SLabs-32 User's Guide

Transcription

1 SLabs-32 User's Guide Version: SLabs-32_v0.1 Author : Haaris Moosa Applications and Firmware Engineer Startoon Labs Private Limited, INDIA Literature number : SL_DocID_001 January 2018

2 SLabs-32 Board- User s manual Getting started with SLabs-32 board: Software Development Tools Introduction SLabs-32 is an open source hardware development platform for quick design and development of a variety of embedded systems and IoT based projects. It provides a flexible and a very quick way for users to try out new concepts and build working prototypes. SLabs-32 finds extensive usage in academia and industries in the fields of remote control of machines, making machines IoT enabled, data acquisition, data storage and data visualization, to name a few. This documentation provides guidelines to the beginners on how to get started with SLabs-32 board. Overview The SLabs-32 board has two microcontrollers onboard - an 8 bit micro-controller- Atmega328P with extensive GPIOs and Tensilicas s 32 bit L106 diamond series micro-controller with high speed and good processing capability. The unique combination of these two micro-controllers working together in a project makes any system that is using this board, a unique one! Some quick features of the SLabs-32 board are given below: Onboard Wi-Fi module USB port for programming and data visualization on the serial bus. SD card slot 5 analog inputs 12 GPIOs (with specific pins having PWM capability) TFT display On-board LEDs for indication of power and bidirectional serial data transfer (Communication via USB port) SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 1/20

3 What makes Slabs-32 ideal for IoT based projects is the hardwired connection between Atmega238p and Esp8266 on the I2C bus. These two modules are usually used together in various projects that need IoT capability and need to be interfaced together externally. It is worth noting that the Atmega238p is an 8-bit micro-controller with many GPIOs and analog input pins but with no built-in WiFi or a high speed clock. On the other hand ESP8266 has a 32-bit microcontroller and supports WiFi and high speed clock but has few GPIOs and only one analog input. SLabs-32 utilizes both the on-board processors such that when one processors falls short of a resource (speed, memory, accuracy etc.) to do a task, it can always communicate via I2C bus and make use of the other on-board micro-controller to do the task for it and get the result back. The SLabs-32 distinguishes itself from other IoT development boards by having a high resolution TFT to display the data acquired data in real time. The data can also be stored in the SD card and simultaneously be pushed to the web-server for further analysis and display at a remote location. SLabs-32 can be programmed using Arduino IDE. The product also comes with a data visualization tool for a desktop version (currently under development). Overall, the cost of this product is much lesser than most of the IoT development boards available in the market. When you get your own SLabs-32 board power it up and look for the following features to know if it's working properly Both on-board LED's of Esp and Atmega blinking Startoon Labs logo on the TFT screen Esp Led Power-up Led Atmega Led SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 2/20

4 Contents 1. Getting started Setting up SLabs-32 board in Arduino IDE Running a sample code/building applications Precautions SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 3/20

5 List of figures Figure 1-1 Arduino IDE... 5 Figure 2-1 Hardware folder... 6 Figure 2-2 Preferences... 7 Figure 2-3 Sketchbook location... 7 Figure 2-4 Slabs-esp folder... 8 Figure 2-5 Json text... 9 Figure 2-6 Selecting preferences... 9 Figure 2-7 Pasting the Json links Figure 2-8 Selecting Board Manager Figure 2-9 Board Manager Figure 2-10 Installed boards Figure 2-11 Installation error Figure 2-12 Displaying the folder options Figure 2-13 AppData folder Figure 2-14 Finding the copy of zip file Figure 3-1 Selecting the board Figure 3-2 DPDT switch Figure 3-3 Buttons of Slabs SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 4/20

6 1. Getting started To start using the SLabs-32 board, you need to install an IDE first. We are going to use Arduino IDE because of it's being an open source, ease of use and huge support present over the internet and the student community. To download Arduino IDE, go to the Arduino s official website and download the latest version of Arduino IDE. As of now we are going to download the latest version- Arduino You can download the above version from the link given below: After downloading it, install the Arduino IDE in your local disk. After the installation is complete, open the Arduino IDE. It should look something like this : Figure 1.1 Arduino IDE SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 5/20

7 2. Setting up SLabs-32 board in Arduino IDE There are two methods of doing this : i. Using Hardware folder ii. Using JSON link Method i - Using Hardware folder : Before we begin, this procedure is time-consuming and a bit complication, so if you want to get started as quickly as possible skip this method and go to the Json link method. Arduino allows new Non-Arduino hardware to be installed into the Arduino IDE or to the Arduino sketchbook folder. To do this first download the two packages needed for SLabs-32 board from the links provided below: Unzip them and copy the folder to your [Your Sketchbook Folder]\hardware folder. If the hardware folder is not created, then you just have to create one and then copy your unzipped files in it. Figure 2.1 Hardware Folder SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 6/20

8 To find your Sketchbook location, click on File and then Preference in your Ardiuno IDE. Figure 2.2 Preferences After you click on preference you would get the window shown below. In this window look for the Sketchbook location. This is the place where you have to copy your files. Figure 2.3 Sketchbook location SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 7/20

9 For Esp, you have to download the tools required for compiling your code as-well. To do that, download the following tools: Download these files and unzip them. Create a folder named as tools and copy all your unzipped folders into it. Once this is done, go to your hardware folder and create a new folder named esp8266 and copy your tools folder and the Slabs_Esp-0.1 folder into it. Restart your Adriuno IDE and go to Tools > Boards To select your board. Figure 2.4 Slabs-esp folder Please note that this method is a bit time consuming, as you have to do this for every custom board, manually. The next method is recommended as it's easy to use and there is less chances of making an error in that procedure. SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 8/20

