The DIY world is experiencing a true explosion of activity thanks to crowdfunding, with projects presenting all kinds of combinations and configurations that are impossible to obtain through official channels. Today we find a new idea: Fireduino, offering a dual-core Cortex-M3 MCU, full compatibility with the Arduino IDE, WiFi connectivity, audio input and output, support for LCD panels, and an extremely attractive price.
Once again, we continue the excellent adventure of exploring alternative hardware compatible with platforms like Arduino or Raspberry Pi. Open source, familiar designs, greater integration, and ever-lower costs give these alternatives the potential to be far superior to the original products, assuming manufacturing and support are up to par. The path takes us to Zhongshan, near the famous Shenzhen. There, the company T-Firefly is developing the Fireduino, a module based on the RKNanoD MCU made by Rockchip, with two cores inside (one for "system" and the other for "calculation").
Features and capabilities
In general terms, T-Firefly explains that the Fireduino equates to two Arduino Uno units, accompanied by an audio module, real-time clock, WiFi connectivity, and Flash. Being programmable with the Arduino IDE opens up a wide range of possibilities, from robotics to the Internet of Things, passing through wireless audio players and digital instruments. It is also compatible with the FireBlock environment, which is essentially Scratch with some modifications. If desired, the Fireduino can receive a small LCD screen with a maximum resolution of 400 by 400 pixels, and microSD memory cards, more than enough for dozens of applications. As for audio support, Fireduino has a megabyte of dedicated SRAM, allowing it to deliver 192 KHz at 24 bits without issues.
Funding and availability
The Fireduino campaign is taking place on Kickstarter, and beyond the very broken English used by its developers, it confirms their full capacity to build the device. The two cheapest options of $15 and $20 sold out immediately, so if you want one now accompanied by an 8 GB microSD card, you will have to pay $25 and wait until September at least.
