Prep for Hackathing - Basic Workshop

This is intended to be a workshop to help students prepare for the Hackathing competition at Georgia Tech using Texas Instruments tools.

The slides from the live workshop can be found at the bottom.

Participants can make use of a microprocessor like the BeagleBone or a low power ARM microcontroller like the MSP432. Learning how to incorporate these different levels of computing into a design to solve the challenges.

https://hackathing.gatech.edu/competition/

Fast tips

System will need some kind of processing to be successful. Microcontroller is a simpler way to control actuators and read sensors. Microprocessor is a more powerful option that gives you access to more software development options, but is often overkill for an application outlined in the design challenges.

Power is super important in this competition. How will you power the electronics and keep the design small and flexible?

Workshop Labs

The workshop is broken up into two sessions, a basic overview and an advanced overview. In the basic session, students are given an idea of the difference between the BeagleBone and MSP432 and when it is appropriate to use each and capabilities. We discuss power and battery packs as that is a crucial piece of the design. The session also runs through some brainstorming on how to attack the design challenges. In the advanced session, we review the differences and go deeper into technical questions around motor control and power supply design.

The labs will utilize the PocketBeagle and TechLab to showcase some python examples in the embedded context. It will also use the MSP-EXP432P401R and BOOSTXL-EDUMKII to show off a few examples.