Practical Multitasking Fundamentals
Programming embedded systems is difficult because of resource constraints and limited debugging facilities. Why develop your own Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) as well as your application when the proven FreeRTOS software is freely available? Why not start with a validated foundation?
Every software developer knows that you must divide a difficult problem into smaller ones to conquer it. Using separate preemptive tasks and FreeRTOS communication mechanisms, a clean separation of functions is achieved within the entire application. This results in safe and maintainable designs.
Practicing engineers and students alike can use this book and the ESP32 Arduino environment to wade into FreeRTOS concepts at a comfortable pace. The well-organized text enables you to master each concept before starting the next chapter. Practical breadboard experiments and schematics are included to bring the lessons home. Experience is the best teacher.
Each chapter includes exercises to test your knowledge. The coverage of the FreeRTOS Application Programming Interface (API) is complete for the ESP32 Arduino environment. You can apply what you learn to other FreeRTOS environments, including Espressif’s ESP-IDF. The source code is available from GitHub. All of these resources put you in the driver’s seat when it is time to develop your next uber-cool ESP32 project.
What you will learn:
How preemptive scheduling works within FreeRTOS
The Arduino startup “loopTask”
Message queues
FreeRTOS timers and the IDLE task
The semaphore, mutex, and their differences
The mailbox and its application
Real-time task priorities and its effect
Interrupt interaction and use with FreeRTOS
Queue sets
Notifying tasks with events
Event groups
Critical sections
Task local storage
The gatekeeper task
Practical Multitasking Fundamentals
Programming embedded systems is difficult because of resource constraints and limited debugging facilities. Why develop your own Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) as well as your application when the proven FreeRTOS software is freely available? Why not start with a validated foundation?
Every software developer knows that you must divide a difficult problem into smaller ones to conquer it. Using separate preemptive tasks and FreeRTOS communication mechanisms, a clean separation of functions is achieved within the entire application. This results in safe and maintainable designs.
Practicing engineers and students alike can use this book and the ESP32 Arduino environment to wade into FreeRTOS concepts at a comfortable pace. The well-organized text enables you to master each concept before starting the next chapter. Practical breadboard experiments and schematics are included to bring the lessons home. Experience is the best teacher.
Each chapter includes exercises to test your knowledge. The coverage of the FreeRTOS Application Programming Interface (API) is complete for the ESP32 Arduino environment. You can apply what you learn to other FreeRTOS environments, including Espressif’s ESP-IDF. The source code is available from GitHub. All of these resources put you in the driver’s seat when it is time to develop your next uber-cool ESP32 project.
What you will learn:
How preemptive scheduling works within FreeRTOS
The Arduino startup “loopTask”
Message queues
FreeRTOS timers and the IDLE task
The semaphore, mutex, and their differences
The mailbox and its application
Real-time task priorities and its effect
Interrupt interaction and use with FreeRTOS
Queue sets
Notifying tasks with events
Event groups
Critical sections
Task local storage
The gatekeeper task
This FTDI USB to TTL (3.3 V I/O) Serial Cable (FTDI TTL-232R-3V3 OEM) is a professional, high quality, high speed device which allows a simple and easy way to connect TTL interface devices using a spare USB port. Features TTL-232R-3V3 FTDI USB to TTL 3.3 V Serial Cable FTDI TTL-232R-3V3 Cable 6 Way The FTDI USB to TTL 3.3 V features a FTDI FT232R device integrated within the cable FTDI USB to TTL Serial 3.3 V Adapter Cable 6 Pin 0.1' Female Socket Header UART IC FT232RL Chip Compatible with Windows 7/8/10 and Linux
Order the Geekworm KVM-A3 Kit now and receive the e-book Raspberry Pi Full Stack (worth €35) for FREE!
KVM stands for Keyboard, Video, and Mouse and it is a powerful open-source software that enables remote access via Raspberry Pi. This KVM-A3 kit is designed based on the Raspberry Pi 4.
