not to mention the inevitable need to solder or desolder header pins. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a simple plug-and-play way to add a few bits of GPIO to your desktop or laptop machine?

The Tiva series of LaunchPads serve as TI’s equivalent of the Arduino Uno, and hovers at about the same price point, except with more processing power and a sane geometry for the GPIO pins.

Arduino boards can most definitely ... which primarily differ in size, GPIO pins, and computing power. The classic UNO is the ideal choice for beginners, as it's versatile enough for both beginner ...