Arduino NANO 33 BLE Sense

Arduino is a fantastic ecosystem that really brings electronics to an accessible level, allowing for almost anyone and everyone to learn about, utilise and enjoy the effects of coding and electronics. However, up until rather recently, Arduino focused solely on affordable and accessible boards, with very few frills and extras that would detract from the cost-effective nature of the ecosystem, and while that was easy to understand given their specific niche in the industry, it’s quite exciting to see Arduino branching out to offer more complex functionality in addition to offering just great, affordable microcontrollers. The Arduino NANO 33 BLE Sense is a part of the awesome Arduino Nano 33 Range, which is a step up from the standard bare-bones style, bringing better embedded functionality and onboard goodness that lets users create advanced projects without having to incorporate any other external Modules or components, and this not only helps users develop prototypes at a much faster and more efficient rate, but it also helps new users learn about advanced functions without having to worry about any unnecessary soldering or other hassles.

The all-inclusive style of the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense makes it a great board for both advanced and beginner Makers alike, since advanced Makers can enjoy a cost-effective solution that includes many of the standard sensors that one would need for a microcontroller project, while beginners can enjoy the fact that they can simply purchase a single board and start practicing, experimenting and learning all about a variety of sensors – without ever having to lift the soldering iron from its stand. This way, whether you’re building another unit to match your existing fleet of smart devices, or are just eager to play around and learn to code the various onboard Sensors, you can rest assured that there will be no annoying connection problems, bad solder joints or other problems relating to connecting everything together, but instead you can rely on the fact that everything is ready to operate perfectly together, to give your projects or experimentation the best chances at yielding successful results each and every time.

Now, as we will allude to down below, the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense is basically just an Arduino Nano 33 BLE with extras thrown in for more functionality and an easy to use inclusive style, so in addition to offering all of the standard 33 BLE features this board has also been equipped with onboard sensors, and these include:

Temperature, Humidity & Pressure Sensing – While you certainly never want to leave your important electronics in extremely hot or humid areas, it’s quite handy to see that the 33 BLE Sense includes that classic trifecta of environmental sensing, which of course is temperature, humidity and pressure sensing. These are relatively basic, and are typically low-cost even when built onto specialised breakout boards, but having all of these built into tiny onboard chips that are smaller than a fingernail is certainly a valuable addition that we think almost any and every microcontroller could benefit from.

Microphone/Audio Sensing – The next cool onboard feature that is similarly low-cost but very valuable to include is the onboard microphone, which can be a great addition to almost any project, offering voice, clap or other audio-based control without ever having to connect up external modules. This means that once you’ve built your robot, you can easily tell it to sit, follow, play dead or perform other actions with simple voice or sound-based commands, and this functionality also translates well to almost any other project as well, from basic lighting systems to complex robotics and automation.

Motion, Vibration & Orientation Sensing – Next up, although these certainly aren’t the most exciting sensors around, the onboard motion, vibration and orientation sensor is definitely a valuable addition to have onboard, and there are many different ways to take advantage of these sensors for all kinds of applications. Some of the more exciting examples of these sensors in action include orientation-based controls, such as those feature on some handheld gaming consoles, secret orientation or knock-based gesture locking systems for secret stashes or hidden compartments, or simply for automated projects that might turn on when they sense the typical vibrations of a human walking or operating some kind of tool. Of course, these are relatively basic examples, and could definitely be stretched further for niche applications, but sometimes simpler is better, especially when mixed in with a variety of other more advanced sensors on the board.

Gesture, Light & Proximity Sensing – Finally, and this is probably the coolest of all of the onboard extras, the Nano 33 BLE Sense has been equipped with a surprisingly effective Light Sensing unit, which is cleverly designed to be able to sense not just light, but also proximity, gestures and even colour as well. This opens up so many cool possibilities for unique control techniques, as well as for automated behaviour that responds or reacts to various changes in the environmental lighting, making it ideal for projects that may need to behave differently when certain criteria are met, such as going to sleep when the sun goes down, hiding away from or following bright lights, following specific coloured lines while avoiding others, and many more fun or functional applications that are just waiting to be explored.

Please Note: For a better overview of the other features that this board, check out the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Page, since both of these boards are designed to the same specifications, but the Sense has been equipped with extra embedded components for more advanced onboard functionality.

Additional Resources:

• For a much more comprehensive rundown of all the cool features of this board, as well as further resources to help you get started, check out the official Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense Page, which features a good overview, some handy tech specs, as well as an exceptional level of documentation.

When it comes to building unique electronics projects, there are few better ways to do it than with Arduino. Founded with the intent to make electronics prototyping accessible to all, regardless of age, culture, sex or any other factors, Arduino is one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of open-source hardware and software.

Some of the leading microcontroller boards that Arduino has produced include the classic Arduino UNO, as well as many variations with different specialisations and specifications. Some of the most popular Arduino boards – which we stock of course – are the Arduino Mega, Leonardo, Due, Micro, Nano, Mini, as well as the unique Arduino LilyPad. And with these boards at hand, as well as a Shield or two, you can craft thousands of different projects, with each one being tailored to your specific needs, wants and personal tastes.