RoadTest: The Internet of Holiday Lights RoadTest Plus
Author: fvan
Creation date:
Evaluation Type: Independent Products
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?: DigiX: Arduino compatible, Wifi-enabled board.
What were the biggest problems encountered?: Getting started with the Infineon Shield.
Detailed Review:
I've already shared some experiences with the kit provided over the course of the build (blog posts at the bottom), but here's a summary of the pros and cons, as I experienced them.
Arduino is great! I've had an UNO for some years now, and it is usually the first thing I grab for quick prototyping.
the pin name stickers on the side of the headers are extremely useful
wireless programming and debugging is awesome (YUN only)
big community for a mature product, meaning lots of support and references
a wide variety of shields is available covering the needs of most projects
at 61 EUR the YUN is not very cheap
the YUN's USB and ethernet port stand in the way of shields without extra long headers
the YUN's Vin pin is not regulated meaning the input has to be 5V (as opposed to the UNO: 7-12V)
I haven't used the Linux side of the YUN during my project, but it is something I will certainly explore further as I keep experimenting with the YUN.
The Infineon RGB Shield is hard to get started with, but once set up, it functions very well!
very practical push terminals to connect the LED strip and power, no screwdriver required
wide input voltage range (12-48V)
lots of software configurable parameters
price point is acceptable at 24 EUR taking into account current "issues"
no headers are provided with the kit, requiring the need to buy some separately and have the end user own a soldering iron (not plug-and-play)
no Arduino library available and code examples on the Infineon website are Windows-only (*.exe files)
I feel the user experience could greatly be improved by tackling some of the above points with following actions:
Here you will find the blog posts created as part of this RoadTest, in which I get to know and use both the Arduino Yun and the Infineon Shield combined with some LED strips.
