Embedded Development Club Rob Miles Department of Computer Science University of Hull.
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Transcript of Embedded Development Club Rob Miles Department of Computer Science University of Hull.
2
Agenda
• Why Fiddle with Hardware?
• What Kind of Hardware Can you Fiddle With?
– Arduino– Raspberry Pi– Electric Imp– Gadgeteer
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Why would you Fiddle with Hardware?• It is cheap
– You can get started with lots of lovely hardware for less than the price of a video game
– All of the software and tools are free
• It is fun
– The tools and libraries that are available make it very easy to get interesting contraptions working
– There is always new stuff coming along to play wity
• It might even be useful one day
– You might end up with a useful gadget– You might get a job based on your new skills
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Arduino
• Single board micro controller
• Costs around 10 pounds
• Lots of inputs and outputs to talk to hardware
• Not a PC (or even a Pi) but plenty powerful enough to be properly useful
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Programming Arduino
• You program the Arduino in C++
– But it is best to regard it as C
• The Arduino toolchain includes a compiler and a downloader to put the code in the device
• Larger Arduinos have a serial channel they can use to send messages to the PC as they run
• The IDE works on PC,Mac or Linux
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Using Visual Studio
• You can also obtain a plugin for Visual Studio that lets you write programs and even claims to allow remote debugging
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Lots of Versions
• There are tons of different Arduino versions
– Uno – great to get started with– Leonardo – bit more power and space (but
annoying)– Due – more pins, power and space– Pro-mini – my favourite with all the pins of
an Uno but £1.50 each – need a programmer though..
– Trinket – tiny embedded version– Lilypad – great for wearables– Squareware – good for driving things
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Lots of Components
• Bluetooth – JY-MCU HCO6 (around a fiver)
• WiFi - ESP8266 (can do lots of other things too – a fiver)
• GPS – GY-NEO6MV2 (around 8 quid from AliExpress)
• Clock – DS3231 (around one pound fifty)
• LCD – 1.8 inch TFT LCD with touch screen (around six pounds)
• Coloured LEDS – WS2812B leds in various combinations
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Interfacing
• All of the components are easy to use
• Most times you can just search for the part number and someone will have created a driver for you
• This is just a lump of C++ that you add as a library to your program
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Raspberry Pi
• Not really an embedded device
• But so cheap that you can think of using it as one
• Has a bunch of pins that you can use from Python (or lots of other) programs
• Takes a while to boot – which can be a problem
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Electric Imp
• Electric Imps are fascinating devices
– Although they are comparatively expensive at 20 pounds each plus around 10 for the carrier
• They look like an SD card but they are really an internet managed embedded device
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Impish Programming
• The Imp has a bunch of pins that can be configured as inputs/outputs or serial connections
• You download a program into the Imp device via its WiFi connection
• This can run “free standing” or be connected to a script that runs on the server
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Gadgeteer
• Gadgeteer devices run on an embedded version of .NET
• You can write C# and do in-circuit debugging using Visual Studio
• Great for “professional” applications but rather expensive for the hobbyist
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What next?
• If you want to have a go you could do worse than buy a kit of parts from eBay
• Just search for Arduino and you will find quite a few
• You can get an awful lot of toys for around thirty pounds
• There is a kit from SparkFun that is quite good too
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Next Time
• We have some practical sessions that you might like to have a go at
• Alternatively just bring along what you are trying to build and we will have a go at building it
• If you have a passion about a particular aspect of embedded you can give a session all about it
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More Links• Hardware:
– http://www.arduino.cc/– https://www.sparkfun.com/– http://www.electricimp.com/– http://gadgeteering.net/
• Components:
– www.ebay.co.uk – www.aliexpress.com– http://www.4tronix.co.uk– http://hobbycomponents.com/– http://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/– http://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/– http://proto-pic.co.uk/– https://www.tindie.com/– http://robosavvy.com/web/