With it, you can turn your computer on or off, restart it, configure the UEFI/BIOS, and even reinstall the operating system using a virtual CD-ROM or flash drive. You can either use your own remote keyboard and mouse, or let KVM simulate a keyboard, mouse, and monitor – presented through a web browser as if you were directly interacting with the remote system. It's true hardware-level access with no dependency on remote ports, protocols, or services!
Features
Designed especially for KVM (an open and affordable DIY IP-KVM based on Raspberry Pi)
Compatible with Raspberry Pi 4 (not included)
Fully compatible with PiKVM V3 OS
Control a server or computer using a web browser
HDMI Full HD capture based on the TC358743 chip
OTG keyboard and mouse support; mass storage drive emulation
Hardware Real-Time Clock (RTC) with CR1220 coin battery socket
Equipped with a cooling fan to dissipate heat from the Raspberry Pi
Features solid-state relays to protect Raspberry Pi GPIO pins from computer and ESD spikes
ATX control via RJ45 connector: switch the machine on or off, reset it, and monitor HDD and power LED status remotely
10-pin SH1.0 connector reserved for future I²S HDMI audio support
4-pin header and spacers reserved for I²C OLED display
Included
KVM-A3 Metal Case for Raspberry Pi 4
X630 HDMI to CSI-2 Module (for video capture)
X630-A3 Expansion Board (provides Ethernet, cooling, RTC, power input, etc.)
X630-A5 Adapter Board (installed inside the PC case; connects the computer motherboard to the IO panel cable of the PC case)
0.96-inch OLED Display (128 x 64 pixels)
Ethernet Cable (TIA/EIA-568.B standard; also serves as the ATX control signal cable)
Downloads
Wiki
PiKVM OS
In Get Started with MicroPython on Raspberry Pi Pico, you will learn how to use the beginner-friendly language MicroPython to write programs and connect up hardware to make your Raspberry Pi Pico interact with the world around it. Using these skills, you can create your own electro‑mechanical projects, whether for fun or to make your life easier.
Microcontrollers, like RP2040 at the heart of Raspberry Pi Pico, are computers stripped back to their bare essentials. You don’t use monitors or keyboards, but program them to take their input from, and send their output to the input/output pins.
Using these programmable connections, you can light lights, make noises, send text to screens, and much more. In Get Started with MicroPython on Raspberry Pi Pico, you will learn how to use the beginner-friendly language MicroPython to write programs and connect up hardware to make your Raspberry Pi Pico interact with the world around it. Using these skills, you can create your own electro‑mechanical projects, whether for fun or to make your life easier.
The robotic future is here – you just have to build it yourself. We’ll show you how.
About the authors
Gareth Halfacree is a freelance technology journalist, writer, and former system administrator in the education sector. With a passion for open-source software and hardware, he was an early adopter of the Raspberry Pi platform and has written several publications on its capabilities and flexibility.
Ben Everard is a geek who has stumbled into a career that lets him play with new hardware. As the editor of HackSpace magazine, he spends more time than he really should experimenting with the latest (and not-solatest) DIY tech.
This bundle contains:
Book: Get Started with the NXP FRDM-MCXN947 Development Board (normal price: €40)
NXP FRDM-MCXN947 Development Board (normal price: €30)
Book: Get Started with the NXP FRDM-MCXN947 Development Board
Develop projects on connectivity, graphics, machine learning, motor control, and sensors
This book is about the use of the FRDM-MCXN947 Development Board, developed by NXP Semiconductors. It integrates the dual Arm Cortex-M33, operating at up to 150 MHz. Ideal for Industrial, IoT, and machine learning applications. It features Hi-Speed USB, CAN 2.0, I³C and 10/100 Ethernet. The board includes an on-board MCU-Link debugger, FlexI/O for LCD control, and dual-bank flash for read-while-write operations, supporting large external serial memory configurations.
