Raspberry Pi, Arduino, PIC – the all new MIAC range

You may have noticed that recently, Matrix TSL have launched a brand new range of rugged, programmable controllers called the MIACs.

The original MIAC

Many of you will already be familiar with the MIAC. The MIAC was launched a few years ago by Matrix and is a rugged 8-bit PIC based PLC.

The idea behind the MIAC was to put electronic engineers in control. Instead of having to opt for controllers based on weird and wonderful systems, or devices which need to be programmed using block diagram or ladder-logic, instead engineers could now opt for a unit which had all of the capabiltity required for rugged, industrial applications, but was easily programmable using C or even a software such as Flowcode.

The success of the MIAC has been clear to see in both industry as well as educational markets, with a range of educationally adapted ‘cased’ units being introduced to compliment a host of Matrix’s already existing educational learning solutions. In industry, multiple case studies exist of users who have used the capabilities of the PIC based MIAC for their real-world industrial projects.

Now you are in control

This year, Matrix have taken things to another level. Not only have we maintained the original MIAC basedo n the 8-bit PIC device, but we’ve also introduced anexpanded range of controllers to meet the expectations of the ever growing microcontroller developers around the World. Many of us are familiar with the Arduino, or the Raspberry Pi. What’s more, many of us may find the 8-bit unit un-suitable for rugged industrial applications. With all of this in mind, the latest range to be added includes controllers based on an Atmel AVR chip – the Arduino compatible MIAC; on the Raspberry Pi compute module and on a 16-bit dsPIC device.

Whilst each unit is slightly different in terms of specification (you can check out a full spec in the MIAC datasheet) you will also now find that the MIAC can be purchased with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities, meaning the previous need for expansion modules is often not required. Positioned as a unique product, bridging the gap between the world of development boards and real life, professional applications, the MIAC is revolutionary to this market.

You will find the full range of MIACs on the Matrix TSL website here.

Getting started

In order to support users of the MIAC range, Matrix TSL are no only developing a range of ‘getting started guides’ which will be available via the website, but we’ve also written a number of pre-developed example programs for the whole range which will be made available here.

To get your hands on the MIAC of your choice, visit www.matrixtsl.com/miac, call us on +44(0)1422 252380 or click here to find a distributor in your country.

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