Introduction to Intel Edison, An Open-Source Development Board

We makers love microcontrollers! The possibilities are endless! Have you ever wondered how they keep getting smaller and smaller? Thanks to Intel, I was awarded one of the world's smallest open-source development boards. This board is so small that it removes huge barriers in the world of wearables and the Internet of Things! It's the Intel Edison Board. This Intel Edison for beginners tutorial will show you how to get started working with this cool single-board computer.

Introduction to the Intel Edison board

The Intel Edison board is a really cool single-board computer platform that helps you build amazing stuff just like the Arduino. You can use platforms like Arduino and Eclipse with Edison. This board uses an Intel Atom processor with a dual-core CPU at 500 Mhz and a microcontroller at 100 Mhz. The Edison board sports 1GB of memory, 4GB of storage, and even has Wi-Fo and Bluetooth 4.0 capabilities. It also has 40 GPIOs for plugging in all the crazy sensors and motors you can think of.

What can you build with this small, yet powerful, microcontroller? The winner of Intel’s Make it Wearable contest was “Nixie: The wearable Drone!”

Hopefully, that gets you excited to work with Edison! Let's get started with a quick unboxing video of the Intel Edison. If you are a beginner, this video will get you get started with this single-board computer. It covers everything from unboxing to coding. All you have to do is just sit back and watch this video from Intel:

Also, check out this video I made of my own unboxing. This was when I got my first Edison board, and I was pumped to build something with it.

After watching these videos, you will be fairly comfortable with the Intel Edison. If you are new to Arduino, you don't have to worry; you can always check out this free beginner's guide from Maker Pro: How to be a Maker!

Stay tuned for my second tutorial on Home Automation with the Intel Edison.