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MSP430 demo/dev board - MSP-EXP430G2 Price: $4.30 — Parallax Forums

MSP430 demo/dev board - MSP-EXP430G2 Price: $4.30

HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
edited 2010-12-06 19:01 in General Discussion
I sort of hate to put a competitors eval board here
on a Parallax board. But this is just such a good buy!

Yesterday someone alerted me to this product that was
featured on Hack A Day. I passed the info around here and
so many people wanted these that purchasing just ordered
30 of them. These eval boards are so incredibly cheap and the
shipping is free.

The boards come with 2 msp430 uControllers and a USB cable
and software IDE/languages on a dvd. A small kit of parts is
included.

These uControllers are suitable for smaller tasks, not even in
the same league as something like a prop. But they can handle
many tasks and are low power and very cheap. These 16bit
chips would be great for adding to a project that needs just a
few more I/O pins or processing power. A thousand of these
controllers is less than 500.00

Yet another asm language to learn.

Note that the ic socket is a quality machined socket, it should
be ok as a general use programmer for the chips. I see no
reason you could not rig it to do isp for target boards either.

hP3E2tLi.jpeg
www.ti-estore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=MSP-EXP430G2

EDIT:

LaunchPad Kit Contents
* LaunchPad Development board (MSP-EXP430G2)
* Mini USB cable
* 2x MSP430 flash devices
o MSP430G2211IN14 flash device
o MSP430G2231IN14 flash device (preloaded with sample program)
* 10-pin PCB Connectors (2 male & 2 female)
* 32kHz crystal
* Quick Start Guide
* 2x LaunchPad stickers

It all comes in a cute box,
2KrrQ2uZ.jpeg

Post Edited (HollyMinkowski) : 6/23/2010 9:03:36 PM GMT
«134

Comments

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-06-24 00:27
    Great find, Holly; thanks for the heads-up! I ordered 3 kits, the max the site would let me.

    They'll go on the shelf, right next to my C-Stamp, Basic Atom and Basic X modules. One of these days I'll get around to checking them all out!

    If not, at least I'm amassing a nice collection of uC's.

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    ·"If you build it, they will come."
  • william chanwilliam chan Posts: 1,326
    edited 2010-06-24 00:52
    I heard on the demo video clip that MSP430 has almost 100 devices!
    Isn't it too confusing for the average user like me?

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    www.fd.com.my
    www.mercedes.com.my
  • TubularTubular Posts: 4,717
    edited 2010-06-24 01:16
    A good find, Holly. I wonder whether it is possible to break the circuit where those jumpers are and use it as a cheap Prop Plug?

    There's a good range of these kind of boards out there now, sub$12ish. Silabs Toolsticks (about 20 of them), STM, Freescale Spyder, that other TI deal with 3 for $10, etc

    In some ways they are attractive as slave devices for the prop
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,452
    edited 2010-06-24 01:50
    It's obvious TI are taking a loss on this thing hoping to break in with ... people like us. Hackaday also noted that TI donated chips of the same family for the infamously hackable badges of this year's HOPE conference. I made the snark over on HAD that someone at TI must have had a nightmare about an Arduino. That thing sure does look like it's trying to look like an Arduino. They won't have made it, though, until you see the "terrorists" in a movie or TV show using one of those boards to control a bomb.
  • HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
    edited 2010-06-24 02:39
    @erco

    Glad you enjoyed this bargain smile.gif

    I wanted 3 of them myself, several here wanted more.
    This would be a good buy for a class of students.

    I wonder if they had trouble purchasing more than 3
    at a time?? I'll have to ask when I get to work.

    I ordered a nice looking book.
    26528041.JPG

    It is only 23.50 in the US, I paid almost twice that here :-(
    But it has great reviews.
    search.barnesandnoble.com/Msp430-Microcontroller-Basics/John-H-Davies/e/9780750682763
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-06-24 08:18
    The MSP430 Yahoo group is worth joining:

    tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/msp430/

    TI has their own forum, but the Yahoo group is much friendlier.

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    Leon Heller
    Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
  • KPRKPR Posts: 189
    edited 2010-06-25 03:13
    Thanks Holly...

