SCOTTSDALE, AZ /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- Roboteq Inc. introduces the most versatile and capable I/O expansion card ever made for the ultra-popular Raspberry PI Single Board Computer.
Roboteq's RIO—for Raspberry I/O—stacks on top of the Raspberry to create an amazingly powerful embedded control and navigation computer in a small footprint of just 65 by 85 by 20 mm. Thanks to RIO, the 700 MHz Raspberry PI can now be used to create powerful and very cost-effective solutions for use in robotics, industrial and home automation, data acquisition and control, or any other computing application requiring interfacing with the real world.
RIO significantly expands the Raspberry's limited I/O capabilities by adding 13 inputs that can be configured as digital inputs, as 0–5 V Analog inputs with 12-bit resolution, or as pulse inputs capable of pulse width, duty cycle, or frequency capture. Eight digital outputs are provided for driving loads up to 1 A each at up to 24 V.
RIO includes a 32-bit ARM Cortex M4 microcontroller for processing and buffering the I/O, creating a seamless communication with the Raspberry. The RIO processor can be user programmed, using a simple, but powerful Basic-like programming language to perform logic, conditioning, and other processing of the I/O in real time, thus relieving the Raspberry of these low-level functions. On the Linux side, RIO comes with drivers and a function library for configuring and accessing the I/O quickly and for seamlessly exchanging data with the Raspberry.
RIO also features several communication interfaces, including an RS-232 serial port for connecting to standard serial devices, a TTL serial port for connecting to Arduino, and other microcontrollers not equipped with RS-232 transceiver, and a CANbus interface.
A version of RIO is available with motion sensors, including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, 3-axis magnetometers, and a fusion algorithm for creating a precise attitude and heading reference system. Added to Roboteq's extensive offering of motor controllers, the RIO-AHRS opens a world of applications in sea, land, or airborne unmanned robotics vehicle applications.
The RIO card includes a DC/DC converter for powering the Raspberry, RIO, and external sensors, from a 8 V to 30 V DC power source.
RIO is available now from Roboteq and its resellers in two versions: RIO-BASIC for $85 and the RIO-AHRS for $175 in single quantity.
Detailed product information, including a datasheet, can be found online.
A video demonstration can be found on Youtube.
About Roboteq
Founded in 2002 by experts in embedded computing and power electronics, Roboteq's mission is to develop products and technologies that allow novices and professionals alike to build innovative, flexible, and affordable mobile robots. Roboteq controllers are now used in over 3,000 original robot designs around the world.