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Connecting machines and equipment to the internet became easier than ever when we launched the Arduino Opta micro PLC, enabling real-time control, monitoring, predictive maintenance and more – in industries ranging from smart agriculture to large-scale manufacturing to building automation. 

Supporting our well-known Arduino sketch programming experience and any of the five IEC 61131-3 PLC standard languages, the Opta was designed to be powerful yet easy to use from the start – as well as highly secure. Indeed, the Opta supports OTA firmware updates and ensures data security from the hardware to the Cloud thanks to the physical onboard secure element and X.509 Standard compliance. 

In addition, as part of the go-to-market for this innovative hardware solution, we actively committed to verifying its security against the threats posed by cyberattacks. 

To this end, in late 2023 we started a collaboration with global cybersecurity provider HWG Sababa: their Offensive Team engaged in a penetration test that lasted weeks, assessing Opta’s security posture and pinpointing any weaknesses. Their meticulous report allowed us to remedy any vulnerabilities before they became actual issues, and now we are proud to say the Opta is more secure than ever.

The software patches and configuration updates we carried out are part of our ongoing commitment to providing you the most robust solutions on the market in every respect – including against ever-evolving cyber threats. The rigorous testing process and following activities our team completed only confirms Opta as an ideal candidate for any industrial automation project you have in mind. 

To find out more about the testing process itself, check out the case study published by HWG Sababa

The post Opta: Enhanced cybersecurity after HWG Sababa’s testing appeared first on Arduino Blog.

At Arduino, we’re committed to providing developers with tools that make the coding process smooth and efficient. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce the new Arduino_PortentaMachineControl library, an upgraded version designed to replace the deprecated Arduino_MachineControl library. It comes with a number of improvements, from a revamped structure to enhanced documentation, making it easier than ever to manage the features of the Arduino Portenta Machine Control.

Don’t know the Arduino Portenta Machine Control? It’s a versatile industrial control unit offering soft-PLC control, diverse I/O options, and flexible network connectivity. For more information about this product, visit the dedicated page.

What you’ll find in the new library

  • Enhanced library structure: We restructured the library to improve its organization, making it more intuitive. This ensures that you can quickly locate and utilize the functions you need for your projects. 
  • Easier-to-understand names: We standardized function and class names for better consistency and readability. This change ensures a clearer and more understandable codebase. 
  • Optimized efficiency: We eliminated unnecessary functions, decluttering the library and focusing on the essential features needed for effective machine control. 
  • Refreshed and clearer examples: You’ll find reworked examples to showcase the library’s capabilities, providing a better demonstration of the board’s features and of their usage.

User manual and migration tutorial

But that’s not all! Alongside the library, we’re excited to release the official user manual for the Arduino Portenta Machine Control: an essential and in-depth guide to all the board’s features, readily available to all users.

In addition – knowing that transitioning from the old Arduino_MachineControl library might pose some challenges – we’ve prepared a detailed migration tutorial to guide you seamlessly through the process. Make the switch confidently and take advantage of the improved functionality offered by the new library!

And if that’s not enough, we’ve also included additional technical documentation with the library, ensuring that you have all the information you need to benefit from its new and improved capabilities.

Ready to elevate your iIndustrial product?

Download the Arduino_PortentaMachineControl library through the Arduino IDE library manager or directly from the GitHub repository.

Don’t forget to explore the user manual and the migration tutorial to make the most of the new features.

We’re excited to see how this library empowers your projects and takes your Arduino development to new heights. Happy coding!

The post New Portenta Machine Control library boosts industrial project performance appeared first on Arduino Blog.

The Nano 33 BLE is one of our most popular boards, and for good reason. It’s small and 3.3-V-compatible; it comes with an embedded nine-axis IMU featuring accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer; it has a powerful processor; it offers a powerful Bluetooth® Low Energy module with an internal antenna that can be used to transmit data between different devices using the ArduinoBLE library; and it can be programmed with MicroPython. 

It’s basically everything you need for projects that span from wearable to advanced robotics. 

So, why work on making it better?

