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Yesterday we introduced the new Bricklets, today we will characterize a selection of them in detail. The Ambient Light 2.0, Analog In 2.0, Analog Out 2.0 and Moisture Bricklet 1.1 are improved versions of already existing Bricklets.

Ambient Light Bricklet 2.0

The Ambient Light Bricklet 2.0 is the successor of the Ambient Light Bricklet. The new version uses a better light sensor with a higher precision and bigger measurement range (0-64000 lux). This allows to measure sunlight much better than with the old Bricklet with its smaller measurement range (0-900 lux). Additionally, the measurement range can be configured in six steps between 0-600 and 0-64000 lux and the integration time can be configured in eight steps between 50 and 400 milliseconds. A smaller measurement range results in more precise measurements. A longer integration time results in less but more precise measurements. This allows to adapt the Ambient Light Bricklet 2.0 to the actual measurement task at hand.

Because we are already out-of-stock on the old Ambient Light Bricklet, all orders that have not yet been shipped, that include an old Ambient Light Bricklet, will automatically receive a new Ambient Light Bricklet 2.0 instead.

Analog In Bricklet 2.0

The Analog In Bricklet 2.0 is the successor of the Analog In Bricklets, that is already discontinued for a while now. We suggested the Voltage/Current Bricklet as a intermediate replacement. The improved Analog In Bricklet 2.0 is a more cost-effective alternative to the Voltage/Current Bricklet, in case you only want to measure a single voltage. It measures a DC voltage (0-42V) with 12bit resolution (~10mV). The new version uses a filtered non-inverting amplifier to reduce noise, compared to the simple voltage divider of the old Analog In Bricklet.

Analog Out Bricklet 2.0

The Analog Out Bricklet 2.0 is the successor of the Analog Out Bricklets. The new version is able to output 0-5V on its own, just as the old version. Additionally, it can output 0-12V with a external power supply connected to it. This allows to control a standard 0-10V industrial interface (DIN IEC 60381-1).

With still have some old Analog Out Bricklets in stock and will sell them for a reduced price along the new Bricklet. Once the old stock is sold we will only sell the Analog Out Bricklet 2.0.

Moisture Bricklet 1.1

The Moisture Bricklet 1.1 is a improved version of the Moisture Bricklet. In contrast to the three 2.0 Bricklets, the Moisture Bricklet 1.1 is only a new hardware version. Plugin and bindings stay the same. The old Moisture Bricklet used a specific method of measurement that could result in corrosion of the metal contacts. This destroyed the Bricklet. The improved version uses a capacitive method of measurement without bare-metal contacts, so no corrosion can occur anymore.

With still have some old Moisture Bricklets in stock, but we wont sell them anymore because of the corrosion problem. If you need an old Moisture Bricklet for some reason you can contact us.

How it continues tomorrow…

Tomorrow we will introduce four new sensor Bricklets: Accelerometer, Dust Detector, Laser Range Finder and Load Cell Bricklet.

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At the end of May we gave a sneak preview of 11 new or improved Bricklets.

Finally they arrived and are available in our shop now:

• Accelerometer Bricklet

• Ambient Light Bricklet 2.0

• Analog In Bricklet 2.0

• Analog Out Bricklet 2.0

• Dust Detector Bricklet

• Industrial Analog Out Bricklet

• Industrial Dual Analog In Bricklet

• Laser Range Finder Bricklet

• Load Cell Bricklet

• Moisture Bricklet 1.1

• RS232 Bricklet

In the next three days we will introduce each Bricklet shortly in this blog. Tomorrow we are beginning with four improved Bricklets: Ambient Light Bricklet 2.0, Analog In Bricklet 2.0, Analog Out Bricklet 2.0 und Moisture Bricklet 1.1.

Today we released version 1.7 of the RED Brick Image and new versions of the Brick Viewer and API Bindings. Additionally we now have a 3G USB Adapter in our shop.

The 3G USB Adapter is a stick with the MSM7600 chipset from Huawei. This stick can be configured through the Mobile Internet tab in the new Brick Viewer. Default settings for dial number, APN, etc are available for most providers in the Brick Viewer. After a successful configuration the stick will connect to 3G/GSM and the RED Brick will have a internet connection that is independent from Ethernet and WIFI. If you activate the access point capability of the RED Brick at the samt time, all of the devices that are connected to the RED Brick through WIFI will be able to use the internet connection of the RED Brick.

Additionally we released the new API Bindings for the already announced Bricklets. The Bindings are also present in the new RED Brick image. Unfortunately the production for the new Bricklets was delayed several times, but our assembler shipped the first Bricklets today. This means we will definitely be able to release the new Bricklets in the next week!

As you may have already heard we relocated to a new place in the last two weeks. The move was overdue, since our old offices were way too small for a long time already.

We apologize for any late email replies or long deliver times. The renovation of the building and the relocation of all of our stuff was way more time-consuming then we anticipated. Everything will be completely set up again at the end of this week. Then we will be able to work with full efficiency again ;-).

Our new address is:

Tinkerforge GmbH

Zur Brinke 7

33758 Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock

Germany

A small walktrough of our new offices directly after the relocation (German commentary):

With the new Starter Kit: Camera Slider you can move video and photo-cameras on a slider to make attractive recordings. Moving time-lapse recordings with a DSLR or arbitrary video-camera movements are the main applications of the kit. The kit can also be used for completely different purposes where linear motion is needed (see end of the video below).

The movements are done with a stepper motor, that can be controlled with a demo application. It is possible to automatically make movements from and to specified positions with a desired speed and acceleration. It is also possible to do time-lapse recordings with the software. You can configure the distance and time between shots. With the API of the Stepper Brick it is easy to integrate the camera slider into your own projects.

MakerBeams are used for the construction of the frame and the cart. This means that it is easy to add your own mounting brackets or to extend the length of the frame to up to 3m. Together with the RED Brick, a Step-Down Power Supply and our HDMI touchscreen you can make the camera slider autonomously controllable through the touchscreen. Only an additional power supply (e.g. a battery) is needed.

If your camera does not allow to start records through USB, you can also use an Industrial Quad Relay Bricklet together with an external trigger. Possible hardware modifications, a construction guide and much more information can be found in the documentation. The kit is available for 247.95€ in our shop.