Embedded Systems… for Everyone!Presented by Steven Hearndon

1997Atmel introduces the AVR 8-bit microcontroller

The AVR architecture was conceived by two students at the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH), Alf-Egil Bogen and Vegard Wollan.

20011997The Processing programming language is created by Casey Reas and Benjamin Fry, students at the MIT Media Lab

Designed as a tool to get non-programmers started with programming

Main purpose: teach computer programming in a visual context, and serve as the foundation for electronic sketchbooks

Built on Java, but used simpler syntax and graphics programming model

Platform included an IDE

"Processing 2.2 Mac OS X Screenshot" by Stiegenaufgang - Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Processing_2.2_Mac_OS_X_Screenshot.png#mediaviewer/File:Processing_2.2_Mac_OS_X_Screenshot.png

20031997 2001The Wiring prototyping platform is created by Hernando Barragán while a student at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (Italy)

Consisted of a programming language, IDE, and a single-board microcontroller

A derivative of Processing, but compiled to C++ rather than Java

Greatly simplified input/output operations

http://wiring.org.co/reference/

http://wiring.org.co/reference/

20051997 2001 2003Arduino started as a project for students at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Ivrea, Italy

Wiring was Hernando Barragán’s thesis project, which was supervised by Casey Reas and Massimo Banzi, one of the founders of Arduino

Mainly created as a lower cost, open source alternative to what the students had been using

The name "Arduino" comes from a bar in Ivrea, where some of the founders of the project used to meet

20131997 2001 2003 2005After their initial Kickstarter campaign for a wifi connected light socket failed to launch in 2012, Zach Supalla and Zac Crockett launch a new Kickstarter campaign for the Spark Core

Here was their Kickstarter video…

Spark Core Kickstarter Campaign

The Spark CoreSpecs: • Texas Instruments CC3000 Wi-Fi module

• STM32F103 72Mhz ARM Cortex M3

• 128KB flash, 20KB RAM, 2MB external

flash

• 802.11b/g

• Smart Config setup

• FCC/CE/IC certified

The Spark Cloud• Allows for compiling and flashing over the internet

• Provides a library and REST API for interacting with the Core over the web

• It’s free!

• Open source code available to implement a private cloud

Let’s see it in action!

Some issues…• Input range from 3.7 V to 6 V

• Operates on 3.3 V (though some pins are 5 V tolerant)

• Wifi limitations (no eduroam)

What’s next?

The Spark PhotonSpecs: • Spark P0 Wi-Fi module

• Broadcom BCM43362 Wi-Fi chip

• STM32F205 120Mhz ARM Cortex M3

• 1MB flash, 128KB RAM

• 802.11b/g/n

• Soft AP setup

• FCC/CE/IC certified

Side-by-Side ComparisonCore Photon

TI CC3000 Wi-Fi Broadcom BCM43362 Wi-Fi

72Mhz ARM Cortex M3 120Mhz ARM Cortex M3

128 KB Flash 1 MB Flash

20 KB RAM 128 KB RAM

802.11b/g 802.11b/g/n

$39 $19Ships now Ships in May

And their latest offering…https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sparkdevices/spark-electron-cellular-dev-kit-with-a-simple-data?

ref=nav_search

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sparkdevices/spark-electron-cellular-dev-kit-with-a-simple-data?ref=nav_search

What’s coming?

Questions?

Thank you