Because we listen to our community, that’s why. And based on your requests, we’ve come up with improvements to enhance your experience with a revised iteration of the Arduino Nano 33 BLE with a newly integrated IMU to expand experimentation possibilities, and a streamlined PCB design to grant easy access to essential features.

And here is exactly what you can find in the new Rev2, compared to its predecessor:

  • It has a combination of two IMUs (BMI270 six-axis IMU plus BMM150 three-axis IMU) instead of a single, nine-axis one.
  • While retaining the compact form factor, the new Nano 33 BLE Rev2 incorporates new pads and test points for USB, SWDIO, and SWCLK, making it easier to access these crucial points on the board.
  • We introduced a new VUSB soldering jumper on the top side, allowing you to conveniently enable the VUSB pin while using the castellated pins.
  • In addition, the Nano 33 BLE Rev2 transitions the power supply component to the MP2322 to guarantee increased performance. 

These updates collectively contribute to a more streamlined and robust device, ready for you to test and build just about any IoT project – and more. For example, the Nano 33 BLE Rev2 is still ideal to control RGB LEDs over Bluetooth®, using an app on your phone, and supports OpenMV’s fork of MicroPython

If you already know the Nano 33 BLE from its first revision, you can easily migrate your sketches to use them with the new and improved version: if you need help, just follow our dedicated tutorial.

After the launch of the Nano ESP32 earlier this year, it’s the perfect addition to the “tiny footprint, mighty features” family that has proven time and time again that we can ramp up features and performance while scaling down size. Don’t believe us? Check out the classic Arduino Nano or upgrade to the Nano 33 BLE Sense Rev2 if you want to include a complete set of sensors, too. 

For full tech specs, tutorials and inspiration on the Nano 33 BLE Rev2, head to the dedicated Arduino Docs page. Ready to get your own? The Nano 33 BLE with headers and without headers are now available on our Store.

The post Not bigger, just better: Introducing the Nano 33 BLE Rev2 appeared first on Arduino Blog.

We’ve just released Arduino IDE 2.3, and along with the usual list of bug-fixes and improvements, this new version marks the end of the experimental phase for the debug feature – which is now stable and fully incorporated into the IDE!

True to our belief in open standards and interoperability, the debug feature is now based on a standard framework documented in the new specifications and guidelines. As a result, maintainers of Arduino cores can now add debugging for any board and leverage the UI and debugging engine provided by the Arduino IDE. 

What’s more, thanks to this new open framework, we already enabled the debug feature for all the Arduino boards based on the Mbed™ core, which include GIGA R1 WiFi, Portenta H7, Opta, Nano BLE and Nano RP2040 Connect, while the Renesas-based boards (UNO R4, Portenta C33) will follow in the next hours.

We’ve worked on implementing debug in IDE 2 for a long time, in collaboration with the open-source community and, more recently, in close contact with Espressif to make sure that ESP32 devices would be fully supported. So keep an eye on the upcoming release of the Arduino-ESP32 core, which will support the new debug framework! 

Want to be able to debug your favorite board using IDE 2.3?

Get in touch with the platform developer or, even better, help them by submitting a pull request to implement the new specifications.

We look forward to receiving your feedback on the new debugging features in the Arduino forum or, if you’re a developer and want to report a bug, directly in the GitHub repository.

Still curious about those bug-fixes? Arduino IDE 2.3 fixes security issue CVE-2023-4863 (see details in this commit).

Enjoy the new Arduino IDE, and help us make our development environment better than ever! 

The post IDE 2.3 is out, and you’ll love the new debugging features in it appeared first on Arduino Blog.

The launch of the Arduino UNO R4 marks a huge leap forward for our community. For us, it’s also the chance to celebrate the people who bring our ecosystem to life with their bright ideas, radiant enthusiasm, and shining insight.

That is how the UNO R4 Stars blog post series began: to highlight makers who have not only created amazing projects with Arduino, but who are giving back to the community by sharing as they go and helping others make anything they wish.

We invite you to discover each profile, hoping you might find a North Star to navigate around an expanding galaxy or venture into completely new universes.

