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cubeberg got a reaction from NurseBob in How do I move from the launchpad to a custom schematic
Sorry - busy weekend/work week
Enabling pull up/down resistors should be sufficient for that problem - it's recommended for low-power optimization anyway.
Looks like @NurseBob has done an excellent job answering everything else
FWIW - I like Elecrow over Seeed, etc. I've always had good luck with them - and they have good customer service for the few times I've had any issues.
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cubeberg got a reaction from ak96 in How do I move from the launchpad to a custom schematic
I'd suggest taking a look at the launchpad schematic - there are probably a couple different places you can find it - but here's one - http://www.ti.com/lit/ug/slau318g/slau318g.pdf (Page 15)
Pay attention to filter caps on the power lines (10uf and 100nf), as well as the reset pin (I usually just add the the 47k pull-up - although I think the cap is recommended as it prevents problems with power supplies that are slow to start up).
For programming - you just need GND, TST and RST - I usually break out a 4 pin header - VCC/TST/RST/GND - for programming/debugging. Pull all of the jumpers from the Launchpad, pull out the chip, and connect GND/TST/RST from the emulator side of the LP and you can program/debug the board. I've connected jumpers from the boosterpack headers - but the 47k pull-up on the launchpad can cause problems (I've had a few aggravated troubleshooting sessions caused by that). Connecting from the emulator side should avoid that.
FWIW - unless you need 9v for a peripheral - you're going to put off a lot of heat dropping 9v -> 3v, and 9v batteries drain fairly quickly. You could, however, run straight off of 2xAA or 2xAAA batteries for quite some time with an MSP430, depending on what else is in your circuit. I've even run an MSP430 with an LED and wireless transmitter for months off of a CR2032 by staying in sleep mode as much as possible and using the transmitter infrequently.
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cubeberg reacted to Rei Vilo in IoT Data Collection Servers: DeviceHive, Node-Red, MQTT, Custom?
You can easily interface Node-RED with a SQL database to store and retrieve all the data. Among many other options, mySQL, SQLlite...
How often each sensor is reporting temperature? How critical is temperature?
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cubeberg got a reaction from zeke in IoT Data Collection Servers: DeviceHive, Node-Red, MQTT, Custom?
@hmjswt - you could easily say that about a lot of things (C vs Assembly, roll your own database, etc.)
I'm a web developer - but trying to figure out everything from hardware to reporting can kill a project pretty quickly. Like @zeke - I've got a lot of unfinished projects - usually because I get bored trying to get over obstacles in the project. Since DeviceHive supports MQTT - it should be pretty easy to port a project over to something else at a later point in a project.
I was able to get a simple POC working with a Raspberry Pi on DeviceHive. Not too bad - it'll be a good place to start working on MQTT for some of the hardware I've got sitting around. I'm not so sure about deploying DeviceHive though - there are a lot of components to install - although they do have docker instructions.
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cubeberg reacted to enl in Setting up a workspace - setup suggestions?
A good bench is at the top of the list. I have an industrial assembly bench as my primary space with a work area of 1500mm by 700mm. It came with outlets mounted in the shelf faces, the front of the work area, and the back f the work area, but I ended up adding several more duplexes (4, for a total of 8 more) as well as a few 2A USB sources and an IEC320 strip (I scored a bunch of 600mm IECmale to female cords at Eli Heffron's back in the late '80s. They still come in handy) Power is key, and not just for electronics work, These power the scope, logic ananyzer, several meters, computer, monitors, power supplies, and several projects.
The bench has a lighted magnifier-on-a-stick which gets a LOT of use (I have about a half dozen mounted around the shop and the office. I am getting old and have had several eye injuries) as well as the optivisor and a bunch of loupes. My go-to style loupe is the jewelers style (black conical with a single lens) of 2.5 to 5X. The 5X and 10X Bauch and Lomb that clips onto my glasses gets a lot of use, as well. One good one costs as much as several cheapies, but the cheap ones are useless due to distortion. Go good with glass lenses. I also keep several powers of cheater reading glasses around as well as safety glasses with cheaters.
