Connecting Hardware to the Web with the BeagleBone

Frank HunlethTwitter: @fhunlethPi Masters Meetup 11/21/13

What!?!?! This isn't a Raspberry Pi?

But, they're both low cost Linux-based ARM platforms used and supported by many people just like us

Nuts & Bolts

Fast1 GHz ARM Cortex A8

Two 200 MHz microcontrollers (super cool!)

Lots of memory512 MB DRAM

2 GB Flash and MicroSD card slot

Connects to everythingEthernet, USB, HDMI

Tons of I/Os via the 2 46 pin headers

What You Need

Black vs. white Get the BeagleBone Black (BBB)

FTDI cable

Wired Ethernet*

4 GB+ MicroSD card

Memory card reader

5V power brick

Options!

Which OS?Angstrom Linux - default

Ubuntu Linux - lots of users

Buildroot - my favorite

Bare metal - OSs are for wimps

Which language?Javascript (node.js) - most support especially for new users

Python - lots of users, but not as popular as on the RPi

C/C++ - only option for some features

Assembly language - embedded microcontroller programming

Erlang - :-)

Connecting to the BeagleBone

Ethernetssh (user: root, password: root)

Webserver with docs and helpful links

Cloud9 editor at http://beaglebone:3000/

USB cableJust plug the USB cable into your PC for power

BeagleBone shows up as a network adapter

FTDI cableLooks like a serial port on your PC (115200 8N1)

Super helpful for debugging networking or boot issues

Cloud9

Use Firefox - not Chrome

BoneScript

Arduino-like library, but Javascript for Node.js

http://beagleboard.org/Support/BoneScript/

pinMode()digitalWrite()digitalRead()analogWrite()analogRead()readTextFile()writeTextFile()

pinMode() - set whether a pin is an input or outputdigitalWrite() - set a pin to high or lowdigitalRead() - read whether a pin is high or lowanalogWrite() - set the PWM period and durationanalogRead() - sample an ADCreadTextFile() - read a Linux kernel driver's sysfs file (or any other file)writeTextFile() - write to a sysfs file to interact with a Linux kernel driver

Demo Demo Demo

Demo Schematic

Code Walk-through

https://github.com/fhunleth/pimasters-bbb-demo

Going Further

BeagleBone capesTons of pre-made daughterboards available

Custom ones are not that hard to make!

BeagleBone microcontroller programmingReal-time logic

Assembly language (but not too hard)

NervesMy project for using the Erlang programming language to build embedded systems

http://nerves-project.org/

Connecting Hardware to the Web with the BeagleBone

Frank HunlethTwitter: @fhunlethPi Masters Meetup 11/21/13