S9 Use and combine commercial modules
Initial skills rating *
I do not know what is meant by commercial modules. I think this may be to do with using electrical kits. If it is then I have used some kits previously when I helped design prototypes for a new project when working in a school. Before I give details I would really like to check to see whether I am correct in my understanding.
Taught session **
It has taken awhile but I following Deans taught session I now understand what is meant by a commercial module. These start with a pre-assembled main board and you can buy add on shield to perform specific functions. Arduino appears to be have the mare advanced applications and kits start at around £40. This sounds very interesting should I ever get time.
Picaxe create is another brand that is not as complex as Arduino. Raspberry Pi is another commercial module. Now I have heard of this. the aim by the creator is that every school child should be able to afford one. They arrive as a little pre assembled board and when combined with a key board and monitor you can start writing programs for your computer. The idea is to get students involved in writing programs from an early age and be able to afford one of these units for somewhere between £21 and £35. These sound very interesting. They have only just been released for sale. the demand has been so high it exceed the supply so they are something we will just have to wait for.
I may consider using these for future projects.
Picaxe create is another brand that is not as complex as Arduino. Raspberry Pi is another commercial module. Now I have heard of this. the aim by the creator is that every school child should be able to afford one. They arrive as a little pre assembled board and when combined with a key board and monitor you can start writing programs for your computer. The idea is to get students involved in writing programs from an early age and be able to afford one of these units for somewhere between £21 and £35. These sound very interesting. They have only just been released for sale. the demand has been so high it exceed the supply so they are something we will just have to wait for.
I may consider using these for future projects.
My Arduino has arrived :)
28th March 2012
The arrival of my Arduino kit . Oh my word it is so tiny is this Nano technology? I think I am looking at 8 pin chips that can only be 2mm square. How crazy is that? I must take some photos and add them here. Even the resistors and light sensors are so small compared to those we have at University. I am really looking forward to getting started; I just hope my eyesight will let me. I really want to make the first circuit before I go to bed but then again I know I have a long day tomorrow.
Ah disappointment at the first hurdle. When I tried to plug a header pin into the positive and negative strips on the protoboard they would not go in. I tried it in the middle section and they slid in easily. My protoboard has a clear acrylic casing which is handy as I can see the metal holders within. Looking at the side of my board it was easy to see the problem. The holes in the protoboard are not in line with the holders below by about 50%. What disappointment. I cannot see any way to rectify this so I will call the supplier in the morning. In the meantime I will try and borrow one from my tutor in time for HackEd club tomorrow night. If there really is nothing I can do to put it right I am sure Kitroniks will supply me another (providing they have some that line up) very quickly.
29th March 2012
Oh I feel a little bit silly now. my tutor said there was nothing wrong with my protoboard I just have to push the pins in with a lot more force then I was. I thought they would break but they are fine. Ah well this is a good thing because now I can start building circuits.
The arrival of my Arduino kit . Oh my word it is so tiny is this Nano technology? I think I am looking at 8 pin chips that can only be 2mm square. How crazy is that? I must take some photos and add them here. Even the resistors and light sensors are so small compared to those we have at University. I am really looking forward to getting started; I just hope my eyesight will let me. I really want to make the first circuit before I go to bed but then again I know I have a long day tomorrow.
Ah disappointment at the first hurdle. When I tried to plug a header pin into the positive and negative strips on the protoboard they would not go in. I tried it in the middle section and they slid in easily. My protoboard has a clear acrylic casing which is handy as I can see the metal holders within. Looking at the side of my board it was easy to see the problem. The holes in the protoboard are not in line with the holders below by about 50%. What disappointment. I cannot see any way to rectify this so I will call the supplier in the morning. In the meantime I will try and borrow one from my tutor in time for HackEd club tomorrow night. If there really is nothing I can do to put it right I am sure Kitroniks will supply me another (providing they have some that line up) very quickly.
