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rockets4kids

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  1. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from tripwire in FET vs EEM   
    The use of the word "emulation" is archaic and is in no way appropriate to the way MCUs are used today.  TI should have dropped the term a decade ago, as it serves only to confuse just about everyone who wasn't using microcontrollers well over ten years ago.
     
    Historically, re-programmable memory was very expensive so most chips used either ROMs that were masked directly onto the chip or one time programmable memories.  Even silicon was very expensive, so any debugging hardware at all was never included on the chips.  Development and debugging was done on dedicated boards that that either implemented the processor with discrete components or emulated it with a more advanced processor.  The program ROM was also typically emulated in RAM.  Because these development systems were very complex and only produced in relatively small volumes, they were typically very expensive.  Even at the very tail end of their use they still cost more than $1000.
     
    However, new processes and technologies have made both FLASH memory and silicon cheap, and the cost to implement the hooks required to enable debugging on the chip itself add so little to the overall cost that just about all modern microcontrollers include them.  The MSP430FET is merely a communications bridge between the host and the on-chip debug hardware.
  2. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from tripwire in A smartphone with 100TB of memory?   
    I have that problem with only 4 TB of storage.
  3. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from RROMANO001 in TI Hercules. Suitable for casual and hobby use?   
    I have seen plenty of people using Arduinos and Raspberry Pis as flight computers for these applications, so clearly power consumption isn't *that* great of a concern.  ;-)
     
    I agree that an MSP430 part would likely have lower power consumption than a Hercules part, but I would be willing to bet that a Hercules part -- when used/coded properly -- would consume *considerably* less power than what most people are actually using.
     
    I mention this application because I have seen a fair number of discussions on flight computer failures.  Now personally, I suspect the primary cause to be related to vibration on spring-loaded connectors.  I've seen some pretty janky wiring jobs.  But cosmic radiation levels are much greater at high altitudes so this is a real possibility.  (BTW, janky *is* a real word now.  http://time.com/3724601/oxford-dictionary-janky-egot-ridesharing/)
     
    I am aware that FRAM has some level of immunity to the effects of cosmic rays, but as I understand it the SRAM and the core logic could certainly be effected.  As such, the effects of a cosmic-ray induced bit flip could easily go unnoticed causing a series of cascading failures before the watchdog is triggered.  But then you still are left with all the mess between the cosmic ray event and the watchdog trigger.  (There is also no guarantee that a failure will result in triggering of the watchdog.)
     
    As best as I can tell, the lock-step operation of the Hercules parts would provide much quicker notification of an event, and thus much quicker restart with less chance of data loss or corruption.  This is certainly no substitute for a fully rad-hard system, but it seems as if it gets you a long way in that direction for a fraction of the price.
     
    In any case, it seems as if this could be a prime hobbyist application for the part.  I am *very* curious to know if anyone who knows more about the architecture of the Hercules can actually provide some more detail here.
  4. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from abecedarian in TI Hercules. Suitable for casual and hobby use?   
    Perhaps a better way to discuss this would be, "For what hobbyist applications would the Hercules part be well suited?"
     
    The first thing that comes to my mind would be high-altitude balloon projects or cubesats that would be subject to cosmic rays.
     
    Does anyone know if the Hercules architecture will really provide a benefit here?
  5. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from spirilis in TI Hercules. Suitable for casual and hobby use?   
    Perhaps a better way to discuss this would be, "For what hobbyist applications would the Hercules part be well suited?"
     
    The first thing that comes to my mind would be high-altitude balloon projects or cubesats that would be subject to cosmic rays.
     
    Does anyone know if the Hercules architecture will really provide a benefit here?
  6. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from simalrow in Why does this code's iF statement not work   
    The simple solution is to always place the constant on the left hand side.  This will always force an error if you use = instead of ==
  7. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from RROMANO001 in Why does this code's iF statement not work   
    The simple solution is to always place the constant on the left hand side.  This will always force an error if you use = instead of ==
  8. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from RROMANO001 in Porting mspgcc code to msp430-gcc-opensource   
    Before migrating to TIs gcc compiler you will really want to investigate its actual condition and level of support.  For instance, can you even find any proper documentation on the new compiler?
     
