Planet Arduino

We are excited to announce that starting today a limited batch of 50 Arduino TRE Developer Edition boards is  available in the Arduino Store.

The Arduino TRE Developer Edition (see other pics) is a pre-production board. Its release kicks off our redesigned Beta Testing Program: anyone in the community who purchases the board will be able to give us feedback and suggestions in a new, direct way.

After buying the board you’ll receive an invitation to join the beta-testing program, as a beta-tester you will be able to contribute to the development of the board by signing up for tasks and projects. You’ll be working alongside the Arduino and BeagleBoard.org teams on tasks such as writing examples, testing libraries and external hardware, and making projects. Completed tasks will be rewarded with a special program of benefits, including the possibility of featuring your project on the Arduino blog and receiving a coupon for the same value of the TRE Developer Edition you purchased. We will be beta-testing the board for about three months.

As many of you already know, the Arduino TRE is not a typical Arduino board. It’s a Linux computer running on a Sitara processor, plus a full Arduino Leonardo. It builds upon the experience of both Arduino and BeagleBoard.org, combining the strengths of both.

When using Arduino TRE  you’ll see a new editor (IDE) that has been specifically developed for this board. The TRE IDE comes pre-installed with the onboard Linux and is accessible via a web browser. It builds upon the simplicity of the Arduino software experience, while adding a few new powerful features (such as uploading sketches from the onboard Linux) and a refreshed UI.

Please keep in mind that the final release could differ to any degree from this one. By being part of the beta program you will be notified in realtime of any change in the hardware or software so that your product or application will be fully compatible with the release version.

The Arduino TRE final board will be available later this year, pending results of Beta Testing Program.

Arduino TRE Developer edition will be also at Maker Faire Bay Area next weekend! Come and visit us at the Arduino booth (#204).

Next saturday  5th of October Massimo Banzi with Jason Kridner and Gerald Coley (Texas Instrument) will talk about the new collaboration on Arduino TRE during a talk at Maker Faire Rome ( from 15.30 in Room G – Archimede).

Arduino TRE, based on the Texas Instruments Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 processor is the “most powerful Arduino to date” and the first that will be able to run “full Linux.”

Thanks to the 1-GHz Sitara AM335x processor, Arduino developers get up to 100 times more performance with the Sitara-processor-based TRE than they do on the Arduino Leonardo or Uno. This performance opens the doors to more advanced Linux-powered applications. The Sitara-processor-based Linux Arduino can run high-performance desktop applications, processing-intensive algorithms or high-speed communications.

The Arduino TRE is two Arduinos in one: the Sitara-processor-based Linux Arduino plus a full AVR-based Arduino, while leveraging the simplicity of the Arduino software experience. The integration of the AVR Arduino enables the Arduino TRE to use the existing shield ecosystem so that innovators can expand the Arduino TRE to develop a wide range of high-performance applications such as 3D printers, gateways for building automation and lighting automation, telemetry hubs that collect data from nearby sensors wirelessly, and other connected applications that require host control plus real-time operations. 

In addition, the Arduino TRE is partially the result of a close collaboration between Arduino and the BeagleBoard.org foundation. These open hardware pioneers share a passion for expanding open source development and making technology accessible for artists, designers and hobbyists. The TRE design builds upon the experience of both Arduino and BeagleBoard, combining the benefits of both community based boards.

“By choosing TI’s Sitara AM335x processor to power the Arduino TRE, we’re enabling customers to leverage the capabilities of an exponentially faster processor running full Linux,” said Massimo Banzi, co-founder, Arduino.

“Our customers now have a scalable portfolio at their fingertips, from the microcontroller-based Uno to the TRE Linux computer.”

The Arduino TRE is expected to be available in spring 2014 but you’ll be able to see it live during Maker Faire Rome.

See more pictures of Arduino TRE on Flickr.