Tau Is a $15 Open-Source, Miniaturized Version of the Arduino Zero

The Tau is an affordable, miniaturized version of the Arduino Zero. The board is based on a Microchip SAM D21 32-bit MCU running at 48MHz and boasting 16K of RAM.

Designed with the Maker community in mind, Tau is entirely open-source and programmable using the Arduino IDE. Measuring only 1.1” x 0.6”, the $15 board features a few indicator LEDs — green when it’s receiving power and red when connected to pin 26 aka PIN_LED_TXL.

What’s more, you can say goodbye to the Tone() command forever. Simply transform your Tau into a virtuoso by connecting an amplifier to pin A0 and the conveniently placed GND pad, and then use the audio library to play .WAV files from a MicroSD card.

Tau is the brainchild of Boston-based startup Rabid Prototypes, who you may recall from earlier Kickstarter campaigns, including the Neutrino, Firecricket and Pixelduino.

Intrigued? You can check out all of its specs (and back it, of course) on Kickstarter!