    The older toolchain, though obsolete, is more reliable and much better suited for most projects.
  9. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from abecedarian in Why does this code's iF statement not work   
    The simple solution is to always place the constant on the left hand side.  This will always force an error if you use = instead of ==
  10. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from maximedg in msp430-gcc 4.9.1 fails to build program that builds with 4.6.3   
    Have you gotten "hello world" to compile under the new toolchain?  If not, that is where you want to start.
     
    Most of your size issues are likely coming from newlib, not the compiler directly.
     
    That said, I still have reservations about the new compiler so unless you need support for large memory or C++11 I suggest you stick with 4.6.3.
  11. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from bluehash in FM430 - A MSP430 and TEA5767 Project that lets you listen to clear digital FM   
    Just stumbled across this and though some people might be interested:
     
    http://rohitg.in/2015/05/17/FM430/
     
    These FM receiver modules go for about $1 on eBay.
     
     
  12. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from spirilis in Debian / Linux tip: use netcat.   
    netcat is the swiss army knife of networking tools.  Several books have been written about netcat alone.
  13. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from spirilis in A new MSP430 coming [MSP432 ARM]   
    It seems these parts have been in the pipeline for quite some time now:
     
    $ whois msp432.com
     
       Domain Name: MSP432.COM    Registrar: GKG.NET, INC.    Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID: 93    Whois Server: whois.gkg.net    Referral URL: http://www.gkg.net    Name Server: NS.TI.COM    Name Server: NS2.TI.COM    Name Server: NS3.TI.COM    Name Server: NS4.TI.COM    Status: clientTransferProhibited http://www.icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited    Updated Date: 04-dec-2013    Creation Date: 13-jan-2011                          <<<<<<<<---------------------------------------------    Expiration Date: 13-jan-2019
  14. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from tripwire in Vetinari's Clock   
    It the the same principle used by charlieplexing, only a simpler implementation.  Take any two GPIO pins in output mode.  Pull one high and the other low and current will flow between them.  Reverse the settings and current will flow the opposite direction.  Set the pins to input mode and no current will flow.  You can easily test this with a two-color bi-directional LED or two individual LEDs.
     
    Be careful of current consumption.  Draw too much current (or worse, short the pins) and you are almost guaranteed to fry them.
  15. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from JuliaJose in Maximum input frequency detectable by MSP430g2553   
    TI has a number of app notes and sample code for doing FSK with the MSP430.  That would be a good place to start.
  16. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from roadrunner84 in Anyone played with the Cypress PSoC's yet?   
    I played with them a little bit this past spring when they introduced the $4 PSOC4 developer board.  They are a nice bit of kit but the Windows-only development system is a deal-breaker for me.  Even if you are a Windows user, you are essentially forced to use their editor as external editor support sucks.
     
    I wouldn't mind doing my hardware configuration under windows if I could do software development elsewhere.  The hardware configuration tools generate C code so there is no reason for this not to be possible.  I actually had a hour-long conference call with some of the lead developers on this, and they agreed that this should not be a big deal since they use GCC under the hood.  The only catch is that Cypress does some magic hand-waving in the link stage, and this would need ported  away from Windows.  They did express some interest in implementing this, but it never went anywhere.  My interest in the PSOC never went anywhere as a result.
     
    But if you prefer Windows and don't mind using their IDE you might like them.  They are certainly worth checking out.  You can't beat the $4 development board, and even if you never use the PSOC it is still worth $4 just for the USB-Serial dongle.
  17. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from abecedarian in Anyone played with the Cypress PSoC's yet?   
    That was one of my intended purposes for them as well.  I would have been all over the PSOC4 if I could take that UDB configuration and do the rest of my software development under OS/X.
  18. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from abecedarian in Anyone played with the Cypress PSoC's yet?   
    I played with them a little bit this past spring when they introduced the $4 PSOC4 developer board.  They are a nice bit of kit but the Windows-only development system is a deal-breaker for me.  Even if you are a Windows user, you are essentially forced to use their editor as external editor support sucks.
     
