Digi-Key and Make: announce 2021 Boards Guide and AR app

Electronics components distributor Digi-Key Electronics has partnered with Make:, the publication and network for makers, to release the 2021 Boards Guide and companion Digi-Key AR augmented reality app, available in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.

Divided into sections for microcontroller, single-board controller and FPGA-based boards, the guide helps students, makers and professional engineers identify the latest technology available to help bring innovation to life. With detailed comparisons of over 150 boards, it can be used to find the right solution for rapid prototyping and embedded design from vendors including Adafruit, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, SparkFun, BeagleBone, Micro:bit, Seeed Studio, STMicroelectronics, Microchip, Cypress and more. This year’s guide also features a highlighted case study on the recently introduced Raspberry Pi 2040 MCU-based solutions.

As a companion to the guide, Digi-Key has released an augmented reality app leveraging cameras, displays and sensors in today’s mobile devices. With over 50 boards available in AR, the app is the best way to virtually interact with these leading platforms, according to Digi-Key, and is designed to work in conjunction with the guide or as a standalone experience. The app also includes an exclusive video from industry visionaries on what the future will bring to embedded boards, including:

• Limor ‘Ladyada’ Fried, Founder and CEO, Adafruit Industries
• Eben Upton, CEO, Raspberry Pi Trading
• Eric Pan, Founder and CEO, Seeed Studio
• Paul Beech, Co-Founder, Pimoroni
• Zach Supalla, CEO, Particle
• Bob Martin, Wizard of Make – Senior Staff Engineer, Microchip Technology
   

“We are so excited to launch the new Digi-Key AR app, with the 2021 Boards Guide as its first module, leveraging the printed guide produced in conjunction with Make:,” said David Sandys, Director of Technical Marketing at Digi-Key. “Having all the board descriptions, key features and add-on board functionality combined with the ability to place, zoom and rotate each of the platforms really helps students, makers and engineers visualise how they can utilise each of the included boards to drive innovation forward in their designs.”

“The 2021 Guide to Boards is an incredible resource for anyone that is designing electronics-based products or projects,” added Make: Executive Editor Mike Senese. “Bringing the boards to life with the augmented reality app allows users to refine their component choices in an exciting way that provides so much additional hands-on value.”

The guide will be distributed with the November volume of Make: magazine. PDF versions of the guide and links to download the Digi-Key AR app are available at https://www.digikey.com.au/en/maker/resources/boards-guide.

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