So, now that I am getting underway with learning more about electronics and Raspberry Pi, it is clear that I need to not be so hyper-focused on building the final “project” based off of the minimal specifications and requirements of it, but to also have some leeway of some kits that integrate many useful components together that I can experiment with and learn from.
Also, I might just happpen to find a board that does exactly what I want it to do for my 3D scanning project. However, I must re-emphasize that many of the reasons I am going on technically extra Raspberry Pi excursions is simply to learn more about electronics hardware for my own sake. For example, I don’t need a 4-digit, 7-segment LCD screen and 16-key matrix keyboard for a 3D scanner. However, I do need that kind of interface for other interesting and related electronics projects, some of which are related to spatial measurement, although not in a direct 3D scanning sense.
Anyways, the Gertboard is purportedly a good place to start looking if you want an easy way to experiment with different ways to interface external devices with the Raspberry Pi via the GPIO pins. So, let’s take a look at features and functions it provides.
20181230/DuckDuckGo gertboard
20181230/https://www.sparkfun.com/products/retired/11773
20181230/https://projects.drogon.net/raspberry-pi/gertboard/
20181230/http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1683444.pdf
I’ll summarize the strengths/weaknesses here:
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It shows an example of “buffered I/O.” Don’t get too eager, these are 1-bit buffers in question on the I/O pins.
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The documentation has some good recommendations of resistors to put on the GPIO pins simply for the sake of protecting your Raspberry Pi in case you miswire outputs with inputs.
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The board showcases how to use a rather direct link to an AVR series ATmega microcontroller, without going through the hoops of a full Arduino board.
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Unfortunately, the board can only control one motor, and it’s for relatively high-voltage motors at that.
So, alas, I conclude that the documentation for the Gertboard is extremely useful and helpful, but the Gertboard itself may not be so valuable for the average hobbyist. Matter of fact, this may be the reason why it is discontinued from Sparkfun.