Primer¶

Bricks¶

Bricks are the base modules of each Tinkerforge system. Different Bricks can be used in one system, but each system requires one Brick as a minimum. Bricks can have their own features (sensors, actuators), but the main purpose of Bricks is to attach Bricklets to the system. For that each Brick has multiple Bricklet connectors.

Many Bricks can be remotely controlled by external devices, such as (embedded) PCs, over interfaces such as USB-C, WIFI or Ethernet. The external device than runs your program which controls the system by our API.

There are Bricks that can be attached to a Raspberry Pi (HAT Brick, HAT Zero Brick), such that that your software on the Raspberry Pi can control the attached hardware directly.

Master Bricks, a special type of Bricks with USB-C interface, can be assembled into a stack (see description of stack concept). The USB interface of a Master Brick can be replaced by Wi-Fi, Ethernet or RS485 using Master Extensions. In conjunction with the stack concept all Bricks and Bricklets can be controlled by Wi-Fi or Ethernet instead of by USB.

There is an extra section for discontinued Bricks.

Bricklets¶

Bricklets can be used to extend the features of Bricks. There are Bricklets to measure physical quantities such as rotation, voltage, current and ambient light as well as Bricklets for control purposes such as switching relays, digital input/output and alphanumeric output on LCDs.

Bricklets have no fixed size. Each Bricklet has the minimum size possible. Each Brick has typically multiple connectors for Bricklets. Bricklets are controlled by the connected Brick.

There is an extra section for discontinued Bricklets.

Master Extensions¶

If a Master Brick is used on its own or in a stack, communication is done over its USB interface. Master Extensions extend Master Bricks by other communication interfaces. There are cable based (RS485, Ethernet) and wireless Master Extensions (WIFI) available. Instead of over USB, Bricks and Bricklets can be controlled over Wi-Fi or Ethernet using the corresponding extension. RS485 can be used to interconnect Bricks and Bricklets over larger distances.

From a programming perspective the different interfaces are transparent. A stack with a Master Extension behaves as if every Brick in the stack is directly connected to the PC over an USB connection.

This means: You can develop an application with all modules independently connected to the PC over USB. Later you can stack these modules together to stacks, add Master Bricks and cable based or wireless Extensions and you can run the previously written code without any changes.

There is an extra section for discontinued Extensions.

Power Supplies¶

Nearly all Bricklets are powered by the Brick where they are connected to, over the Bricklet cable. If you have a Bricklet which needs some other kind of power supply, there is a description how to power the Bricklet in its documentation.

How it is possible to power a Brick and its connected Bricklets is documented in the respective documentation. For many Bricks it is possible to power the system by USB-C or a DC input.

If you use a Master Brick and you have build a Stack, this stack can be powered by the Master of the stack over its USB-C connection. This option is limited by the USB specification to 500mA. A large stack may need more power.

To provide greater currents, the Step Down Power Supply is available. It has the same size as the Master Brick, has a wide range DC input and is stacked in at the bottom of the stack.

When using a stack with Ethernet, there is the possibility to power the stack by PoE. With Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) you can power the stack by the network cable. For that you have to choose the Ethernet Extension in its PoE variant.

Stack of Master Bricks¶

A Master Brick is a 4x4cm Brick. This Brick and all Bricklets that are connected to it can be controlled over the USB-C interface of the Master Brick. Master Bricks can be stacked to add more Bricklet ports.

One Master Brick (the lowermost Brick in the stack) is responsible for the communication between all boards within the stack. This master routes the messages between the boards in the stack and the controlling device. This way only one USB connection is necessary to control all Bricks and Bricklets of a stack. For the user, the stack behaves as if all Bricks were connected separately over USB with the device. The stacking tutorial gives more information about how to use stacks.

With Master Extensions the USB interface of a stack can be replaced by Ethernet, Wi-Fi or RS485. If the USB connection does not deliver enough power power supplies can be used to power the stack.

Programming/API¶

A general description of the programming interface can be found here. An overview of the API bindings for each programming language is given here. The API of each product, including examples in any supported programming language, can be found on each product document page.

These Tutorials are an introduction to the usage of Bricks and Bricklets:

• First Steps
• Rugged Approach
• Authentication