A few weeks ago the engineering team at Digi-Key announced the arrival of the Pmod NAV and Pmod JSTK2 with applications to support their use. Digi-Key, recently recognized as Digilent’s Best Distributor of the Year for 2016, begins their introductory series with the Vice President of Applications Engineering discussing the project potential for each peripheral module.
After listing some of the impressive specs for the Pmod NAV, Restle explains that this module “can sense any kind of motion in a project that you have”. He mentions that the Pmod NAV is the perfect device for creating robotic end effectors, measuring when a project falls over, and collecting data on rising projects (such as a hot air balloon) where barometric data comes in handy. The Pmod JSTK2 is similarly reviewed and highly recommended for robotics and gaming projects. To find additional project ideas you can view the entire video here.
Following their introduction to the Pmod NAV and Pmod JSTK2, the engineers at Digi-Key present a fantastic segment featuring these products in Another Geek Moment. This YouTube series is the perfect resource for viewers short on time but in desperate need of project inspiration. Viewers can tune in to learn about featured products through short demonstrations supported by all of the resources one needs to get started.
In the episode featuring the Pmod NAV and Pmod JSTK2 each module is set up and programmed to run with popular microcontroller units (MCUs). Libraries for each demonstration are found online (some of which can also be found on the Digilent Wiki) and then the Pmods are connected. The first demonstration uses the Cerebot MX7CK (find a replacement with the Basys MX3) to display all of the information pulled from the Pmod NAV. What is even better is that the engineer created a comprehensive text file that breaks down the code line-by-line to help viewers replicate this project! The detailed text file makes future coding projects easier by helping programmers find what line of code the Pmod NAV information is pulling from, as well as the function being used.
The next project shows viewers how to get the Pmod JSTK2 up and running on the uC32 microcontroller. Provided example changes the color of the RGB LED as the position of the joystick moves, with intensity increasing as users push the bottom button or center joystick. Another MCU, the Arduino Mini 3.3V, is lastly introduced for viewers who may desire a smaller board to accompany the Pmod JSTK2 in gaming projects. Because this board was designed for lower Hz projects the engineer walks viewers through his process for bypassing this issue on the Arduino MCU.
You can find these videos and follow along by visiting the Digi-Key Blog or YouTube channel. New projects are uploaded regularly so its worthwhile to check out what’s new when looking for project inspiration!