Brenda Akoth Mboya, a trailblazing STEM educator and the co-founder of Jenga Labs Africa, embodies the spirit of Arduino-driven innovation in the realm of education and community empowerment. “My passion lies in inspiring African youth by using technology and leadership as tools,” she affirms – and we take pride in being the platform of choice for her vision. 

Mboya’s journey with Arduino began with a revelatory moment, when she realized that technology could be both easy and fun, empowering even children under 13 to create meaningful and innovative projects of their own.

Initiating Jenga Labs Africa in 2019, Mboya embarked on a groundbreaking venture to introduce 4th Industrial Revolution technologies to the next generation of African innovators and makers. Through collaborations with West African schools, the startup has seamlessly infused STEM activities into curricula and set up makerspaces available to all students.

In addition, Mboya actively engages young minds in the technology space as part of the Arm Engage program and the Arduino user group in Kenya, organizing events that bring together electronics enthusiasts eager to dive into the vast potential of microcontrollers. A recent major achievement was the successful orchestration of a 12-hour hackathon in Kisumu, leveraging the capabilities of IoT to address critical agricultural challenges in western Kenya. The event showcased the exceptional talents of the local youth – something that Mboya holds dear: “Being a maker in 2023, especially in the African continent, means having the tools to create solutions tailored to African needs – thus moving away from being mere consumers of Western technologies, and towards becoming creators of solutions that address specific African use cases.”

Indeed, the project that most deeply resonates with her vision at the moment is the 1-year Leadership and Technology Program Jenga Labs is about to launch in Kibera, one of Nairobi’s largest slums. This initiative aims to empower the community by training them on Arduino technology, enabling them to create innovative solutions for the myriad problems and challenges they face every day. Mboya sees this as a transformative way to give back, fostering a sense of leadership and innovation that can spark positive change. In Mboya’s world, Arduino is not just a tool: it’s a catalyst for African youths to shape their destinies and contribute to the advancement of their communities.

We asked Brenda, “What’s your favorite part of the UNO R4?”

  • The LED matrix for quick visualization, allowing for instant satisfaction as well as clear help in debugging.
  • The USB-C connector: having this extremely popular option means “I can even use my phone’s cable to quickly do something on the Arduino”.
  • The top-notch speed and connectivity features compared to the UNO Rev3.

Keep up with the updates on Mboya’s impact on the world by following her LinkedIn profile or visit Jenga Labs’ website!

The post UNO R4 Stars: Meet Brenda Mboya appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Have you checked out Arduino Docs lately? If it looks different, it’s because we can finally reveal the makeover we’ve been working on for months – in line with our constant efforts to learn, improve and share all of it along the way!

You can always count on Arduino Docs

Arduino Docs is our public and collaborative repository of info, tech specs, and tutorials. It is a huge mass of online resources that we create, organize and maintain also thanks to our amazing community’s contributions (managed via GitHub: here’s how you can help if you are interested). 

With 75+ current hardware products documented, hundreds of tutorials, and dozens of datasheets, it’s definitely the go-to resource center any time you have a new Arduino product, want to learn a new skill, or need help to figure something out! Want to host a web server on your brand new MKR WiFi 1010? Can’t wait to dive into the ultimate manual for your Opta micro PLC? Wondering how to set up a security system using ML? Need a solid starter guide for Arduino Cloud, the IDE 2, or Arduino in general? Arduino Docs has you covered, with specific and updated information to support all of this and so much more.

What’s new and improved!

Open-source through and through, Arduino Docs is a shared space that’s wonderfully alive with updates and new ideas. But it can also get messy and confusing – and that’s why we decided to revamp its design and architecture completely, to improve your experience and navigation.

Our goal was to make all the resources more accessible: easier to find, easier to consult. That’s why you can now explore a new and improved Arduino Docs:

  • It welcomes you with a new homepage. Don’t know where to start? Pick one of the main sections featured here: choose between hardware, software or Cloud, and see what each one has to offer.
  • It has a sidebar so you never get lost. The side menu mirrors the main sections and drills down so you always know where you are as you browse documentation.
  • It streamlines finding hardware info. Datasheets and tutorials specific to each component are now presented within its dedicated page.
  • It helps you get started. As much as we’ve worked on making specific items more intuitive to find, we know sometimes you’re just curious about discovering more about a broader subject. That’s why we’ve included new suggestions to get started with the Arduino Cloud or MicroPython, and you’ll see a whole Learn section prominently displayed.
  • It looks (and works) better on mobile. A big improvement for smaller devices! 

