Introduction to Open Source Hardware, Arduino and BeagleBone

Introduction to Open Source Hardware, Arduino and BeagleBone

Lets begin with the introduction to open source hardware, arduino and beaglebone. Most of us who are interested in Robots and stuff must have heard about these platforms. Let us take a look at what they are. We will soon be posting about  D.I.Y project about Using Arduino as a web server. Lets begin with intro to the arduino & beaglebone.

Both Arduino and BeagleBone are examples of Open Source hardware. This means that if you have all the tools, you can design your own Arduino/BeagleBone at your home, which will cost you a LOT less than buying one! Moreover, arduino based microcontrollers are available in market that cost less than half of the official board, with similar components and exactly same functionality.

Though both look similar, while Arduino is a Microcontroller, BeagleBone is a mini computer. This means that Adruino is basically simpler and apt for beginners. It uses an Atmel Atmega328 Micoprocessor chip. It has no Operating System and Programs (called SKETCHES) are uploaded to it from your computer through a USB cable. It can run ONLY ONE program at a time. The arduino sketches are written in Embedded C, a C-style language for embedded systems, though other languages can also be used. BeagleBone, on the other hand, runs on a Linux Operating System and is more complex. It is suited for advanced users, who are familiar with the linux terminal. BeagleBone can be programmed in almost any language. It can run MULTIPLE PROGRAMS at once, due to the sophisticated Linux OS. Both of them have Digital and Analog Input/Output pins, can interface with the external sensors and can be used to create a whole lot of gadgets.

So which one is better? That is a subjective question and depends on the user and her/his requirements.

->Arduino is much cheaper than BeagleBone,more flexible and is more suitable for small projects.
->For internet related and heavier projects that require graphical interface, more processing speed, multi asking etc, BeagleBone is more appropriate.
->BeagleBone also provides more number of Input/Output pins, which means more number of devices can be directly connected to the board.

Know more about Arduino here & Beaglebone here