Gerardo Berber's Artis Shield Turns an Arduino Nano or PICstick Into an Automation Controller
With eight isolated inputs, eight relay outputs, and RS485 support, the screw-and-DIN-mountable Artis Shield is designed for automation.
Electronics engineer Gerardo Berber has designed a carrier board for the Arduino Nano, Arduino Nano Every, and his own PICstick, which aims to simplify the development of industrial and home automation projects: the Artis Shield.
"Artis Shield," Berber claims of his creation, "will allow you to evolve your developments and projects, to control and manage industrial and commercial actuators, sensors, loads, etc., without the need to learn new programming languages (such as ladder [logic]), since in reality, what you are programming is your standard dev board (Arduino Nano or PICstick!)"
Designed to act as a carrier board, the Artis Shield features eight fully-isolated digital inputs with four also acting as analog inputs, operating at 5-48VDC in digital or 0-5V in analog modes. There are eight isolated relay outputs, an RS484 connection with TVS protection and half-duplex operation, LED indicators for all inputs and outputs, and the choice of screw or DIN-rail mount options.
Additionally, Berber has revealed two stretch goals for the project's crowdfunding campaign: If $7,500 is raised, a AC-compatible version with eight inputs, six relay outputs supporting up 250VAC/8A, and compatibility with an 85-265V power input will be added; if $15,000 is raised, high-speed SSR outputs will be used on both the DC and AC variants.
This isn't Berber's first shot at crowdfunding: Back in 2022 he launched a campaign for a gumstick-style development board, the Tesla Board, built around Microchip's PIC18F2550. Despite some tempting features, including native USB 2.0 support and pin compatibility with the popular Arduino Nano board, the campaign ended without having reached its funding goal. It's the Tesla Board, though, which would provide the basis for his current PICstick design.
The campaign is now live on Kickstarter, with physical rewards starting at $50 for a single Artis Shield, $67 for a shield with 3D-printed case and Arduino Nano compatible development board, or $100 for a shield with case and PICstick development board.