mbed NXP LPC1768 free samples - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: kek
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 03:46:47 am
content: http://www.circuitcellar.com/nxpmbeddesignchallenge/I've never tried these but they're giving away free kits.

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 04:22:10 am
content: What the heck, I applied.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 04:35:16 am
content: Thanks for the heads-up! I am using an LPC1765 in my current project, so this would be a handy development boost

author: allanw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 07:27:49 am
content: Free $60 dev board? Hell yeah.http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9564

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 08:51:00 am
content: QuoteWhy would anyone use an online compiler?Their server or your net connection goes down just before you need to deliver a prototype to a client & you're completely screwed.Ditto if they suddenly decide to 'fix' something that breaks your code..And AFAICS there's no SWD/JTAG connector on the board - just an interface to what looks like their own microcontroller programming interface - from comments I saw in their forum this appears to be is a proprietory closed interface.If anyone in London wants to get more info there's atalk by someone from Mbed heretomorrow night.

author: Nermash
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 09:16:08 am
content: As doctors here say (used to taking bribe for work they do in state hospitals):If it is free, it's not too expensive!

author: DJPhil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 10:02:02 am
content: Good catch!The siren song of microcontrollers grows stronger as I struggle to solidify my understanding of TTL. At this rate I'll have a dozen dev boards to learn by the time I'm ready to dive in. What the heck, it's free after all!

author: scrat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 10:36:40 am
content: I applied too. Sometimes I wonder why some microcontroller companies don't give away free samples, dev kits or at least make very easy to start using their devices. I think this is the better way for advertising!

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 11:59:42 am
content: Manufacturers often do give free devkits to customers that they know are serious. Cheap devkits tend to be bought by hobbyists with little chance of leading to volume design-ins.As a professional developer, I'd rather have a $50 devbourd I can get now, than a $4.30 0ne that the manufacturer can't keep up with the demand for.

author: scrat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 12:26:34 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on September 22, 2010, 11:59:42 amI understand your point of view, and I think I'd do the same if I were a professional on my own business, but many of the professionals have been students or hobbyists for a while, so if you catch them at that stage, it is possible that they stick to your product. Moreover, many small companies don't want to spend a dollar more for development tools, and so they tend to continue using a certain device family.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 04:55:57 pm
content: From what I read on Element-14 about Mbed boards, it is possible to use more conventional tools, they just need a bit of setting up. Be aware with these competitions that who they give boards to can be a bit arbitrary. I know in the past I have applied for Circuit Cellar freebies and they have miraculously had their stock allocated elsewhere. Understandably, they seem to give priority to US based people.

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 05:35:04 pm
content: They instantly told me I was approved for a kit and would be getting an e-mail cofirming shipment in no more than week.Is this true for everyone?

author: allanw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 07:04:46 pm
content: I applied 12 hours ago and haven't gotten a response yet. Maybe it's because I put down my job title as "Student"

author: Strube09
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 07:10:30 pm
content: Quote from: Time on September 22, 2010, 05:35:04 pmI got the same thing.

author: allanw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 07:11:17 pm
content: Oh, is that the notice that you get immediately when you hit submit? Probably skipped over it.

author: rossmoffett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 07:57:19 pm
content: Quote from: Time on September 22, 2010, 05:35:04 pmI got the same thing.. not a student.

author: armandas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 08:04:12 pm
content: Student/Non-US, got no confirmation.

author: DJPhil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 08:18:31 pm
content: I guess Unemployed/Retired with no company entry was a bad idea, nothing so far.I'm in the US as well.

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 08:19:37 pm
content: It said that in my browser as soon as I registered.I put Systems Engineer for a major multi-billion dollar US corporation - FTW

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 09:28:15 pm
content: It did honestly state my job title and employer. Usually that almost guarantees acceptance. But I guess putting downMy deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circlesas the reason why I should get one didn't went down well.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 09:41:26 pm
content: From what I remember after submitting the form it said something like "Your form has been accepted and a decision will be made inside a week" rather than being accepted outright.

