Tag: PmodJSTK
Microcontrollers

Installing Libraries in MPIDE

- by Kaitlyn Franz - 1 Comment

As you all probably already know, MPIDE is a programming environment that I, and many other people, use to program Digilent’s chipKIT line of microcontrollers. Well, along with the pre-loaded libraries and examples that you can find when you download MPIDE, you can also upload your own libraries.

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Guide

Libraries

- by James Colvin - Leave a Comment

This week happens to be National Library week, and although Digilent is not a library, we certainly use them! I’m not referring to public libraries, though (although I am personally a fan of them); rather, I’m talking about the C++ libraries that are widely used with our microcontrollers. Although C++ libraries are not quite the same as an IP for FPGAs, they serve a similar purpose. These libraries include a set of predefined functions that perform a specific task, such as sending and receiving a set of data over SPI, that the user can use without having to define what they do.

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Pmod

Digilent Pmods: Input Pmods – Tactile User Input

- by James Colvin - Leave a Comment

Today, we’re going to check out the last chunk of the input Pmods™ that Digilent offers. This set of inputs are slightly different than the inherent sensors that we saw last time. Although these Pmods are designed to give the system board information about the outside world, but this time you are their whole world. These tactile Pmods are designed so that they respond when you physically interact with them. It’s kinda like playing outside…in the comfort of your own home.

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Guide

Pmod Communication: Serial Peripheral Interface

- by James Colvin - 3 Comments.

A while ago, we learned that one of the ways that Pmods are able to communicate with their host board is through SPI. We learned then that serial peripheral interface is a type of communication protocol where the “master” board and the “slave” device (in this case, a Pmod) are able to send bits of data to each other at the same time with the host board controlling the timing of the communication. Although this is a nice overview, it is my personal experience that theoretical overviews are not the most helpful in actually implementing what we are learning. This begs the question: how do you use SPI? Lets find out!

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