MSP430 Texas Instruments Launchpad Board. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ChrisGreece52
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2013, 01:57:53 pm
content: I run to an old Dave's video today about the MSP430 launchpadAnd then is searched some more and i found a video of the Ben Heck show where Ben used it for a project (cant remember which).So after 2 clicks i saw this videoand i really liked the board.I ordered my arduino (it did not arrive yet) and i am thinking of ordering this too.... and i thought .... its only 4.30 ill get tooBut my question is here.Is it as easy as an arduno to program?

author: andersm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2013, 02:26:12 pm
content: Energiais supposed to be an Arduino-like environment for the MSP430 Launchpad.

author: DaveW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2013, 05:07:49 pm
content: The TI online course for the MSP430 is excellent,http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/Getting_Started_with_the_MSP430_LaunchPad_WorkshopThey're an excellent processor to have a play with, the wolverine ones have incredibly low power consumption, have used them in bullet proof vests to give battery life measured in months, with a lot of functionality

author: olsenn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2013, 05:55:44 pm
content: I thought "Wolverine" was an upcoming (aka not yet released) product line that would be the successor of the MSP430? Which current MSP430 ICs have this distinction? Any in a DIP package by chance?

author: ChrisGreece52
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2013, 08:26:51 pm
content: Thank you all guys and i think i will buy two because i want to really get into microcontrollers.

author: oPossum
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2013, 08:52:14 pm
content: Wolverine is the next generation of MSP430 FRAM (ferroelectric RAM). Not in DIP packages - that is G series (some parts at least)

author: ChrisGreece52
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2013, 05:57:01 am
content: Quote from: andersm on January 27, 2013, 02:26:12 pmI downloaded it its exactly the same the only thing that changes is the code.

author: ChrisGreece52
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2013, 05:58:13 am
content: Quote from: oPossum on January 27, 2013, 08:52:14 pmDid not know that....ill google it.

author: ChrisGreece52
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2013, 06:10:10 am
content: Quote from: oPossum on January 27, 2013, 08:52:14 pmThe Wolverin one is pretty good and i can get samples of it but the board i need costs 75 usd ... way more than the 4.3 i would give for the regular board.

author: ChrisGreece52
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2013, 06:17:17 am
content: I would buy thishttp://www.ti.com/tool/msp-exp430g2

author: cwalex
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2013, 06:36:22 am
content: I used energia with msp430 launchpad just to test it out and it worked as advertised. I didn't use any advanced libraries, just the usual blinky lights demos. Start with the arduino and then play with the launchpad when you are familiar with the arduino stuff imho %-B

author: ChrisGreece52
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2013, 07:19:05 pm
content: Thanks for your answeri will get my arduino any day soon im waiting it to arrive so i will order my lauchpad about 5 days from now so that i can get familiar with the arduino since the lanchpad arrives.Allso the coding is similar so it wont be a huge difference from the arduino.

author: chickenHeadKnob
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2013, 07:47:44 pm
content: The only knock against the msp430 - well two knocks really, is that it comes with value line parts and it isn't ARM. That is the cheapest parts with very minimal RAM. This forces the first time student to really economize, which is good in that it is real world practice but bad in that you can put a lot of effort and write a correct program but still bust the RAM limit which then results in early disappointment. I really like the MSP430 architecture and instruction set but I like the ARM cortex m3 and m4 even better. ARM devices are not harder to learn and they are the way the future is going.

author: krish2487
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2013, 08:31:24 pm
content: @chickenheadknob.Ti also has Stellaris launchpad, which is ARM and is in the same footprint as the value-line launchpad.and it is SUPPORTED under energia.here it is..http://www.ti.com/ww/en/launchpad/stellaris_head.html?DCMP=stellaris-launchpad&HQS=stellaris-launchpadManaged to get my hands on (only)two of them when they released it @ $5 (give or take) including shipping..

author: codeboy2k
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2013, 11:35:43 pm
content: Quote from: chickenHeadKnob on January 29, 2013, 07:47:44 pmmost embedded development is done in C anyways, so the underlying architecture doesn't matter to 90% of the code that an embedded engineer is going to write. The only time it matters is when C doesn't cut it, and the ISR needs to be tighter, or some specific section of code needs to be written in assembler for improved space or time efficiency.I used the MSP430's years ago when they first came out. Yes, they were really hard to program for and get anything done because of the space limitations. I had a keypad, 8 digit display, and sensors, all on I2C, and processing the keyboard, sensor data and display was taxing. I had to rewrite many portions of the code in assembler just to get the size down. In the end I had to tell the customer what they wanted to do in the hardware they gave me was not possible, and we ended up dropping a few features to get the size down. A later rev of the board used a newer processor with more code space, but I wasn't involved then.At the time they came out, they were innovative as Low Power devices. There was nothing else like it. These days, there are many choices, and sometimes better choices. Renesas RL78, ARM-M0, Energy Micro, PIC XLP, Silicon Labs, etc. These days, every vendor has low power and ultra low power battery sipping devices, and as a system designer, I'm not married to ARM because it's the future. I want the micro I choose to have the features that I need for the application I am designing for, and I want a supply channel able to give me the parts I need, for at least 5 years. I'll choose 32-bit if I need 32-bit, but sometimes 16 bit or 8 bit is fine too, and it really depends on the application and cost and whats available.More specifically, I don't need a 32-bit ARM core in a microwave, or a dishwasher, or a washing machine, or the coffee maker. Well, maybe the washing machine could use it, since it might have to process the motor drive data several thousand times per second and fine tune the feedback loop, etc.. etc...Sometimes I'll use a 32-bit main processor with one or 2 small side processors (like a PIC, or a MSP430) doing specific tasks that need to run out of band. It really depends on the application.So what's my point ?don't knock a processor just because it's not ARM, or not "the future". You're only showing how narrow minded you are about the entire microprocessor universe. There is still plenty of future for small 8 and 16-bit processors, and yes, programming for them is a definite challenge.

author: ChrisGreece52
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2013, 06:00:32 am
content: Quote from: krish2487 on January 29, 2013, 08:31:24 pmI am sorry to tell you that it is a great product but it costs 12.99$ its triple the price of the msp430 launchpad....

author: krish2487
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2013, 06:09:52 pm
content: Well.. I did mention when it waslaunched..Still it is a fairly cheap kit for someone wanting to get into ARM without blowing a hole in your wallet.Granted, ST/NSP have great boards too. but thats only for the board.Setting up a working toolchain on linux is a PITA.Why not go with something that already pre-packages the toolchain..I do believe that is one of the reasons why arduino became so popular.

author: ChrisGreece52
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2013, 07:10:57 pm
content: Thank you ... i did not see the when it was launched thingbut i think i am going to go with the msp430