RFID-RC522 Card Reader

This link leads to an example for TI MSP430 and CC3200 LaunchPads that read a card number
using a RC522 MIFARE module and Energia.

Tested with Energia V16 on:
          MSP-EXP430G2 LaunchPad
          MSP-EXP430F5529 LaunchPad
          MSP-EXP430FR5969 LaunchPad
          CC3200

Color Sensor TCS230/TCS3200

I got this sensor off Amazon.  It was fun to play with but surprisingly difficult to get meaningful results from.  The difficulty is primarily due to sensor limitations.  There are quite a few sites with Arduino code for this sensor, I am using a MSP432 LaunchPad here.  I wanted to keep it simple and use the pulseIn() function.  It works with the MSP432, but not so well with the F5529.  A better approach would be to use a timer and count interrupts from the pulses.

See my git repository here for the pin connections, code, and a deeper discussion.

The following is a photo of the sensor I'm using and some examples of what you might expect:

BerkeleyX: EE40LX Electronic Interfaces Module 1

I just started the Berkley edX course on Electronic Interfaces.  The ultimate goal is to build a small robot and they give you latitude along the way on how to build it.  At the end of Module 1 (just before the quiz) you put together a voltage regulator to power the MSP430G2 from a battery.  Here is mine, running the hello world sketch:

Their design calls for a 9V battery and a LM1086 3.3V voltage regulator.  I'm using a LD1117AV33 and a 4xAA switched battery pack because that is what I happen to have on hand.  I made 100 on the quiz.  So far, so good...

Stripped down Stand-alone M430G2553

It is amazing how easy and inexpensive it is to program a MSP430G2553 (or any number of other chips in the value line series) and then run it as a stand-alone microcontroller.  The photo below shows a MSP430G2553 being programmed with a MSP-EXP430G2 LaunchPad.  The LaunchPad costs $9.99 at Mouser.  The MSP430G2553 costs $2.80 as a single, $2.25 if you buy in lots of 10. 

This is a minimal setup to program the chip.  Once it is programmed, you can remove the TEST and RST jumpers.

Thanks to Kerry Wong for his write-up here that I used to get started.  I've simplified his set-up by leaving off RXD and TXD, and taking the pins directly to the LaunchPad.  I took off the jumpers on the LaunchPad and hooked-up to the pins on the LaunchPad the same as Kerry.

Here it is blinking "hello world" from a battery pack. 

RGB Strip LED

For my sound level project I am considering using inexpensive RGB Strip LEDs.  So to try some code out I did a trial from this Adafruit post:
https://learn.adafruit.com/rgb-led-strips/overview

The differences are:

* used Adafruit's circuit for the TIP120 except except that I used 5mm LEDs to stand in for the strip (also put a resistor in front of each LED so it wouldn't burn out)
* used Adafruit's sketch except I substituted pins 11, 12, and 13 for the Arduino PWM (used a MSP430G2553)
* used a 4.5V battery pack for external power to the LEDs

It is working:

For my project I am thinking I'll need at least 2 strips running 2 different colors so 6 TIP120s.  I only have 5.  Even better would be to have 3 strips and 3 colors - then I'll have the added complication of not enough PWM pins.  It looks like there is another order in my future.

Sound Level

A sound level sensor I'm working on....  The mic on a breakout is a MAX4466 from Adafruit.

MultiSim Touch

I have this on my iPad now.  Cool...