Author: pez

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Microcontroller Class Getting Blingy

You can never have too many LEDs. One way to run a whole bunch of LEDs is using the MAX7221 or MAX7219 display interfaces.  These devices allow you to run 64 LEDs per chip using an SPI interface.  The demo below is showing an early prototype of an MSP430 library for the MAX chips that was developed here at the Hive.  These particular displays have three MAX7221 chips on them — and we happen to have these displays in abundance due to some fortuitous dumpster diving (the secret — dive to the very bottom, and disregard the smell).

At any rate, the library is a nice introduction to the SPI protocol and MAX7221 chips, and it’s pretty useful besides.  Here’s a link to a zip file that has the library and some demo code.

Also, I tossed in a video of the LaunchPad controlling a laser scanner mirror — just because it looks cool (the program is extremely simple)

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Giant Fresnel Death-Ray Action

Some videos of us playing with a large fresnel salvaged from a projection TV.  This is about a 1m^2 lens, with very fine lines.  The lens is kind of dirty and we were positioning it by hand (not ideal), but the results are still impressive …

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Hive76 Intro to Microcontrollers — News From The Front

… Soon, I’m gonna have to switch places with some of the students in the class

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It was weird to hit the Wednesday Hive Open House and see a handful of original MSP430 projects.  The video above is an LED chaser effect that Chris Thompson whipped up based on concepts from the first session of the MSP430 class.  As the old saying goes — teach a geek to fish and you’ll soon have LED encrusted fish.

Speaking of LEDs, here’s a Morse Code blinker project that Chris did.  Mostly a cut & paste job, but if nothing else, it makes the point that there are plenty of  MSP430 code samples out there and that it’s relatively easy to use them once you know the tools.

Audience

If you are an artist who wants to create small, cost effective interactive systems or a stone geek who wants to actually make a computer do something physical, this is a must-attend course.  We’ll have labs that will show you how to flash gobs of LEDs with just a few IO pins, run stepper motors, read switches, generate sounds, read analog signals and even have MCUs communicate.   You’ll leave with sample code and enough experience to apply this tech  immediately.
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We’ll be running this class again, for sure.

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Send any questions to: mikehogan62 AT gmail DOT com
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MSP430 Class in Development

Sunday, August 15th at the hive was a day of MSP430 madness. Robert Vlacich, Sean McBeth and Dr. Wonkaburger were in attendance helping to develop labs and build adapters that let folks program MSP430s right on a breadboard using the EZ430 USB programming tools.

Here’s a pic of Robert soldering up some of the target board adapters and some pics of the target board running a small stepper motor (along with obligatory LEDs to make things all purdy-like).

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Teh Art of Electronics (sic,TM)

To paraphrase the course description for MIT’s Practical Electronics Open Course Ware:

“You can build most any damn thing if you understand a few basic electronics concepts and follow a few basic rules”

“Teh Art of Electronics” (sic,TM) is about teaching you those concepts and rules.  Each class will present basic electronics material and conclude with a lab period where you’ll build actual, working devices in order to learn practical fabrication and debugging skills, while reinforcing your intuitive understanding of the course material.

The course will be based loosely on MIT’s “Practical Electronics” course.  By the end, you should be able to design and build your own circuits (up to a surprising level of complexity) and the world of electronic design will be substantially demystified.

We recommend that you purchase a copy of “The Art of Electronics”, by Horowitz and Hill, but it’s not mandatory.  We’ll furnish all components, reading materials, tutelage etc. that you need to perform the coursework and the corresponding labs.

We are currently planning five Sunday sessions, 1 PM to 4 PM, starting April 4.   See “Intro to Electronics” in the Hive 76 Calendar for preliminary, session-by-session details on course content.

Tickets here