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Week 1 - Final Design Proposal

Week 2 - Make Press Fit Kit

Week 3 : Make FabISP in-circuit programmer

Week 4.1 : Make Something BIG

Week 4.2 : Final Project Review

Week 5 : Molding & Casting

Week 6 : Embedded programming

Week 7 : 3D scanning and printing

Week 8 : Input devices

Week 9 : Output devices

Week 10: Machine design & Final Project Revisted

Week 11: Networking and communications

Week 12: Final presentation

Helpful list of programs

Website >>

Blog >>

Flickr >>

Youtube >>

"Embedded Programming"

This week our assignment was "Embedded Programming," to (at least) add a button and LED (with current-limiting resistor) to the echo hello-world board, check the design rules, and make it.

This week I learned Eagle, which I found to be intuitive. Great tutorial and explanation.

My main notes from the tutorial are as follows:

The ISP Header is how we program the microprocessor. The FTDI Header is how you communicate with the PCB Board. The Microprocessor (in this case, the ATTiny 44) is the brain. We will be using a 20MHz resonator which speeds up the clock for the ATTiny so that it can do operations faster.

Some important commands to remember from Eagle are:

NET - command to make logical connections in schematic

ROUTE - converts unrouted connections into routed wires

RIP - Changes routed wires into airwires.

GROUP

ADD - to pull up the Library Dialogue and choose components.

LABEL - Attaches text labels to buses and nets

JUNCTIONS - Places a dot at intersecting nets

ERC (Electronic Rules Check) - This command is used to test schematics for electrical errors. It detects inconsistencies between the implicit power and supply pins in the schematic and the actual signal connections in the board.

DRC (Design Rules Check) - Checks design rules.

After designing my board, I exported the image (after removing certain layers) to a png file (monochrome), with a resolution of 1000 dpi.

This file would be used (Fab Module) for the milling of the board as seen in photos.

Resources:
1. Board (Eagle)

2. Schematic (Eagle)

3. PNG of board

4. Code for LED to blink when pushed

5. Txt file to myself on procedure for uploading material to site

This week I was introduced to Arduino and Modkit. I am not a programmer, therefore the visual logic of Modkit excited me a lot!!! I will be using Modkit in the future. Thank you so much Ed for introducing this to us! Whew!

Acknowledgements:
Adam Setapen for his Eagle tutorial.

Ed Baafi for his ModKit introduction.

Dan & Toni for your great "modela karma" as Toni would say.

Alan, Albert, and Marshall - it's always a great thing when you get to know your classmates a little better. ;-).

Brian Mayton for all your programming help. You are a great teacher.

Links:

Website: http://www.vernellenoel.com/
Blog: http://thinkinginsomniac.wordpress.com
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkinginsomniac/

Board I designed with a switch and an LED