Digi-Key Electronics, which offers the world’s largest selection of electronic components in stock for immediate shipment, and Make:, the leading publication and network for makers, are pleased to release the 2021 Boards Guide and companion Digi-Key AR augmented reality app available in both the Apple App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play store for Android™-based mobile devices.

Divided into sections for microcontroller (MCU), single-board controller (SBC) and field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based boards, the guide helps students, makers and professional engineers identify the latest technology available to help bring innovation to life.

As a companion to this year’s guide, Digi-Key is proud to announce an augmented reality app leveraging cameras, displays and sensors in today’s mobile devices. With over 50 boards available in AR, the app is the best way to virtually interact with these leading platforms. The Digi-Key AR app is designed to work in conjunction with the guide or as a standalone experience.

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With detailed comparisons of over 150 boards, there is no better way to find the right solution for rapid prototyping and embedded design from leading vendors including Adafruit, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, SparkFun, BeagleBone, Micro:bit, Seeed Studio, STMicroelectronics, Microchip, Cypress and more. New to this year’s guide is a highlighted case study on the recently introduced Raspberry Pi 2040 MCU-based solutions. Within its first year, there have been over 60 boards developed from various suppliers cementing the new microcontroller architecture’s place in the embedded design world.

Another exclusive available only from within the app includes a video from industry visionaries on what the future will bring to embedded boards.

The video includes insights from:

• Limor “Ladyada” Fried, Founder and CEO, Adafruit Industries
• Eben Upton, CEO, Raspberry Pi Trading
• Eric Pan, Founder and CEO, Seeed Studio
• Paul Beech, Co-Founder, Pimoroni Ltd.
• Zach Supalla, CEO, Particle
• Bob Martin, Wizard of Make – Senior Staff Engineer, Microchip Technology

“We are so excited to launch the new Digi-Key AR app, with the 2021 Boards Guide as its first module, leveraging the printed guide produced in conjunction with Make:,” said David Sandys, director of technical marketing at Digi-Key. “Having all the board descriptions, key features and add-on board functionality combined with the ability to place, zoom, and rotate each of the platforms really helps students, makers and engineers visualize how they can utilize each of the included boards to drive innovation forward in their designs.”

“The 2021 Guide to Boards is an incredible resource for anyone that is designing electronics-based products or projects,” said Make: executive editor Mike Senese. “Bringing the boards to life with the augmented reality app allows users to refine their component choices in an exciting way that provides so much additional hands-on value.”

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