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2010, 10:18:40 pm
content: I got the same as Zad ... with a company and with a title. *shrug*

author: rossmoffett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2010, 02:31:49 am
content: Quote from: Zad on September 22, 2010, 09:41:26 pmQuote from: Time on September 22, 2010, 05:35:04 pmIt was really a mix of the two.. I had the impression that they were checking to be sure you weren't a bot (hence the "describe why you should get this" field), then shipping the products directly.

author: scrat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2010, 09:14:03 am
content: They were clear: in no more then a week you will receive shipping confirmation, request has been accepted. So let's just wait...

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2010, 03:34:51 pm
content: Quote from: scrat on September 23, 2010, 09:14:03 amThats exactly what I saw.

author: Polossatik
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2010, 03:56:51 pm
content: just requested one, the page said ;"Thank you! Your request for an NXP mbed Design Challenge contest kit has been accepted. You should receive an email confirming that your contest kit has shipped within one week. Good luck!"I did not lie or so , just stated my current employer (nothing to do with embedded systems)Ha, an non-US by the way.

author: veryevil
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2010, 08:11:59 pm
content: I just gotQuoteSo fingers crossed.

author: pdunz
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 23, 2010, 08:33:08 pm
content: Got the same message, just have to sit and wait. Non US too.

author: David
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2010, 08:46:12 pm
content: I got the same message too.

author: Nermash
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2010, 07:01:18 am
content: Has anyone received shiping confirmation yet?

author: ElektroQuark
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 29, 2010, 07:19:19 am
content: Not here.

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 29, 2010, 07:40:54 am
content: Hm... wonder if I would be eligible, Masters student at UQ doesn't sound very convincing.Heck, I'm still waiting for my MSP430.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2010, 08:08:45 am
content: Quote from: DJPhil on September 22, 2010, 10:02:02 amWho uses TTL these days? It's crap, there's no reason to, even the LS series is obsolete. Anyway, it's not too hard to understand, you just need to know the BJT basicsFor simple glue logic where an MCU is not economic, use CMOS: CD4000 series is still handy because it works from 3V to 12V but is slow and has low output currents, 74HC for everything else. I think CMOS is also easier to understand, start by looking at internal schematic for a simple NOT gate, then work up to NAND and NOR.All right back on topic.I haven't signed up. I've only just got into PICs (basline 12F5xx and 16F5xx devices) I don't think I'm ready for this and would rather give others who are the opportunity to learn more or do you lot think I should just go for it?

author: 74HC04
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2010, 09:41:53 am
content: Quote from: Nermash on September 29, 2010, 07:01:18 amNot here yet either...

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2010, 02:08:31 pm
content: Nothing here either.Oh, and I -love- TTL.I wouldn't design product or commercial stuff with it, but it's kind of like digital Lego blocks for me.Some people do Sudoku puzzles, I enjoy solving logic problems with gates and counters.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2010, 09:17:52 pm
content: Quote from: JohnS_AZ on September 29, 2010, 02:08:31 pmI'm not sure if you understood what I meant.It's not discrete logic I have a problem with, it's great to build with digital Lego blocks and solve logic problems with gates and counters, hell you'll find them in many commercial products. There's no point in spending money and time in programming a FPGA or microcontroller when the problem can be solved with a couple of logic gates.What I meant is that I think TTL is shit. It uses loads of power, has a low fanout, low impedance inputs, high saturation outputs and is very is picky about the power supply voltage. There is absolutely no reason to use it in any modern design. Replace TTL with HCT logic (even LS is no good). CMOS is cheaper, lower power and is now faster too. Throw away those old 7400s and replace them with a decent ICs such as the 74HC00 or 74HTC00, if it requires to accept TTL inputs, although that shouldn't be necessary if you don't have any old ICs.Of course you're entitled to your opinion: prefer TTL if you like but don't expect me to understand why.