One of the important features of the development board is that it features an integrated eIQ Neutron Neural Processing Unit (NPU), thus enabling users to develop AI-based projects. The development board also supports Arduino Uno form factor header pins, making it compatible with many Arduino shields, mikroBUS connector for MikroElektronika Click Boards, and Pmod connector.
One of the nice things of the FRDM-MCXN947 development board is that it includes several on-board debug probes, allowing programmers to debug their programs by communicating directly with the MCU. With the help of the debugger, programmers can single-step through a program, insert breakpoints, view and modify variables and so on.
Many working and tested projects have been developed in the book using the popular MCUXpresso IDE and the SDK with various sensors and actuators. Use of the popular CMSIS-DSP library is also explained with several commonly used matrix operations.
The projects provided in the book can be used without any modifications in many applications. Alternatively, readers can base their projects on those given in the book during the development of their own projects.
NXP FRDM-MCXN947 Development Board
The FRDM-MCXN947 is a compact and versatile development board designed for rapid prototyping with MCX N94 and N54 microcontrollers. It features industry-standard headers for easy access to the MCU's I/Os, integrated open-standard serial interfaces, external flash memory, and an onboard MCU-Link debugger.
Specifications
Microcontroller
MCX-N947 Dual Arm Cortex-M33 cores @ 150 MHz each with optimized performance efficiency, up to 2 MB dual-bank flash with optional full ECC RAM, External flash
Accelerators: Neural Processing Unit, PowerQuad, Smart DMA, etc.
Memory Expansion
*DNP Micro SD card socket
Connectivity
Ethernet Phy and connector
HS USB-C connectors
SPI/I²C/UART connector (PMOD/mikroBUS, DNP)
WiFi connector (PMOD/mikroBUS, DNP)
CAN-FD transceiver
Debug
On-board MCU-Link debugger with CMSIS-DAP
JTAG/SWD connector
Sensor
P3T1755 I³C/I²C Temp Sensor, Touch Pad
Expansion Options
Arduino Header (with FRDM expansion rows)
FRDM Header
FlexIO/LCD Header
SmartDMA/Camera Header
Pmod *DNP
mikroBUS
User Interface
RGB user LED, plus Reset, ISP, Wakeup buttons
Included
1x FRDM-MCXN947 Development Board
1x USB-C Cable
1x Quick Start Guide
Downloads
Datasheet
Block diagram
A Beginner's Guide to AI and Edge Computing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now part of our daily lives. With companies developing low-cost AI-powered hardware into their products, it is now becoming a reality to purchase AI accelerator hardware at comparatively very low costs. One such hardware accelerator is the Hailo module which is fully compatible with the Raspberry Pi 5. The Raspberry Pi AI Kit is a cleverly designed hardware as it bundles an M.2-based Hailo-8L accelerator with the Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ to offer high speed inferencing on the Raspberry Pi 5. Using the Raspberry Pi AI Kit, you can build complex AI-based vision applications, running in real-time, such as object detection, pose estimation, instance segmentation, home automation, security, robotics, and many more neural network-based applications.
This book is an introduction to the Raspberry Pi AI Kit, and it is aimed to provide some help to readers who are new to the kit and wanting to run some simple AI-based visual models on their Raspberry Pi 5 computers. The book is not meant to cover the detailed process of model creation and compilation, which is done on an Ubuntu computer with massive disk space and 32 GB memory. Examples of pre-trained and custom object detection are given in the book.
Two fully tested and working projects are given in the book. The first project explains how a person can be detected and how an LED can be activated after the detection, and how the detection can be acknowledged by pressing an external button. The second project illustrates how a person can be detected, and how this information can be passed to a smart phone over a Wi-Fi link, as well as how the detection can be acknowledged by sending a message from the smartphone to your Raspberry Pi 5.
