Embedded

Objectives

• Provide experience with embedded systems concepts that are central to IoT work:
  • Basic I/O
    • LEDs
    • Buttons
  • Complex I/O with Devices that have APIs (OLED, Temperature sensors, Servos)
  • Handeling Time
  • Event Driven Programming

Studios

Topic	Prep	Studio	Review
Basic Embedded and LEDs	Prep: Embedded I	Studio: Embedded 1	Review: Embedded 1
Buttons and Timers	Prep: Embedded 2	Studio: Embedded 2	Review: Embedded 2

Assignments

Topic	Prep	Assignment
Embedded	Prep: Embedded I Prep: Embedded 2	Assignment: Photon Phun

Module Goals

By the end of the Embedded module you should be able to answer the following questions:

• What is Ohm’s law?
• What is an LED?
• What is an RGB LED?
• How doe RGB LEDs work? (Both common anode and common cathode)
• What is a resistor?
• How does Ohm’s law relate to LEDs and microcontrollers?
• What is the setup() function typically used for? When and how often does it run?
• What is the loop() function used for? When/how does it run?
• What do Timer objects do and how are they used?
• What kinds of functions are available on the Photon for accessing the current time and date?
• How does the Serial.print() work?
• What is Serial.begin() and where/why is it used?
• What is Pulse-Width-Modulation?
• How does analogWrite() work?
• What does the delay() command do?
• What does the millis() command do?
• What are the String methods?
• What is a servo and what does it do?
• What are the methods of the Servo object available on the Photon/Arduino and how are they used?
• What are the distinctions between the major types of simple motors (Servos, DC motors)
• What are “pull” resistors and why are they used?
• What is a floating input and how might it behave?
• What is a “switch bounce”?
• What is a state machine? How/when/why are state machines useful?

And should be able to:

• Write a sketches that perform timed operations (both one-shot timers and repeating timers).
• Write a sketch that controls an RGB LED.
• Show the wiring needed for an RGB LED.
• Show the wiring needed for buttons.
• Write a sketch that debounces a button.
• Perform basic string operations.
• Use print and println to debug the Photon.
• Use the String methods to parse input (for example, given a string that contains commas and numbers, like “255,255,123”).
• Implement a state machine from a description.
• Understand a state machine implementation and be able to create a state diagram from it.
• Read/create state diagrams.

And should be aware of:

• Basic structure of Arduino/Photon Programs.
• Basic use of state machines.
• Basic approach used to develop and deploy programs to the Photon.
• Where/how to access documentation for the functions available on the Photon.
• Basic concerns about voltage and current when working with microcontrollers.