Fred

An old thread, but I just stumbled over this so thought I'd link to it. Contactless NFC Bootstrap Loader (BSL) Using MSP430 and TRF7970A I think it could be by the same jwE2C that posted above and it's dated 2011 so I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned.

Mine arrived yesterday. UK customs must be a bit more officious that the Irish as it didn't quite sneak through UK customs and I got stung for another $25. (Not Nate's fault of course.) Installation was a breeze and it works really well straight out of the box using a 900W UK oven with just a bit of welding blanket for insulation.

@@kodi I definitely underestimated his skills as a Kickstarter Ninja. I hope mine arrives soon too. I've booked next week off work for some geek time. With a bit of luck I'll get my oven up and running near the start of the week and have some board going through it by the end. The only distraction might be this Kickstarter that's also on the way! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wowlabs/real-fx-radio-control-car-racing-system-with-ai

It looks like I'll have to take that back! I'm very impressed that you're shipping already. Even with customs hold-ups you might get the international ones by then end of the month too. I'm hoping you managed to get them under the customs limit (as per our PM discussion) but no worries if you couldn't.

Same in the UK - shipping on a single LaunchPad is $14. (Same for 2 though.) I was proud of myself for resisting an impulse purchase of a FR4133 LaunchPad a while ago. Now I'm regretting it!

Whilst that is a shame, I can see why. It must have been costing them loads. Back when you used to be able to get a $4.30 LaunchPad with free international shipping they must have been making a loss.

Scroller? That'll be a bit noisy won't it? Looks like a nice display though.

I've ordered sample fairly recently using a gmail account and not had problems. Maybe that was just before the changes took place? Or maybe it's because I've also bought quite a few things from the TI eStore?

I think you'd struggle to get the range for the RFID tag - especially with an implanted one.

Congratulations! Way over your goal. It looks like you're making good progress on production already. I'm looking forward to mine.

I just had a quick look and the 35% discount also applies to the MSP-TS430RHB32A alone if you already have the MSP-FET.

and a 35% off deal on the MSP-FET and i2040 target board bundle. http://e2e.ti.com/blogs_/b/msp430blog/archive/2014/11/06/get-a-jump-on-black-friday-with-these-early-deals.aspx

and now there's a 10% off deal. http://e2e.ti.com/blogs_/b/msp430blog/archive/2014/11/06/get-a-jump-on-black-friday-with-these-early-deals.aspx

That looks good. However, I'm surprised you used the drill bits that way up. Wouldn't the other end (i.e. plain 0.9mm pin) be a bit kinder to your target PCBs? Or maybe the flutes mean it holds better that way?

I've had no problem with 0.65mm pitch TSSOP on home etched PCBs. 0.5mm LQFP to follow soon. I did use hot air to solder though. Go SMD. You won't want to go back.

Get on with it @@RobG - you've had those laser cut parts for ages!

Just spotted this TI survey with a chance to win one. http://e2e.ti.com/blogs_/b/msp430blog/archive/2014/10/13/let-us-know-how-well-do-you-know-fram-for-the-chance-to-win-a-free-launchpad.aspx

Any suitable cell(s) should do if you can keep it in that range. If you're running at high clock speeds, communicating with external devices, etc. then getting a nice 3.3V might be important. I suppose my point is that for something like driving LEDs then you might as well keep it simple. Of course if the ultrabright LEDs need to run for a while and need mains power, then a regulator would make more sense. The best solution is probably dictated by other parts of your project rather than the MSP430.

I've had a MSP430F2013 running from 2xAA for over 3 years. No regulator or anything needed. The G2533 supply voltage range is 1.8 to 3.6V so don't obsess that it needs exactly 3.3V. The LEDs will likely require more voltage so perhaps best to have a separate supply. I've driven LEDs (not as bright) and a MSP430 by using 3xAA (4.5V) for the LEDs and tapping the 3V supply voltage for the MSP430 from just two of them.

Nice. Will you be selling any cider in the 43oh store?

I think @@greeeg has hit the nail on the head. The LUT stuff that @@RobG described looks sensible, but it is starting to head down the CPLD / FPGA route. That's something I know is a bit beyond what I want to get into.

By the way, I brought these problems to the attention of TI over on their e2e community here.

@@RobG There's QEI as part of the ESI module on the FR6989 (and others in the family). To be honest I'm finding the ESI hard going. If that's an example of a flexible programmable module then I'm not sure I'm such a fan. I suppose that it's really down to how it's implemented. It must be quite a task making a module that's powerful enough to be useful, flexible enough to be used, and simple enough to be usable.

+2 Kids are great, but don't have any until all your projects are finished!

The original $4.30 (including international shipping) price of the G2 launchpad showed they weren't afraid of making a bit of a loss to get people interested.