A Beginner's Guide to AI and Edge Computing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now part of our daily lives. With companies developing low-cost AI-powered hardware into their products, it is now becoming a reality to purchase AI accelerator hardware at comparatively very low costs. One such hardware accelerator is the Hailo module which is fully compatible with the Raspberry Pi 5. The Raspberry Pi AI Kit is a cleverly designed hardware as it bundles an M.2-based Hailo-8L accelerator with the Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ to offer high speed inferencing on the Raspberry Pi 5. Using the Raspberry Pi AI Kit, you can build complex AI-based vision applications, running in real-time, such as object detection, pose estimation, instance segmentation, home automation, security, robotics, and many more neural network-based applications.
This book is an introduction to the Raspberry Pi AI Kit, and it is aimed to provide some help to readers who are new to the kit and wanting to run some simple AI-based visual models on their Raspberry Pi 5 computers. The book is not meant to cover the detailed process of model creation and compilation, which is done on an Ubuntu computer with massive disk space and 32 GB memory. Examples of pre-trained and custom object detection are given in the book.
Two fully tested and working projects are given in the book. The first project explains how a person can be detected and how an LED can be activated after the detection, and how the detection can be acknowledged by pressing an external button. The second project illustrates how a person can be detected, and how this information can be passed to a smart phone over a Wi-Fi link, as well as how the detection can be acknowledged by sending a message from the smartphone to your Raspberry Pi 5.
Learn the basics of designing and making things with Inventables' software (Easel) and 3D carving machines (X-Carve and Carvey)
This book was written for people who have never carved before. It teaches the basics of designing and making things with Inventables' software (Easel) and 3D carving machines (X-Carve and Carvey). It showcases five step-by-step projects you can build yourself as a beginner, including an inspiration tile, kitchen cutting board, custom block stamp, fidget spinner, and balsa wood glider. The book also features a gallery of aspirational projects, like an electric guitar and a box joint toolbox, to show what else is possible through 3D carving. The design files and instructions for these more complex projects can be found on the Inventables website.
Projects Included
Participate in the world's largest mosaic tile wall
Build a glider to your own specifications
Create your own inlay cutting boards
Carve a fidget spinner toy
Craft wooden 3D stamps you can use to create your own greeting cards
Develop your own custom home automation devices
Espressif's ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers have brought DIY home automation to the masses. However, not everyone is fluent in programming these microcontrollers with Espressif's C/C++ SDK, the Arduino core, or MicroPython. This is where ESPHome comes into its own: with this project, you don’t program your microcontroller but configure it.
This book demonstrates how to create your own home automation devices with ESPHome on an ESP32 microcontroller board. You’ll learn how to combine all kinds of electronic components and automate complex behaviours. Your devices can work completely autonomously, and connect over Wi-Fi to your home automation gateways such as Home Assistant or MQTT broker.
By the end of this book, you will be able to create your own custom home automation devices the way you want. Thanks to ESPHome and the ESP32, this is within everyone’s grasp.
Set up an ESPHome development environment and create maintainable configurations
Use buttons and LEDs
Sound a buzzer and play melodies
Read measurements from various types of sensors
Communicate over a short distance with NFC, infrared light, and Bluetooth Low Energy
Show information on various types of displays
Downloads
Software
Develop your own custom home automation devices
Espressif's ESP8266 and ESP32 microcontrollers have brought DIY home automation to the masses. However, not everyone is fluent in programming these microcontrollers with Espressif's C/C++ SDK, the Arduino core, or MicroPython. This is where ESPHome comes into its own: with this project, you don’t program your microcontroller but configure it.
This book demonstrates how to create your own home automation devices with ESPHome on an ESP32 microcontroller board. You’ll learn how to combine all kinds of electronic components and automate complex behaviours. Your devices can work completely autonomously, and connect over Wi-Fi to your home automation gateways such as Home Assistant or MQTT broker.
By the end of this book, you will be able to create your own custom home automation devices the way you want. Thanks to ESPHome and the ESP32, this is within everyone’s grasp.
