Embedded Systems on

Building Yocto for a Beagle Bone Black

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Install the needed dependencies to build Yocto: apt install build-essential chrpath diffstat gawk libncurses5-dev python3-distutils texinfo

Create a folder to hold the different Yocto layers mkdir yocto

Clone the dunfell version of Yocto: git clone -b dunfell git://git.yoctoproject.org/poky.git poky-dunfell

Clone the meta layers within the dunfell folder: cd poky-dunfell git clone -b dunfell git://git.openembedded.org/meta-openembedded git clone -b dunfell https://github.com/meta-qt5/meta-qt5.git git clone -b dunfell git://git.yoctoproject.org/meta-security.git

Clone the meta layer for the custom build recipes: git clone -b dunfell https://github.com/jumpnow/meta-jumpnow.git

Creating an ESP8266 Based Wireless Thermometer

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been taking a look at InluxData’s TICK stack and figuring out some ESP8266 chips that I recently purchased. I always like to come up with practical projects to do when I’m learning about some new tech. When my dad came to me asking me to keep an eye on the temperature of his house while he was out of town, I knew exactly what I needed to build. It got even better when he told me his plan.

Running Repetier Server on RPI3 with Balena OS

Sun, 02 Dec 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Not too long ago I purchased a Mostly Printed CNC from V1Engineering. I’ve been taking my time putting it together (and still have some cleaning up to do) but I finally got it to a usable state a couple weeks ago. It’s awesome to be able to watch it move completely on its own and make sounds resembling alien space crafts for the 1980’s Galaga arcade game. It’s even more awesome to think about all the different projects it will be useful for.

HMI Sensor Network

Thu, 28 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Measure and report environment data using XBEE nodes and a browser based graphical user interface.

The nodes

This project was my senior design project for my last year of school at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. My partner and I created shield boards for XBEE wireless modules. These shields made it easy to attach sensors for temperature, lighting, and humidity along with an indicator LED. The XBEE network used a self healing mesh network which made it easy to add new nodes or compensate for a missing node. The node’s signal needed to go through brick walls and so pro modules were the ideal candidates. Basic XBEE modules were also used in the network due to their availability.

Space Invaders

Mon, 09 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

An RTOS based game running on a PIC32 microcontroller.

One of the projects in my RTOS class involved making games for an embedded device. The first part of the lab was to fix a simple pong game that had small issues such as the ball sometimes going through the paddle or not keeping score. The second part of the lab was to create our one game. My partner and I chose to create a classic space shooter game.

Automatic Bicycle

Sat, 09 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The Mechatronics class at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology has students form groups for a maze solving robot and free projects. My group decided to make an automatically shifting bicycle for our free project. We set up the bicycle to monitor the current speed and change the current gear in order to get the maximum workout.

Finding the speed

The bicycle tracked speeds at two locations on the bike. The first was the wheel speed. This let us know that the bike was actually moving and making progress. The second location was at the crank. This let us know when the rider might be coasting or if they are doing a lot of leg work without making much movement progress.

Electric Cane

Wed, 29 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000

One of the labs for my Microprocessor Based System Design class involved making an electric cane for the blind. The cane worked by first taking measurements from an HC-SR04 sonar sensor. The range of the nearest object could be found by measuring the time from an initial pulse to a returning pulse.

Feedback was then sent to the user depending on the distance of the object. The device had two methods for creating feedback: a small vibrating motor and a small speaker. The closer the object was then the faster the feedback provided.

Heater Controller

Wed, 18 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A simple bang-bang controller on a PIC32 microcontroller.

One of the labs for my Microprocessor Based System Design class involved making a simple bang-bang controller. Our embedded system was set up to mimic the typical heater system found within a home.

The system was able to increase the heat by running current through a 1/4 watt resister. When the heater got above the desired range, the current to the resister would be shut off. The temperature was monitored using a thermistor connected to the resister with silly putty. The putty helped to hold heat in and keep the two components closer together. An LED was added to help monitor when the system was heating.

PIC32 Breakout Board

Fri, 20 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A breakout board created in my Microprocessor Based System Design class for a PIC32 microcontroller. The board was a semester long project in which each student designed a board layout. The class then voted on the layout they liked the most and the winning layout was sent to a board house to have one made for each student.

Overview

We first breadboarded the basic layout needed to run the PIC32 microcontroller in a previous lab. A design with more features than this was a requirement for us to send the board to the board house. A valid design had to be able to fit in to a 3” by 5” clear case. The project had four feature levels that each student could choose from to use.

Gesture Control Mouse Input

Fri, 09 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The project for my Sophomore Design class at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. For our semester long project, my group decided to make a wearable device that could translate hand gestures into mouse input for a computer. We nicknamed the device “The BAND” as an acronym of the involved members first names.

Reading Hand Gestures

To read the user’s hand position, we used an electromyography (EMG) sensor attached to the forearm with silver coated fabric and conductive gel. Whenever a muscle flexes in the human body it releases a very small amount of voltage.

Wireless Electricity

Thu, 01 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The final project for my Circuits II class. Our task was to come up with a project that could be done as a if it were a lab exercise. We could use any equipment within the lab and would write up the process as if it were an exercise received from the professor.

Wireless electricity always interested me. Being able to connect a device for power without any wires makes the whole process seem like something from a sci-fi film. To keep our project simple, we decide to power just an LED and measure the power transferred to understand the efficiency of wireless vs wired.