The myriad resources and open-source nature of the project remain the same. But they now live in a neater home, where it’s easier and faster for you to find everything you need to discover, learn, make, and share your knowledge about Arduino. 

The post What’s up, Docs? Arduino Docs gets a revamp! appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Three is the magic number, and extending the annual event that celebrates our community from one to three days will make for a very special edition this year. Today, we are finally announcing the dates for Arduino Days, taking place on March 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 2024. Mark your calendars, and bookmark the dedicated website for up-to-date information as we get closer to launch.

Now in its 11th year, this is the event that brings together all Arduino users and shines the spotlight on the most outstanding projects and ideas – across the world! We’ve had some great contributions in the past: remember Jeanne Harignordoquy’s World Wind Radio in 2023, or the Blue Box Project by Judit Giró Benet and Billy Chen in 2021? All sessions will be broadcast in live streaming (and later remain available on our YouTube channel) for maximum accessibility and visibility.

Arduino Days are also a great time for us at Arduino to share our knowledge and unique point of view, including awesome ways to leverage our newest solutions (last year, we focused on the Nicla family and Opta) and insights from our own management – and even guest stars like Bruce Sterling

This year, we look forward to showcasing a huge range of applications, from industrial-grade solutions to wow-worthy prototypes, and from educational tutorials to completely original ideas that put a twist on our ecosystem. We’ll also treat our community to some exciting new product announcements, behind-the-scenes from our collaborations with industrial partners, and deep dives on current trends like Edge AI, TinyML, real-time monitoring, and so much more. Stay tuned! 

The Call for Speakers

We will share the complete three-day agenda in the run-up to the event, but first… we want to give you the chance to be part of Arduino Days with your most impressive and interesting projects! Submit yours following the easy process on the dedicated website.

Should you be selected as a speaker for the 2024 edition, our team will be in touch to support you in producing the most effective video or presentation for the Arduino Days lineup – so you can be sure to make the best of your 10 minutes at the center of our stage.

Visit the Arduino Days website for details or go directly to the submission form for speakers.

The Call for Organizers

We are also currently accepting submissions for organized events around the world, to take place during Arduino Days (either online or in person). If you want to be part of this incredible network of initiatives, tell us more by answering the call! All submissions will be featured on our website for a boost of visibility, and selected organizers will receive an exclusive package of communication material. 

Visit the Arduino Days website for details or go directly to the submission form for organizers.

Whether you want to speak at Arduino Days or add to the celebrations with your own, original event, we can’t wait to see your suggestions – and for the whole Arduino community to see YOU!

The post 3, 2, 1! Join us in the countdown for Arduino Days 2024 appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Welcome to the next chapter in our ‘Better, with You’ journey! In recent blog posts, we’ve explored the refreshed look of Arduino Cloud and introduced the latest features of the renewed Arduino IoT Remote app. Today, we’re thrilled to unveil another game-changer, the new Arduino Cloud Editor, which brings the classic Arduino IDE experience to your browser.

The new Cloud Editor

Imagine that you can start your project without having to deal with any annoying setups or maintenance headaches. Imagine that you’re free to work from wherever you want. Well, that’s the vibe of our new Cloud Editor. We’ve made the whole development experience way smoother, so you can forget about the boring techy stuff and just focus on bringing your ideas to life. Let’s dive in!

A unified and more powerful editor

Traditionally, Arduino Cloud had two separate editors: an embedded simple one and the full editor. Users have long awaited a unified editor that gets the best of each one. The new Cloud Editor achieves just that, completely revamping its implementation and setting the stage for exciting new upcoming features.

Tip: To facilitate a smooth transition, the new Cloud Editor will coexist with the current one over the next 2 months. During this period, you can choose to opt-in for the new editor or keep the existing version. It’s your call! Scroll down to the “Try it now” section to find out how to activate the new Cloud Editor on your account. 

