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tinyTILE - Intel® Curie Dev Board
The tinyTILE, an Intel® Curie-based board, is a miniaturized adaptation Arduino/Genuino 101® board perfect for wearable and IoT applications. The tinyTILE has been equipped with many of the same features as the 101 line with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) capabilities and an onboard 6-axis accelerometer/gyroscope, allowing you to be able to create plenty of imaginative projects. The tinyTILE board can be programmed using either the Arduino IDE or Intel’s own software, the Intel® Curie™ Open Developer Kit (CODK).
Like its Arduino form-factor cousins, the tinyTILE's core is comprised around the Intel Curie module, a low-power computer module that comes with pattern-matching capabilities for optimized analysis of sensor data. This enables quick and easy identification of actions and motions. The tinyTILE is a complete low-power solution designed for multipurpose use and rapid prototyping.
The onboard Intel Curie module offers features that are ideal for “always-on” applications requiring motion monitoring, wireless capabilities and low power use --- all in a small size. Inside the Curie are two tiny cores, an x86 (Quark) and a 32-bit ARC architecture core, both clocked at 32MHz. The Intel toolchain compiles your Arduino sketches optimally across both cores to accomplish the most demanding tasks. The tinyTILE comes with 14 digital input/output pins (same as the Arduino/Genuino 101s), six analog inputs, 384kB of flash memory, 80kB of SRAM, and a microUSB connector for serial communication and sketch upload. The board operating voltage and I/O is 3.3V, but all pins are protected against 3.3V overvoltage.
- Microcontroller: Intel Curie
- 384kB flash memory
- 80kB SRAM
- Low-power integrated DSP sensor hub and pattern-matching technology
- Bluetooth Low Energy
- 6-axis combo sensor with accelerometer and gyroscope
- Regulated 3.3 volt power output
tinyTILE - Intel® Curie Dev Board Product Help and Resources
I2C on the tinyTILE
The tinyTILE has SDA and SCL pins on the board, but if you're wanting to connect a I2C device to the tinyTILE in Arduino, use pins A4 for SDA and A5 for SCL. Also, there are reports that I2C is a bit buggy on the tinyTILE. We can confirm that we have seen the same issues. Hopefully Arduino and Intel are working on a solution for this.
Core Skill: Soldering
This skill defines how difficult the soldering is on a particular product. It might be a couple simple solder joints, or require special reflow tools.
Skill Level: Noob - Some basic soldering is required, but it is limited to a just a few pins, basic through-hole soldering, and couple (if any) polarized components. A basic soldering iron is all you should need.
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Core Skill: Programming
If a board needs code or communicates somehow, you're going to need to know how to program or interface with it. The programming skill is all about communication and code.
Skill Level: Rookie - You will need a better fundamental understand of what code is, and how it works. You will be using beginner-level software and development tools like Arduino. You will be dealing directly with code, but numerous examples and libraries are available. Sensors or shields will communicate with serial or TTL.
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Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping
If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.
Skill Level: Competent - You will be required to reference a datasheet or schematic to know how to use a component. Your knowledge of a datasheet will only require basic features like power requirements, pinouts, or communications type. Also, you may need a power supply that?s greater than 12V or more than 1A worth of current.
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Customer Reviews
5 out of 5
Based on 2 ratings:
It is the only affordable and small board with the capabilities I need for my project
The TinyTile is great. I like that it’s easy to program through arduino so we can have multiple youth coders designing with it. Getting the Bluetooth to communication with a laptop is a challenge, but the code community is growing for this device, which is valuable and needed.
Great 101 replacement
I have a course on Udemy.com that I wrote for the Arduino 101, its great to find a mini version of the board that works with my class and is ready to go. With only a couple of lines of code you have a real BLE device running, create your own UUID and Characteristics, your not limited to a Serial BLE device but rather a real BLE device that you can support multiple Characteristics for reading, writting and full notify.
This is a great device to create interfaces with an iPhone, write the code with XCode in Swift for the iPhone and then use Arduino IDE to write the actual tinyTile code.
