The Board
The Arduino (in this class we are using the Arduino 101) is a microcontroller development board. I can control everything from your lights to a feeder for your cat/dog/fish/dragon ect. To get an idea of the possibilities just check out some of these great projects.
Processor
The arduino 101 is running on the Intel Curie SoC. It is one crazy powerful chip. Basically it is a computer the size of a small button. Even at that size it packs a punch. Here is a few specs.
- 32 bit processor
- 384kb of flash storage
- 80kb of SRAM
- Bluetooth
- 6 axis accelerometer and gyroscope
In and Outs
The Arduino 101 has many ways to talk to the world. First off there is the 14 digital I/O pins that can be used to tune LEDs on and off, move servos and much more. Then there is the 6 analog inputs. These can be used for reading the voltage of a battery or pick up a guitars output. Also we can talk to other boards via ICSP or I^2C (it is ok if that make no sense now). Let's not forget the built in Bluetooth to talk with out phones and other devices!