Linduino USB Isolated Arduino Working With DACs and ADCs

Linear Technology products, including ADC & DAC

So a lot of microcontroller (MCU) topics I write about in this blog are mini-research projects for me, because Im new to MCUs and to electronics in general. Through my research I get to learn more about MCUs and how theyre used, and, with a little luck, you get to be informed or amused, or both, by the posts here. But todays topic, Linduino, DACs and ADCs, is even further than normal from my experience and knowledge base, so this post will just give you an overview of the Linduino board from Linear Technology.

"Linduino is a USB-isolated Arduino," an August 11 post on EDN.com, caught my interest because of the *duino name and because the post mentioned applications involving temperature sensors (Humboldt MCU Garden project), audio systems (Humboldt Laser Harp and other music-light instruments) and car systems (Ed Smith is a great resource for vehicle-related MCU projects, possibly something with on-board diagnostics, or OBD). Familiarity with the Linduino board isnt required to do any of the aforementioned Humboldt MCU projects, but at some future point a Linduino could provide major benefits for us. If nothing else, it would be worthwhile to connect with some of the *duino people at Linear Technology, the manufacturer of the Linduino, to expand and strengthen the statewide and worldwide network of the Humboldt MCU community. Plus, their headquarters are in Milpitas, California, so maybe theyll get the urge to drive north behind the redwood curtain and participate in a Humboldt Microcontrollers Group meeting or a Humboldt Makers meeting!

Linduino board

Onward to tech specifics about Linduino. The EDN blog post mentioned above says:

"My pals over at Linear Technology have developed the Linduino board to drive their ADCs (analog to digital converters) and DACs (digital to analog converters) as well as temp sensors and other devices...in addition to the normal shield headers on an Arduino, there is a header that Linear Tech has used for years to drive their demo boards. This computer interface function used to be done with their DC590 interface board. Indeed, the firmware that comes shipped with the Linduino emulates that board, so you can run the original Linear Tech interface program on your PC...The Linduino board will accept all the shield mezzanine boards for Arduino, but has this extra header to control Linear Tech demo boards...Linear Tech also used one of their USB isolators on the Linduino board. This means that the board and what you plug into it are galvanically isolated from the computer you have the USB plugged into. This means you can measure things off a car or an audio system without worrying about ground loops polluting the measurement...Since Linear Tech is also a power supply chip company, they beefed up the power supply on the board, using a switching regulator to replace the linear regulator on the Arduino. This means you can get 750mA out of the power system. Since a USB can’t supply this much power, that means you have to feed the board with an external wall wart. Now you have the power to drive actuators or other heavy loads..."

Were in the early stages of refining the Humboldt Laser Harp, and depending how deep we get into developing the Humboldt family of laser harps and other light-music MCU instruments, there may come a time when well need, or at least want, a board that can be used on "an audio system without worrying about ground loops polluting the measurement." Thats one of the reasons I am interested in the Linduino board.

The main Linduino webpage has lots of info and links about the board, including several internal blog posts and an overview video about Linduino. Since getting two viewpoints about what the board is and does might help you better understand its value, heres the Linear Technology webpage description of what Linduino is:

DC2026A-KIT

"Linduino is Linear Technology’s Arduino compatible system for developing and distributing firmware libraries and example code for Linear Technology’s integrated circuits. The code is designed to be highly portable to other microcontroller platforms, and is written in C using as few processor specific functions as possible. The code libraries can be downloaded by clicking the Downloads tab above and used as-is in your project or individual code snippets may be viewed in the Code section of a supported part. The Linduino One board (Demonstration Circuit DC2026A) allows you to test out the code directly, using the standard demo board for the particular IC. The Linduino One board is compatible with the Arduino Uno, using the Atmel ATMEGA328 processor. This board features a 14-pin “QuikEval” connector that can be plugged into nearly 100 daughter boards for various Linear Technology parts, including Analog to Digital converters, Digital to Analog Converters, high-voltage power monitors, temperature measurement devices, RF synthesizers, battery stack monitors, and more."

Humboldt Laser Harp and Ed Smith

Linduino is not inexpensive, so participants of the Humboldt Microcontrollers Group wont be buying them on a whim like a $3 Arduino Micro clone from China. But if someone has a genuine need for the board, especially a business-related, revenue-generating need, it would be good to know its available. You can order the board from this Linear Technology page, and there are two options. One option is the DC2026A-KIT for $125, and the other is just the DC2026A board for $75. Digi-Key, Newark and Arrow are also distributors for Linear Technology.

So now you have a general idea of what the Linduino board is and can do, and youve got links above that lead to more info about this member of the continually-expanding *duino family. Ill have to check in with Ed Smith to find out exactly what value this tool might have for us while working on the Humboldt Laser Harp, the Humboldt MCU Garden or any other MCU projects our MCU group or maker group gets involved with.