    I wouldn't mind doing my hardware configuration under windows if I could do software development elsewhere.  The hardware configuration tools generate C code so there is no reason for this not to be possible.  I actually had a hour-long conference call with some of the lead developers on this, and they agreed that this should not be a big deal since they use GCC under the hood.  The only catch is that Cypress does some magic hand-waving in the link stage, and this would need ported  away from Windows.  They did express some interest in implementing this, but it never went anywhere.  My interest in the PSOC never went anywhere as a result.
     
    But if you prefer Windows and don't mind using their IDE you might like them.  They are certainly worth checking out.  You can't beat the $4 development board, and even if you never use the PSOC it is still worth $4 just for the USB-Serial dongle.
  19. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from pine in Anyone played with the Cypress PSoC's yet?   
    I played with them a little bit this past spring when they introduced the $4 PSOC4 developer board.  They are a nice bit of kit but the Windows-only development system is a deal-breaker for me.  Even if you are a Windows user, you are essentially forced to use their editor as external editor support sucks.
     
    I wouldn't mind doing my hardware configuration under windows if I could do software development elsewhere.  The hardware configuration tools generate C code so there is no reason for this not to be possible.  I actually had a hour-long conference call with some of the lead developers on this, and they agreed that this should not be a big deal since they use GCC under the hood.  The only catch is that Cypress does some magic hand-waving in the link stage, and this would need ported  away from Windows.  They did express some interest in implementing this, but it never went anywhere.  My interest in the PSOC never went anywhere as a result.
     
    But if you prefer Windows and don't mind using their IDE you might like them.  They are certainly worth checking out.  You can't beat the $4 development board, and even if you never use the PSOC it is still worth $4 just for the USB-Serial dongle.
  20. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from bluehash in controller's support to MSP430g2553 LP   
    The G2 LaunchPad is technically capable of programming any MSP430 part with SBW.  Support is determined by your software.  CCS only supports parts which can be physically plugged into the LaunchPad.  mspdebug supports the full line of MSP430 parts.
  21. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from greeeg in MSP430FR vs M0+ which is better for battery-less operation   
    @greeeg: If there is one thing I know from 20+ years in the consulting business, it is that what clients ask for is only rarely what they actually need.
     
    In this case, I have a strong suspicion that because we're dealing with radio transmission of data, the power consumption of the microcontroller is going to be a non-issue by comparison.
     
    But even assuming this is not the case, you are *still* going to want to build a test jig to measure your *actual* power consumption.  This is absolutely an area where you want to verify your datasheets before beginning any actual development.
  22. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from roadrunner84 in controller's support to MSP430g2553 LP   
    The G2 LaunchPad is technically capable of programming any MSP430 part with SBW.  Support is determined by your software.  CCS only supports parts which can be physically plugged into the LaunchPad.  mspdebug supports the full line of MSP430 parts.
  23. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from abecedarian in Program MSP430 from memory card   
    All of the MSP430 parts are fully self-programmable.  All you need to is read blocks from the SD card and write them into the MSP430's flash memory.
  24. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from abc in Making commercial electronics, self-financed - steps?   
    Of course there are houses that specialize in this work.  Needless to say you are going to have to pay for their experience, time, and test equipment.
     
    This is exactly why so many hobbyists just getting their feet wet with commercial products sell modules rather than complete products.
  25. Like
    rockets4kids got a reaction from alchy75 in Programming/debugging MSP430(G2553) while not common ground   
    I wasn't referring to C14, I was referring to C20 and C23.
     
    C14 absolutely must not be more that 1 nF.  IIRC you can generally get away without C14.
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