The MicroView – which recently made its Kickstarter debut – is a chip-sized platform with a built-in OLED (64×48) display.
Essentially, the MicroView allows Makers to see what the Atmel-based board is “thinking” without having to link with a PC. The device, designed by the Geek Ammo crew, is powered by Atmel’s versatile ATmega328P microcontroller (MCU).
Additional key features and specs include:
- Support for the Arduino IDE 1.0+ (OSX/Win/Linux)
- Direct 3.3 VDC – 16 VDC power input, no power regulator required
- Standard DIP package
- Breadboard friendly or direct solder
- Operating Voltage: 5 V
- Input Voltage: 3.3 VDC – 16 VDC
- Digital I/O Pins: 12 (of which 3 provide PWM output)
- Analog Input Pins: 6
- Flash Memory: 32 KB
- SRAM: 2 KB
- EEPROM: 1 Kilobyte
- Clock Speed: 16 Mhz
“No more cryptic ‘Hello World’ LED blink sequences or shoehorning oversized displays,” a Geek Ammo rep explained.
“Development is much easier when you can [actually] see what’s going on.”
In addition to providing a wide range of tutorials, the Geek Ammo crew has developed a cross-platform MicroView course that takes Makers through a step-by-step process of building 11 different circuits including:
- Blinking LEDs and creating various colors on an RGB LED
- Obtaining readings from a potentiometer
- Taking the input from a push button
- Sensing temperature and light
- Controlling actuators relays, motors and servos
- Generating sound
The MicroView can be powered via a number of sources, including a coin cell battery, AA or AAA, USB, 9 V (Square) and 12 V (car).