So it appears that while the Curie module on the Tinytile has battery charging circuitry, the functionality was not included on the board. According to this thread: "The reason why the battery charging feature was not implemented on the Arduino 101 is because the standard Arduino I/O pin layout does not have the provision for a battery charger. External hardware is needed for multiplexing the charger interface to the standard I/O pin."
This module is so, so close to the perfect IoT/wearable sensor with on-board pattern rec, BLE, and motion sensors but ultimately misses the mark. It would have been simple to break out the necessary pins for charging a small lipo battery. The really frustrating thing is that the reason the battery charging circuitry was left off the board shows that the designers have a basic misunderstanding of how the board would likely be used.
https://communities.intel.com/thread/112898
Sadly you are right, there is no way to access the battery charging circuitry on the tiny tile board. The fact that sparkfun lists it as a feature is misleading to say the least.
The thread actually confuses the issue more than it clarifies. You're quote, and the rest of the thread specifically addresses the Arduino 101. The representative doesn't address this part of the question "tinyTile descriptions says it's possible, but in schematics there is no charging circuitry connection even after moving resistor R15 to R17 as advised". So... it's still possible? Also, the boards are perhaps designed to train students, and encourage professionals to use x86 embedded. When you say, "likely to be used," I think you're talking about hobbyists, or students who wish their projects stand up to more than one or two demonstration uses, or even none, as long as it gets a decent grade. Raspberry Pi's are generally better for this, and while perhaps not very robust, their price makes them more replaceable. I think Intel may be short sighted- but it wasn't too long ago that single board computers were strictly for developers, not hobbyists, and their price tag reflected this.
Good place to get started might be this
https://atmosphere.anaren.com/
It gets you using the sensors and BLE connectivity really quickly! Here is a demo using the Arduino101 but it also works for the tinytile, as they are essentially the same device
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS9G5VQ8Y4I
I'd stay away from all things Intel. Intel Discontinues Joule, Galileo, And Edison Product Lines...
http://hackaday.com/2017/06/19/intel-discontinues-joule-galileo-and-edison-product-lines/
I concur. Just checked stock of the Curie modules at Mouser and noticed an End of Life advisory.
Will you please test your Micro OLED breakout display on this board. When I have tried to compile your example code (MicroOLED_Demo.ino) on the Arduino IDE (V1.8.2 and 2.0.2 board) I get the following error.
C:\Users\David\Documents\Arduino\libraries\SparkFun_Micro_OLED_Arduino_Library-V_1.0.0\src\SFE_MicroOLED.cpp: In member function 'void MicroOLED::begin()':
C:\Users\David\Documents\Arduino\libraries\SparkFun_Micro_OLED_Arduino_Library-V_1.0.0\src\SFE_MicroOLED.cpp:181:9: error: cannot convert 'uint32_t* {aka long unsigned int}' to 'volatile uint8_t {aka volatile unsigned char*}' in assignment
dcport = portOutputRegister(digitalPinToPort(dcPin));
C:\Users\David\Documents\Arduino\libraries\SparkFun_Micro_OLED_Arduino_Library-V_1.0.0\src\SFE_MicroOLED.cpp:183:8: error: cannot convert 'uint32_t* {aka long unsigned int}' to 'volatile uint8_t {aka volatile unsigned char*}' in assignment
dcreg = portModeRegister(digitalPinToPort(dcPin));
Using library Wire at version 1.0 in folder: C:\Users\David\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\Intel\hardware\arc32\2.0.2\libraries\Wire Using library SPI at version 1.0 in folder: C:\Users\David\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\Intel\hardware\arc32\2.0.2\libraries\SPI Using library SparkFun_Micro_OLED_Arduino_Library-V_1.0.0 at version 1.0.0 in folder: C:\Users\David\Documents\Arduino\libraries\SparkFun_Micro_OLED_Arduino_Library-V_1.0.0 exit status 1 Error compiling for board Arduino/Genuino 101.
I'm pleased that you are selling this board. I've only just started using it. I hope you can get your OLED breakout working with it. Thanks.