You will receive without cable and documentation.
For a product of this complexity, it is hard but this card is especially designed for fervent microcontroller users.
For a user who does not have this experience but would like to learn the miniPC cards, there is also a model that PCduino3S present in a plastic casing integrated into your living room. It does not have the Arduino board game. With a mini keyboard / mouse via wifi, the 3S model will allow you to have a PC / multimedia Lubuntu ultra discreet and ultra plugged into your living room. Very fluid seen 1GHz cortex A20 processor.
To install the PCduino (and its configuration by remote access) you will need:
- A screen with HDMI
- A mouse and USB keyboard (and USB hub as there is a USB socket)
- A 5v power / 1000mA with a micro-USB connector
It includes a Lubuntu original system and you only have to configure your wifi and download some packages.
Lubuntu The office has a very good aesthetic and software provided allows to do everything. (Staying within the limit of 2GB but nothing prevents you to mount an external hard drive or a USB key to the needs of your project)
In use the card turns out to be more inclined than the PC side of the Arduino side.
Some principles I stand with microcontrollers are not present:
1) With a microcontroller when downloading a code, it is executed at any startup.
Here it is not the case. When you compile a sketch, instead of getting a binary (which could then be uploaded to a processor) you get a Python script ...
He has a way to put this script autostart but you have every time edit and mention the name of the file.
So not practical. It would have been better thought out to provide a generic copy of the Python sketch and possibly give him a blank contained in an option menu on the Arduino IDE.
2) The memory size is oversized. The good side is that you can develop very large projects and you're not limited to the flash memory.
This side is much appreciated and will allow you to use large memory-intensive structures.
But when your project is complete, if it is too large, you can not make it work with the PCduino card.
3) When out of the Arduino IDE, ports digital outputs change alone configuration.
One would imagine that they all begin to 0V, quietly ... But no, they start 1v ....
It may lack a pulldown somewhere.
Ditto when you start PCduino card. For me this is unacceptable. On some routes, even small voltages may degrade the components.
4) The material scope of Reset (by Arduino pin) is too large. It does well but also reboot the shield map ...
A bit like when you reboot a shield Arduino it was also reboot your PC. So, you also lose your remote access ... For me it is again unacceptable ... We must wait until the system restart and restart a connection.
Nevertheless, this is a very good card, it does not heat up excessively, barely warm. A clean, very stable electronics.
The PCDuino3 solution offers the possibility of having at customer sites a solution to perform remote scripting updates. This will be especially responsive and avoid movement. No need to flash a processor, cutting the system, it works immediately and everyone is happy.
The Arduino IDE is faithfully reproduced and integration skit is done by simple copy / paste. (Remote desktop management allows this and it is very convenient)
Again, for the updating remote is perfect.
When you compile your sketch you will be taped by the memory available ... (gender 256MB)
No more juggling and optimization necessary to cram everything in 32K of the ATmega328. (Or even the atmega256 256K)
There was space and additional possibilities!
Large project developers have with this card the solution of their memory problems!
Icing on the cake: the PC system / Ubuntu.
The Arduino side will allow them to exploit modules and shield and Python framework will allow them to perfect access to the pins. It is the highway!
You can imagine very sophisticated applications, for example the collection of analog data in files and made a post treatment via an application under Lubuntu then the use of a PC screen as an interface.
This opens wide horizons ... The limits of imagination and creativity are again greatly repelled.
Lubuntu is open, you can use other compilers and even Windows programs via Wine. (Check compatibility before but it's virtually total)
As on the Arduino analog ports possible to capture voltage values from 0 to 5V mapped on a sample of 0-1023.
The big advantage of PCduino3 is the number of all modules integrated office ... Wifi ... MicroSD Sata ... ... ... Infrared Android buttons ... etc ... That makes as many modules there will be no need to buy or test since compatibility will be complete and they will not mind connection ...
Finally, given all integrated modules, the ultra comfortable memory size and appearance PC / Lubuntu system is an excellent wine at a very reasonable price.
A very nice development.
