Simply Embedded has launched a new hardware project via Kickstarter to raise $18,000CAD to help take an educational platform designed for the Texas Instruments LaunchPad ecosystem to market.
The goal of the LaunchPad Explorer project is to provide access to as much functionality as possible from one board that is equipped with the most common micro-controller peripherals combined with a set of devices and circuitry.
The creators and developers of the LaunchPad Explorer board explain more :
The LaunchPad Explorer by Simply Embedded is an all-in-one BoosterPack designed with the Texas Instruments MSP-EXP430G2 LaunchPad in mind, yet suitable for use with other LaunchPad boards. It has everything needed to learn the fundamentals of embedded systems and get started on your own projects!
Using the LaunchPad Explorer in conjunction with the free tutorials at our website, simplyembedded.org, you will learn a broad range of topics in the domain of embedded systems. Both the hardware and software will be released as open source, so you can take the design and use it as a reference for your own projects. Check out our existing tutorials to see what we’re all about and be sure to take a look at the comments sections as well.
Features of LaunchPad Explorer include :
– SPI NOR flash (16Mbit – 2MByte)
– I2C EEPROM (2Kbit)
– I2C Temperature Sensor
– Dual 7-segment displays (4 digits total with decimals)
– Two (2) I2C IO expanders (one for dedicated control of some LPEx features, the other for general use on a 10 pin expansion header)
– Two (2) instrumentation amplifiers with selectable gain and calibration
– DAC circuitry for PWM based signal generation and control of a current source
– With all this one one board, we are able to teach topics like:
– I2C vs SPI, the pros and cons of each and their applications
– Interfacing with and writing drivers for I2C and SPI devices
– Saving microcontroller resources by using a single bus for both I2C and SPI
– Different types of memory and how to choose the right one for your application
– Storing different types of data in non-volatile memory
– Saving pins by using SPI and shift registers to drive 7-segment displays
– Create multi-digit displays that look smooth by rapidly interleaving digits
– Calibrating analog hardware, understanding offsets and applying them to ADC calculations
– Using hardware timers to generate PWM outputs
– Generating waveforms using duty-cycle modulated PWM signals
– Understanding filters and amplifiers and how they impact your software implementation
For more information on the new LaunchPad Explorer jump over to the Kickstarter website for details and to make a pledge from just $55 for early bird backers.
Source: Kickstarter
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