Better library and example management

The new Cloud Editor provides a library manager that helps you explore and organize libraries as well as easily use their examples.

Screenshot of the revamped library manager in the new Arduino Cloud Editor

Improved serial monitor 

The serial monitor has been improved with the ability to download logs and the inclusion of timestamps per line. This is a long-time requested feature by users to improve debugging.

Screenshot of the improved serial monitor with timestamps in the new Arduino Cloud Editor

Support for any Arduino IDE-compatible device

The Arduino Cloud Editor supports any device compatible with the Arduino IDE, thus extending your Arduino development experience to your browser.

A single sketch repository

Whether you’re programming IoT sketches or traditional ones, the new Arduino Cloud provides a unified place to store and organize your sketches with a single editor for all of them.

Screenshot of the new Arduino Cloud sketchbook with the Sketches and IoT Sketches tabs

Keep your sketches organized

The sketchbook allows you to create folders so that you can keep your sketches organized in a more efficient way.

How to use the Cloud Editor

In the new Arduino Cloud, sketches are organized as “Sketches” and “IoT Sketches”, where “IoT Sketches” are the ones that have been created to connect the application with Arduino Cloud so that it can be monitored and controlled using the dashboards.

Your standalone sketch development starts from the “Sketch” section of your sketchbook. Just click on “CREATE SKETCH” or select the sketch you want to edit. 

IoT Sketches are automatically created when you create an Arduino Cloud Thing. Once they are created, you can access the sketch either from the Thing or the “IoT Sketch” section of your sketchbook.

Try it now

Click on “TRY NOW” as shown in the screenshot below to start using the new Cloud Editor. If you need a bit more time before moving to the new version, you can still use the existing version until March 31st by clicking on “MAYBE LATER.”

You can now have the option to try the new Cloud Editor from the notification at the bottom right hand corner of your screen.

Please note that Chromebook support will not be available initially. Stay tuned for updates as we will announce Chromebook support as soon as it is ready.

The new editor is part of the new Arduino Cloud

If you’re just getting into the Arduino Cloud, don’t worry, we’ve got the lowdown for you right here. Arduino Cloud is the next exciting step in the Arduino journey for IoT enthusiasts. Here is a quick intro video that will give you a summary in 2 minutes.

Basically, if you’ve got an IoT project idea, you can easily turn it  into a real project using this all-in-one, easy Cloud platform. It helps you create applications that can be monitored and controlled from custom dashboards accessible from your browser or your mobile phone. It not only supports Arduino and ESP-based devices, but also any device programmed using Python, MicroPython, Javascript or Node-RED. Which is why the Arduino community is talking a lot about it at the moment! Forget about dealing with complicated stuff – the Arduino Cloud lets anyone, no matter their skill level, create stuff from wherever. 

Want a sneak peek? Here’s Karl giving you a tour of Arduino Cloud with the latest new UI.

Get started with the Arduino Cloud

Are you ready to dive in? Learn more about the new Cloud Editor through our detailed documentation. And to sweeten the deal, don’t forget to grab your first month free on the Maker plan with the code ‘MAKER2024 at checkout. But hurry, this offer is only valid until January 31st (You can cancel anytime). Join us in unlocking the full potential of your creative projects!

The post Your classic Arduino IDE experience, now in the Cloud appeared first on Arduino Blog.

New year, new Open Source Report! Lots has happened in 2023 in terms of open-source development, and we’re excited to share our yearly recap of the various contributions from the Arduino team and the community. Together, we have released new, important open-source projects – both hardware and software – as well as published and maintained a staggering number of libraries, growing our shared resources at a record-breaking pace. 

Apparently, we have a history of surpassing our own expectations – and 2023 was no exception. We joined the Zephyr® Project, released five new open-source hardware products, five new versions of the Arduino IDE 2.x, 13 new versions of our command line tools, 12 new official libraries, and 13 versions of the official board packages. We also worked to significantly support MicroPython – releasing a new installer tool and creating a package index.