A stereo microscope gets a lot of use. High power isn't the key for electronics. It lets you work in a more comfortable position and focus without strain. I would love a Mantis, but can't justify the cost, so I have a 7.5 to 75X Nikon that spends most of the time at the 7.5X end. It also gets used for machinist work (I made a mount for the lathe and for the mill), and for measurement and for photography. If you can find one (craigslist is your best friend) an arm mount beats a base any day. It isn't too hard to make a mount, but it is nice to have it come with one.
My monitors are mounted to the back rail of the bench. Dual monitors (if I upgrade the machine, I'll go for three next time) of good size are a requirement to maximize workflow and reduce eyestrain from focal changes. It doesn't seem like it should matter, but it does. A lot. They also get use with the microscope camera for a lot of things when I prefer not to be staring down the eyepieces.
A decent workholding vise is nice. I made several for specific purposes, including board-holding.
If I was to name the MOST important thing, it is light. A lot of glare free light. I have about 5000lm/m^2 at the bench, from multiple directions, most diffuse sources, and have about another 10000lm available task lighting (fixed fluorescent and lamps on movable arms). About 20% of this os LED floods, to give some shadowing and contrast, the rest being quite uniform from flourescent.. I use high color rendering index lights (90+) daylight (6500k) mostly. I have a few fixtures in the shop with warm (4500K) so it doesn't feel so clinical, but hte key is a LOT of light. Magnification comes right with this.
As I also use the space for woodwork and machining, I also have a bunch of vises for these tasks. A decent drill press vise can serve a lot of masters. The one I get the most use from is an ancient, swap meet, palmgren 2-1/2" angle vise. Second is a dirt cheap ($2?) yard sale job with 1" and 1-1/2" jaws that rotates (no brand.... just "Japan"). The jaws on that needed a little dress with a file, and the vacuum holddown went to the trash, but it works a treat for everything from holding a probe in place to holding a micrometer suspended in mineral spirits during rebuild. I never had mch use for a panavise or equivalent, though I have had several, as they never seem to be rigid enough or be able to get to the position I need them in.
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cubeberg reacted to yyrkoon in Setting up a workspace - setup suggestions?
Yeah, first off. Avoid anything from Harbor freight if you hate spending good money after bad. Their parts boxes with clear plastic drawers where you have say 4-5 across, and 8 high( or whatever ) are garbage. My buddy bought like ten of these, and less than a year later the drawers, and boxes started disintegrating. All of their other stuff is garbage too. Search youtube for "harbor freight", and get the gist.
As for the one thing I personally find "most desirable". That would be more work space. Our place has lots of work space, but not where I spend most of my time. In my own area, I'm constantly struggling to keep space clear for development boards, prototypes, etc as I develop software and test the hardware. I even built a 4'x8'( full sheet plywood ) workbench, that is a bit higher than waist high to make it easy to work on things while standing. Off of one corner, I have a one of the 4x4 legs built up with stacked 2x6's( screwed together ) to accommodate a custom built, by me, swing arm for my laptop Pretty much, I was given the base for this, and I welded together galvanized pipe, and angle iron as the post mount, and then 3 other pieces of pipe for the laptop base to swivel on.
Anyway, I did not really plan all of this from the start, so it does not work out the way I had hoped. So I think the best possible thing you could probably do is draw up several plans, until you're happy with something for making the best possible use of your space. Then gives you what you want.
Also, at first thought, it may make sense to keep your electronic design space separate from your software development space. Which make total sense to me too. However, if we're talking about constantly moving between the garage and an in house room. That could present its self as a problem. So it may make better sense to *somehow* do all this inside your room, and keep the garage for other things like . . . I don't know project box fabrication, etc, if you're into that sort of thing.
As for a good place to find related tools ? I find amazon a good place to start looking sometimes, but may not necessarily purchase form amazon. Or sometimes I'll just google, find something, then check to see if amazon has comparable prices. But I also am an Amazom Prime member, So I usually get free shipping on everything.
