RoadTest: Infineon / Arduino IoT Bundle
Author: monroerl@gmail.com
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?: Raspberry Pi add on boards
What were the biggest problems encountered?: A little heat build up and small connectors
Detailed Review:
This little board is powered by a Cortex Arm M10 processor, which means it has programmable functions but sips power. Don’t confuse the M10 with Intel’s M core processors even though this processor runs on 32 bit at 32 MHz. This isn’t lightning fast however this board isn’t designed as a graphics card. It’s designed to be a programmable LED controller. To program the board and run it you have an Arduino board or you can use Infineon’s own XMC1100 Boot Kit.
The XMC1100 is native to the XMC1202, so they sit on top of each other. This is pretty much what all microcomputers do, they allow for boards to stack on top of each other, connected via GPIO, serial or other direct methods. There is speed in doing this since the boards are physically attached and share input and output. Since the XMC1202 has its own programmable processor, that processor can add to the microcomputers own computation power, almost like a GPU would.
This frees up the main processor to focus on other tasks instead of having to computer graphics data. Think of it as having your own personal assistant. That assistant can pick up duties you don’t have time for so it frees you up to do other things, like play with other add on boards and write cool code.
The board is screaming red in color. It almost hurts your eyes to look at. Infineon and a few other companies have been doing this flaming color thing for one reason or another. I guess it helps you find the board if you ever misplace it. I’m talking ultra-bright red. The type of red that usually signals danger. Luckily, the board isn’t a danger just really bright.
I noticed quite a bit of empty space on the board. What I would consider to be wasted space because I like my boards to be packed with every sensor and gadget available. The XMC1202 does one thing but it does it well. It controls LED’s. This means you have an assortment of options with a programmable LED board. You are a little limited on the pin count though so make your connections count.
If you are interested in controlling all of the lighting in your home or small office, this board is for you. If you want to set up a cool LED display that says what a great programmer are, this is the board for you. The XMC 1202 can control up to three different LED channels at a time. This means you can configure a string of red LEDs to flash, while a strand of blue LEDs pulse and your green LEDs orbit in a loop. There you have a nice Halloween custom or a funky outfit for your dog.
I was a little surprised by the heat put off by the board during my testing. The buildup isn’t terrible but it would be something to take into consideration if your poor dog were wearing an outfit using this dev board. The LED’s don’t really put off any heat but they did make my dog look at me really funny when they started to flash. He tried to bite them. It was funny to see his mouth light up as the LEDs pulsed.
The XMC1202 has some of the pin outs marked so you know what they do. It also helps that the red monster has connector holes to stack onto the other boards. There is about a ½ clearance that you will need to take into consideration where the wires are connected. I found this additional space useful to help move some of that excess heat away from the main board. The space uses plastic parts so you don’t need to worry about making extra sparks if the two boards touch. I’ve seen other addon board that seem to have forgotten that electricity likes to move through metal parts. It’s always fun to see some sparks but never from your own device or your dog.
The XMC doesn’t have any switches for power or reset. This isn’t a big problem since you can program which conditions turn on the board and which ones shut it down. Remember that the LED’s will need their own power source. The board says it can provide the power at 5Vs but unless you plug in a power supply running at 1.5 Amps, get your own power for the LEDs. It’s just easier that way. Unless you want to add on some capacitors, charge- zap, charge- zap. You get the idea.
I did run into another small problem, I don’t have tiny hands. I know these are microcomputers. I know they are supposed to be small but do they really have to make connectors that small? I had to use a magnifying glass just to insert the wire leads. A big magnifying glass and a big flashlight, even though the board put off its own light with the red color.
Luckily the manufacture understands that some of us have normal sized hands. For that they made the wire connections with nice plastic screw tighteners. These little screws keep the LED wires from slipping out of the connector that I spent years (not really, a more like few seconds) trying to get in place. They hold the LEDs very secure considering that they are plastic. I was surprised at how well the connections held the wires, especially since I’m not the most careful person I know. You don’t even want to know what my lab looks like. Imagine Tokyo after Godzilla eat a ton of bean burritos. That’s how bad my lab is organized so stuff gets tangled up all the time.
The Infineon RGB shield was able to survive my lab, my hands, my dog and my endless curiosity. This is a cool add on board for Arduino projects. One thing I wanted to really hack was not using LEDs but hooking up other low power devices and using the boards signaling capabilities. If I can pulse, blink, orbit LED lights, what is keeping me from using the same technique to control an IR light or radio signal for a mini radar device? Nothing, you just your imagination. That is the best part of hacking, you build whatever you want.
Top Comments
monroerl@gmail.com
Bob
Nice experiment ... not sure I'd be applying voltages greater than the design and the capacitor rating.
A couple of minor corrections
…Bob
While I appreciate making sense to the average person, we need to be careful not to give the wrong impression ... it is a fine line.
I wonder what would fail.
Yes testing to failure…