US Air Force Academy Embedded (Launchpad) Class ECE382 for free

[cde 334]

From Hackaday:

 

The US Air Force Academy just moved their embedded systems course over to the MSP430. Course director [Capt Todd Branchflower] just put all the course materials online, with the notes, datasheets, and labs available on Github.

 

 

http://ece382.com/ and  http://github.com/toddbranch/ECE382

 

A full embedded system course provided by the Tax Payers Yay. Based around the launchpad and an undocumented learning board (see lesson 3 for a partial picture of it).

They even have a link to the 43oh forum post on msp430 in consumer devices.

 

 

Intro to the MSP430

What's the family of MCUs we'll be using this semester?

The family of microcontrollers we'll be working with for the remainder of the semester is TI's MSP430 - it's the first semester we've ever used it.[show Launchpad kit] For the past many years, we've used Motorola's 68S12 as our platform - but it had become less relevant and the tools we used were no longer being supported. [show S12] Last year, I went out looking for a platform that would be easy to learn, but still relevant. The MSP430 is an industry leader in low-cost, low-power consumption embedded applications - and it uses a RISC architecture with just 27 instructions.

Products in the Wild Using MSP430

Suffice to say, this chip is used by engineers to create real-world products that you've probably interacted with before. Cool!

The other cool thing - they're cheap! The MSP430 Launchpad development kit costs only $5 including shipping, so you can definitely get your own if you want to experiment with this beyond the semester. We can also get replacement chips cheaply for when you inevitably burn them out.

We're still issuing the Geek Boxes because they have peripherals we'll need to do the labs.

Issue Launchpad Kits, Geek Boxes

For the rest of the semester, you'll be using these kits along with CodeComposer to learn about the msp430 and build things with it.

 

[spirilis 1,265]

Wow! Wonder what they were using before. That's gotta be awesome for TI.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Note II with Tapatalk 4

 

 

[cde 334]

Wow! Wonder what they were using before. That's gotta be awesome for TI.

Motorola/Freescale 68S12. A 68x variant.

[voodoofish 35]

Impressive, and they start with ASM to boot....

[jpnorair 340]

Impressive, and they start with ASM to boot....

How it should be done!

[toddbranch 4]

Thanks for the positive feedback!  

 

We're going to transition the course to a new learning board for next year.  The current plan is to use the educational boosterpack (http://www.boosterpackdepot.com/), but I'd love to get your feedback if you think there's something better out there.  All we really need is an LCD and some push buttons.

 

If you have comments / criticisms about any part of the course, I'd love to hear them and have the community help drive the direction of the class.

[bluehash 1,581]

Thanks for the positive feedback!  

 

We're going to transition the course to a new learning board for next year.  The current plan is to use the educational boosterpack (http://www.boosterpackdepot.com/), but I'd love to get your feedback if you think there's something better out there.  All we really need is an LCD and some push buttons.

 

If you have comments / criticisms about any part of the course, I'd love to hear them and have the community help drive the direction of the class.

 

@@toddbranch Welcome to 43oh!

The Educational BoosterPack is the best one on the market so far. I would recoomend the new Launchpad, but I'm not sure if the two are compatible. Maybe possible with a few tweaks.

Also, adding a few pics to spice up your pag

[abecedarian 330]

@@toddbranch

 

I'd suggest, if you're using the G2 LP, have some content addressing the cap-sense booster pack as well.

It's been a while since I've had access to CIC, track balls are so pass

[zeke 693]

@toddbranch:  

 

If you need a better board (or peripheral boards) for your classes then why not ask the crew here design it (them) for you?

[toddbranch 4]

@@bluehash great point - I'll add some pictures!  Good to hear the positive review of the Educational BoosterPack - that's definitely the front-runner for the Fall 2014 semester.

 

@@abecedarian thanks for the support!  Can't imagine a better job in the AF than teaching this stuff.  I'd love to add some cap-sense material.  I don't have much experience - can you point me to any resources?  Happy to accept a pull request as well - you'd be the first outside contributor to the course!

 

@@zeke that's a great idea.  If there's nothing off the shelf that will work for the next iteration of the class, I'll take our needs back here.  I haven't quite shifted focus to next year yet - still trying to survive the semester.  But I'm always interested in ways to make the class better.

[abecedarian 330]

@@toddbranch - regarding cap-sense, I have purchased but haven't played with it much myself. TI's page on the booster pack is here. Several pins on the G2 Launchpad / chips are capacitive touch-sense enabled, so in my opinion, it would make sense to touch on that (puns intended) subject. I think the people that should be designing the human-machine interfaces should be people who have used previous systems and thus have a 'feel' for what would take to make them more intuitive (again, pun intended :grin:).

 

I am still meandering through the course documents and haven't made it over to the repository but I am finding much of the information is presented in a quite informative manner, although I prefer a 'this is how most people will use it' first, then dive into why it works that way later, much like how a person should know how to drive, change a flat tire, engine oil and coolant before being handed a torque wrench, micrometer and such then told to rebuild an engine. But I do respect and appreciate your methodology.

 

 

I also feel the need to add the following disclaimer: my access to CIC was aboard LSD-42, USS Germantown, on which my brother was assigned after leaving LHA-4, USS Nassau. This was on a tiger cruise from San Francisco to San Diego shortly after commissioning. I was 14 at the time so don't remember much... but CIWS and LCAC are awesome! I almost enlisted as ET after passing NFQT but developed cold feet.

[bluehash 1,581]

I also feel the need to add the following disclaimer: my access to CIC was aboard LSD-42, USS Germantown, on which my brother was assigned after leaving LHA-4, USS Nassau. This was on a tiger cruise from San Francisco to San Diego shortly after commissioning. I was 14 at the time so don't remember much... but CIWS and LCAC are awesome! I almost enlisted as ET after passing NFQT but developed cold feet.

Not to threadjack, but love the acronyms.

[abecedarian 330]

Not to threadjack, but love the acronyms.

@@bluehash - lol.

 

CIC = Combat Information Center = basically 'radar' central: target acquisition, tracking and engagement.

CIWS = Close In Weapon System, a.k.a. Phalanx:

LCAC = Landing Craft Air Cushion = awesome "hovercraft"

NFQT = Nuclear Field Qualification Test.

[toddbranch 4]

@@abecedarian thanks for the info / feedback!  I'll look at adding a capacitive touch lab for next year.  I also like your approach and will use it on my ADC lesson coming up and ask the cadets how they like it.  My suspicion is that they'll prefer it that way, in which case I'll work toward moving all of the lessons in that direction.

[toddbranch 4]

@@abecedarian love the videos!