29th March 2012
Oh I feel a little bit silly now. my tutor said there was nothing wrong with my protoboard I just have to push the pins in with a lot more force then I was. I thought they would break but they are fine. Ah well this is a good thing because now I can start building circuits.
Getting started with Arduino
29th March 2012
My little Arduino kit comes with neat little overlays that fit over the protoboard and display little printed pictures of the discrete components showing exactly where they should be put in order for the task to be carried out. Though I did at first find them a little confusing trying to work out exactly what was meant to be going where. Everything became a little easier when I realised the pins it referred to where not on the protoboard but actually on the Arduino board. Once you get the hang of how certain information is being displayed they are easy to follow. The idea is to pin the little paper circuits over the protoboard and push the components through the paper overlays.
I was really surprised to see the resistors were to be placed after the LED’s. Surely this is not correct and yet I also think it is unlikely for a product aimed at beginners would not contain such a fundamental error. I thought for a discrete component to be protected from too much currant entering it, the resistor must be placed before the discrete component but these little diagrams suggest differently so why?
Researching from a post by JohnRobHolmes on RCCrawler.com it said that currant flows from the negative terminal of a battery to a positive. So theoretically a resistor would be more effective suppressing a voltage spike on the negative side. In reality as long as your wiring stays consistent throughout the circuit they can be positioned either side.
Why is it then that when I was in school and college we were taught to put the resistor in first? Is it because it is easier to comprehend the function of protection if it is placed in front of components because when we are also taught electricity comes from the positive side of the battery? Is it that currant behaves in strange ways but for simplicity we accept theories?
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/electronics/65010-led-side-do-you-put-resistor.html Accessed 29/03/2012
I am grabbing little bits of time. Looking at the code for the blinking LEDs I am not sure what I have to include when I write my own code or even how to download it or where do I write it. I was feeling quite thick until I realised I had not taken a close look at the code when using Flowol. I am sure there will be familiarities between the two, some common principles. I had always used the flow diagrams as I was perfectly happy with this method a so I stuck to it. I think it would be a good idea to go back to Flowol , create a flow diagram and then take a look at the coding.
My little Arduino kit comes with neat little overlays that fit over the protoboard and display little printed pictures of the discrete components showing exactly where they should be put in order for the task to be carried out. Though I did at first find them a little confusing trying to work out exactly what was meant to be going where. Everything became a little easier when I realised the pins it referred to where not on the protoboard but actually on the Arduino board. Once you get the hang of how certain information is being displayed they are easy to follow. The idea is to pin the little paper circuits over the protoboard and push the components through the paper overlays.
I was really surprised to see the resistors were to be placed after the LED’s. Surely this is not correct and yet I also think it is unlikely for a product aimed at beginners would not contain such a fundamental error. I thought for a discrete component to be protected from too much currant entering it, the resistor must be placed before the discrete component but these little diagrams suggest differently so why?
Researching from a post by JohnRobHolmes on RCCrawler.com it said that currant flows from the negative terminal of a battery to a positive. So theoretically a resistor would be more effective suppressing a voltage spike on the negative side. In reality as long as your wiring stays consistent throughout the circuit they can be positioned either side.
Why is it then that when I was in school and college we were taught to put the resistor in first? Is it because it is easier to comprehend the function of protection if it is placed in front of components because when we are also taught electricity comes from the positive side of the battery? Is it that currant behaves in strange ways but for simplicity we accept theories?
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/electronics/65010-led-side-do-you-put-resistor.html Accessed 29/03/2012
I am grabbing little bits of time. Looking at the code for the blinking LEDs I am not sure what I have to include when I write my own code or even how to download it or where do I write it. I was feeling quite thick until I realised I had not taken a close look at the code when using Flowol. I am sure there will be familiarities between the two, some common principles. I had always used the flow diagrams as I was perfectly happy with this method a so I stuck to it. I think it would be a good idea to go back to Flowol , create a flow diagram and then take a look at the coding.