Set up an ESPHome development environment and create maintainable configurations
Use buttons and LEDs
Sound a buzzer and play melodies
Read measurements from various types of sensors
Communicate over a short distance with NFC, infrared light, and Bluetooth Low Energy
Show information on various types of displays
Downloads
Software
Mastering the Language and the Development PlatformMany people would like to learn Java but getting started is not easy since programming with Java requires at least two things: mastering the programming language and the development environment. With the help of many examples, this book shows how the language is structured. In addition, it employs the Eclipse development environment as an example of a powerful tool to teach developing Java programs.In Basics, the first part of the book, you acquire your Java and Eclipse basic knowledge. This part lays the programming foundations, gives you an overview of Java technology, and shows you what is special about object-oriented programming.In the second part called Java Language, everything revolves around the subtleties of the Java language and this is where the first small Java applications are created, aided by a fine blend of the knowledge part and practical exercises.Java Technology is both the name and the focus of the third part which also introduces you to the rules to observe when programming, what class libraries are and what advantages they have. In addition, you will learn how to test programs, what algorithms are, and how to program them.The fourth part, Java Projects, enables you to apply all the previous elements in an application with a graphical user interface. The project shows how to develop a larger application piece by piece with the Eclipse development environment. The Appendix concludes with a section on frequent errors that can occur when working with Eclipse, and a Glossary.
Mastering the Language and the Development PlatformMany people would like to learn Java but getting started is not easy since programming with Java requires at least two things: mastering the programming language and the development environment. With the help of many examples, this book shows how the language is structured. In addition, it employs the Eclipse development environment as an example of a powerful tool to teach developing Java programs.In Basics, the first part of the book, you acquire your Java and Eclipse basic knowledge. This part lays the programming foundations, gives you an overview of Java technology, and shows you what is special about object-oriented programming.In the second part called Java Language, everything revolves around the subtleties of the Java language and this is where the first small Java applications are created, aided by a fine blend of the knowledge part and practical exercises.Java Technology is both the name and the focus of the third part which also introduces you to the rules to observe when programming, what class libraries are and what advantages they have. In addition, you will learn how to test programs, what algorithms are, and how to program them.The fourth part, Java Projects, enables you to apply all the previous elements in an application with a graphical user interface. The project shows how to develop a larger application piece by piece with the Eclipse development environment. The Appendix concludes with a section on frequent errors that can occur when working with Eclipse, and a Glossary.
The Internet of Things is rapidly gaining interest, and that has fueled the development of the Edison. A tiny computer, the size of a postage stamp, with a lot of power and built-in wireless communication capabilities.
In this eBook we will help you get up-to-speed with the Edison, by installing the software both on the Edison as well as on your Windows PC. We will use the Edison Arduino break-out board because it is easy to work with. We will discuss Linux, Arduino C++ and Python, and show examples of how the Edison can interface with other hardware. We will use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to set up wireless connections, and show you a trick to program sketches over Wi-Fi.
Once you have completed this book your Edison will be up and running with the latest software version, and you will have sufficient knowledge of both hardware and software to start making your own applications. You will even be able to program the Edison over USB and wireless both in Arduino C++ and Python.
This is not a projects eBook, but a toolbox that will allow you to explore the wonderful world of the Intel Edison!
Opera Cake is an antenna switching add-on board for HackRF One that is configured with command-line software either manually, or for automated port switching based on frequency or time. It has two primary ports, each connected to any of eight secondary ports, and is optimized for use as a pair of 1x4 switches or as a single 1x8 switch. Its recommended frequency range is 1 MHz to 4 GHz.
When HackRF One is used to transmit, Opera Cake can automatically route its output to the appropriate transmit antennas, as well as any external filters, amplifiers, etc. No changes are needed to the existing SDR software, but full control from the host is available.
Opera Cake also enhances the HackRF One’s use as a spectrum analyzer across its entire operating frequency range of 1 MHz to 4 GHz. Antenna switching works with the existing hackrf_sweep feature, which can sweep the whole tuning range in less than a second. Automatic switching mid-sweep enables the use of multiple antennas when sweeping a wide frequency range.
