Electronic Hardware Kits
(Raspberry Pis, Ardunios, MaKey MaKeys)
What does it do?
An electronic hardware kit comprises of electronic components, circuit or prototyping board, a circuit schematic and assembly instructions all used to build an electronic device, system or for educational purposes. The kits range from a printed circuit board (PCB) with components soldered on (to electrically connect, as well as be mechanically affixed on to) which is designed to construct a single system or device, to solderless construction boards with components mounted in plastic blocks (E.g. Denshi blocks). For advanced projects, the kit may contain only a printed circuit board with the rest of the components having to be sourced elsewhere.
Printed circuit boards (Also referred to as printed wiring boards or printed wiring cards) are the basic building block for the majority of modern electronic devices and allows signals and power to be routed between devices. The electronic components are connected via conductive tracks, pads and either single, double and multi-layer sheets of laminated copper between interconnecting layers of non-conductive substrate sheets. Prior to the invention of the PCB, alternatives were point-to-point construction and wire-wrap.
There are various electronic hardware kits available on the market today, contained below is a list of some of those devices including the ones that were innovators for the microcomputer revolution:
- Raspberry Pis - A low powered but fully functional single board microcomputer.
- Arduinos – A small prototyping board with a re-programmable single chip called a microcontroller.
- MaKey MaKeys – A two-sided circuit board that connects objects to a computer keyboard stroke or mouse click.
- BeagleBone – An open-sourced, single board software, similar to the Raspberry Pi.
- Heathkit H8 – One of the early microcomputers produced by Heathkit, one of the originators for electronic test kits.
- The Altair 8800 – The first home computer.
- Denshi blocks – A small plastic, transparent block containing an electronic component in the centre.
Let’s take a closer look at two of the more popular devices and do a comparison of Arduinos and Raspberry Pis. We will be focusing on the Arduino Uno and Raspberry Pi model B+.
An Arduino is small prototyping board with a re-programmable single chip called a microcontroller (8-bit) and 2 kilobytes of RAM that can be adapted for a variety of functions, whilst consuming a relatively low amount of power. With I/O, it has an USB-B port, a power input and 20 I/O pins which individually can drive 40mA. Although it does not have an operating system, it can execute code and run programs using the Arduino programming language (capable of running on Mac, Windows and Linux) and is designed for mainly single purpose use. Some examples of projects are a fingerprint door lock, an automated plant watering system, a universal remote control, and many more.
The Raspberry Pi is a low powered but fully functional single board microcomputer. It comes with a 64-bit microprocessor, 1GB of RAM, 4 USB 2.0 ports, a HDMI port, a micro SD card socket, a video output, an audio jack, CSI camera port, DSI display port, wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.2, a Gigabit Ethernet over USB 2.0, and 40 GPIO pins which can drive a maximum of 16mA on an individual basis.
Linux is usually included with this device, so any programming language can be used.
Some examples of projects are a retro gaming machine, building a web server, an RGB reactive lighting system, or to learn how to program.
Based on the comparisons, on paper it appears as though the Raspberry Pi is the superior of the two. That may be true in regards to software applications, but the simplicity of the Arduino would work better for hardware projects. It is also considerably easier to use, does not need to wait for an OS to boot up, and uses less power (about 1/10th of the power of the Raspberry Pi).
To write a program using the Raspberry Pi to get an LED to blink would involve installing an operating system and code libraries, whereas to do the same job on the Arduino consists of plugging in the device and writing a few lines of code.
What is the likely impact?
The potential impact of electronic hardware kits would be generating further interest within the fields of STEM (Science, technology, engineering and math) and developing an essential skillset in building and maintaining hardware. In today’s world of IT, kids are being exposed to digital technology at a younger age and the electronic devices can assist in understanding how modern technology works, what it is capable of, learn basic physics, an introduction to programming languages and much more.
Around the world, the impact is evident. In Europe, electronic kits are used for a network of refuelling stations to predict maintenance by monitoring the temperature and filling levels. In Africa, the kits are used to check the level of rubbish bins to determine when the trucks should collect the waste. In Wales, Sony’s manufacturing facility became 30% more efficient with the monitoring of equipment using the devices.
In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore stated that the number of transistors that would fit on a computer chip will continue to double each year, also known as Moore’s Law. Although the doubling currently occurs on a bi-yearly basis, it is the application of his law that has been the point of reference for production within the industry today.
This continuation of the miniaturization of components, and as they become more integrated, design specific and unit quantities become less available, may result in the dying out of the hobby of building electronics. With the reduction in size of individual parts, the ability to produce a PCB and solder components onto it would be increasingly difficult by hand. However, this could potentially provide opportunities for the industry to thrive in new and innovative ways.
How will this affect you?
As technology and electronics become more essential and a necessity to daily life, a greater portion of the population will be involved with electronic projects due to the ease of accessibility. The type of complex work that can be accomplished today without the traditional need for a higher education is something that would have not been achievable in the past for the average person. My friends or family members won’t need to go to university to understand and program an electronic kit, which opens up doors for a new hobby or learning the skills for an existing or different career path.
On a personal level, the effect of having electronic hardware kits in my everyday life has been a positive and convenient experience so far. I was recently gifted a Raspberry Pi for Christmas and I started with a Pac-Man treasure hunt project that involved learning basic cybersecurity skills by navigating the Raspberry Pi terminal to prevent ‘attackers’ from hijacking the computer. From there, I’ve been consistently working on small projects (The next project will be converting a TV to a smart TV to use as a home media centre), as well as expanding my knowledge of programming languages.
The next step for me would be to utilise a 3D-printer and bring to life certain projects, which will bring a whole new level of customization and understanding. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this industry, and how it will expand into areas that can change the world such as: Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, renewable energy and many more.