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    I always have someone watching my back.
  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2010-06-26 00:31
    I took a look at this board, but I am concerned if TI can really cross the line to approach the Arduino type of community. I mean, the board still looks quite engineeringish and intimidating I think compared to an Arduino board. Also - an ecosystem of code and accessories needs to be built up for this product. Is TI going to be doing investing of time and products into this arena or just offer this single kit? It would have been great if TI would have followed an Arduino format and thus been able to capitalize on all the great Arduino Shields out there already.

    The price point is amazing.

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    Timothy D. Swieter, P.E.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, 3.0" 16:9 LCD Composite video display, eProto for SunSPOT, PropNET, PolkaDOT-51
    www.tdswieter.com
  • electrosyselectrosys Posts: 212
    edited 2010-06-26 00:37
    I was not fast enough, it is now OUT OF STOCK [noparse]:([/noparse]

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  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-06-26 00:46
    Sure they are, but you can still backorder it. They showed out of stock when I ordered mine and I got a backorder confirmation email. No ship date, but I'm in no rush.

    Never take no for an answer! [noparse]:)[/noparse]

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    ·"If you build it, they will come."
  • electrosyselectrosys Posts: 212
    edited 2010-06-26 07:42
    @erco

    Would you please tell me, how I can place a backorder? I have tried to place my order, but I get an error message when I try to make my payment! I have tried now two, three times, with no luck!

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  • electrosyselectrosys Posts: 212
    edited 2010-06-26 08:56
    Success [noparse]:)[/noparse] finally I could place a backorder. The problem was that my shipping address and my credit cards address was not the same ( as I have just moved to a new address)
    I found that my order, Delivery and Billing address details must be exactly identical, I think it's something to do with non US credit cards, because I have a non US credit card.

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  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-06-26 10:13
    I couldn't get my Visa debit card accepted, but my Mastercard credit card worked. Mine are back-ordered as well.

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    Leon Heller
    Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
  • KPRKPR Posts: 189
    edited 2010-06-26 21:42
    Backordered [noparse]:([/noparse]

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    I always have someone watching my back.
  • KPRKPR Posts: 189
    edited 2010-07-14 16:53
    Anyone actually get their orders yet??

    The also don't reply to email requests..

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    I always have someone watching my back.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,260
    edited 2010-07-14 17:02
    Nuttin' here. Didn't look to see if the charge went through yet.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    ·"If you build it, they will come."
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-07-14 17:58
    One or two people on the MSP430 mailing list have said that their's have been despatched, and someone has just got the nine (!) he ordered. He probably used different names.

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    Leon Heller
    Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM

    Post Edited (Leon) : 7/14/2010 6:08:17 PM GMT
  • HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
    edited 2010-07-14 18:42
    Ours have not arrived yet either :-(

    I'm eager, I have even written some asm code in
    the free IDE...can't wait to test it.

    Have gone several chapters into the nice book I got
    but it's frustrating not having a board to actually run code
    on...
    search.barnesandnoble.com/Msp430-Microcontroller-Basics/John-H-Davies/e/9780750682763
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-07-14 21:19
    I've been using the MSP430 for many years and have lots of development boards I've designed for different chips.

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    Leon Heller
    Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
  • HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
    edited 2010-07-14 21:36
    Wish I had one of them Leon.

    I sure got to the msp430 party late!

    It still seems like a viable 16 bit design though.
    The prices on the TI site are amazing. In quantity
    the 1k and 2k chips are about .50 USD each.
    You can do an awful lot with 2k in asm...lots
    of small/medium projects are workable I think.
  • UnknownUnknown
    edited 2010-07-14 21:55
    I received two in an envelope a while ago.· I haven't done anything with them yet except show them off.· They attacked an invoice that belongs to someone else.
  • HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
    edited 2010-07-15 07:21
    I found their site to be awfully buggy as well.
    Purchasing finally had to phone and place the
    order for our LaunchPad kits that way.

