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Mission: expLoRaBLE
Combine the powers of LoRa and BLE in a Feather footprint, and make sure to check out the new Loomia e-textile products!
Hello everyone! This week we have two pretty exciting sets of products that we are happy to finally be able to tell you about: the new SparkFun LoRa Thing Plus - expLoRaBLE, a combo IoT board with both LoRaWAN and Bluetooth 5 capabilities in a Feather form-factor, and 10 unique new e-textiles products from our friends over at Loomia. We also have a new wide band antenna that's perfect for that new expLoRaBLE board.
It's a pun, you see? LoRa + BLE = expLoRaBLE!
The SparkFun expLoRaBLE Thing Plus is a Feather-footprint development board with the NM180100 system in package (SiP), from Northern Mechatronics. Thanks to the NM180100, as well as the Ambiq Apollo3 microcontroller and the Semtech SX1262 LoRa® transceiver, this Thing Plus is a highly integrated LoRa module supporting both 868MHz and 915MHz bands and Bluetooth® Low Energy. On top of all else, the expLoRaBLE Thing Plus utilizes our handy Qwiic Connect System, which means no soldering or shields are required to connect it to the rest of your system!
Now these are some truly impressive new e-textile products!
Loomia parts are designed to be easily soldered together, and work well with popular micro controllers like Arduino Nano and Teensy. The system revolves around a custom interconnect, which allows for a simple connection between buses. The interconnect can be soldered to headers for easy breadboarding. From fabric to wood, Loomia components can stick onto a range of materials, making your prototypes look clean and polished.
The S-Curve Bus is perfect for when you need to make an unusual geometry from the LEL (Loomia Electronic Layer) buses. You can combine two to make a big C-Curve to go around an elbow, or just use one to route wiring where you need it for soft robotics or for an installation.
The C-Curve Bus is perfect for connecting two 0.15-inch buses together at a wide angle. Try using this part for creating conductive lines over shoulders or over large surface areas.
The straight 4-wire Bus has four leads that are each 0.15 inches wide. Each "wire" is low resistance, giving you fast data speed and solid wattage without heating up. Each bus is twistable, drapable and bendable for all soft circuit needs. This bus can be easily soldered to the S-curve Bus or C-Curve Bus to make different shaped traces for wearable tech applications.
This Serpentine Bus has 0.15-inch traces, making it compatible with the S-Curve and C-Curve buses. Use this bus for additional stretch, as it has up to 20 percent elongation. We suggest this bus for wearable tech applications.
The 5V - 7.2V Heater is made to work with an off the shelf, 5V battery pack or two LiPo batteries in series (just make sure both can output 2A safely) and will get hotter depending on the voltage you use. The heater warms up quickly with tangible heat within 60 seconds and a top heat after two minutes. Use this component for heating wearables, or for thermochromic effects.
If you are looking to map pressure over a 1.25-inch area, this is the one. The Mini Pressure Matrix has six leads, allowing you to map which point you are at in the 3x3 matrix. Each area has an analog readout that varies depending on the weight of the item on the pressure sensor.
The Single Pressure Sensor gives you an analog read that maps to force on the sensor. The more you press, the lower the resistance goes, perfect for on-body pressure related sensing like ribcage expansion for breathing. This sensor is small but mighty, making it convenient for small surface area applications.
Like the Mini Pressure Sensor... but bigger! The Mega Pressure Matrix has six leads, allowing you to map which point you are at in the 3x3 matrix and get a pressure mapping over a surface. Each area has an analog readout that varies depending on the weight of the item on the pressure sensor.
The Single Backlit Button is a simple mechanical switch that comes with an LED inside. When you press the button, the circuit is completed, driving your pin high or low. Use the embedded LED to make a glowing power icon, logo, or whatever suits your fancy.
The Double Backlit User Interface is like the Single Backlit Button, but twice the fun! Use this part if you need to control something up and down, or right to left. Using cut-out vinyl, you can create icons and decals on fabric that show your users the button functionalities.
A wide band, 700-2700Mhz frequency range, 4G LTE antenna provides a wide enough range for a number of applications including BLE and LoRa/RF. This antenna is 53 mm x 24 mm with a 100-millimeter coaxial cable ending in an IPEX (u.FL equivalent) connector. The antenna has a 3M adhesive backing, making it easy to fix it to your project.
That's it for this week! 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! Please be safe out there, be kind to one another, and we'll see you next week with even more new products!