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 29, 2010, 09:37:08 pm
content: I applied late last week at some point, remember some message about hearing something within a week not sure what though - slept since then.Should be hearing within the next two days I guess if I was successful.I put down the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth - tax dodging student

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2010, 09:52:13 pm
content: Oh, we're pretty much on the same page. I thought you were one of the 'anti-logic, throw a micro at everything' people.Sorry, my mistake. I do use a fair amount of TTL because I have a couple thousand chips of a hundred or so varieties. Anything I buy now is HC/HTC (can you even buy straight TTL parts any more?).QuoteIt's funny, I would argue that that's not always the case. I was recently working on a project that needed an RS-232 control circuit comprised of one 2-input OR gate, and one SPST logic switch (AND gate). Instead of using 2 cmos logic chips I used an 8-pin PIC. A few lines of code to do the logic and I saved power, saved board space, eliminated a BOM line item, and presented a cute challenge to anyone trying to reverse engineer the circuit.It's all about the application.

author: slburris
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2010, 04:21:56 am
content: These days you can pick up a CPLD for $1 so I just have a tube of thoseand can replace pretty much any jelly bean TTL logic. Less parts tohave to keep around or order.If you are just starting out, there's nothing like learning with actual gatesthat you can touch. Once you are beyond that though, I would arguethan 74XX of any family is essentially dead except for very simple or specializedcases, to be replaced by some mix of micros, CPLDs and FPGAs. I occasionallyuse the single gate chips as well as the voltage translating bidirectional buffersto go between say 5v and 3.3v logic, but that's about it.Now if you are just in love with 74XX series stuff, check out these chips,74XX at 1Ghz speeds!:http://www.potatosemi.com/But I agree that the choice comes down to what's the best fit for the application.I was looking at the most recent issue of Nuts & Volts and there's a pageabout building a countdown timer for a basketball game. The circuitis a 555 driving a string of counters followed by 7 segment decoders. But nooooo, thisis how to build it in 1972, not 2010! This application calls for a 40pin microand some driver transistors. Many fewer chips, more reliable. The countfrequency is clearly within the capability of any micro. Now if you're goingoff on some retro design thingy, that's another story. And yes, I suppose youcould argue that N&V's audience is the absolute beginner and how else do youlearn without going down to the gate level?When's the last time you saw new circuits using those hot new RTL and DTL chips?Heck, how many people even see ECL designs these days?And there are some applications where discrete gates just aren't going to cut it.Trying doing a state machine with 74XX? Good luck! Even back in the day,many state machines were done with counters driving bipolar PROMs. ActuallyI have seen a state machine with TTL logic, an 18" X 18" board stuffed with chips!Anyway, my 3 cents.Scott

author: rossmoffett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2010, 06:17:59 am
content: One week is up and no shipping confirmation yet.

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 30, 2010, 08:39:30 am
content: From the element14 website:Quote from: Chris Styles link=http://www.element-14.com/community/message/14537#14537So it sounds like there is hope yet

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2010, 10:52:14 am
content: Quote from: JohnS_AZ on September 29, 2010, 09:52:13 pmLol, someone accused me of being exactly the opposite a few of days ago.QuoteIf you'd given it more thought it might've been possible to narrow it down to a single IC or even some diode logic but I haven't seen the circuit or truth table so you could just as easily be right.I'm not pro or anti MCU, just a pragmatist, I'm pro-MCU when it makes sense but anti-MCU when it doesn't. You raise some valid points about board space and reverse engineering, although if it's really simple any idiot can figure it out, with or or without the code or reverse engineering. As far as cost is concerned, did you check the prices? I notice that I can buy four quad logic ICs for the price of the cheapest MCU at my local supplier. Is this going to be mass produced or is it just a few?Quote from: slburris on September 30, 2010, 04:21:56 amI notice that people in RD and hobbyists alike often keep a stock of generic parts for convenience sake, i.e. there's no point in stocking 100s of different logic ICs, just stock one CPLD, if even some designs often work out more costly. For example, there could be a simple problem which could be solved with a 74HC00 which may cost less than a tenth of the price of your cheapest CPLD but you'll throw the CPLD at it anyway because it's what you have in your junk box. The extra cost is nothing to you and is well worth the convenience of having less clutter and you're not making 1000s of them so it's not an issue.

