Page 143 - Programming the Photon Getting Started With the Internet of Things

7

Programming Particle Shields

In this chapter we are going to be looking at Particle shields and add-on boards that are

available and how these can make your projects a little bit easier without all the
unnecessary circuit design and testing. Many shields are available that can assist with your
projects, including power, relay, Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), Arduino shield, big
button, and many more. We are going to be looking at all of these in detail and show you

how you can use them in your projects.

Shield Shield

Sometimes when using two different electronic devices, the two do not match up because
of the different voltages the two systems use. The Photon uses 3.3-V standard on the
digital and analog pins, but more conventional devices are usually affixed with 5 V, and
there is a significant risk of damaging both boards. The shield in Figure 7.1 performs all
the necessary voltage translating while also providing a useful Arduino-compatible

footprint to make it easier to plug in your existing Arduino shields or program other 5-V
devices.