Video : Getting Started With the BeagleBone Microcontroller!

Matt Richardson, via Make Magazine's Youtube channel, has created a great "How To" video for the micro controller called the "BeagleBone".  


If you're interested in micro-controllers you've likely heard of the Arduino or Launchpad, the BeagleBone is a similar controller, except that the Beaglebone has its own version of linux embeded!  If you'd like to know more about the board you can go to beagleboard.org.  


Check out these videos from Matt:








Don't forget to go and subscribe to both Matt's page/blog and Make Magazine!


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Electronics Reference Sheet - Print Your Own!

Over at  www.akafugu.jp they put up a set of great electronics reference sheets for those of us in the hobbyist world.  LED's, resistor color codes, transistors, capacitors, etc.  There is also a sheet on various pin-outs of some of the most often used microelectronics chips sets such as the ATMega and ATTiny.  The reference sheets are in .png and .pdf formats. Head over and download a copy and print them out for your personal use today!

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MSP430 Launchpad Booster Pack!

Just a quick post, I received the following email the other day in regards to a new booster pack for our MSP430's, its a Wireless Module! YAY!  Now you can natively add wireless to your MSP430 Launchpad products! Looks like the max order is 5, I picked up 3 for my 3 modules. Check out the info below and pick up a few for your own projects!

Here is the official email below:

Make Your MSP430 LaunchPad Wireless 430BOOST-CC110L RF BoosterPack The 430BOOST-CC110L RF BoosterPack is a sub-1 GHz wireless connectivity plug-in board for the MSP430 LaunchPad development kit - an easy-to-use, affordable, and scalable introduction to the world of microcontrollers and the MSP430 family. Snap the 430BOOST-CC110L RF BoosterPack onto your LaunchPad and you are all set for adding wireless capabilities to MSP430-based designs.          Order Now          430BOOST-CC110L RF BoosterPack • Low-power wireless transceiver extension kit for use with the Texas Instruments MSP-EXP430G2 LaunchPad development kit • Contains two ETSI-compliant and FCC certified RF module boards • Sub-$30 for complete development environment: RF BoosterPack ($19) + two MSP430 LaunchPads ($4.30 x 2) www.ti.com/rfboosterpack SHARE THIS EMAIL

To ensure delivery to your inbox, please add tiprime@dlep14.itg.ti.com to your address book or safe sender list. The platform bar is a trademark of Texas Instruments. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Texas Instruments Incorporated, 12500 TI Blvd, Dallas, TX 75243. Read TI's Privacy Policy.

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Wall Warts As Power Supplies For DIY Projects

Everyone's got them, an old power transformer or "wall wart" for some unknown electronic device that has been thrown away, was broken by the electronic gremlins, or lost into the sands of time.  


Some might throw out these unmatched power supplies but most just wrap the cord around the chunky black plastic cube and throw it into a box, which is only pawed through when the power supply to your existing device goes missing.  


One other use that might not have occurred to many is the use of those wall warts as the next power supply in your awesome DIY electronics project!


The folks over at digital-diy.com have a great, multipage, write up on how you can use these under utilized power supplies with your DIY electronics projects.  The article, nine pages to be exact, covers the following topics:

• Background and Use of AC/DC Power Supplies
• Linear Supplies
• Regulated Supplies
• Switching Power Supplies
• Practicality Of Using AC/DC Power Supplies
• A Brief Look At 5v Power Supplies

It's a great article and has very useful info, especially if you have any questions on how to incorporate power supplies into electronics projects.  


So go get that box of black cubes and twisted licorice strands and grab that chunky monkey one, you know from that one thing you had back in the 90's, that went "woop, woop woop" but now can't remember where you put it, yeah that one and put it back to use!


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Ubuntu "Unity" Shortcuts Wallpaper!

Over at askubuntu.com user Octavian Damiean created a quick ref keyboard shortcut wallpaper for the new Ubuntu 11.04 "Unity" interface.  Click on the pic below and snag yourself a copy, it's a mighty handy tool for getting started!

click here for your own copy (1920x1080)

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Ruby for Newbies - Nettuts Screencast Tutorial

Over at net.tutsplus.com Andrew Burgess just started up a new screencast tutorial series on the programing language Ruby.  Its a very basic look at what Ruby is and some of the initial steps of setting up the ruby environment and the first steps in learning the language.  The tutorial covers 1.92, the latest version of Ruby but Andrew indicates that you could follow along with 1.8 initially.  It looks like a very interesting programing language and I'm looking forward to the future screencasts.  Take a look at the video below and head over to nettuts youtube channel to subscribe so you don't miss any of the tutorials.





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MSP430 LaunchPad - Unboxing!

Today I received a fed-ex package around mid-afternoon.  I wasn't expecting anything so I opened it up and found the three MSP430 Launchpad's I had ordered a month ago for $12.90 total($4.30 each and shipping was free)!  I was surprised because shortly after ordering them I received an email indicating they were back ordered.  So I'm pretty happy and have been thinking about the projects I'll be using these boards for.  Here are a few quick un-boxing pictures for ya!

Don't forget to comment, or ask any questions below! 

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MSP430 LaunchPad (MSP-EXP430G2) - From TI

The MSP430 Launchpad

Looks like the Arduino has some competition or a brother depending on how you see things.  TI has announced, and also put up for order (w/free shipping/max of 3 units however), the MSP430 LaunchPad.  Note the model number 430, Its also the price of the microcontroller! Yep $4.30 and FREE SHIPPING!  Here is a link to their store so you can order your very own and start developing awesome stuff:

Buy The MSP430 HERE!

The following link is to their wiki:

MSP430 LaunchPad (MSP-EXP430G2) - Texas Instruments Embedded Processors Wiki

Here is what you get in the box:

• LaunchPad Development board (MSP-EXP430G2)
• Mini USB cable
• 2x MSP430 flash devices
• MSP430G2211IN14 flash device
• MSP430G2231IN14 flash device (preloaded with sample program)
• 10-pin PCB Connectors (2 male & 2 female)
• 32kHz crystal
• Quick Start Guide
• 2x LaunchPad stickers

They also posted some videos one is an unboxing and the other is a quick demo of the built in temp sensor followed by the "professional launch video". 

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First Steps with Arduino an O'Reilly Webcast

Over at the O'Reilly site senior editor Brian Jepson has created a webcast/podcast on how to get started with the Arduino Microcontroller, using one of the kits from the Maker Shed. Its about a 90 min video, very informative, especially for any who haven't played around with a microcontroller. 


The video was initially broadcast on 2010-06-16 and they were offering up a 15% discount on the three of the four kits, not sure how long they'll be offering the discount but if you've not picked up a kit yet this would be a perfect time to do so!

Enjoy the Video!

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