Downloads
Documentation
GitHub
YARD Stick One (Yet Another Radio Dongle) is a sub-1 GHz wireless transceiver IC on a USB dongle. It is based on the Texas Instruments CC1111.
YARD Stick One can transmit or receive digital wireless signals at frequencies below 1 GHz. It uses the same radio circuit as the popular IM-Me. The radio functions that are possible by customizing IM-Me firmware are now at your fingertips when you attach YARD Stick One to a computer via USB.
Features
Half-duplex transmit and receive
Official operating frequencies: 300-348 MHz, 391-464 MHz, and 782-928 MHz
Unofficial operating frequencies: 281-361 MHz, 378-481 MHz, and 749-962 MHz
Modulations: ASK, OOK, GFSK, 2-FSK, 4-FSK, MSK
Data rates up to 500 kbps
Full-Speed USB 2.0
SMA female antenna connector (50 ohms)
Software-controlled antenna port power (max 50 mA at 3.3 V)
Low pass filter for elimination of harmonics when operating in the 800 and 900 MHz bands
GoodFET-compatible expansion and programming header
GIMME-compatible programming test points
Open source
Downloads
Documentation
GitHub
Based on PIC microcontrollers and Arduino
Every mobile phone includes a GSM/GPRS modem which enables the phone to communicate with the external world. With the help of the GSM modems, users can establish audio conversations and send and receive SMS text messages. In addition, the GPRS modem enables users to connect to the internet and to send and receive large files such as pictures and video over the internet.
This book is aimed for the people who may want to learn how to use the GSM/GPRS modems in microcontroller based projects. Two types of popular microcontroller families are considered in the e-book: PIC microcontrollers, and the Arduino. The highly popular mid-performance PIC18F87J50 microcontroller is used in PIC based projects together with a GSM Click board. In addition, the SIM900 GSM/GPRS shield is used with the Arduino Uno projects. Both GSM and GPRS based projects are included in the e-book.
The book will enable you to control equipment remotely by sending SMS messages from your mobile phone to the microcontroller, send the ambient temperature readings from the microcontroller to a mobile phone as SMS messages, use the GPRS commands to access the internet from a microcontroller, send temperature readings to the cloud using UDP and TCP protocols and so on.
It is assumed that the reader has some basic working knowledge of the C language and the use of microcontrollers in simple projects. Although not necessary, knowledge of at least one member of the PIC microcontroller family and the Arduino Uno will be an advantage. It will also be useful if the user has some knowledge of basic electronics.
Build your own AI microcontroller applications from scratch
The MAX78000FTHR from Maxim Integrated is a small development board based on the MAX78000 MCU. The main usage of this board is in artificial intelligence applications (AI) which generally require large amounts of processing power and memory. It marries an Arm Cortex-M4 processor with a floating-point unit (FPU), convolutional neural network (CNN) accelerator, and RISC-V core into a single device. It is designed for ultra-low power consumption, making it ideal for many portable AI-based applications.
This book is project-based and aims to teach the basic features of the MAX78000FTHR. It demonstrates how it can be used in various classical and AI-based projects. Each project is described in detail and complete program listings are provided. Readers should be able to use the projects as they are, or modify them to suit their applications. This book covers the following features of the MAX78000FTHR microcontroller development board:
Onboard LEDs and buttons
External LEDs and buttons
Using analog-to-digital converters
I²C projects
SPI projects
UART projects
External interrupts and timer interrupts
Using the onboard microphone
Using the onboard camera
Convolutional Neural Network
Build your own AI microcontroller applications from scratch
The MAX78000FTHR from Maxim Integrated is a small development board based on the MAX78000 MCU. The main usage of this board is in artificial intelligence applications (AI) which generally require large amounts of processing power and memory. It marries an Arm Cortex-M4 processor with a floating-point unit (FPU), convolutional neural network (CNN) accelerator, and RISC-V core into a single device. It is designed for ultra-low power consumption, making it ideal for many portable AI-based applications.