author: baljemmett
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 30, 2010, 12:10:42 pm
content: Quote from: slburris on September 30, 2010, 04:21:56 amI have a sudden vision of how my long-term "hey, I'll build a homebrew computer, why not?" project is going to turn outI used a microcode ROM when I put one together in a simulator at university years ago, but this time (due to lack of ROM programmer, aided and abetted by sheer bloody-mindedness) I'll be trying to put the instruction decode/sequencing logic together out of 74HC parts...Back on the original topic, chalk me up as another who filled in the form and got a message saying I should get confirmation of despatch in a week; nothing yet, but since I got in well before the applications closed I won't give up hope yet. Got a few ideas for things to try with it but will have to look to see what sort of nice-to-work-with graphical LCD modules are around for most of them!

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2010, 04:20:08 pm
content: Well, a 12F509 costs 70 cents. A 74HC08 is 30, and a 74HC32 is 24 (54 cents) so I paid a 16 cent per unit premium to use the PIC. But, the PCB was through-hole so moving from 2 14-pin chips to 1 8-pin chip was a significant space reduction. Further, the boards (a few hundred) were hand assembled at a job shop, so the reduced pin count was a labor savings.(tap-dancing around confidentiality)The serial signals were coming from a legacy system at 1200 baud so switching resolution was easily handled by the PICs internal 1MHz clock (the PIC was programmed in machine code).QuoteHmm. Maybe, I don't know. The resulting part looked like this...

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2010, 06:13:11 pm
content: Quote from: JohnS_AZ on September 30, 2010, 04:20:08 pmIf I went for a PIC, I would've chosen the 12F508 (though hole) or the 10F200 (surface mount).Here's my discrete logic idea. Of course you might not need all the extra OR gates but I decided to use them to buffer the diode AND which I know is lossy and high impedance so is probably no good for driving long cables and the gates are on the IC, so you lose nothing.Now I understand that the reduced labour costs may outweigh the extra cost for a small production run but if you get 1000s made it's probably a different matter.+I also had a crazy idea using the 74HC4016 quad switch but I haven't posted it because it wasn't as effective, even though it used less components: only one resistor in addition to the IC.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 01:47:52 am
content: Check your emails guys, I got this in my in-box today:QuoteMike

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 02:32:28 am
content: Quote from: Zad on October 01, 2010, 01:47:52 amGot nothing, guess I didn't make the cut.

author: Strube09
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 02:46:21 pm
content: haha,just got this today:You are receiving this message because we have received and accepted yourrequest for a complimentary NXP mbed LPC1768 prototyping board. We areworking diligently to expedite shipments as quickly as possible. Yourpatience is appreciated as we wait for the second installment of NXP contestkits to arrive from the sponsor, no later than October 8, 2010.Confirmation that your contest kit has shipped will be emailed shortlythereafter

author: ElektroQuark
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 02:47:00 pm
content: There is mine:Quote

author: marianoapp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 03:02:37 pm
content: i got one of those delayed shipment emails too

author: armandas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 03:05:29 pm
content: Quote from: marianoapp on October 01, 2010, 03:02:37 pmYou mean Delayed ShipmentBotification?

author: veryevil
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 03:21:03 pm
content: Same Here

author: marianoapp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 03:32:16 pm
content: Quote from: armandas on October 01, 2010, 03:05:29 pmjaja.. exactly

author: Nermash
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 04:05:26 pm
content: Also delayedI don't mind really, as long as it arrives eventualy.

author: Strube09
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 05:03:27 pm
content: Yeah,No biggy... the price is right.... I'll take just about anything for free... Why not.