The Arduino community has clearly shown its love for open source too. During 2023, 1,068 new libraries were added (+20% in one year!) and 101 new versions of community board packages were released. On the content side, 205 new open-source tutorials were published on our new Project Hub

The 2023 Report also includes a ranking of the most active library authors and maintainers, who provide an incredible service to the whole community with their hard work in the name of open source.

Finally, the achievements we are proud to recap in the Arduino Open Source Report would not be possible without you. To all the people who buy original Arduino products, subscribe to Arduino Cloud, or make donations: THANK YOU for supporting us and our efforts in open-source development. 

Let’s get ready for a very open source 2024!

(And if you missed the last yearly report about 2022, go check it out now!)

The post The 2023 Arduino Open Source Report is out appeared first on Arduino Blog.

The world of IoT just got more exciting: Arduino and SiLabs unveil plans for Matter protocol integration.

In a groundbreaking development for IoT enthusiasts and professionals alike, Arduino and Silicon Labs (SiLabs) have announced a collaboration that promises to revolutionize access to the Matter protocol. This initiative is set to unfold in two major phases, ushering in a new era of connectivity and innovation.

Phase one: The dawn of a new era in IoT development begins at CES 2024

At CES 2024, Arduino and SiLabs have revealed the first phase of their ambitious project. This phase marks the release of an extremely user-friendly Arduino library tailored for the Matter protocol, alongside the Arduino core for SiLabs microcontrollers. This integration into the Arduino IDE is a significant leap forward, making advanced IoT development more accessible than ever.

“Our partnership with Arduino brings simplicity and ease of use to wireless development for Silicon Labs developers as well as Arduino’s 40M users to take their project from concept to production,” said Rob Shane, VP of Global Mass Markets for Silicon Labs. “By integrating Matter with Arduino’s ecosystem, we’re opening a universe of possibilities for developers.” 

This announcement is not just about new tools; it’s a statement of intent to make IoT technology more accessible to a wider range of users, from hobbyists to professionals.

Get started now: Use existing Matter boards

In anticipation of the second phase, the Arduino community can begin experimenting with Matter protocol through existing boards. Our friends at SparkFun have provided an excellent platform for this purpose, allowing users to get a head start in exploring the potential of Matter with Arduino.

You can download the new core right now to start experimenting with the Silabs xG24 Explorer Kit and the Sparkfun Thing Plus Matter.

“We are thrilled with the continued adoption of Matter to support IoT applications. The Matter implementation in Arduino has been a massive undertaking and it will make Matter even more accessible for engineers, creators, and innovators across the globe. This is another major step forward in interoperability and improving our daily interactions with the devices we have come to reply upon.” – Glenn Samala, CEO at SparkFun

Phase two: The launch of a revolutionary board ads to Arduino Day celebrations

The second phase is set to culminate on Arduino Day, in March 2024, with the release of an innovative addition to the über-popular Nano family, with a board based on the SiLabs MGM240SD22VNA. This board is expected to be a game-changer in the field of IoT, offering unparalleled ease of use and capabilities.

What this means for the Arduino community

The collaboration between Arduino and SiLabs, leading up to these releases, represents a major stride in making advanced IoT technologies more accessible. The combination of Arduino’s user-friendly interface with the robust capabilities of SiLabs’ technology and the universality of the Matter protocol is a recipe for innovation.

For educators, students, hobbyists, and professionals, this means an unprecedented opportunity to dive into IoT projects with greater ease and more powerful tools. The implications for smart home applications, industrial IoT, and educational projects are immense.

Looking ahead

Here is a sneak peek of the new board being developed – stay tuned for the launch in March 2024!

As we eagerly await these releases, the excitement within the Arduino community is palpable. This collaboration is not just about new products; it’s about empowering a whole generation of creators and innovators, breaking down barriers, and opening up new horizons in the world of IoT.

Stay tuned for more updates as we approach these landmark dates, and get ready to embark on a journey of discovery and innovation with Arduino and SiLabs.

Are you in Las Vegas? Come meet the Arduino team at CES 2024 – Venetian Tower — Suite 29-228.

The post Arduino and Silicon Labs team up to make the Matter protocol accessible to all appeared first on Arduino Blog.



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