Friday Product Post: CAN You CAN-CAN Like Offenbach?
The AST-CAN485 is back in full force with a WiFi Shield and a 24V I/O Shield! We also have three new Qwiic boards from Zio and a GNSS Multi-Band Antenna.
We have a lot of great new products for the week, but first and foremost we are starting with two shields for the SparkFun AST-CAN485 Dev Board, allowing for wireless possibilities and more I/O ports. After that, we have three Qwiic-enabled boards developed by Zio. Last up, as you requested, we have a new GNSS Multi-Band Antenna!
As a reminder, we have launched our Brand Ambassador program! If you are interested in joining the SparkFun team as someone who helps promote us and our products at conventions, online and at makerspaces, head over to our Brand Ambassador page to fill out an application!
Can you hear Galop Infernal? We know we can!
The AST-CAN485 Dev Board brings CAN (Control Area Network) and RS485 to a small, Pro Mini form factor with the ability to interface to 24V input and outputs. When looking to save space, losing the communication cable is one of the best options, and the SparkFun AST-CAN485 WiFi Shield does just that. With screw terminal connectors for RS-485 and a U.FL connector, this board supplies solid solutions for working wirelessly in automation, an environment famous for being noisy and unforgiving on electronics.
The SparkFun AST-CAN485 I/O Shield allows you to use the AST-CAN485 Dev Board with 24VDC inputs and outputs, a popular voltage level for industrial automation devices, as well as 5V devices. By providing screw terminals, the board can easily and safely interface with I/O in a semi-permanent manner, which allows for inputs, outputs, or the board itself to be swapped out. With all pins pre-populated with either females pin headers or screw terminals, setup time is minimized.
Of course, if you need the SparkFun AST-CAN485 Dev Board, it is still available! This development board is a miniature Arduino in the compact form factor of the Pro Mini. In addition to all the usual features that a mini Arduino has, it possesses onboard CAN and RS485 ports, enabling quick and easy interfacing to a multitude of industrial devices. The CAN485 Dev Board bridges the gap between the maker and industrial spaces!
You may be familiar with the classic HC-SR04 distance sensor; it's great for providing non-contact distance readings from 2cm to 400cm. This board improves on the classic by adding a Qwiic connector to it, so you can communicate over I2C. If you prefer to bypass the Qwiic connector and I2, you can also access the Trigger and Echo pins which are broken out on the edge of the board.
The Zio Current and Voltage Sensor is a highly accurate current and power monitor. Utilizing the INA219, it's able to read DC current and power over I2C with up to 1 percent precision. This is a great fit for a variety of applications, including estimating battery life, tracking solar power generation or monitoring electricity consumption.
Haptic feedback can add a more professional level of interaction to your project. The same satisfying vibration you get when you receive a text message or install a new app can be brought to your project using the Zio Haptic Motor Board. The board features both the motor and motor driver paired with the Qwiic interface to make adding haptic feedback simple.
The ANN-MB-00 GNSS multiband antenna is unique to other GNSS/GPS antennas in that it is designed to receive both the classic L1 GPS band and the newly launched (started in 2005) L2 GPS band. Additionally, the ANN-MB-00 from u-blox is extremely well built, with a magnetic base with mounting holes for additional anchoring for the harshest environments.
Alrighty, that's it for this week! As a reminder, if you are interested in becoming a SparkFun Brand Ambassador, follow this link to fill out an application! 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!
