Computer controlled cutting
Tasks
- Group assignment:
- ✔ Demonstrate and compare the toolchains and development workflows for available embedded architectures
- Individual assignment:
- ✔ Browse through the data sheet for your microcontroller write a program for a microcontroller
- ✔ Simulate its operation (in Wokwi), to interact (with local input &/or output devices) and communicate (with remote wired or wireless connections) -> Wokwi does not offer RFID module communication options
- X Extra credit: test it on a development board
- ✔ Extra credit: try different languages &/or development environments
Conclusion
Simulation result: definitely use event driven architecture but will have to be tested in some other way.
List of required BOM components:
See my documentation on choosing the appropriate hardware for more details.
Group assignment
Working with Draw.io, Overleaf, Wokwi, Circuit.js
These programs are pretty straight forward and I have already been using them in several occasions. There are hundreds of tutorials online for each of these programs. Hence, I will document only the issues I encountered this time and how I (tried to) solve them.
Wokwi simulations
Testfile Wokwi project: Download ZIP. Link to public project
This quick code was based on these 2 projects: push button interrupt pi pico and RGB LED Pi Pico
Issues while working with Wokwi:
- The RGB LED dropped the brightness level instantly when I connected the button. Logically, I'd say the power gets divided
between the two components. Is that modelled in Wokwi?
Comparison brightness of RGB LEDs with and without button attached - I have yet to figure out how to properly attach the button it seems. Reference for using pushbuttons in Wokwi.
Though I am planning to use an event driven architecture model for my final project, I decided to test interrupts in micro python to have a comparison.
Working with different programming environments and languages
This week I used VS Code and Overleaf for programming in Latex. I prefer using Overleaf for building PDF files because
- The preview function works perfectly
- Both are can be connected to GitHub, so I can always switch between programs if needed
- I already use VS Code for programming this website. Having separate projects open in both programs allows me to directly get to work without having to switch between project folders.
I also tested programming the RP2040 on both VS Code and Wokwi. Notes:
- I am more used to using VS Code or the Arduino IDE for embedded programming. Using Wokwi's IDE takes getting used to
- Wokwi offers the unique advantage to simulate the wired communication for my project. The plug-in for VS Code works just the same.
- No offline simulations possible unless a license is purchased for 97$ a year.
- I tried embedding Micropython into my C-adjacent code. It opens some new possibilities. It's time to practice Microphython now!