 | |
| Company type | GmbH |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Olaf Lüke, Bastian Nordmeyer |
| Headquarters | Stukenbrock, Germany |
| Products | Microcontroller |
| Website | www |
Tinkerforge is anopen-source hardware platform of stackablemicrocontroller building blocks (Bricks) that can control different modules (Bricklets). The primary communication interface of the building blocks can be extended using Master Extensions. The hardware can be controlled by external programs written inC,C++,C#,Object Pascal,Java,Perl,PHP,Python,Ruby,Shell andVB.NET over aUSB,Wi-Fi orEthernet connection, and running onWindows,Linux andmacOS. This non-embedded programming approach eliminates the typical requirements and limitations (development tools, limited availability of RAM and processing power) of conventional embedded software development (such asArduino). Tinkerforge hardware and software are bothopen source, and all files are hosted onGitHub.
Thecomputer magazine Chip awarded Tinkerforge 2012 the "Product of the Year" award.[1]
Bricks are4 × 4 cm circuit boards. They can evaluate measurements, control motors and communicate with other building blocks. Each Brick has a 32-bitARM microcontroller, a USB connector and connectors for more Bricks and Bricklets.
It is possible to stack several Bricks onto each other. The bottom Brick of such Stacks needs to be a Master Brick.
Bricklets extend the features of Bricks. They provide means for the input and output of data. Many Bricklets are sensors, but there are alsoLCD-Bricklets and Bricklets fordigital andanalog in- and output.
Master Extensions extend the communication interfaces of Bricks. Like Bricks, Master Extensions are4 × 4 cm circuit boards. There are Extensions forWi-Fi,Ethernet andRS-485. From a programming perspective, the different interfaces are transparent. A stack with Master Extension behaves as if every board in the stack would be directly connected to the PC over a USB connection.