Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacons – There are several types available, each with its own standards and advantages. Some are open and free, some are closed and cost money. This article will cover the three main types of beacons available, their advantages, disadvantages, derivatives, and some low-level implementation details on how beacons work. General Overview:
I am happy to announce the launch of UT.6.01x on edX (https://www.edx.org/course/utaustinx/utaustinx-ut-6-01x-embedded-systems-1172). UT.6.01x is an online course (aka MOOC) that serves as an introduction to embedded systems. The teaches students core concepts of embedded engineering on the Tiva Launchpad, an ARM Cortex M4 micro controller board. The basics of C programming, ARM Thumb2 assembly, blinking
A good friend of mine, Cruz Monrreal, has just released the design files for his new all purpose robotics boosterpack. If you are into robotics, or really any sort of control of the physical world with the digital I would recommend giving it a look. It has a ton of connections for everything from Bluetooth,
So, you want to create a BoosterPack for the Launchpad. Sweet, lets get you jump started. First make sure to grab the BlackstoneEngineering eagle library (it has the headers done so you can just drop them into your project). Next let me point you to some handy resources buried within the TI Wiki. BoosterPack Design
As part of the ongoing struggle to make PCB design easier I have created a github repository for Eagle projects related to class. Bundled in the library are headers for the Launchpads, outlines, and other handy shortcuts that make creating BoosterPacks easier. Go! https://github.com/BlackstoneEngineering/eagle Things included: -Launchpad Headers spaced and labeled correctly (EM and
I have recently had the pleasure of playing around with the BeagleBone Black (aka BBB) from Texas Instruments. As I have been playing around with mine I have come across numerous tips and tricks that make everything better. What follows is my attempt at collating them all together in one place, for both my benefit
TI has a great searchable PCB parts library for every device they make. If you’re using a TI part odds are you can use it to make your life alot easier. There is one catch however, they use an intermediate format called “.bxl” . They provide a tool called UltraLibrarian to convert between .bxl and
Up until recently if you wanted to develop for the Stellaris Launchpad on Linux it would require some serious chops to generate your own make files and get everything working with the command line debugger GDB. Now however Mr. Jimmy Brisson has generated general use make files and instructions for getting running in linux. The
It is inevitable that at some point you will want to create your own PCB. This usually comes about either because you are frustrated with existing hardware and want something better, or because you have some special design that cant be made with readily available parts. Either way creating your own PCB is the end
Before class please Download / Install Eagle CAD (select the free license) Download Third Party Libraries Download AustinBlackstoneEngineering Library (the .lbr file) Optional: Find a part and its datasheet you want to create a PCB for (chip, resistor, anything will do) That’s it, see you in class!
