Getting Started with the MSP430 Launchpad

This book explores the world of microcontroller development through friendly lessons and progressively challenging projects, which will have you blink LEDs, make music with buzzers & interact with different sensors like accelerometers and temperature sensors. This book is focused on the MSP-EXP430G2 LaunchPad Evaluation Kit, which is a complete microcontroller development platform that includes everything you need to start creating microcontroller-based projects. Many of the 25+ projects will also leverage external components, such as the highly-integrated Educational BoosterPack, which is a modular extension to the LaunchPad and includes many components such as an RGB LED, character LCD & potentiometer. This book provides helpful guides that break down hardware circuits through visual diagrams and includes fully-commented code examples. Concepts are broken down and explained in an easy to follow language and analogies to help you understand the principles behind each project/system. The projects will encourage you to use and even combine the fundamental concepts to develop your ideas in creating new microcontroller solutions. Coverage includes: •Digital Input/Output: buttons, LEDs, turning anything into a button •Analog Input/Output: sensors, temperature, accelerometer, potentiometer, etc. •Programming fundamentals: conditional branches & loops, flow, logic, number systems •Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM): square wave, buzzer, analog signal simulation •Serial Communication: UART, SPI & I2C •Code development using Energia, a free, open-source code editor and compiler •Debugging through serial communication with a computer •Interfacing with external components such as LEDs, buzzers, potentiometers, sensors & more. With the help of this book, you will be challenged to think about developing your own unique microcontroller-based application, and you will be equipped to start solving various problems, adding intelligence to existing products, or even developing your own innovative creations with a LaunchPad development kit. Content Chapter 1 - Prepare for Liftoff! Chapter 2 - Meet the LaunchPad Chapter 3 - The Fellowship of the LaunchPad Chapter 4 - Meet Energia—a Software Development Environment Chapter 5 - Day in the Life of a Microcontroller Chapter 6 - Think Digitally Chapter 7 - The Ins and Outs of Digital I/O Chapter 8 - Analog: The Infinite Shades of Gray Chapter 9 - 1s and 0s Revisited: The Digital Stream Chapter 10 - The Languages of LaunchPad Chapter 11 - LaunchPad is Just the Beginning