ScoutMakes Azul
At the heart of these kits is our ScoutMakes Azul board, which is an open source development platform that allows you to add Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) capabilities to any project. Featuring the 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 (nRF52840) processor from Nordic Semiconductors, it conforms to the AdaFruit Feather form factor, runs CircuitPython or Arduino, provides native support for USB Type-C, and includes a built-in 128 × 32 pixel OLED display.
Pre-programmed with a UF2 bootloader, the Azul board that arrives with your kit will be ready to run your code right out of the box! Whether you prefer CircuitPython or C, all you have to do is fire up a code editor like Mu or an IDE like Arduino and start tinkering.
To test your code—or the sample code we provide—simply pair your ScoutMakes Azul board with AdaFruit’s Bluefruit application, which is available for both Android and iOS devices. Bluefruit includes a color picker, an eight-button controller, and the ability to pass along sensor measurements (including quaternion, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and GPS data). It uses BLE to transmit instructions from your mobile device to the Azul board’s nRF52, which is then responsible for interpreting those instructions, whether you’re cranking up the volume on your radio, sending your robot careening across the room, or issuing commands to a creation of your very own.
Azul Features & Specifications
- Powered by an ARM Cortex M4F (with hardware floating point acceleration) running at 64 MHz
- 1 MB flash and 256 KB SRAM
- Native open source USB stack, pre-programmed with UF2 bootloader
- BLE-compatible 2.4 GHz radio
- Up to +8 dBm output power
- Built-in 128 x 32 pixel OLED display
- NeoPixel LED
- USB type-C connector
- Built-in battery charger and 100 mAh LiPo battery
- 1.7 to 3.3 V operation with internal linear and DC/DC voltage regulators
- 21 GPIO, six 12-bit ADC pins, and up to 12 PWM outputs (three PWM modules with four outputs each)
- A red LED for general-purpose blinking (pin #3) and a NeoPixel for multi-color visual feedback
- A power switch
- A reset button
- Four mounting holes
- Works out of the box with FeatherWing add-on boards