Friday Product Post: RedBoards and Radios
A new RedBoard is here! So is an Onion Omega Qwiic kit and two HAMlab radio kits!
Welcome back, and happy Friday! We have four brand new products; let's start strong with the RedBoard Qwiic (the mass-produced version of the BlackBoard).
2 Qwiic, or not 2 Qwiic, that is the RedBoard.
At SparkFun we continually like to innovate, update and improve, even when it comes to our own development boards. We have multiple versions of the SparkFun RedBoard in our catalog, but none in an R3 form factor with a Qwiic connector to make I2C easy... until now! The SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic is an Arduino-compatible development board that uses a few of the features we have loved about Arduinos of the past, while also incorporating some key improvements over the original RedBoard. The best part about the RedBoard Qwiic is that, as the name implies, it utilizes our handy Qwiic Connect System, which means no soldering or shields are required to connect it to the rest of your system!
To thine own Onion be Qwiic, and it must follow.
When the minds at SparkFun and Onion get together, truly awesome things happen! The SparkFun Qwiic Starter Kit for Onion Omega is a blending of two different ecosystems that, when combined, provide you with an easy way to incorporate I2C sensors and breakouts in your next IoT project. Onion has even developed a web-based, graphical user interface for the Omega2 family called OnionOS that allows you to interact with your Omega in a more visual way than the command-line. Using OnionOS, you will be able to visualize the sensor data from Qwiic boards and sensors straight from your browser!
HAMlab is a fully functional SDR transceiver with 160-10m band coverage and 10W of output power built around the STEMlab platform. It gives you an out-of-the-box, affordable, high-performance SDR transceiver solution. All you need is an antenna and you can start your SDR experience! The HAMlab has been dubbed a "Swiss Army knife" for HAM radio operators, as it incorporates an oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, signal generator, bode analyzer and logic analyzer, making it an all-in-one desktop tool that will quickly become a necessity!
If you are looking to use your HAMlab as more than a software defined radio (SDR), this kit is for you! This Diagnostic Accessories Pack provides you with all the additional parts needed to unlock the the full potential of your HAMlab's measurement instrument features.
Alright, that’s it for this week, folks. We hope these boards will help you get where you want to be! As always, we can't wait to see what you make! Shoot us a tweet @sparkfun, or let us know on Instagram or Facebook. We’d love to see what projects you’ve made!
We'll be back next week with even more fantastic new products!
I just looked through the "Specifications" document for the HAMlab 160-6 10W, and part way through (when it gets to documenting the back panel), it seems to be talking about a different product -- very confusing.
Also, it seems a bit self-contradictory as to whether it transmits on the 6m band...
I noticed that the "red box" shown in the "Qwiic Starter Kit for Onion Omega" video has the Sparkfun URL under the flap. Is that going to be showing up on all the (beloved) red boxes in the future?
Yes indeed, we are currently transitioning to new boxes now! On the internal flaps that hold the entire box together, you'll find more information as well (and they may vary depending on which box size you get).
Hopefully they'll still be in the same sizes! As I sit here, I can count at least 21 within visual range -- they're great for organizing stuff! I know I have more elsewhere in the house, and have given some to a friend who isn't much into electronics, but wanted them to hold games. (I still wish I could buy a "bundle" of one size... especially as a gift for my friend... ;-)