The Butler Is an All-in-One Arduino Computer

We don’t have to tell you that Arduino boards have been used in a wide array of projects, from simply blinking an LED to advanced implementations that its creators would have likely never considered. For nearly any such project, however, you’ll need to wire in different accessories, from lights, to relays, to various sensors. The Butler from Patrick Thomas Mitchell does things a little differently, and provides just about everything you could ever want in an Arduino-compatible package.

This device runs on an ATmega2560, the same microcontroller used in the popular Arduino Mega, features a USB-to-TTL chip for easy programming. The Butler is equipped with an LED matrix, a button-based keypad, relay, nRF24L01 RF transceiver, HC-06 Bluetooth module, LCD display, and more. Michell has also included his Little Buddy Talker Chip for audio capabilities. It’s truly a massive undertaking, and would allow you to load and run programs without any soldering, plugging wires in, securing screw terminals, etc.

What's more, the Butler is able to store multiple programs as a state machine, e.g. one gigantic mega-program from which these smaller pieces of code can be called. Interface is via a PS/2 keyboard socket, and pledge rewards conveniently include a PS/2-to-USB adapter. The board is currently priced at $165 CA (approximately $130 USD). While a bit more money than a Mega by itself, you’re getting a lot of extra functionality, and you don’t even have to wire it up!