What is Netduino? Different Boards in Netduino

Further to the discussion What is Neduino? Different Boards in Netduino, Netduino has gained a lot of popularity not just among the electronics enthusiasts but also to the programmer as it can be programmed through Microsoft Visual Studio using CSharp.NET or VB.NET language. We have tried to jump start interested people like you.

What is Netduino?

Netduino is an open source electronics platform based on the .NET Micro Framework. It’s Featuring a 32-bit Micro-Controller and a rich development environment, Netduino is suitable for engineers and hobbyists alike. This combines the ease of high-level coding and the raw features of Micro-Controllers.

Through this broad developer can use event-based programming, line-by-line debugging, multi-threading, breakpoints and more. Netduino board supported most of the Arduino shields. It’s composed with ethernet port and microSD card reader. Most interesting thing on this board is, developer can write code in C# languages but Arduino supported by C++. Chris Walker invented this device and he is also founder of secret lab.

Features of Netduino

The Netduino is based on the Cortex-M Micro Processor running on .NET Micro Framework v4.3. For development, Developer can use Visual Studio, Windows or with Xamarin Studio on Mac OS X. Netduino board is packed with IO; including 22 General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) ports, 6 of which support hardware Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) generation, 4 UARTs (serial communication), I2C, and SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface Bus).

Coding in Netduino on C#

One of the major part of the Netduino is the robust framework (.NET Micro Framework) that Netduino employs. If talking about Arduino uses the wiring language, and the Arduino IDE allows for a high level of control and visibility over the “bare metal” of the Micro-Controller. Netduino on the other hand, uses the familiar .NET framework, allowing programers to work in C# using Microsoft Visual Studio.

Netduino is More Powerful, But More Expensive

In general the computing power of the Netduino range is higher than that of Arduino. With some Netduino models working with a 32-bit processor running at up to 120 MHz, and plenty of RAM and FLASH memory to spare, the Netduino is appreciably faster than many of its Arduino counterparts.

This additional power does come with a larger price tag, although Netduino costs per unit are not prohibitively more expensive. These costs can mount however, if Netduino units are needed at scale.

Different board in Netduino :-

Netduino 3

Netduino 3 is offered in 3 different models, the N3 base model, N3 Ethernet model, and the N3 WiFi model; which vary by their internet connectivity mode and their code/flash storage size.

Features of Netduino 3

All Netduino3 models are support storage with SD cards up to 2GB. Both the Ethernet and WiFi models have a Micro SD slot built in to the board so that developer can use it for storage purpose.

Technical Specification

Model	MCU	Flash	RAM	Network
N3	Cortex-M4 @ 168MHz	384KB	164+ KB	n/a
N3 Ethernet	Cortex-M4 @ 168MHz	1408KB	164+ KB	10/100Mbs Ethernet
N3 WiFi	Cortex-M4 @ 168MHz	1408KB	164+ KB	802.11b/g/n with SSL/TLS 1.2 Support

Netduino 3 Diagram

(i) Netduino – 3

Netduino 3 board - www.iotboys.com

Netduino 3 features an STM32F427VI or STM32F427VG ARM Cortex-M4 MCU, 1 or 2MB of flash, and 256KB of RAM. A WiFi enabled version includes the TI CC3100 WiFi chip with 802.11b/g/n connectivity and supports built in SSL, WEP and WPA2. The Netduino 3 includes 3 GoBus 2.0 ports for plug and play components.

(ii) Netduino 3 Ethernet

Netduino 3 Ethernet - www.iotboys.com

(iii) Netduino – 3 WiFi

Netduino 3 WiFi - www.iotboys.com

Netduino 2

Netduino Plus 2 is an Open Source Electronics Platform based on the .NET Micro Framework. It uses the .NET Micro Framework, which combines the ease of high-level coding with the raw features of microcontrollers. Featuring a 32-bit microcontroller and a rich development environment.

Features of Netduino 2

Both N2 models support persistent storage with SD cards up to 2GB, and the N2+ has a micro SD slot built-in. The base model can use SD cards via most Arduino SD Card add-on shields.

Technical Specification

Model MCU Flash RAM Network

N2 Cortex-M3 @ 120MHz 192KB 60 KB n/a

N2 Plus Cortex-M4 @ 168MHz 384KB 100+ KB 10Mbs Ethernet

Netduino2 Diagram

(i) Netduino2

(ii) Netduino2 Plus