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 10:32:33 pm
content: Woot I got it too!We should compare our order numbers, mine's 3700-3936.

author: baljemmett
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 11:12:29 pm
content: Quote from: Hypernova on October 01, 2010, 10:32:33 pmThe botification I got this afternoon had 2101-2400. Cheered me up no end! I figured it was a range, though, and they were batching the e-mails; the span in yours sounds odd for that, unless 3936 is the last request they're filling.

author: dan238
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 11:22:12 pm
content: JohnS_AZ you could of just used a multiplexer.

author: DJPhil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2010, 11:27:54 pm
content: Quote from: baljemmett on October 01, 2010, 11:12:29 pmI'm in 2101-2400 too. Looks like they went Oprah with it. You get a dev kit! You get a dev kit! Everyone gets a dev kit!If unemployed/retired worked, I suspect everyone will likely be ok unless they run out.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2010, 12:27:24 am
content: My Botification of Conformation (sic) was:"NXP Shipment Conformation (1900-2100)"

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 02, 2010, 06:50:34 am
content: Quote from: baljemmett on October 01, 2010, 11:12:29 pmUnless a higher number turns up then I guess it means they had 4K of them set aside.And I just managed to squeeze in WOOT!!!

author: pdunz
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 02, 2010, 12:10:20 pm
content: Got the same message, mines 2700-3100.Also it looks like we will definatly get a kit, in short - check your emails on fridays (or saturdays for some places) from the 8th onwards (when their shipment from the sponsors arrive) for an email about shipping. This is on their site.Quote

author: ngkee22
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2010, 01:31:04 pm
content: I got the message too, NXP Shipment Delay Notification (2700-3100). I wasn't sure I was going to get one, but guess I made it in time. A friend of mine missed it though and he signed up about the same time.

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 02, 2010, 01:50:18 pm
content: So at this point it's pretty clear that they budgeted 4000 to pass around with 64 of them reserved for possible replacements for faulty units.

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2010, 08:00:12 pm
content: Wow. I was a little bummed that I didn't get the email so many of you did. I figured that I didn't answer the questions right and got blown off.Then, today in the mail, the thing shows up!!Cool.

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2010, 08:51:20 pm
content: Quote from: JohnS_AZ on October 04, 2010, 08:00:12 pmI have not gotten one yet as well. I am looking forward to getting home and checking.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2010, 02:42:06 am
content: I just got mine. Now I just need to figure out how to use it with Gentoo.

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 05, 2010, 01:20:35 pm
content: Never got an email from them but received mine this morning in the postOff to uni now but will fire this baby up when I get back home

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2010, 05:19:49 pm
content: I wasn't expecting them to be arriving for another week at least! Odd that mine didn't arrive at the same time as your LogicTom, as we are not many miles apart.

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2010, 05:29:42 pm
content: I figured that if they sent me one that I'd come up with something for their contest.I guess the balls in my court now and I have to come up with an app for the thing.

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 10, 2010, 05:44:00 pm
content: Quote from: Zad on October 05, 2010, 05:19:49 pmSeems odd, some people have received the kit without any email notification and others with an email and no kit - I guess they just emailed the ones that weren't been sent out straight away - have you received yours yet?Haven't done much with mine yet other than a few bits of code messing with the leds - just got my launchpad boards this weekend after just under three months wait, I figured the order hadn't gone through then they just turn up. Too many things to play with now

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2010, 06:50:18 pm
content: Nope, still no sign of it. Maybe mine is coming via sea rather than plane.

author: allanw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2010, 11:10:03 pm
content: I got the email but haven't received mine yet.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 03:44:59 pm
content: Woohoo it arrived this morning! Looking at the labels on the packaging, the return address is in Sweden, which would certainly smooth things up with regards to customs, duty checking etc. Checking the inner box, I found: "Country of Origin: UK". D'oh!

author: Strube09
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 03:41:48 pm
content: Just got mine today.... Hmm Now what

author: ElektroQuark
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 03:44:42 pm
content: You got the email or they send you the mbed directly?