This book is project-based and aims to teach the basic features of the MAX78000FTHR. It demonstrates how it can be used in various classical and AI-based projects. Each project is described in detail and complete program listings are provided. Readers should be able to use the projects as they are, or modify them to suit their applications. This book covers the following features of the MAX78000FTHR microcontroller development board:
Onboard LEDs and buttons
External LEDs and buttons
Using analog-to-digital converters
I²C projects
SPI projects
UART projects
External interrupts and timer interrupts
Using the onboard microphone
Using the onboard camera
Convolutional Neural Network
Develop Arm Cortex-M7 powered Audio, DSP and Motor Control Projects
At the heart of NXP Semiconductors‘ MIMXRT1010 Development Kit is the i.MX RT1010 Crossover MCU sporting an Arm Cortex-M7 core truly capable of running power- and memory hungry DSP applications. The popular MCUXpresso IDE is key to creating software for the development kit, while a powerful SDK is provided to reduce program development time and effort. The dev kit offers great connectivity through its audio CODECs, 4-way headphone jack, external speaker connection, microphone, and Arduino interface.
Conveniently, several on-board debug probes are supplied with the kit allowing you to debug your programs by talking directly to the MCU. Helped by the debugger, you can single-step through a program, insert breakpoints, view and modify variables, and so on. Using the MCUXpresso IDE and the SDK, many working and tested projects are developed in the book based on parts, modules, and technologies, including:
LED and LCDs
ADC
I²C projects
SPI projects
UART projects
Motor Control
Audio and Digital Audio Processing (DSP)
This bundle contains:
Elektor Book: Get Started with the NXP i.MX RT1010 Development Kit (normal price: €34.95)
NXP i.MX RT1010 Kit Development Kit (normal price: €49.95)
STmicroelectronics’ wireless IoT & wearable sensor development kit
‘SensorTile.box’ is a portable multi-sensor circuit board housed in a plastic box and developed by STMicroelectronics. It is equipped with a high-performance 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 processor with DSP and FPU, and various sensor modules, such as accelerometer, gyroscope, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor, microphone, and so on. SensorTile.box is ready to use with wireless IoT and Bluetooth connectivity that can easily be used with an iOS or Android compatible smartphone, regardless of the level of expertise of the users. SensorTile.box is shipped with a long-life battery and all the user has to do is connect the battery to the circuit to start using the box.
The SensorTile.box can be operated in three modes: Basic mode, Expert mode, and Pro mode. Basic mode is the easiest way of using the box since it is pre-loaded with demo apps and all the user has to do is choose the required apps and display or plot the measured data on a smartphone using an app called STE BLE Sensor. In Expert mode users can develop simple apps using a graphical wizard provided with the STE BLE Sensor. Pro mode is the most complex mode allowing users to develop programs and upload them to the SensorTile.box.
This book is an introduction to the SensorTile.box and includes the following:
Brief specifications of the SensorTile.box; description of how to install the STE BLE Sensor app on an iOS or Android compatible smartphone required to communicate with the box.
Operation of the SensorTile.box in Basic mode is described in detail by going through all of the pre-loaded demo apps, explaining how to run these apps through a smartphone.
An introduction to the Expert mode with many example apps developed and explained in detail enabling users to develop their own apps in this mode. Again, the STE BLE Sensor app is used on the smartphone to communicate with the SensorTile.box and to run the developed apps.
The book then describes in detail how to upload the sensor data to the cloud. This is an important topic since it allows the sensor measurements to be accessed from anywhere with an Internet connection, at any time.
Finally, Pro mode is described in detail where more experienced people can use the SensorTile.box to develop, debug, and test their own apps using the STM32 open development environment (STM32 ODE). The Chapter explains how to upload the developed firmware to the SensorTile.box using several methods. Additionally, the installation and use of the Unicleo-GUI package is described with reference to the SensorTile.box. This PC software package enables all of the SensorTile.box sensor measurements to be displayed or plotted in real time on the PC.
