I work with high schoolers and their teachers, and I often come across questions about how to get started with physical computing. This post is meant to compare some of the most well-known platforms. To begin, understand that the space is broadly separated into microcontrollers and single-board computers, with different strengths and weaknesses. Microcontrollers (MCUs) Microcontrollers are basic, general-purpose processors with limited capabilities compared to single board computers (SBCs). They offer slower processing speeds, smaller storage capacity, and fewer communication options. Unlike SBCs, which run full operating systems, microcontrollers typically execute only one program at a time. Despite these limitations, microcontrollers have several advantages. They are generally more affordable than SBCs, and their simpler architecture makes it easier to understand and control their behavior. Additionally, microcontrollers can begin executing their programs almost immediately after pow...
My time between finishing school and starting work was relaxing, but too short, of course. I did keep myself busy with projects, planning for our first camping trip of the season, and preparing for work. I was able to get some stepping motors to ressurrect the Wesley clock. I finished all of the software last summer, but still haven't gotten around to building the darn thing! I started work the week before Memorial Day, so it was a fairly relaxing time to come in. So far I like the people, and the work is interesting. My co-workers are a pretty tight-knit group and have some nice traditions. "The Phat Club" is an agreement among about a dozen people to bring in breakfast for everyone else once a week on a rotating basis. Every day at a certain time, everyone who isn't busy with something will take a short walk down to the "snack room" to stretch our legs and shoot the breeze. Some of us even took an afternoon off to see a Rockies game. That was a lot of fu...
It's been a while since I've written, but I just have to share my experiences with this. I recently bought a pair of XBee Series 2 radios along with XBee Explorer break-out boards . I first heard about these radios in general back in school when I was working with CU's RECUV group, and then again in Tom Igoe's excellent book Making Things Talk , and I've been itching to try them out ever since. They're a bit like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but seem to lend themselves better to microprocessor projects, generally use less power, and have some unique features that are great for sensor networks. I understand they're also being used for modern home automation products. However, getting these things configured and tested wasn't exactly a walk in the park! As it turns out, I probably should've gotten the Series 1 radios, as they use the simpler 802.15.4 protocol. Series 2 uses the Zigbee protocol, which allows for more advanced network topologies but is als...
Thanks for the pictures, Chris! We hope you are doing well,
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Dad