Microcontrollers

Computers and stuff like that

Re: Microcontrollers

Postby Jerry » Tue Dec 14, 2010 3:54 pm

Yeah, there is a lot of stuff on there. A/D, microphone, speaker, USB Host, Accelerometer, thermometer, 3 phase motor control, graphic lcd, character lcd, micro SD, 128 Megs flash, serial, CANbus, J-Link Lite programmer, 10/100 ethernet, etc.
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Re: Microcontrollers

Postby Doug Coulter » Wed Dec 15, 2010 10:24 am

Yeah, that's on of the "fully packed" types. These are way cool for end-user types like most of us who just want one or a few of something working quick -- our NRE (programming and debugging time) doesn't get amortized over zillions and is a big fraction of the total cost. Lots of memory, yum. So data loggers and suchlike are possible. Or just several complete applications one could switch between perhaps.

Any clue what you're going to do for the contest? Seems like a lot of what you do normally would qualify (and probably win).

I've never entered one seriously, as it would seem like cheating to be competing with college kids etc (who are usually the winners). The company gets its goal, which is to show of their stuff, but mainly to get it in the hands of young guys who might design it into product -- and write good app notes for it. Which by the way is a great job to score at any computer company -- the apps guy gets to play with all the toys for pay if he writes it up well.
Posting as just me, not as the forum owner. Everything I say is "in my opinion" and YMMV -- which should go for everyone without saying.
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Re: Microcontrollers

Postby Jerry » Wed Dec 15, 2010 8:27 pm

Thinking about a vacuum system controller. It would also run the little leybold turbo that I have as well. The microcontroller has a library specifically for driving mosfets in a VFD type three phase drive. Dead time and everything are adjustable. It really seems to be a neat little uC.
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Re: Microcontrollers

Postby Doug Coulter » Wed Dec 15, 2010 11:10 pm

No doubt it could to that, report system status, log some sensors, and about 5 other things. With the TPU-050 controller, all it needs to spin is two fets and an inverter off the hall sensor, so in that case the uP is primarily doing other things, like controlling a switcher to provide the motor voltage and mind the current, as well as a better than "bang bang" control loop for speed.
(and a bunch of data aq and logging too)
If the chip cost more than ~5 bucks, it'd be a waste. But it doesn't. Since I have the nice opsys I wrote, and tons of drivers for diverse hardware addons (some I wrote, some come with the compiler)...my NRE is pretty low too at this point.

But I'd bet you can do something really astounding with a board like that, that'll seem like magic to the contest judges, if you get a nice idea and put your mind to it (and if you even care).
Like make it do the same kind of thing that dumb manufs use a windows CE board to do....without the waste that implies.
Posting as just me, not as the forum owner. Everything I say is "in my opinion" and YMMV -- which should go for everyone without saying.
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Re: Microcontrollers

Postby Jerry » Wed Dec 15, 2010 11:55 pm

Yeah, the chip is overkill for anything I need to do. The chip runs about $15. Then you got to deal with the 100 pin QFP.

I have the leybold turbos with the three phase motors so I need to build a circuit like John's.

I really dont know if I am up to this though. I have never programmed anything like this.

-Jerry

Heres the specs on the CPU:


CPU core RX CPU
General registers: 32-bit x 16
Multiplier: 32-bit multiplier
Divider: Yes
Multiply-accumulator: Yes (two types: memory-to-memory operations and register-to-register operations)
Memory-protection unit(MPU)(option)
Maximum operating frequency 100MHz (maximum)
Power supply voltage 2.7 to 3.6V
Floating-point processing unit Single-precision floating-point processing unit
(Supports add/subtract/compare/multiply/divide and other instructions)
Flash ROM (for program storage) Max. 512KB
Flash ROM (for data storage) 32KB
RAM Max. 96KB
On-chip peripheral functions
Direct memory access controller (DMAC) × 4 channels
Data transfer controller (DTC)
16-bit multifunction timer pulse unit (MTU2) ×12 channels
Port output enable2
16-bit compare match timer × 4 channels
8-bit timer (TMR) × 4 channels
Serial communication interface (SCI) × 6 channels
I2C bus interface × 2 channels
SPI interface × 2 channels
SDRAM interface (max. 32-bit width)
A/D converter (10-bit) × 8 channels [4 channels × 2 units] or (12-bit) × 8 channels [8 channels × 1 unit]
D/A converter (10-bit) × 2 channels
USB 2.0 full-speed (host/function) × 2 channels (max.)
CAN × 1 channel
EtherC with dedicated DMAC × 1 channel
CRC calculator
On-chip debugging function Yes (with trace function)
Low power consumption modes 4 modes
Sleep mode
All-module clock stop mode
Software standby mode
Deep software standby mode
Packages BGA176, LGA145, LQFP144, LQFP100
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Re: Microcontrollers

