When Intel announced their Curie module, they showed off a 32-bit, low power, Arduino compatible chip with built in Bluetooth Low Energy and a 6-axis IMU, all in a package about the size of a shirt button. This power and size promised great possibilities, especially for wearable applications. The first dev board released carrying a Curie was the Arduino 101, a full size pin compatible Arduino. While this made integration into existing projects and tools easy, it missed the mark on scale. Now Intel has put the Curie on a board petite enough to be fitting for its rider, the tinyTILE.
At 35mmx26mm the TinyTILE is jam packed with all of the supplementary components needed to make the system work with little space to spare. Despite its size, you will still find the full assortment of pins you would expect from an Arduino device (14 digital GPIO and 6 analog pins). There is built-in USB support, so no special cables are required for programming.
I had already installed the Curie package in my Arduino dev environment to use the 101, so getting the tinyTILE up and running was easy. If you haven’t installed the Curie package yet, search for Intel in the boards manager and select and install the Intel Curie Boards package. While it only lists the 101 board as supported boards, this is fine, the tinyTILE is fully compatible (at least software wise). There are plenty of examples available in the IDE to show you how to get started with the built-in sensors.
The 101 will remain a great choice for a beginner dev board, but when you are ready to start building your final project, save some space with the tinyTILE!
