Planet Arduino

If you’re looking for an ever faster, smoother, and more rewarding way to build your own IoT projects at home, the new MKR IoT Carrier Rev2 could be perfect for you.

The new carrier can work with any board from the MKR family, giving you a wide choice of connectivity options to match the needs of your next IoT project. With the MKR IoT Carrier Rev2 you don’t need any additional components to get started, and you can build impressive and complete hassle free projects this way.

What does the carrier include? You’ll get all the sensors and actuators you need to build IoT projects and connect them to the internet, taking your home automation journey to the next level.

Let’s take a quick look at what you can build with the MKR IoT Carrier Rev2 and any board from the MKR family.

• Environment monitoring stations. The new carrier comes with sensors that allow you to map and measure various things in the world around you — temperature, humidity, air quality, barometric pressure, and more. You can also track the movement of the board. For even more sensory awareness, you can connect analog or I2C grove compatible modules to the grove connectors. You can store the data you collect in the SD card or send it directly to the Arduino IoT Cloud.

• GUI IoT interface. Visualizing your data is incredibly important — and the Rev2 comes with its own OLED color display, allowing you to create your own navigation menus. You can also use the included LEDs and buzzer for feedback.

• Connect to and control external devices. The IoT is all about networks, and with the Rev2 you can control electronic devices up to 24 Volts using the two on-board relays. You can do this manually — like switching your reading lamp on or off via the Arduino IoT Cloud Remote app, or you can set the lamp to behave according to sensor data like the light levels in the room.

The MKR IoT Carrier vs the MKR IoT Carrier Rev2 — what’s the difference?

There are a few key differences between the Rev2 and the previous version of the MKR IoT Carrier. Here are the main ones.

Some sensors have changed:

• The humidity sensor (HTS221) and barometric pressure sensor (LP22HB)  has been replaced with the BME6688 sensor.
• The IMU (LSM6DS3) was replaced with LSM6DSOX.

Following customer feedback some other components have been repositioned:

• Addition of a handy reset button
• 90° rotation of the relay connectors
• Repositioning of the light sensor (APDS-9960)
• Change of pins assigned to control the relays to pins 1 and 2
• Change grove connector assignment from pin A5 to A6 

Do I have to change my sketch if I have been using the first revision of the MKR IoT Carrier?

No — the MKR IoT Carrier library works with both revisions of the carrier. Just make sure to use the latest version of the library to ensure everything goes smoothly.

Have more fun with the IoT

The new MKR IoT Carrier Rev2 is the perfect tool to get started having fun with your own IoT projects, or to take your IoT tinkering to the next level. You don’t need a ton of experience, a bucket of expensive components, or endless hours of free time to build your own satisfying, useful IoT gadgets at home.

The post Introducing the new MKR IoT Carrier Rev2: Time to start your next IoT project appeared first on Arduino Blog.

We’re excited to announce the launch of the new Arduino IoT Bundle. This is built to help you dive into the complex and fascinating world of the Internet of Things with even more confidence and possibility — giving you the hardware, software, and components you need to build your own connected IoT projects.

So how does it all work? Let’s find out more.

What is the Arduino IoT Bundle?

Getting started with the IoT can be a daunting process. It requires a certain set of tools and a level of knowledge to take those first steps, but building your own connected IoT devices can be an incredibly rewarding process once you figure out the basics.

The Arduino IoT Bundle is designed to bring together all the tools and knowledge you’ll need to get started with your first connected IoT devices. It’s built around the Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect, and the bundle also contains electronic components and a series of step-by-step tutorials to help you get started quickly and confidently.

How it works — some examples

The IoT is an incredibly rich area when it comes to building your own connected projects. There are a ton of exciting opportunities here that don’t require an enormous amount of knowledge or resources to get started with.

Let’s take a look at some examples of IoT projects, you’ll find more in the bundle:

Pavlov’s Cat

Training a cat is a tricky business, as any feline owner will know all too well. However, you can now use technology to make this task easier, using an IoT-enabled device you build at home to keep your cats in line.

This project — using only components found in the Arduino IoT Bundle and some cardboard — allows you to build a device that plays a certain melody whenever it dispenses food for your cat. At other times, it will play a different tune and your furry friend gets nothing. 

Just like Pavlov and his famous dogs, you’ll be able to train your cat to associate certain sounds with a reward — teaching your cat when it’s time for dinner.

The Nerd

Remember the days of the Tamagotchi? Caring for a digital pet was something millions of people devoted large chunks of their day to (or not, in the case of the many deceased Tamagotchis).

Now, with Arduino’s IoT Bundle, you can make your own digital pet. The Nerd lives on your desktop and survives by eating food and absorbing sunlight. Your task is easy: just make sure it’s adequately fed and has enough light to bask in. The Nerd will even help you by sending you an SOS in Morse code through a built-in speaker when it’s getting hungry.

You can feed The Nerd by pressing a button which is connected to the Arduino Cloud. Just don’t forget to keep on top of things — these creatures don’t die quietly.

Puzzle Box

This puzzle box is designed to keep your belongings safe(ish) in a cardboard container which is controlled by a fun combination lock. All you need is a few pieces of cardboard and the components from the Arduino IoT Bundle.

The box is kept closed with a servo motor, and will only open up if you turn all the potentiometers to get the right combination for access. You can set the combination in the Arduino IoT Cloud dashboard. To make things more fun, an LED on the box gives you feedback in the form of different coloured lights, letting you know how close you are to guessing the correct combination and gaining access to the box.

The puzzle box works best as a fun game to entertain others, rather than an actual security feature — but it’s still well worth giving a try.

Tap into the IoT with Arduino

Arduino’s IoT Bundle is the perfect introduction to tinkering around with your very own IoT devices at home. It gives you everything you need to get started with some simple projects, and requires very few pre-existing components and not much prior experience at all.

The post Introducing Arduino’s IoT Bundle and what it means for you appeared first on Arduino Blog.