So maybe, consider buying some cabinets to hang on the wall above your work benches, so all you have to do is stand up to grab something that may not always need to be on the bench. Then have your benches shallow enough to be able to do that. Maybe 2-3 feet from the wall out. This way, you could potentially span a whole wall with one long bench, then have storage above in easily accessible cabinets. Or you could do a whole room like this is you wish, Which we've done here. Several rooms actually. As for monitors, do you really need more than one ? I know, I prefer at least dual monitors too for documentation, and editor type situations, but you may only need one. But if you need a single, double or even triple stand, Amazon has a wide variety of stands. Also keep in mind that some 4K monitors can be partitioned into 4 separate 1080p screen areas. So basically giving the possibility to have 4 screens displayed on 1. If something like that would work for you.
With all that said, I think the most important thing you could do is start thinking about what you need, and want. Then start drawing up plans until you're happy with what you've come up with.
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cubeberg reacted to zeke in Setting up a workspace - setup suggestions?
For organizing cables, parts, and random stuff, I am using clear Samla Series boxes from Ikea:
Small = 701.029.72 Medium = 401.029.78 Large = 801.029.76 Huge = 001.029.75 There are more sub-types that these.
The benefits are:
They stack on top of each other They are clear so you can see what's inside of them They all have matching lids to keep the dust out You can put slips of paper on the inside facing outwards to label the contents They are inexpensive I have created two wall mounted shelving units to hold these boxes. This is the BOM for one of the shelving units:
4x Rubbermaid 70" black twin track uprights screwed into the wall studs 16x Rubbermaid 11.5" black twin track shelf brackets - 4x per shelf 1x sheet of 4'x8' sheet of 3/4" plywood cut into four 8' strips The shelves are spaced so that two small Samla boxes can stack on top of each other comfortably.
I like the results.
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cubeberg got a reaction from spirilis in edX course Real-Time bluetooth Networks - Shape the World
I'll admit I haven't finished the training on TI-RTOS (next plan after I'm done with this course) - but the concepts introduced in the course are clarifying some of the settings I was seeing with TI-RTOS (Like WTF is StackSize used for). So I can see this helping my understanding of using another RTOS.
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cubeberg reacted to RobG in MSP430 Nixie Clock
Time to upgrade my Nixie clock.
Here's what's new:
1. the number one complaint about my current version is battery, or lack of it, done. The new version will come with backup battery.
2. hour and minute divider (colon,) done. Added two INS-1 Nixie tubes.
3. improved HV power supply, it is now more efficient and quieter.
Few other tiny improvements.
Should be ready for holiday season.
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cubeberg got a reaction from SteveR in edX course Real-Time bluetooth Networks - Shape the World
Awesome @@Fmilburn - looking forward to having some 43oh'ers to chat with about the course!
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cubeberg reacted to zeke in I like government surplus stores
I really like government surplus stores. I mean, reeeeeeally like them.
This week, I bought two HP laserjet printers:
A Laserjet 5000n which can print 11"x17" and that is great for schematics, and A Laserjet 4350dnt which has the duplexer and a second 500 sheet paper tray. I know I didn't steal them because I have a bill of sale. The total for both printers was $30!
I also got a Fellowes Powershred C-320 paper shredder. That thing can swallow 25 sheets of paper at a time and will not choke! I paid $80 for it.
So, yeah, I like this government surplus stuff.
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cubeberg got a reaction from MSPLife in Strange voltage on RST pin msp430g2553 TSSOP 20 pin
Glad to hear @@MSPLife!
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cubeberg reacted to yyrkoon in Strange voltage on RST pin msp430g2553 TSSOP 20 pin
Ah right, ok i se it now thanks. Old eyes . . . that are used to reading someone elses schematics
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cubeberg got a reaction from yyrkoon in Strange voltage on RST pin msp430g2553 TSSOP 20 pin
@@yyrkoon - based on the schematic - I see a 47k resistor on RST
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cubeberg got a reaction from Fmilburn in edX course Real-Time bluetooth Networks - Shape the World
Awesome @@Fmilburn - looking forward to having some 43oh'ers to chat with about the course!