author: allanw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 05:21:34 pm
content: Just got mine in the mail today. It came from Circuit Cellar / Elektor

author: DJPhil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 05:29:45 pm
content: Mine hath arrived.A recap of my data:Registered as Unemployed/Retired with no company entry."Delayed Shipment Botification" (sic) sent on 1 OCT, (2101-2400) group.Arrived 14 OCT in 7" by 9" padded manilla envelope from Circuit Cellar/Elektor, Vernon, CT, USA. I'm in Nebraksa, so that's halfway across the US.Small box inside marked "Country of Origin: UK"What you get:The widget itselfAnother usb to microusb cable for your collectionA giant round paper mbed sticker, woohoo!Two (2) credit card sized pinout references, one paper, one plastic. Actually kind of neat!A giant instruction sheet that basically says plug it in and follow the bouncing ball.Picture included!I plugged in the board and sure enough, they've used a blue LED you can read by for the power indicator. The link goes to mbed.org with a 64 byte authorization code and some other junk, and starts you off on the cloud compiler. For those who can't wait to get started here's the basic links.User ManualDatasheetIt's possible that you can register on mbed.org before you have a board, I didn't try.Hope that helps

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 11:28:12 pm
content: bah! At this rate I won't get mine for another month given that I'm in the last batch near 4000.Still waiting for my LaunchPad....

author: allanw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2010, 07:24:46 am
content: Nifty, just compiled some basic code and copied it over to the USB drive it presents itself as and ran my program in a few minutes.

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2010, 08:02:13 pm
content: Interesting. I never got an e-mail and nothing had arrived until now. I was beginning to feel left out.Mmm... free toys

author: ArtemisGoldfish
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2010, 04:05:10 am
content: So, I applied a week or two back, didn't get any e-mails about it or anything, looked hopeless. Oh well, you know? So today, I got a package in the mail, and there it is! Awesome. Bought a MagJack receptacle and breakout board from SparkFun, so when that gets here, I'll try out some demo code and then throw it on a Fluke EtherScope to see exactly what's going on. 3 UARTs, Ethernet, USB, PWM, Analog in and out, I2C, CAN, SPI, it's a pretty spiffy little board.

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 17, 2010, 11:18:09 am
content: I was looking at a breakout board that had 2*USB sd and a magjack but they're all out of stock on the uk sites I know. Anyone know where I can get one in the uk? Wouldorder from Sparkfun but without buying a fair bit the shipping doubles the price.

author: Polossatik
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 02:55:13 pm
content: just got a email:subject : NXP Shipment Confirmation2801-3400blablabla...Thanks for your interest in the NXP mbed Design Challenge! Your mbed NXP LPC1768 contest kit has shipped.If you are a resident of the USA, your kit shipped via USPS first class mail.If you have a Can/Mex/Foreign address your kit shipped via FIMS (FedEx International Mail Service). You should anticipate its arrival within 3 weeks. However, we cannot determine how long a package stays in customs in your particular country.All kits ship in a yellow bubble mailer, 6”x10”, weighing 4oz. There are no tracking #’s on ANY shipments so please do not call us to inquire about status...etc etcso let's hope our .BE customs is not going to retain the stuff, that would delay it with more than 3 weeks

author: ElektroQuark
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 02:59:43 pm
content: Same confirmation here.

author: ngkee22
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 03:02:08 pm
content: Got mine over the weekend, now I just need a good idea to build on.

author: JohnS_AZ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 03:04:28 pm
content: So what I'm curious about ...How many of us are actually going to enter their design contest, and how many are just after the free hardware?I'm inclined to enter the contest, but I haven't thought up a good app yet.

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 03:05:54 pm
content: I would but I don't have enough free time to balance my own projects and something for this contest.

author: ngkee22
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 03:26:48 pm
content: I would like to enter, but a lot depends on the amount of free time I will have and if I can come up with a project. Right now, I work around 60 hours a week, so I don't have much free time to think.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 04:05:03 pm
content: My guess is more than 95% of those requesting a board won't enter the competition. And probably half of all boards send out will not even be turned on once.The only reason companies give them away for competitions is they can label the competition "no purchase necessary" and stay out of legal trouble.Sampling of components outside of competitions has become increasingly difficult because of all the freeloaders that hunt for free parts. The worst of them sample them and resell them on ebay.

