Make:

• DIY Halloween - The Classics :: Fog Chiller
• BUG on Arduino action
• NoiseBridge: new SF hacker space
• Pedal powered tank
• BASE jumping with accelerometers
• Self-disinfecting toilet brush

Well, now I'm getting a little concern the microcontroller market is getting a little diluted. All these new arduino variants, wiring, et al... perhaps we're now moving backwards having branched off so quickly, much like linux's distribution nightmare?

@Ryan O'Horo

I completely agree.

However I must say that this i.MX21 board is very useful solely because the processor only comes in a BGA package, so this allows people to use a processor with a lot more horsepower than a PIC or AVR without having to worry about getting it on a PCB.

i say let a thousand flowers bloom, the market will pick the best one. there are sooooooo many specific applications that any all-in-one solution just isn't going to work. that said, maybe we'll see arduino become the ubuntu of physical computing...

Ryan: I'm not sure why you think it's diluted. You site Arduinos as an example, yet all of the various forms can still be programmed using the same environment/software. The microcontroller market was not cohesive to begin with, and the wealth of easy to use, integrated platforms that are coming out are a movement in a better direction.

Nice! I think a big plus here is the pass-thru system. We're not limited to just a few accessories at a time-- very PC/104-esque in a more appealing form factor...

PASS-THRU++ PASS-THRU++ As far as I can see, the buglabs design limits you to four devices connected to a "motherboard". What if you want five devices?? Looks to me like you're hosed. Of course, the advantage of the buglabs device is that the housing is included.

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