This particular week is really new, in my academic cycle I did not have the opportunity to use the XIAO RP2040 and ESP32C3 XIAO devices. Normally students work with microcontrollers like the ATtiny 1614 which is the one I chose to build my weeks and my final project.
Now that a new world is opening up with these new toys, it is time to investigate and understand how they are used and what they are for, from what I have been able to see, many classmates in the course have been able to do a lot of interesting tests and projects.
Join me to discover how to make this device useful and above all to see how I can take advantage of it for my projects. I am sure they will be more than beneficial for the efficiency and speed of my project development.💪
First Assignment
Individual Assignment
The real magic happened, after many failed attempts, we finally managed to solve the weeks of electronics as it should. How did we do it? We bought a machine! And with that, we were able to explore many things that allowed us to achieve the group goal, Stefany Casanova and I are the best team in the world! 💓💪
Our machine
We took a chance and bought our own machine! Our model is the 3018S TwoTrees CNC Cutter , this machine allowed us to build our plates for this specific week. Below I show some pictures of the assembly and preparation to start milling.
Machine
Machine
Machine
Machine
Move
My board
To start with the process, we first design the boards with the necessary logic to integrate our ESP32C3 XIAO, for this we use the programs Eagle, Artcam and Candle.
Each one allows us to go through the process of design, configuration and manipulation of the machine, all the steps I share below.
Eagle
Eagle
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
ArtCAM
Candle
Import traces
Console
Ready
Next step
Now that my design is ready and set up to start fabricating it, I make sure to set the copper plate correctly so that the machine will work smoothly. Sometimes it happens that by the force of the revolution, the copper plate is displaced, this can cause a failure in the milling, I recommend to check in detail the clamping.
Machine preparation
Plate adjustment
Work in progress
Work in progress
Work in progress
Work in progress
Work in progress
Work in progress
Work in progress
Work in progress
Several attempts
As part of the process of getting to know our new machine, we made a first attempt without completely removing the copper from our board. It went well, however it is not the most recommended type of milling because when we go to soldering, it can cross with the tin and generate a short, then I show the following attempts and my final plate.
New attempt
New attempt
New attempt
New attempt
Welding
Once I have my board, I solder the necessary components, my list of components is shared below:
- Seeed Studio XIAO RP2040
- 0Ω resistor
- 301Ω resistor
- 102Ω resistor
- RED LED
- Button
- Female 1 row horizontal header
- Male 2 row vertical header
In action
In action
Almost there!
Completed!
Time to interact
I am very excited, at last my board is ready, now it is up to me to make it work. For this I will first perform some exercises that will allow me to recognize the plate correctly. Below I share the process in the Arduino IDE program and the images and videos of how my board responds.
Card manager
Downloading
Downloading
Installed
Select plate
Port
Programming ready
Compiling a program
Uploading
Uploaded
Test with an LED
Test with an LED
Test
Integrated LED
Next step
As a next step I managed to integrate some sensors that allowed me to build a system with input and output to test the next level of my board. For this I used a buzzer and an infrared sensor. Below I show the test.
Buzzer + Infrared_Line_Track
Individual
Finally, in order to achieve the individual challenge, it was important to use a platform that allowed me to monitor my system, here is my great experience!
EMQX
EMQX
EMQX
EMQX
EMQX
EMQX
compiling program
Uploaded
Video
Second Assignment
Grupal Assignment MG996R
Teamwork! Stefany Casanova and I got to interact our plates, in this section I show our experience. It was a great moment because it was the first time we achieved an action like this.
Teamwork
Since part of the exercise involved communication between two boards, Stefany and I used our designs with integrated ESP32C3 to be able to do the exercise. Below I share the step-by-step, starting with the use of a platform that allowed us to monitor the interactions. For more information, please visit Stefany Casanova , where our process is detailed.
Publish:
Code
Uploaded
Message successfully published
EMQX
Mayra publish - Stef suscribe (Final result)
Suscribe: And then, Stefany would post the message and my badge would get it. For more details on this, check Stefany Casanova's page.
