In the wave of rapid development of IoT technology, development boards serve as the starting point for exploration, carrying the innovative dreams of countless developers. As a team that has long been deeply engaged in the field of embedded development, we have invested significant effort in development boards such as Lattepanda V1, Raspberry Pi 3B, Orange Pi PC2, Firefly AIO-3399J, Arduino UNO R4 Minima, etc. These development boards are like pieces of a technical puzzle, helping us build a complete knowledge system from hardware debugging to scenario validation. However, as we stand at the new starting point of the Internet of Everything, a clear consensus is gradually emerging: it is time to build a self-controllable technological ecosystem in a broader context.
1. Technical Accumulation and Practical Experience in the Era of Development Boards
1.1. Technical Exploration of Multiple Development Boards
Lattepanda V1: An Attempt at Cross-Border Integration
Lattepanda V1 integrates x86 and ARM architecture design, allowing us to accumulate heterogeneous computing experience while switching between Windows and Linux dual systems. We utilized its powerful computing capabilities to develop a prototype of a smart home control hub, achieving remote control and data monitoring of household appliances. However, in complex scenarios, its performance bottlenecks gradually became apparent, failing to meet the demands of running multiple devices simultaneously.
Raspberry Pi 3B: IoT Entry Supported by CommunityDevelopment
Raspberry Pi 3B, with its strong community support, became our preferred development board for IoT projects. We used it to complete the prototype design of the smart home control hub, integrating temperature and humidity sensors, light sensors, and other devices to achieve real-time collection and analysis of environmental data. However, its performance limitations when processing large amounts of data restricted the scalability of the system.
Orange Pi PC2: Exploring the Potential of Open Source Architecture
As a cost-effective RISC-V development board, Orange Pi PC2 helped us explore the potential of open-source architecture. We developed a smart security system based on it, connecting cameras and door/window sensors to achieve anomaly detection and remote alarm functions. However, the fragmented ecosystem led to insufficient system stability, and frequent software updates and hardware compatibility issues increased development costs.
Firefly AIO-3399J: Supporting Industrial Edge Computing
The six-core ARM chip and rich interfaces of Firefly AIO-3399J supported the development of our industrial-grade edge computing devices. In the smart factory project, we utilized its powerful computing capabilities and stable performance to achieve real-time monitoring and data analysis of production equipment. However, the closed nature of the Android system limited customized development.
Arduino UNO R4 Minima: A Tool for Rapid Prototyping
The minimalist design of Arduino UNO R4 Minima enabled rapid prototyping. We developed a smart irrigation system using it, achieving automated irrigation through soil moisture sensors and water pump control modules. However, the limitations of functional modules made it difficult to meet complex business needs, such as enabling multi-device collaboration and remote control.
1.2. Challenges and Breakthroughs in Project Practice
In actual projects, we encountered numerous challenges. For example, when we attempted to integrate the functions of different development boards into a unified system, compatibility issues of heterogeneous architectures nearly stalled the entire project. To solve this problem, we delved into the communication protocols and interface specifications of different development boards, implementing data exchange between devices through middleware. Additionally, we optimized the system’s resource allocation and task scheduling, improving system stability and response speed.Through these practices with development boards, we accumulated rich experience in hardware debugging, driver development, and system optimization, laying a solid foundation for future technological leaps.
2. OpenHarmony: The Technological Cornerstone for Future R&D Directions
2.1. Reasons for Choosing OpenHarmony
As project complexity increases, issues such as ecosystem fragmentation, performance bottlenecks, and security risks have gradually become prominent. Relying on third-party development boards for “assembled innovation” is insufficient to support future technological breakthroughs. The emergence of OpenHarmony has opened up a new technological perspective for us: – Distributed architecture: Completely breaking the physical boundaries between devices, realizing the concept of device as a service. – Full-stack controllability: Comprehensive security reinforcement from the chip instruction set to the application layer provides a solid guarantee for system security. – Flexible deployment: Componentized design allows us to tailor system capabilities as needed to meet the requirements of different devices. – Open-source ecosystem: Collaborative cooperation among global developers brings about collisions of technological inspiration and advantages in global competition.
2.2. Future R&D Directions: Smart Watches and Smart Homes
Smart Watches: Health Monitoring and Convenient Interaction
We plan to develop a smart watch based on OpenHarmony, integrating functions such as heart rate detection, pedometer, and sleep monitoring. Through distributed soft bus technology, the watch can seamlessly connect with mobile phones and smart home devices, allowing users to remotely control household appliances and receive health data alerts via the watch. Additionally, we will optimize the watch’s low-power design to extend battery life and enhance user experience.
Smart Homes: Full-Scene Interconnection and Intelligent Control
In the smart home field, we will utilize the distributed architecture of OpenHarmony to achieve interconnection and collaborative work between devices. For example, when users return home, the smart lock automatically recognizes their identity, and devices such as lights, air conditioning, and curtains automatically adjust to preset states; when indoor air quality is detected to be unsatisfactory, the air purifier automatically starts. We will also develop a unified smart home control platform, allowing users to manage and control all devices through a mobile app or voice assistant.
3. The Transformational Value from Development Boards to HarmonyOS
The shift to OpenHarmony is not merely a technical replacement, but a paradigm revolution from tool usage to ecosystem building:
– Continuation of Technical Accumulation: The hardware debugging, driver development, and system optimization experience accumulated during the development board era provide valuable technical support for OpenHarmony development.
– Improvement of Development Efficiency: The distributed task scheduling framework and declarative development language of OpenHarmony significantly enhance development efficiency and reduce development costs.
– Deep Customization of Industry Solutions: We can create dedicated operating systems tailored to the needs of different industries, achieving personalized intelligent control and management.
– Independent Breakthrough of Technical Barriers: Full-stack self-research allows us to master the discourse power of core technologies, achieving independent innovation in areas such as compilers and AI integration.
Conclusion– Empowering OpenHarmony with Development Board Experience, Co-creating the Ecosystem of the Internet of Everything
From the heterogeneous computing of Lattepanda to the minimalist development of Arduino, the solder points and code on these development boards have long become part of our technical DNA. Now, shifting to OpenHarmony is not a farewell to the past, but an infusion of the hardware understanding and scenario experience accumulated over more than a decade of development board practice into the new soil of the Harmony distributed architecture. When we write the health monitoring algorithms of smart watches and the device collaboration logic of smart homes into the code framework of OpenHarmony, those pitfalls and technical bottlenecks we encountered on development boards are transforming into the underlying power of full-stack self-research.
In the future, we will reconstruct the health ecosystem within the small screen of the watch and weave a seamless interconnection network within the device matrix of smart homes. This is not only a transition from “technology users” to “ecosystem builders” but also a new coordinate for the era of the Internet of Everything anchored by the concept of a Chinese self-developed operating system. We sincerely invite every developer and industry partner to join us, allowing the unfinished innovative ideals on development boards to grow into towering trees in the fertile soil of OpenHarmony.