The USB TinyShield lets you connect your TinyDuino via a micro-USB connector and uses the very popular FTDI FT231X USB to Serial converter IC (as used on most standard Arduino models). Using this board allows you to download new sketches via the Arduino IDE to your TinyDuino, and also allows you to add USB communication capabilities to your projects. This board supports RX and TX status LEDs so you can visualize the serial traffic to and from your TinyDuino.
The USB TinyShield is available in two variations for how the USB cable can plug in. Most TinyShields are square which make plugging in the USB cable simple to do. However there are some TinyShields that are not square, so depending on their dimensions can make plugging in the USB cable difficult. For example, the WiFi TinyShield is long so a side mount version of the USB connector works best for this. The TinyScreen is wide, which works best with the top mount version of the USB connector.
In some user projects is useful to route the USB cable a different way, and some TinyShields extend past the standard square outline of the TinyDuino stack w
- Side USB Connector - the micro USB connector will come out the left side of the TinyDuino stack. This works well for all TinyShields except the TinyScreen and the Proto Terminal Block TinyShield.
- Top USB Connector - the micro USB connector will come out the top side of the TinyDuino stack
This board also uses the DTR line from the FTDI IC to support the auto-reset function when a new sketch is downloaded to the processor – eliminating the need for you to hit the reset button to reprogram your TinyDuino.
To learn more about the TinyDuino Platform, click here
