modules) matching the original Intel minicomputer platform, such as the DFRobot Gravity IO Expansion Shield. On the board, in addition to a series of gold pin connectors in various colors, facilitating identification and reducing the risk of incorrect connection with external devices, there are also two 16-bit, four-channel ADC converters with an I2C interface - ADS1115 by Texas Instruments.

Intel Edison and its modules

Another major IoT project from Intel is Intel Edison. It is a multifunctional microcomputer platform. The device is based on an efficient, dual-core Intel Atom processor. The tiny Intel Edison board has a plethora of connectors and modules, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 70-pin connector. The great advantage of Intel Edison is very low, stable electricity consumption.

This second IoT product from a leading manufacturer of computer processors also has dedicated development kits. SparkFun has introduced modules compatible with this Intel Edison. The overlays are the size of a postage stamp.

The Intel Edison SparkFun Block kit contains three plates. The first one is equipped with a 9-axis IMU sensor (gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer). The second contains a miniature, monochrome OLED display with buttons and a joystick. The third small board is a micro SD card reader. The extensions are connected via 70-pin sockets and plugs, compatible with the original Intel Edison module socket.

The twilight of the Intel microcomputers and other – even better – counterparts

In 2017, we’ve heard the sad news in the official Intel announcement that the production of Internet of Things modules and microcomputer boards is to be stopped. Unfortunately, this information also applies to the production of Intel Edison and Intel Joule modules presented here.

Nevertheless, there is nothing to worry about! Intel did a great job and paved the way for other manufacturers! In our store you will still find dedicated extensions and overlays for these minicomputers. There is a lot to choose from! For new projects, we recommend other solutions that are produced all the time. So if you need small SoC modules, offering a lot of computing power and built-in WiFi / Bluetooth connectivity - see the offer of Raspberry Pi Compute Module, Particle Photon, Onion IoT or PyCom IoT ESP32 boards. For more advanced electronic projects, we recommend the perfect Raspberry Pi 4B and 3B / 3B +, NanoPi, Banana Pi or BeagleBone mini-computers. Choose what suits you best now. Just contact us if needed!