The Maker Movement

The “Maker Movement” is exploding. There are an ever increasing number of people adopting the do-it-yourself (DIY) credo to develop their own products. To do so, many of these “makers” rely on information obtained readily on the Internet to create devices ranging in complexity from easy to fairly involved.

Single-board computers (SBCs) are one of the more common resources a maker uses in the development of their products. With SBCs, makers can develop the software and functionality required for their creation. Many SBCs have the capability to provide wireless connectivity including the Raspberry Pi 3 (with built-in Bluetooth capability) and the BeagleBone Green (which requires an adaptor or dongle) to name just a couple. (See DigiKey article How to Configure the Raspberry Pi 3 and BeagleBoards for Wireless Connections for more information.) This makes it easier for makers to develop products that can be integrated into the Internet of Things (IoT).