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SILICON CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Production Manager Greg Swain, B.Sc. (Hons.) Technical Editor John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Ross Tester Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc Nicholas Vinen Photography Ross Tester Reader Services Ann Morris Advertising Enquiries Glyn Smith Phone (02) 9939 3295 Mobile 0431 792 293 glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst David Maddison B.App.Sc. (Hons 1), PhD, Grad.Dip.Entr.Innov. Kevin Poulter Dave Thompson SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49 003 205 490. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Offset Alpine, Lidcombe, NSW. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $105.00 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see our website or the subscriptions page in this issue. Editorial office: Unit 1, 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9939 3295. E-mail: silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 Recommended & maximum price only. 4  Silicon Chip Publisher’s Letter Arduino, Raspberry Pi or Maximite – which will gain the ascendancy? As a politician would say, it is a very exciting time to be involved in electronics. As far as components are concerned we have the challenges associated with the rapid changeover from through-hole to surface mount devices. Their minuscule size certainly makes them a challenge for anyone without good close-up vision but that also means that we can now design PCBs which are a great deal smaller than equivalent boards with through-hole components. As examples of this, consider the tiny microwave detector or the Arduino Multifunction 24-bit shield projects featured in this issue. They would be quite a bit larger and also more expensive if we had only used through-hole components. But apart from SMDs, we also have the dynamic interplay of microcontroller “systems” which typically involve a family of microprocessors with a high level language and a huge library of ready-made solutions, which vast numbers of enthusiasts can apply to all sorts of problems. The key players in this arena are Arduino, Raspberry Pi and the Micromite which is now teamed with the LCD BackPack and featured in recent issues of SILICON CHIP. Reflecting this diversity, SILICON CHIP has regularly featured projects and articles on Arduino and the Raspberry Pi. Last month we had articles on all three. So is one of these systems likely to gain the ascendancy at any time in the next 10 years? Nobody could possibly forecast that because they are all likely to change radically in that period, with all sorts of extra features and capabilities. But let’s think about the particular advantages of each system. First, there is a vast range of sensor modules (shields) available for use with Arduino microcontrollers and an attendant library of software routines which enable anyone to use them easily. But while that might be seen as a big advantage for Arduino, it is great for anyone involved in electronics, whether they are Arduino fans or not. In fact, at SILICON CHIP, we don’t think of them as Arduino sensor modules; we think they are just sensor modules and they can be used in any project. In fact, the Micromite BackPack Parking Assistant project presented last month used an ultrasonic sensor module intended for use with Arduinos. A lot of Arduino modules can be used in projects where there is no microprocessor involved or any need for software. If you have tended to ignore Arduino modules, look again. Many are pretty straightforward to use. The Raspberry Pi has taken quite a different approach and almost seems to be aiming to produce dedicated PC applications. The latest version, the Raspberry Pi 3, has even more capabilities, including built-in WiFi. It too has shields (or “hats”) but nowhere near as many options as Arduino (yet). And then there is our own favourite, the Micromite, produced by Geoff Graham. This has been around for a few years now and in some ways could be considered as a successor to the PICAXE range developed by Revolution Education in the UK. But now the Micromite has been teamed with a cheap, readily available touchscreen LCD display, in the Micromite LCD BackPack and that changes everything. Yes, there are touch-screens available for Arduino and Raspberry Pi but they tend to be larger and somewhat more expensive. And the Micromite BackPack can be programmed using easy-to-understand BASIC. Overall, we think that the Micromite BackPack will change the design approach for a large range of electronic projects. Whereas in the past we might have produced a project with a 2-line LCD and perhaps a few (or many) switches and controls, now we can have a project which works similarly to an App on a smart phone. And while some people might hate touch-screens (they call them “smudge screens”), they can be very convenient and a lot simpler than devices with switches and potentiometers. Which of these competing systems will win? Impossible to say. But it will be a fascinating ride in the coming decade. Leo Simpson siliconchip.com.au