author: David
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 06:41:44 pm
content: I just got an email saying my board has been shipped! Wasn't expecting to get one after not hearing anything!

author: ngkee22
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 07:07:25 pm
content: I never got a shipment notification. It was just in the mail when I got home on Sunday.

author: RayJones
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 08:47:23 pm
content: Just got a shipping notification, but I did get a delayed shipping advice earlier.It may however take up to 3wks on the slow boat FedEx to .au

author: Nermash
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 09:07:03 pm
content: I got the shiping confirmation also.Now I just to have it our untill the FedEx man rings.

author: pdunz
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 18, 2010, 11:28:18 pm
content: Ive just got the email to say its been shipped too - now I wonder if it will actually get to NZ lol.

author: nessatse
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2010, 07:14:07 pm
content: Just when I was getting that left out feeling, mine arrived out of the blue! All the way to South Africa. Its sitting here happily flashing led's. Now to think of a project for it...

author: kek
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2010, 02:02:00 am
content: Finally got mine. (Vancouver Canada) Never did get the confirmation email though.Now to try it out and figure out what to build with it. Maybe some type of internet connected thingy. There seems to be quite a few people here in this thread ...maybe something that connects all of our demo boards together....

author: rossmoffett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2010, 03:18:27 am
content: Quote from: JohnS_AZ on October 18, 2010, 03:04:28 pmI've been spending a lot of time bored in hotel rooms lately while traveling for work, looking forward to playing with it. Will have to come up with a portable app, though!

author: scrat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2010, 09:44:55 am
content: Received the shipment notification. However, they predict 3 weeks, even if they have to ship between European countries, so I think they're telling the worst case.

author: ArtemisGoldfish
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2010, 10:58:03 pm
content: Quote from: JohnS_AZ on October 18, 2010, 03:04:28 pmI'm going to probably use it to play around with network programming, and should a project come about from that, so be it.

author: ziq8tsi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2010, 03:32:48 pm
content: My mbed arrived today. I connect it up and load the htm file and get:QuoteTo say the least, I would be wary of relying on this cloud compiler stuff in a business environment...(Granted it is weekend. Also, on the positive side, it is the only development system I have used that claims full Linux support.)

author: baljemmett
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 23, 2010, 06:12:46 pm
content: Quote from: ziq8tsi on October 23, 2010, 03:32:48 pmEep! Not a great start... Mine arrived this morning (spectacularly good timing, as so did the Ethernet breakout board and assorted doohickeys I ordered so I could play with it); luckily I didn't receive that message when I registered this evening.So far it looks like a very nice piece of kit. There are some links somewhere on the mbed site to articles describing options for compiling code without relying on the web service (since it's a bare ARM chip from the programming point of view, I imagine there are many ways to build a binary!), but I haven't dug around yet to find out if the mbed APIs can be downloaded for offline compilation.

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 23, 2010, 09:36:08 pm
content: Quote from: baljemmett on October 23, 2010, 06:12:46 pmCan I ask where you got the board? I as looking for one but haven't managed to find anything local.

author: baljemmett
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 23, 2010, 11:33:12 pm
content: Quote from: logictom on October 23, 2010, 09:36:08 pmThe breakout board? I grabbedthis one from Cool Components-- it comes complete with the magjack, unlike some others (e.g.the SK Pang version). Since I'm using it on a breadboard and UTP cabling I left the two shield pins out, because otherwise they're rather awkwardly placed, but apart from that it seems to do the job OK.

