BeagleBoard cape design contest winners announced

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6 March 2013 News

BeagleBoard.org announced the winners of the BeagleBone Cape Plug-in Board Design Contest, which was announced late in 2012 and invited developers, students, makers and hobbyists worldwide to create innovative new expansion boards or ‘capes’.

Made specifically for BeagleBone, a credit-card-sized Linux computer that connects with the Internet and runs software such as Android 4.1.2 and Ubuntu, capes allow hobbyists to quickly and easily enhance the sensors, actuators and interfaces available on the BeagleBone development platform.

After receiving an overwhelming response, three contest winners were selected: Chris Clark, inventor of Interacto, a cape that provides a foundation for building robots and flying drones; Elias Bakken, creator of Replicape, a cape that functions as a 3D printer for BeagleBone; and Matt Ranostay, designer of the Geiger Cape that registers radiation counts from background sources.

The winners will each receive a $1000 cash prize from Texas Instruments and Mouser, as well as protocol analyser tools and other prizes from Total Phase. Circuitco Electronics will also produce and sell these original cape plug-in board designs.

Clark created Interacto, a cape that gets BeagleBone interactive with a triple-axis accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer plus a 640 x 480/30 fps camera. All sensors are digital and communicate via I²C to the BeagleBone. The camera frames are captured using the PRU-ICSS. The sensors on this cape give hobbyists and students a starting point to easily build robots and flying drones.

Bakken’s Replicape helps drive 3D printing for BeagleBone and features five stepper motors, three high-power MOSFETs for two extruders and one HPB. Using 3D printers, hobbyists can print plastic for their specific use while engineers and mechanical designers can create prototypes for concept development and product design.

The Geiger Cape, created by Ranostay, is a design that measures radiation counts from background and test sources by utilising multiple Geiger tubes. The cape can be used to detect low-level radiation, which is needed in certain industries such as security and medical.

For more information visit http://beagleboard.org

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BeagleBoard cape design contest winners announced

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