Postby Jerry » Thu Dec 16, 2010 12:03 am

looks like you can get the board free with a wifi module here:

http://www.redpinesignals.com/Renesas/W ... N_MCU.html
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Re: Microcontrollers

Postby Doug Coulter » Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:12 am

Zowie, that's pretty fully featured, reminds me of some DSP's I've used, but with SOC peripherals. Probably doesn't do all that at once (common to share the SPI and I2C for example), but still more than plenty. I like USB/ethernet these days -- eliminates a lot of noise and EMP issues if done right. Or a wireless dongle on a USB port for networking.

You'll never be able to do much without some HLL -- ASM just takes too long for us humans to build up much of anything in. Hopefully you got C or something similar.
If you concentrate on tools first -- debug, opsys (copy mine for example) and suchlike, then you can do things a little at a time, and know each thing is solid before doing the next.
For example, build the 3 phase controller setup and control structure, and test that (don't even need the pump drive to do that with a scope). You let less smoke out of things that way, and lose less hair off your head. You can always add code later to say log all the info (though I tend to do that first so it's dual use -- debug, then useful later).

On any decent sized project, I spend about 80% of the total man hours in the "staring out the window" phase -- modeling in my head how threads and timing are going to be done, and interact. Then writing the actual code is very quick. As often as not, with a new thing, we'd spend some time upfront writing some basic test code (bottom up) before doing the top down, because you can't do a good job of top down unless you know what's at the bottom and any quirks it might have. Then coding is clear sailing. One of the things you normally need to find out early is how some of the "freebies" you get in the compiler work -- and are they actually useful. For example, some compilers make a ton of code for every printf, sometimes inline, and it blocks and eats so many cycles it breaks anything it's in a time-critical loop with, so you can't use a lot of what they "give you" -- it can be more of a trojan horse than a real gift, more often than not. Ditto most vendors idea of an RTOS -- many truly stink and are so wasteful of resources that I can beat a big fat chip like this with a good opsys in a much smaller and less capable pic or other dinky thing.

I don't mind a bunch of pins on a chip if they're the "outies", the Metcal eats them up and spits them out with little effort -- less than the same number of through hole pins. But BGA's and stuf like that I've never been able to do at home. I actually found that with the PCB vendor I use (or with my homemade boards) that the proto-1 service, which is plated tracks, no masks, works better there and I use a trick that makes that even better -- instead of making the lands wider than the pins (which is the norm) I make them a little smaller. This way, and solder bridges taht form are between the pins, not the traces, and wipe off easy with the iron tip. You still get self-centering. On a thick solder plate, as often as not, it's enough solder already, or real close, and I'll just use Kester 952 flux, and tap down the corners at least before even thinking about adding more solder -- sometimes it just makes a mess and wasn't needed.
Posting as just me, not as the forum owner. Everything I say is "in my opinion" and YMMV -- which should go for everyone without saying.
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Re: Microcontrollers

Postby Jerry » Thu Dec 16, 2010 3:50 pm

The kit come with the development software which looks like C. I really have not looked at it yet. It programs right from the USB port using a built in JTAG programmer called J-Link Lite.
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Re: Microcontrollers

Postby William A Washburn » Sat Jan 22, 2011 4:35 pm

Received my MSP430 LaunchPad dev kit yesterday. Been playing with it a bit today.
For anybody who wants to try the TI MSP430 series this is a good buy ($4.30):

https://estore.ti.com/MSP-EXP430G2-MSP4 ... P2031.aspx
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Re: Microcontrollers

Postby Bill Fain » Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:03 pm

William, Hi. Jeri Ellsworth recently used the TI MSP430 Launchpad in a solution for one of her readers. She has a new page with her projects listed. She also makes her own chips, sensors etc. Our kind of Gal. -bill

http://www.element-14.com/community/gro ... -ellsworth
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