Back in 2015 at the CES exhibition, Intel announced its determination to enter the Internet of Things and wearable technology fields by launching a highly integrated module – Intel Curie. Although the Curie is only the size of a fingernail, it is very powerful, integrating a heterogeneous dual-core processor, a 6-axis attitude sensor (including an accelerometer and a gyroscope), and low-power Bluetooth, making it a focal point after its debut.

The following year, Intel partnered with Arduino to launch the Arduino 101/Genuino 101 development board based on the Curie module. Due to its high compatibility with Arduino and far superior performance and functionality compared to Arduino development boards, it became a favorite among makers for areas such as robotic vision, industrial IoT, and smartwatches, which were previously inaccessible to Arduino boards.

This year, DFROBOT has combined the characteristics of its products to launch the Curie Nano maker board based on the Curie module. Compared to the official Arduino 101/Genuino 101 development board, it is smaller and more suitable for DIY and secondary development, truly surpassing its predecessor. The first time we got our hands on the Curie Nano product provided by DFROBOT, let’s take a look together.

The packaging also includes DFROBOT stickers and a logo with a pin, making it very recognizable.

The development board’s packaging box is very simple, pure black, giving a “black technology” feel.

The Curie Nano development board is also wrapped in a static bag to prevent accidental damage, showing thoughtful attention to detail. After all, such a small development board has a price of 278 RMB on the official website, so it is right to pay attention to details.

The default expansion interface pins of the Curie Nano development board are not soldered but are included, making it convenient for users to customize according to their actual needs.

Curie Nano Hardware

The Curie Nano development board has a very “delicate” size, measuring only 43mm x 23.5mm, about the size of an adult’s thumb. The board is designed based on the Intel Curie module, perfectly compatible with the Genuino/Arduino 101 design, making it easy to use. The highly integrated size allows it to better fit your robot, wearable, and other maker project developments.

Curie Nano Development Board Features:

The hardware structure is shown in the figure below:

Intel Curie Module

The core chip of Curie Nano is the Intel Curie module, which is more accurately described as an SoC (System on Chip). The entire SoC is only 11mm x 8.05mm in size, making it very suitable for wearable devices and IoT product development that require both performance and space constraints.

The height of Curie is also very low, only about 1.95mm.

Of course, the Curie, which Intel itself calls a module, can be said to be small but powerful. It integrates an Intel Quark SE microcontroller, a Nordic NRF51822 low-power Bluetooth chip, a Bosch 6-axis accelerometer/gyroscope sensor, multiple LDOs, DC/DC converters, and an internal battery charging unit, making it very powerful.

The specific hardware structure inside Curie can be referenced in the figure below.

Power on development

The Curie Nano is compatible with Arduino IDE development, with the recommended version being 1.67 or above. As a Curie Nano development board, you need to download the Intel Curie support package from the board manager. (Tools –> Board –> Board Manager)

Find and install the Intel Curie Boards installation package. Due to the foreign server, it is best to use VPN for installation; direct installation from domestic networks may easily cause errors.

During the installation process, it is recommended to install all driver installation prompts by default.

After installation, connect the development board to the computer, and you will see the corresponding serial port.

The Curie Nano development board I received shows the results of the factory settings’ LED routine.

From the previous introduction of the Curie Nano development board, the onboard functions mainly focus on the electronic compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, and BLE, so let’s test these key features.

It is worth noting that the electronic compass function was added to this Curie Nano product by DFROBOT, so the official provides corresponding code for this function. As for BLE, gyroscope, and accelerometer, these are features inherent to the Intel Curie module, and the source code can be found in the Arduino official community, along with various example applications, making it easy for users to choose their required secondary development or DIY.

Gyroscope and accelerometer related examples

BLE related examples

Here are several features of Curie Nano:

Electronic Compass Function

Gyroscope Function

Accelerometer Function

BLE Function

The use of BLE functionality can be demonstrated more intuitively through an APP application. Since the Curie integrates a Nordic Bluetooth chip, for example, an Apple phone can download the nRF Connect APP to connect with the low-power Bluetooth on the development board.

After downloading the source code for Curie Nano and compiling it to the board, you can control the LED on the board through the nRF Connect APP.

Send 0x00 to turn off the light

Send 0x01 to turn on the light

More features on the Curie Nano board can be expanded through the Arduino community, and this article will not demonstrate them one by one.

Conclusion

This article introduces the super maker board Curie Nano launched by DFROBOT based on the Intel Curie module. With high integration and compact size, the Intel Curie module integrates various functions such as electronic compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, and BLE, combined with the extensive ecosystem of open-source Arduino IDE tools, allowing for easy secondary development or DIY, making it very suitable for educational projects, maker groups, and embedded developers. Especially the onboard Intel Curie module, which is only the size of a button, has a high degree of integration, making it very suitable for applications based on IoT or wearable fields.

Low Power, High Capacity – NUCLEO-L496ZG Development Board Review