Arduino Portenta H7 Development Board

Jargon buster

Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.

ADC

An analogue-to-digital converter reads a changing voltage and turns it into a number the microcontroller can use. It matters when connecting analogue sensors such as light, sound, or variable-resistor sensors.

BLE

BLE stands for Bluetooth Low Energy, a Bluetooth mode designed for low power use and broad compatibility with modern phones and computers. It connects well to battery-powered and mobile devices, including Apple hardware, though it behaves differently from Bluetooth Classic and its serial-style profiles.

Bluetooth 5.1

Bluetooth 5.1 is a version of Bluetooth that improves on earlier versions with features such as better device positioning support and efficient wireless communication. It matters for projects that connect to phones, sensors, or other nearby devices without cables.

DSI

DSI stands for Display Serial Interface, a high-speed connection commonly used to send video data from a computer board to a display. It matters because DSI signals are not simple GPIO wires, so the cable, connector, and signal routing need to match the display interface.

encoder

An encoder is a sensor that converts the rotation or position of a shaft, knob or dial into electrical signals, reporting movement as incremental steps and direction, or as an absolute position. It is used to track how far something has turned, which matters for precise positioning, speed control, repeatable movement, or using a rotary knob as an input.

I2C

I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.

JPEG

A widely used compressed image file format for photographs, where some detail is discarded to keep file sizes small. When a device produces JPEG output, the images are already compressed, making them easier to store on an SD card or send over a slow link than uncompressed raw data.

microcontroller

A microcontroller is a small computer on a single chip that runs a stored program and controls connected inputs and outputs such as buttons, sensors, displays and communication interfaces. In a device built around one, it is the part that executes the code and coordinates the device's behaviour.

MicroPython

A version of the Python programming language made to run on microcontrollers. It matters because it lets beginners write readable code to control LEDs, sensors, motors and displays without needing to start with lower-level languages.

MIPI

MIPI is a high-speed display and camera interface often used inside phones, tablets, and embedded devices. It matters because raw MIPI displays usually need special driver hardware or software support, unlike plug-and-play HDMI screens.

RTC

A Real-Time Clock keeps track of time even when the main processor is asleep or powered down, usually with a small backup battery. It matters for data logging and tracking projects that need accurate timestamps.

SPI

A fast serial communication bus often used for displays, memory cards, and sensors. It matters because SPI devices need specific pins for clock and data, plus a separate chip-select line for each device.

SRAM

Fast temporary memory used by a processor while a program is running. More SRAM helps with projects that handle larger data buffers, networking, displays, or more complex code.

UART

UART is a simple asynchronous serial interface that sends data over separate transmit and receive wires, usually labelled TX and RX, with both ends set to the same baud rate. It is a common way for microcontrollers and other serial devices to exchange data.