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cubeberg reacted to Fmilburn in Strange voltage on RST pin msp430g2553 TSSOP 20 pin
@@MSPLife
You don't say whether or not you are using surface mount components. But if you are then carefully check adjacent pins on the microcontroller for solder bridging. Even if you cannot see them, check with a multimeter.
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cubeberg reacted to Fmilburn in edX course Real-Time bluetooth Networks - Shape the World
@@cubeberg
Yes, I have signed up for it. I took the Embedded Systems course also. It will be interesting to see how they treat RTOS.
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cubeberg reacted to Fmilburn in edX course Real-Time bluetooth Networks - Shape the World
There is an edX course coming up in September from the University of Texas in Austin - this time with MSP432 or TM4C123 LaunchPad. The parts list also includes the CC2650 and Educational BoosterPack MK-II. The syllabus includes BLE and RTOS. It is taught by Jonathan Valvano and Ramesh Yerraballi who have offered a course using the TM4C123 on edX in the past.
https://www.edx.org/course/real-time-bluetooth-networks-shape-world-utaustinx-ut-rtbn-12-01x
http://edx-org-utaustinx.s3.amazonaws.com/UT601x/RTOS.html
edit: forgot to mention that these courses are free if you just audit the course
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cubeberg reacted to Rei Vilo in edX course Real-Time bluetooth Networks - Shape the World
I was very happy with the first instalment http://embeddedcomputing.weebly.com/embedded-systems-shape-the-world-mdashmooc-edx-utaustinx-ut602x.html'>Embedded Systems: Shape The World
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cubeberg got a reaction from Fmilburn in TI ccs cloud energia compatability
You'd need to import an Energia sketch to get the Serial.print functionality (raw CCS is going to be more complicated than Energia for serial printing because it's lower level). There is a Serial Terminal in CCS cloud though - I don't think the same keyboard shortcut works though.
Look at step 6 here - https://www.hackster.io/9183/msp432-iot-workshop-with-ccs-cloud-f88262
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cubeberg got a reaction from abecedarian in TI ccs cloud energia compatability
You'd need to import an Energia sketch to get the Serial.print functionality (raw CCS is going to be more complicated than Energia for serial printing because it's lower level). There is a Serial Terminal in CCS cloud though - I don't think the same keyboard shortcut works though.
Look at step 6 here - https://www.hackster.io/9183/msp432-iot-workshop-with-ccs-cloud-f88262
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cubeberg reacted to JonnyBoats in TI Store - free shipping on all orders from June 19-26.
Free shipping at TI Store through 26-JUNE-2016: http://www.ti.com/lsds/ti/store/power-week-deals.page?HQS=corp-tistore-null-powerweek-adh-lp-null-wwe
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cubeberg reacted to chicken in Chrome for portable UI development (serial, USB)
Here's a tutorial on programming a graphical UI in Google Chrome to display data received over serial
http://www.lucadentella.it/en/2016/06/07/chrome-app-e-comunicazione-seriale/
via Dangerous Prototypes.
I meant looking into this topic for a long time. For serial communication like in this tutorial, but also USB for a portable upgrade application via a custom USB BSL implementation.
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cubeberg reacted to chicken in Casio watch rebuild w/ MSP430
Today Hackaday featured someone that replaced the innards of a Casio watch with an MSP430FR6972
http://hackaday.com/2016/05/30/gutting-and-rebuilding-a-classic-watch/
Very well documented on GitHub, including more pictures:
https://github.com/carrotIndustries/pluto
If the author is on 43oh:
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cubeberg got a reaction from zeke in Digital Ocean?
Analog.io runs on Digital Ocean, as does my Phant server. Luke @ Analog.io set it up for me, so I don't really manage the dashboard piece of things. I will say their pricing is pretty cheap in comparison to azure. Not sure about Amazon. I've only had one issue where they had a big DNS failure - but my server was up and running the whole time - I just didn't have the IP to get into it for a few hours. So I don't have a ton of info on admin - but it's been pretty fool-proof so far.