STmicroelectronics’ wireless IoT & wearable sensor development kit ‘SensorTile.box’ is a portable multi-sensor circuit board housed in a plastic box and developed by STMicroelectronics. It is equipped with a high-performance 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 processor with DSP and FPU, and various sensor modules, such as accelerometer, gyroscope, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor, microphone, and so on. SensorTile.box is ready to use with wireless IoT and Bluetooth connectivity that can easily be used with an iOS or Android compatible smartphone, regardless of the level of expertise of the users. SensorTile.box is shipped with a long-life battery and all the user has to do is connect the battery to the circuit to start using the box. The SensorTile.box can be operated in three modes: Basic mode, Expert mode, and Pro mode. Basic mode is the easiest way of using the box since it is pre-loaded with demo apps and all the user has to do is choose the required apps and display or plot the measured data on a smartphone using an app called STE BLE Sensor. In Expert mode users can develop simple apps using a graphical wizard provided with the STE BLE Sensor. Pro mode is the most complex mode allowing users to develop programs and upload them to the SensorTile.box. This book is an introduction to the SensorTile.box and includes the following: Brief specifications of the SensorTile.box; description of how to install the STE BLE Sensor app on an iOS or Android compatible smartphone required to communicate with the box. Operation of the SensorTile.box in Basic mode is described in detail by going through all of the pre-loaded demo apps, explaining how to run these apps through a smartphone. An introduction to the Expert mode with many example apps developed and explained in detail enabling users to develop their own apps in this mode. Again, the STE BLE Sensor app is used on the smartphone to communicate with the SensorTile.box and to run the developed apps. The book then describes in detail how to upload the sensor data to the cloud. This is an important topic since it allows the sensor measurements to be accessed from anywhere with an Internet connection, at any time. Finally, Pro mode is described in detail where more experienced people can use the SensorTile.box to develop, debug, and test their own apps using the STM32 open development environment (STM32 ODE). The Chapter explains how to upload the developed firmware to the SensorTile.box using several methods. Additionally, the installation and use of the Unicleo-GUI package is described with reference to the SensorTile.box. This PC software package enables all of the SensorTile.box sensor measurements to be displayed or plotted in real time on the PC.
32 new Projects, Practical Examples and Exercises with the Elektor Arduino Nano MCCAB Training Board
Electronics and microcontroller technology offer the opportunity to be creative. This practical microcontroller course provides you with the chance to bring your own Arduino projects and experience such moments of success. Ideally, everything works as you imagined when you switch it on for the first time. In practice, however, things rarely work as expected. At that point, you need knowledge to efficiently search for and find the reason for the malfunction.
In this book for advanced users, we delve deep into the world of microcontrollers and the Arduino IDE to learn new procedures and details, enabling you to successfully tackle and solve even more challenging situations.
With this book, the author gives the reader the necessary tools to create projects independently and also to be able to find errors quickly. Instead of just offering ready-made solutions, he explains the background, the hardware used, and any tools required. He sets tasks in which the reader contributes their own creativity and writes the Arduino sketch themselves.
If you don’t have a good idea and get stuck, there is, of course, a suggested solution for every project and every task, along with the corresponding software, which is commented on and explained in detail in the book.
This practical course will teach you more about the inner workings of the Arduino Nano and its microcontroller. You will get to know hardware modules that you can use to realize new and interesting projects. You will familiarize yourself with software methods such as ‘state machines,’ which can often be used to solve problems more easily and clearly.
The numerous practical projects and exercise sketches are once again realized on the Arduino Nano MCCAB Training Board, which you may already be familiar with from the course book ‘Microcontrollers Hands-on Course for Arduino Starters’, and which contains all the hardware peripherals and operating elements we need for the input/output operations of our sketches.
Readers who do not yet own the Arduino Nano MCCAB Training Board can purchase the required hardware separately, or alternatively, build it on a breadboard.