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16 new Bricklets

After some delays our long-awaited production panel with 16 new Bricklets finally arrived! Below you can see how an unsperated panel looks like when we get it from our SMT assembly manufacturer.

All new Brickelts have a co-processor and the new 7 pole connector. First a list of the new Bricklets:

There are now only a few Bricklets witht he old 10 pole connector left in our assortment. These Bricklets will be updated with the next panel, whereby the conversion to the new connector and co-processor will be finished.

In the following we will introduce new Bricklets and new features of the updated Bricklets:

Air Quality Bricklet: The Air Quality Bricklet measures VOC values (Volatile Organic Components). To do that it detects parts of ethane, isoprene, ethanol, acetone and carbon monoxide in the air by adsoprtion. Additionally the Bricklet measures termperature, humidity and air pressure. With this data it is possible to determine the IAQ (Indor Air Quality) Index. All of the measurements can be read from the Bricklet individually. The Bricklet is well suited to be used for air quality monitoring as well as home automation.

Barometer Bricklet 2.0: The new Barometer Bricklet got an update to the LPS22HB sensor. With the new IC it can offer a resolution of 0.0075mbar/6.25cm (before 0.012mbar/0.1m). The measurement range of the new Bricklet is increased to up to 1260mbar.

Isolator Bricklet: Due to the Isolator Bricklet it is now possible to galvanically isolate the power as well as data lines between any Brick and Bricklet. The isolation can be used by any Bricklet with an analog or digital in-/output. For example you will now be able to use a Voltage/Current Bricklet to to measure the voltage and current consumption of a stack without accidentially creating a ground loop. Additionally it is possible to make measurements that have a different reference potential.

Industrial Bricklets: The specifications of the Industrial Bricklets are essentially the same. As an additional feature the Industrial Bricklets now have a status LED per channel. The Industrial Digital Out 4 Bricklet 2.0 can now show the state of each of the 4 outputs. Industrial Bricklets with analog measurements can even dimm the LED to show the current analog value with the intensity of the LED.

LCD 128x64 Bricklet: The new LCD 128x64 Bricklet is the highlight of the new panel. It has a 2.8" display with a resolution of 128x64 pixel. The display has about the same size as the old LCD 20x4 Bricklet. Since any pixel can be set separately it is possible draw graphics or different font types. To increase the usability we integrated a default font that can be used for easy text drawing.

The integrated touch screen will create a callback with x/y-coordinates when touching as well as the intensity of the contact pressure. For an easy realization of intuitive controls the Bricklet also detects simple swipe gestures that can be used for menus or similar. Since the touch screen is resistive, it can also be used with gloves or a pen.

One Wire Bricklet: With the One Wire Bricklet you can now use 1-Wire compatible devices. It is possible to connect up to 64 1-Wire devices to the bus at the same time. The Bricklet supports 3.3V, 5V as well as an externally connected supply voltage. Examples for the usage of the popular MAX31820 1-Wire sensors can be found in the documentation.

Temperature Bricklet 2.0: The replacement of the Temperature Bricklet uses the new STS3 temperature IC from Sensirion. It has an improved resolution of 0.01°C (before 0.1°C) and accuracy of 0.2°C (before 0.5°C).

UV Light Bricklet 2.0: The UV Light Bricklet 2.0 also got and IC upgrade. While the old Bricklet could only measure UVA, the new Bricklet can measure light intensity in UVA as well as UVB and it can calculate the UV Index internally.