New Product Post

Did you check out the blog last week?   We talked about our Smart Home product, Smart Outlet, which is a remote-controllable intermediary that you place between an appliance, like a toaster, and your home’s electrical outlets.  It has a Bee socket which allows you to use XBee modules to turn your appliance on and off remotely via the phone or internet.  I decided to mention it briefly again this week because it ties in with our new XBee product offerings.

We have added five new XBee series products to our shelves this past week.  The devices are applicable to star topology networks (XBee Chip Antenna – S1 (802.15.4)), mesh networks (XBee Chip Antenna – S1 (DigiMesh 2.4)), or Wi-Fi networks (XBee Wi-Fi PCB Antenna – S6).

The star topology relies on a master/slave scenario with a central XBee module controlling and disseminating information while the other XBees play a passive role as the receivers.  The mesh topology is a more flexible approach, and it allows every XBee device in your environment to exchange information with any other XBee.  If you’re just getting started on your network, then you’ll need to keep these different factors in mind.

Plus we have two Pro options in the XBee series, the XBee Pro Chip Antenna – S1 (802.15.4) and the XBee Pro Chip Antenna – S1 (DigiMesh 2.4).  The Pro series gives you the option of increasing your line of sight range from 300 feet to a mile with the added benefits of greater transmitting power and receiver sensitivity.  So no matter what your environment or your range, you are covered.

Medical devices are becoming more compact and easy to use.  We have taken advantage of this for our Grove line and added two new heart rate sensors, the Grove – Ear Clip Heart Rate Sensor and the Grove – Chest Strap Heart Rate Sensor.  Both sensors collect the heart rate, allow for a visual output, and have the option of storing the data for future use.  They both have a Grove interface which allows you to take advantage of the Grove physical connectors and software making it simple to use, especially for those of you who are familiar Grove and the Arduino IDE.  These are great tools if you’re planning on building an application in the medical or athletic environment or if you’re just interested in your general well-being.

If you’ve ever wanted to add portability to your project, you can now with the 2xAA Battery Holder.  It’s a AA battery holder with 150mm of electrical wire that you can attach to any project that needs a little boost of power on-the-go.  It supports both alkaline batteries and the environmentally friendly rechargeable ones.  So don’t be limited to showing off your projects at home, just add this convenient accessory, and you’re ready to go.

That’s all for now.  Until next time, keep on making.

(written by Erin Linke)

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