    I'm certainly no expert with the msp430 but I
    have been reading my book and writing some
    asm code. The uC seems pretty easy to code for.
    I am thinking of creating a blog or website where
    I can upload some beginners asm code and instructions
    for a few people that wanted me to help them start with
    the AVR chips.... if I find the time to do it maybe I could
    also post some msp430 code as I learn how to use them
    myself. If I do this I will post a link here in this thread
    in case anyone else wants to follow my progress with
    these new (new to me) uC's
  • iDaveiDave Posts: 252
    edited 2010-07-15 08:06
    Absolutely Holly, I would be interested on any pointers you have for these lil buggers. I ordered 2 from mouser a while back and just got an email reminder from them today that they won't ship till september. Aaaargh! But no biggie...like erco, Im in no hurry. And the good thing about Mouser is that won't charge my card till it ships....and their paying for shipping since it was backordered. These could be yet another nice tool in the old uC toolbelt

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    “How much of human life is lost in waiting.” Ralph Waldo Emerson"
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-07-15 10:59
    TI has a vast collection of software examples for all their MSP430 chips, written in assembler and C:

    focus.ti.com/mcu/docs/mcuflashtools.tsp?sectionId=95&tabId=1538&familyId=342

    Their technology days are worth attending:

    www.ti.com/ww/en/techdays/2010/index.shtml?DCMP=TIHeaderTracking&HQS=Other+OT+hdr_s_techdays

    I've been to a couple of the 430 days, held around the 30th of April each year. They always have an interesting freeby, and one gets a free lunch!
    They are very liberal with free samples of their devices, shipped by Digi-Key. Their support forums are quite good, they probably have one for the new board. I like the MSP430 group, it's very friendly:

    tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/msp430/

    The real MSP430 experts tend to lurk there.

    I use the Rowley tools for the MSP430 (and ARM):

    www.rowley.co.uk/

    They might seem expensive to people used to free software but they are excellent, with very good support. They've converted the MSP430 examples for their compiler, which is useful.

    Here is one of my designs from a long time ago, using a little home-made PCB:

    webspace.webring.com/people/jl/leon_heller/msp_module.html

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    Leon Heller
    Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM

    Post Edited (Leon) : 7/15/2010 12:51:49 PM GMT
  • KPRKPR Posts: 189
    edited 2010-07-15 20:27
    I called TI today and was told that the estimated ship date was the the first or second week of August..

    Yeah!!

    Hope it helps..

    k.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    I always have someone watching my back.
  • HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
    edited 2010-07-16 16:52
    @Leon
    Thanks for the links.
    I got the zip of asm examples, they look good.
    I like the IAR assembler more than the CCE one.

    On the TI website I see the price of the 2k chips in
    1000 quantity of .50 USD each. But I can't discover
    exactly how to order 1000 of them?! @#$%
    Some of the guys here that wanted the 4.30 boards
    are interested in making a quantity buy so we can have
    a bunch of uC's to play around with. Suppliers list
    prices well above these levels. The most enticing thing
    about these controllers was the low price, now if we can
    just get them at that low price.

    @iDave
    I will try to get up some kind of blog or web site soon. I just
    have to find a good free provider. I think my Gmail account
    includes some web space so I might put it there. Perhaps I
    will put beginners notes and asm code for the Prop as well
    as for the AVR and MSP430 chips. I could add stuff whenever
    I'm on the net and have a spare moment. I have considered
    writing some comprehensive .pdf documents or books about
    assembly coding but the projects seemed so huge that I just
    couldn't quite pull it off. But a web site might be perfect as I can
    just add a little info at a time...it's not so overwhelming.
  • HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
    edited 2010-07-16 17:59
    I found a place to put up a free blog.
    It's just the blank start up page now
    but I will try and get something up in
    the next few days.

    justasm.blogspot.com/
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-07-17 09:36
    I was going to suggest Webring. They host my old Yahoo web site.

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    Leon Heller
    Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
  • HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
    edited 2010-07-17 09:45
    I already put up two posts on basic AVR asm programming.

    Just getting my feet wet and learning about the blog software.

    I will try and get some posts up for Prop and MSP430 assembly.

    The blog actually looks pretty good, and it wasn't that much work
    really.

    3FYBKghf.jpeg
  • wjsteelewjsteele Posts: 697
    edited 2010-07-17 10:26
    @Holly,

    There is an error on your Propeller page! The speed of each core can be 100+mhz, not 25mhz. smile.gif

    Nice start on your site, though!

    Bill
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