Intel Curie-based Arduino 101 Programmable Microcontroller Review

Setup

As of now the Arduino IDE version 1.6.8, which is the programming interface for the Arduino, doesn't include the Intel Curie Boards such as the Arduino 101 by default.

You need to open up the "Boards Manager" perform a quick search for the Arduino 101, and then install it. It is very easy to do, and once you install the package, the Curie example sketches and libraries will become available.

Example Sketches

With the Arduino 101 connected to your PC through USB, you can load the example sketch "AccelerometerOrientation" which takes advantage of the Curie's inertial monitoring unit (IMU) to help understand the abilities of the IMU. The sketch will send back real-time information about the orientation of the board through USB to the serial monitor built into the IDE.

Another example sketch called "StepCount" will use Curie's RTOS and its pattern recognition capabilities to take inputs from the accelerometer and gyroscope to determine whether the user has taken a step. I modified the sketch a little to output the information to a simple 1602 LCD shield, in this case, I am using USB only for power. I can say that the example sketch is accurate enough with normal stepping movements, I could get it to increase one step at a time if I walked slow, and it did pick up many steps at a time if I walked faster.

The Arduino 101 has a Real Time Clock built into the Curie module, allowing the Arduino 101 to keep time as long as it's powered. Having a dedicated clock built into the module makes utilizing time in your code simpler.