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  • Author Author: dougw
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Stirling Blue - PSoC Bluetooth Terminal Keyboard - Blog 9

dougw

I have to go away for a few days to play in a golf tournament with my Dad, but I wanted to get a blog out before I go. This blog is a continuation of the PSoC Bluetooth terminal sub-project. This section is just a quick demonstration of the PSoC scanning the keyboard and displaying the characters on an LCD:

I have to say soldering dozens of switches is not a thrill of a lifetime, but doing it without a PCB would be a real nightmare.

So far this PCB is working as designed, and the software is working well. All the tactile switches are nicely debounced.

Progress is always gratifying, but there is a lot left to do.

 

Upcoming blogs:

  • the micro:bit keyboard
  • how Stirling engines work
  • start connecting some sensors to the PSoC6
  • designing the sensor interface PCB

 

Related Links:

Bluetooth Unleashed Design Challenge

Bluetooth Unleashed Design Challenge: The Challengers

Bluetooth Unleashed Design Challenge: About This Challenge

 

Links to other blogs for this project:

Stirling Blue - Project Description - Blog 1

Stirling Blue - Unboxing Hero - Blog 2

StirlingBlue1

Stirling Blue - micro:bit TXTR - Blog 3

Stirling Blue - Fuel Measurement - Blog 4

FuelMeasurement1

Stirling Blue - Interface Description - Blog 5

Stirling Blue - BBC micro:bit LCD - Blog 6

microbitLCD1

Stirling Blue - Power Measurement - Blog 7 (updated)

PowerMeasurement1

SpeedMeasurement1

Stirling Blue - Bluetooth Terminal Awakening - Blog 8

BluetoothTerminalAwake1

  • in reply to genebren

    your prolofic comments across the forum are always positive, always encouraging and I'm sure they are always much appreciated. Thanks from all of us.

  • in reply to dougw

    Doug,

     

    Thanks for sharing your design constraints.  I love the idea of a micro:bit enabled communications device.  Also the idea that this part can be modified and re-deployed is a great idea.  This is sort of the hardware version of the 'design for reuse' concept that was supposed to make C++ so powerful.  A great idea, that so few people have been able to master.  It takes a lot of upfront work in order to make a good re-usable item and it seems like you have done your homework here.

     

    Gene

  • in reply to DAB

    I had lots of design constraints that I didn't do a good job of documenting:

    I want to make the micro:bit into a communications device (a texting  terminal) that would allow students to use them in a communal paradigm instead of just a solitary learning tool. My vision is a pocket texting device.

    • It must be low cost.
    • It must interface to a micro:bit. This means I2C, SPI, UART or BLE. I2C is entangled by the sensors on micro:bit and UART is uncharted territory.(read undocumented). BLE is costly if it is even available, and it takes the solution out of the pocket device category. That leaves SPI. I couldn't find any commercial keyboards with an SPI interface.
    • The micro:bit solution needs to be small and mobile and self-contained - a complete communications terminal. A normal keyboard is too big.

    I also had a motive to make a general purpose QWERTY terminal for use in low cost microcontroller applications. This solution has a UART, SPI and Bluetooth interfaces and it costs about $1 for the PCB, $4 for the PSoC4, and about 90 cents for all 60 tactile switches - total about $6. The displays add $2.83 each. I did quite a bit of work to try and make a capacitive keyboard, but the extra size of the PCB for capacitive switches (= extra cost) was unattractive and the larger PCB cost more than the tactile switches.

  • Nice update Douglas.

     

    I am curious, why did you not just use a regular keyboard?

     

    DAB

  • Nice update on your design challenge project.  The terminal is looking and working nicely.  That sure looks like it will turn out to be another useful tool.

    Good luck!

    Gene