The Internet of Things (IoT) offers many opportunities, especially when it comes to industrial IoT applications. Intel has made no secret of the fact that it is trying to broaden its horizons and support innovation drivers, developers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs in tapping into the new and rapidly growing applications from the world of IoT.

Intel has therefore selected RS Components as an important channel to offer a wide range of Intel products. These products specifically target computing and embedded development in numerous applications and IoT-based projects. Among them are two NUC single-board computers based on the Atom processor E3815 and the Core i5 processor 5300U. There is also the Intel Edison development platform, the Intel Compute Stick and the Arduino Genuino 101.

The NUC Core i5 5300U is a compact single-board computer that combines a dual-core i5 5300U processor with 2.9 GHz and a 3 MB cache memory. Other features include integrated graphics, Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and four USB 3.0 ports for high data throughput. The processor is suitable for demanding digital signal processing (DSP) applications and for developers working on IoT applications that require powerful resources. An example of such a project is presented on the RS DesignSpark blog site. The post describes the development of a self-contained software-defined radio (SDR) application running on Linux. Other projects based on the open source SDR frameworks can also be found here. A key feature of the NUC is that it also offers an M.2 SSD connection. This enables the integration of high-performance solid-state storage.

Small but versatile

Intel Edison, on the other hand, is a suite of tools for open source development aimed at the Internet of Things and wearable computing products. The platform is based on the ultra-small Edison Compute Module, which works with the Edison Breakout Board for rapid prototyping and the Edison Board for Arduino. The Intel Edison Module is a highly miniaturized compute module that is ready for immediate incorporation into a product. It offers a system-on-chip (SoC) based on advanced 22nm process technology. The SoC combines a dual-core and dual-thread 500MHz Atom processor and a 100MHz 32-bit Quark microcontroller. The platform also offers dual-band WLAN (2.4 and 5 GHz) and low-power Bluetooth smart connectivity as well as device-to-device and device-to-cloud connectivity as an ideal framework for application development in the Internet of Things area.

The Edison expansion board interfaces to a wide range of Arduino Uno R3 shields, enabling connection to quick and easy prototyping hardware via open source software and the Arduino development environment. The input/output and interface options on the board include 20 digital I/O pins, including four pins as PWM outputs, six analog inputs, UART and SPI six-pin headers. The Edison breakout board is only slightly larger than the actual module and exposes the Edison board's native 1.8V I/O module. It provides a 0.1" grid I/O arrangement of solder pads for through-hole mounting.

Education is not neglected

RS has also added the Genuino 101 to its product range as an offer for the education sector as well as for makers and embedded developers. It is an entry-level learning and development board based on the very popular Arduino platform with Intel technology. In addition to being a powerful learning tool, the Genuino 101 offers experienced developers the opportunity to develop concept ideas for the Internet of Things such as wearables and smart consumer devices up to the prototype stage.

Powered by an Intel Curie module, which combines the 32-bit Intel Quark SoC with a 384 kB flash memory and 80 kB SRAM, the board has Bluetooth Smart wireless connectivity and a six-axis combo sensor that combines the features of an accelerometer and a gyroscope. This makes the board ideal for sensor hub-based applications. The board runs an RTOS (Real-Time Operating System) and an open-source based software framework developed by Intel to provide access to the Arduino development environment while allowing compatibility with Windows, MAC OS and Linux operating systems.

According to documents from RS Components / am