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Make Your Android Phone A Programmable Robot

If youve got a recent Android phone with modern sensors, a current Kickstarter project aims to turn that phone into a programmable robot.

Hippo-ADK basic board

The Hippo-ADK (Android Development Kit?) is profiled on Tech In Asia in the article, "This startup turns your Android phone into a fully programmable robot." While previous coverage of the Hippo-ADK, such as this Hack A Day post, focused mainly on the self-balancing capability of a two-wheeled robot made with Hippo-ADK and a gyroscope-equipped Android phone, the Tech In Asia article makes it clear the concept is to make good use of whatever sensors are in the phone.

"The mass adoption of Arduino opened up hardware prototyping to the world, serving as a common platform and large community for millions of hobbyists and professionals. But even though an Arduino board only costs about US$25, finding and purchasing many of the other components can be time consuming and expensive. That’s why Shenzhen-based Hippo Devices is developing a new, easier to use controller board called Hippo-ADK. The device plugs into a user’s Android phone, allowing it to utilize the phone’s proximity sensor, gyroscope, Bluetooth, camera, and other features. “Everyone has a mobile phone, why not make use of it? Why not make use of these $300 worth of sensors that everyone already has?” says Hippo’s

Hippo-LEGO shield

marketing coordinator...Besides saving money on sensors, Hippo-ADK doesn’t require learning a new programming language like Arduino. Hippo offers a graphical drag-and-drop programming environment...the Java API...If you’re an Arduino junkie and you prefer to stick to your guns but would still like an easy way to take advantage of your phone hardware, it’s compatible with Arduino hardware and software...It comes equipped with several extra sensors baked into the board, including infrared, which can control home appliances like air conditioners and thermostats..."

Hippo-Arduino shield

As mentioned in the article above, you can put your Arduino knowledge to good use with the Hippo-ADK, but you might also feel compelled to expand into some App Inventor or Java programming if you pick up some of the Hippo hardware. Arduino seems almost to be used by Hippo as a marketing tool, saying that they are "combining an Arduino-like microcontroller board with Android." Their board uses an STMicroelectronics microcontroller, not an Atmel MCU. The Arduino hardware Hippo is providing at this point is the Hippo-Arduino, a shield that connects Hippo-ADK and Arduino (see picture at right).

Instructables Hippo

The Kickstarter original funding goal of $10,000 has been met, but this isnt one of the viral crowdfunding projects at this point. With 14 days left, the total raised as of the evening of August 14 is $16,457. One aspect that may have caused some people to hold off on supporting the campaign is that building a self-balancing two-wheeled robot will cost significantly more than the $39 (early bird) or $49 for the Hippo-ADK. It looks like it would end up being a couple hundred dollars for all the parts for a self-balancing robot, assuming youre starting with an Android phone that has a gyroscope you can use for robot balance control. If youre interested in building that self-balancing robot, Hippo posted an Instructables for that.

Heres a bit of what the Kickstarter page says about the Hippo-ADK:

"Hippo-ADK connects with your Android devices in real time through USB and Bluetooth.This allows you instant access to sensors,switches, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, communication modules (Wi-Fi, GPS, GSM), cameras, and LCD screens without even having to spend a dollar on optional parts. It is all on your Android devices...If you want to expand the capabilities of our firmware you can use Arduino language and IDE to program Hippo-ADK...For beginners, use the graphical programming platform App Inventor to create your first “Hello World” Hippo-ADK project in less than 10 minutes. For the more experienced, enjoy the variety of high-level customization available by our Java API...For those who want to make even cooler stuff with Hippo-ADK such as robots and intelligent homes, we provide expansion boards and modules to facilitate more rapid development."

I like the concept of using the power and features of a smartphone to help power a robot. And the Hippo is certainly not the first -- there are other robots powered or enhanced with smartphones, including Romo and SmartBot. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) even had a January 2014 article titled "Smartphone Robots Could Be About to Invade Our Homes." The real question is what the killer app will be for phone-carrying robots. Part of the challenge for mass production is the huge array of phone sensors, features, processors and operating system versions on the billions of cell phones being used around the world. Connecting your phone to your robot will be commonplace when it has clear benefits, as opposed to doing it because you can. As the head of iRobot Corp. said in the WSJ article,

Hippo non-balancing robot

"...the challenge is to meaningfully integrate a mobile device and a robot. "Are you connected because of a fad or because the customer experience is greatly enhanced by the addition of this technology?"

Im looking forward to the first phone-bot that figures out the answer to this question. Not only will our robots be able to do more and be more interesting, Im betting our phones will see new innovations, sensors and capabilities if theyre frequently used to enhance our personal robots.

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