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 26, 2010, 04:12:19 pm
content: Quote from: baljemmett on October 23, 2010, 11:33:12 pmThanks, ordered one along with an SD, USB A and B breakout boards.Have you managed to get anything up and running with the ethernet?

author: David
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2010, 05:52:45 pm
content: Is there a standalone compiler? I have my board but I'm not keen on using an online compiler...call me traditional!

author: baljemmett
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 26, 2010, 10:20:02 pm
content: Quote from: logictom on October 26, 2010, 04:12:19 pmI've had some success with it; the examples in the Cookbook all worked for me, and I've done some basic stuff of my own but then hit a wall trying to fetch a file from my own web server. I think that's probably size-related but I haven't had time to play around and sort it yet. It's on the list for the weekend!Quote from: David on October 26, 2010, 05:52:45 pmThere are a few discussions on the mbed site about it; the answer seems to be that, although you can use any compiler you like as long as it generates a raw binary, the official route is online-only. Getting your paws on the mbed libraries to link against may be tricky, although apparently they can be had somewhere (I lost the discussion I saw about that and can't find it again quickly I'm afraid!) The libraries probably aren't essential, but I guess not using them would leave a fair chunk of donkey work to do yourself.

author: rossmoffett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2010, 01:23:09 pm
content: (2700-3100)Arrived at work yesterday. Our Electronics Engineer is jealous, too bad it's Halloween weekend in the US, I'm gonna be out having other fun instead. Itching to hook it up anyway though, I like the breadboard compatible design and the wiring diagram cards that came with it.

author: scrat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2010, 01:36:35 am
content: Mine just arrived today. I ordered in the first days of this post, so quite a long time to receive it, even if I'm in the EU.

author: allanw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 01:10:41 am
content: Well, has anyone shown off what they made with their free mbed yet? No?I'll start off!As some of you may know from my other post, I've been working on a high power RGB LED driver board and I've finally gotten it to work, after many smoking IC's!I was originally going to use an Arduino to generate the PWM control signals to do color fading, but it only had two high resolution PWM outputs, and I didn't feel like writing one in software. So I decided to use the mbed instead. It was a pretty good experience. I really enjoy the ease of use of the library.Anyway, here's a quick video demonstrating my project:The LED in the video below is really three LED's in series per color, dropping around 10V each at a drive current of 350mA. That's 10W in a small package!Here's the code:http://mbed.org/users/allanw/programs/rgbfade/lh7h2s/docs/main_8cpp_source.htmlI really like being able to use floats freely without worrying too much about execution speed.

author: pdunz
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 09:31:33 pm
content: Mine just arrived this morning, took a few weeks but it made it. Now to get cracking.

author: cksa
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2010, 04:49:15 am
content: just got mine todayso excited.haven't decided on what project i'd do though. any ideas?

author: kek
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2010, 09:53:34 am
content: I've got my mbed booting up a GameBoy Advance (I did it with a PIC24 already)http://mbed.org/users/kek/notebook/gameboy-advance-multiboot/

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 17, 2010, 04:55:18 am
content: Quote from: wilfredkazoks on November 17, 2010, 02:52:54 amI'm in Brisbane and I got the notice that it shipped on the 19th last month. Given that my launchpad was stolen when the delivery guys left it at the front door I'm freaking out over the possibility that the mbed met that same fate.I walked out the door and it's right there in the mailbox! WOOT!!!

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 17, 2010, 04:17:14 pm
content: Did some quick test on how fast the thing can bit bang by toggling the output pins32MHz xmega: 16Mb/s96MHz mbed: 19.2Mb/sNot sure whether this is due to the library abstraction but compared to clk/2 of the xmega the mbed only managed clk/5. The data sheet for the LPC1768 states "Bit level set and clear registers allow a single instruction to set or clear any number ofbits in one port."It get's even slower if you actually do want to bit bang entire ports, the speed drops to 12Mb/s or clk/8

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2010, 05:11:48 pm
content: Any chance you could disassemble the relevant bit? That does seem quite a lot slower than I would expect, maybe there are flash latency issues?

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 17, 2010, 11:19:04 pm
content: Quote from: Zad on November 17, 2010, 05:11:48 pmThis has nothing to do with flash. And trying too look at the asm is not possible since the online compiler doesn't provide them.IMO it's simply that fact that low level IO access is not exposed (in a micro!?).Found this mbed forum thread that explains it.http://mbed.org/forum/mbed/topic/584/?page=1Only small fix appears to be overclocking to 128MHz for a 1/3 increasehttp://mbed.org/users/no2chem/notebook/mbed-clock-control--benchmarks/