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This is a short tutorial created by a student at the University of North Florida to help familiarize students with constructing the PCB and Flashing a program onto the microcontroller using IAR Embedded Workbench.

Electrical Engineering

University of North Florida

Embedded System Design

TI MSP430F449 Microcontroller


Mike Toth and Rasem Mourad
August 2010

Table of contents

    Topic:

  • Background
  • Introduction
  • Board Construction
  • Soldering
  • Soldering Surface Mounted Components
  • Soldering the MSP430
  • Mounting the LCD Display
  • Order for Soldering Components to Board
  • Sample Devices From Industry
  • Texas Instruments' MSP430F449 Samples
  • Sensors
  • Project Software
  • Programming the MSP430F449
  • Appendix

Background:

The purpose of the student tutorial is to introduce and familiarize the user with the Embedded System Design utilizing the TI MSP430F449 microcontroller. In addition, the student tutorial serves as a guide on how to assemble the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) along with a sensor of choice. The guide also includes an introduction on programming the TI MSP430F449 using the Embedded IAR Workbench. The student will need the Flash Emulation Tool (FET) kit purchased from Texas Instruments that allows connection from the Personal Computer (PC), where the software or micro program is developed, to the PCB the student constructs. Basically, the student downloads or

Flashes
the micro program to the MSP430F449 Flash nonvolatile memory. More information about the TI MSP430F449 microprocessor is available at (External Link) . Under Products, click on Analog and Mixed Signal MSP430 Ultra-Low-Power MCU.

The parts kit allows the student to build a circuit board with the TI MSP430F449 microprocessor, a sensor of choice, along with an LCD display. The micro program to for the TI MSP430F449 is mostly developed in the C programming language with the aid of a software package, the Embedded IAR Workbench.

After the PCB is constructed, a micro program with a message such as HELLO to be displayed on the LCD is prepared and placed in Flash memory, (

flashed
). A valid message on the LCD indicates that the soldering was correct and the circuits are functioning. After some familiarity is developed with the system, the student is responsible for connecting a sensor to the PCB and writing the software (micro program) that allows the sensor to display a reading on the LCD.

This student tutorial is intended for the student to have fun and to learn how to use a microprocessor to design an Intelligent Sensor. This serves as a foundation to build upon for later courses and to stimulate an interest in the art of Embedded System Design.

Introduction:

    The purpose of this student project is multi-fold.

  • It provides the opportunity to work as a member of a team.
  • The student starts by learning to interpret a printed circuit board (PCB) layout. Several components will be provided to mount (solder) on to this board.
  • Learn some basic skills of making ultra-find solder connections.
  • Learn some basic steps of troubleshooting a printed circuit board (PCB).
  • Pull-together files to form a project and compile and link the programs of the project.
  • Introduction to the IAR debugging tool.
  • Learn to flash software to the microprocessor mounted on the PCB.
  • Select a sensor and learn the characteristics of the sensor.
  • Write a program to allow the student to read the analog voltage of a sensor into the MSP430F449 and display the signal in appropriate units on the PCB’s LCD.
  • The expected outcome from this tutorial is that the student becomes familiar, at a first level, on how several aspects of engineering (hardware construction, software development, sensors) are brought together to form an intelligent sensor.

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Source:  OpenStax, Eel3111 force sensor group july 2010. OpenStax CNX. Aug 23, 2010 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11221/1.2
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