10 Method II- Using Json link : This is probably the easier and more convenient method to get started. a) Click on the link given below: b) After opening the link, copy the entire text and paste it in the Additional Boards Manager URLs: Figure 2.5 Json text c) After copying the link, go to your Arduino IDE and do the following steps : Step 1: File > Preferences SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 9/20

11 Figure 2.6 Selecting Preferences Step 2: Go to Additional Boards Manager URLs: and paste the text which you have copied earlier. Figure 2.7 Pasting the Json links Once you have pasted it, click on OK SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 10/20

12 Step 3: Go to Tools, click on Board and select Board manager at the top Tools > Board: > Board Manager.. Figure 2.8 Selecting Board Manager SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 11/20

13 Step 4: Once you click on Board manager you will get this following window. In this window install the Slabs-32 onboard processors by clicking Install for Slabs-32 Atmega and Slabs 32 Esp8266. Figure 2.9 Board Manager This installation may take several minutes, make sure your internet connection is stable. DO NOT cancel the installation process in the middle of downloading the file, this will lead to an error if you try to install it again, you will have to follow the procedure given in the next section to install your board without any errors. Once it's installed successfully you will get INSTALLED texted displayed as shown in Fig Click on Close after the installation is done. After installing the required packages for both the on-board processors on the Slabs-32 board, you can access them from the Boards options. SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 12/20

14 Figure 2.10 Installed boards Solving possible errors which may occur during installation: If you get any error when you click on Install for either Slabs 32 Atmega or Slabs 32 Esp, then you have to follow the steps given below. Skip this part if the installation is done without any errors. First note down the error which you're getting in the Arduino IDE. Figure 2.11 Installation error If the error is similar to the error shown in Fig 2.11 then this means that there's already a copy of the file you are trying to download in your computer and you just need to delete it. If you get any other error please contact us at: contactus@startoonlabs.com SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 13/20

15 Now notice, which board you aren't able to install and keep in mind the zip file name given in the error details. See the marked portion to know the name of the file which isn't being able to download in Fig2.11. This error occurs because you already have that zip file(in our case Slabs_Esp-0.1.zip) downloaded in your computer and Arduino IDE cannot replace this, so in order to install your board properly you need to delete this zip file. This zip file is located in Arduino 15 folder. To go to that folder follow the steps given below: Go to C:\ > Users \ [Your username]: Figure 2.12 Displaying the folder option In Users folder we need to go to App Data folder. This folder is normally hidden from the users so you need to select the Hidden Items to display the hidden folders in your computer. Click on View as shown in Fig 2.12 Click on Hidden items as shown in Fig 2.13 SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 14/20

16 Figure 2.13 AppData folder Go to the following folder: C:\ > Users > [Your username] > AppData > Local > Ardiuno 15 > staging > packages The complete path is given below in Fig2.14 for reference. Figure 2.14 Finding the copy of zip file SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 15/20

17 As you can already see that there is a copy of the zip file inside packages folder, which we wanted to downloaded. Just delete this file. Make sure that you delete the zip file of the board for which you were getting an error. Once you have deleted it, restart your Arduino IDE. Now go back to the boards manager and install the board you wanted again. Follow the same procedure as mention previously. SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 16/20

18 3. Running a sample code/building applications: Building your application: To develop or build your application, select on any one of the SLabs-32 processors you wish to work on. Figure 3.1 Selecting Board SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 17/20

19 After selecting the desired processor in the Arduino IDE make sure that the SLabs-32 board is also configured in that processor mode (Atemga328p / Esp8266) using the on-board DPDT switch. You can see on the board where the DPDT switch points to. When the DPDT switch is on the left side, the Atmega238p processor is selected, when the DPDT switch is on the right side then the Esp processor is selected. Also you can always make use of the processor name printed near the DPDT switch to know on which processor you're working. In Fig 3.2 the DPDT points to the Esp processor. Figure 3.2 DPDT switch Now coming to uploading the code, it is as simple as running any other code in Arduino boards. Select any code from the examples. As an example we will run the blink example because that is like the Hello World example for the embedded development. SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 18/20

20 After selecting the example from File > Examples > 01.Basics > Blink Compile the code and upload it to your board. You can see your on board LED blinking. Change the delay value in the code, flash the executable and see the board working for you! Uploading the code for Esp module: Esp works a bit differently when it comes to flashing the board. Hence when we want to upload any code to the board, we first have to make the Esp module in flash mode. To do that you have to press and hold the SW1 button and press and leave the SW2 button while the SW1 button is being pressed. Once this is done leave the SW1 as-well. This takes the Esp in flash mode. Only after flashing the memory you would be able to upload you're code into it. Upload the same Blink code for Esp and see the on board LED of Esp blinking as-well. SW2 SW1 Figure 3.3 Buttons of SLabs-32 SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 19/20

21 4. Precautions: Make sure you don't give more that 3.3v in the GPIO's of Slabs-32 board. Handle the TFT screen with care, don't apply too much pressure on the screen of the TFT. Please feel free to contact us if you face any problems or difficulties in working with Slabs-32 at : contactus@startoonlabs.com ****************Happy safe systems development************** SL_DocID_001 Startoon Labs Pvt. Ltd., Telangana, INDIA 20/20