[chbot] Digispark .. the mini Arduino style device

[Mark Beckett]

Tonight I showed some Digispark's and promised to send some links.

The kickstarter that went slightly above expectations.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digistump/digispark-the-tiny-arduino-enabled-usb-dev-board/posts
includes the video link for the packaging system they devised.

The shop site is
http://digistump.com/

Forum is at
http://digistump.com/board

The sketch is delayed by 5 secs after power-up to allow the bootloader 
to communicate with the IDE. This allows the 2 pins normally used for 
the USB, to be otherwise used.
When you hit upload in the IDE, it compiles and asks you to plug in the 
Digispark, and the sketch uploads.
Jenna has also produced a variant that removes the powerup delay, but 
requires Pin5 to be held low, in order to allow programming.
The bootloader can be swapped or programmed with no additional hardware, 
and is available to insert into raw ATtiny85 chips.

The IDE is a modified Arduino that also programs normal Arduino.
A new IDE version is coming out in a few days time, that has some 
additional features.


 
*Stepper Driver*
There should be a Digispark writeup in the May/June issue of The Shed, 
along with an article about controlling a lathe using a stepper and 
driver board.
Protoneer have these driver boards 2.2A using Ti DRV8825 Stepper Motor 
Driver for NZ$20
http://shop.protoneer.co.nz/Robotics-and-CNC/Pololu-DRV8825



I've also just been sent this for a similar device called RFduino.
It will uses a Nordic 32 bit ARM Cortex-M0 processor and incorporates 
Bluetooth 4.0
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1608192864/rfduino-iphone-bluetooth-40-arduino-compatible-boa?ref=discover_pop


Mark