Six-sensor platform evaluation kit opens up hot swap capability

Farnell element14 has announced availability of the Rohm Multisense Evaluation Kit add-on sensor platform, opening up hot swappable sensor capability to projects. Users can test and interchange six of the most popular sensors from Rohm for portable applications on most platforms with USB host support. The sensor kit includes the baseboard for connecting to a host system platform and six sensor modules including a hall effect sensor, analog ambient light sensor, digital ambient light sensor, UV light sensor, MEMS motion sensor, and a temperature sensor. The multi-sense base board interfaces with the host through a USB connection and holds one sensor breakout module board at a time. Additionally, drivers are available for popular platforms like Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black and others including Windows. This broad array of sensors lend themselves to home automation, lighting, IoT devices and security applications – all of which Farnell element14 wholly and thoroughly supports. In fact, the DreamBoard initiative, held on the element14 Community, which allowed members to create their own unique development kit design, placed temperature sensors and accelerometers and at the top of their list for required sensors on their own ultimate development kit, says the company. In a recent study by element14, 68% of respondents out of a total of 3,500 consumers placed healthcare at the top of a list of areas where technology should be a main focus, followed by renewable energy and the environment.