RoadTest: Espruino
Author: migration.user
Creation date:
Evaluation Type: Evaluation Boards
Did you receive all parts the manufacturer stated would be included in the package?: True
What other parts do you consider comparable to this product?: Arduino UNO
What were the biggest problems encountered?: Manually installing generic drivers, IDE having problems connecting to COM port.
Detailed Review:
I really like the customization options you have with the Espruino. You get a pretty minimalist board, you can solder on pin headers if you want to use it as a temporary microcontrolling device, or you can solder your own wiring to it to make a more permanent configuration. There are also a good number of pins.
This spring, I made an autonomous robot using my Arduino UNO, and my idea for the Espruino was to put it in my Arduino's place, so I can use it for other projects.
After I set up the drivers and software to use the Espruino, it was convenient to have YouTube videos to follow working with the IDE and Espruino. I like the fact that the IDE is a chrome app, so you can use it with Windows, Mac, or Linux. I was also surprised to see that the IDE had block-style and code programming. However, the process of switching between the two is not very smooth. If you use the block-style and switch to code, it doesn't update the code to what you block-programmed. It's as if you have to choose from the beginning of your project which method you want to take. Perhaps I was doing something wrong, or I was having an original issue with the IDE, but either way, the I wasn't impressed with the software quality.
The tutorial was easy to follow along, however, if you are familiar with javascript, it doesn't teach you much. Looking more at the YouTube tutorial videos, there were videos on getting started with drivers and firmware, and there were videos on some projects that the creator made, but there wasn't much for stuff in between, for actually assembling projects. I wouldn't recommend this as your first microcontroller.
Considering the fact that I already had my robot built and the sketch already made in Arduino's language, it didn't take long to set up the Espruino with the robot.
Now, I had some issues with the hardware of my robot, but the Espruino performed well. Some mechanical issues made the drive slow, but that is something I will fix.
