Launch Your Design Blog - Archives

Launch Your Design with TI

Looking to create “the next big thing”? Look no further than TI’s Maker and DIY community! Launch your design with TI’s low-cost, modular development kits and scalable software solutions. Rapidly prototype your application in minutes with our microcontroller-based TI LaunchPad™ Development Kits, Sitara™ -processor-powered BeagleBoards and SimpleLink™ wireless connectivity SensorTags.

Launch Your Design Blog

Allie Hopkins
- Dec 21, 2017
Changes to TI Launch Your Design blog

Thank you for following TI’s Launch Your Design blog. Moving forward, all new posts about TI’s low-cost, modular development kits and software solutions will be published on ConnecTIng Wirelessly, MSP low-power plays or The Process. Existing Launch Your Design content will continue to be searchable on the web and TI.com. We invite you to subscribe to one of the three embedded processing blogs for technical...
Alex Jonsson
- Nov 2, 2016
How to connect your SensorTag to the Amazon AWS cloud via a mobile app

As a follow up to last week’s article , this post will work to cover the step-by-step process for getting the solution working. Following the steps below will allow you to connect the SimpleLink™ multi-standard CC2650 SensorTag kit (CC2650STK) to the Amazon AWS (AWS) cloud and customize the solution for specific needs. This tutorial also provides tips for other solutions using the CC2650 SensorTag kit and...
Alex Jonsson
- Oct 27, 2016
What you need to connect a SensorTag to the Amazon AWS cloud via a mobile app

In most Internet of Things (IoT) use cases there is a need to send sensor data to an IoT cloud solution. Data sent and stored in an IoT cloud solution can then be analyzed and utilized for a number of different purposes. For example, the SimpleLink™ multi-standard CC2650 SensorTag kit using Bluetooth ® low energy can easily be connected to a mobile phone app, with the phone acting as a gateway for passing sensor...
Jarle Boe
- Oct 21, 2016
LaunchPad™ kit meets dual-band connectivity

We recently announced the SimpleLink™ dual-band CC1350 wireless microcontroller (MCU) supporting Sub-1 GHz and Bluetooth ® low energy on the same chip. It is the first dual-band SoC in mass production to support a wide range of use cases combining long-range, low-power Sub-1 GHz communication with local and ubiquitous Bluetooth low energy connectivity. This means that the CC1350 wireless MCU can communicate...
sgspecker
- Oct 4, 2016
Six reasons you shouldn’t pick an MCU

Choosing a microcontroller (MCU) for your design is not all about the silicon. Sure, most vendors provide a list of all their wonderful features and peripherals, but most don’t talk about the hard stuff – how do you write and debug software for the thing? I remember one vendor bragging about their debug port at a seminar I sat through a few years ago. I was even excited when they talked about all the information...
AdrianFer
- Sep 30, 2016
Meet the new e-paper Extension Kit Gen 2 by Pervasive Displays

Pervasive Displays EPD Extension Kit Gen 2 is the perfect way to start developing e-paper-based applications. E-paper technology is great for ultra-low power applications – once text or an image is pushed to the display, no power is required to keep the content on the screen. The EPD Extension Kit Gen 2 supports various e-paper display sizes, ranging from 1.44” to 4.2”. The EPD Extension kit works with...
Guy Weitzman
- Sep 27, 2016
Addressing a key IoT challenge: Meet Atomation’s mobile SDK

The Internet of Things (IoT) is drawing a lot of attention and making developers of all types eager to create new products. But the new age “IoT engineers” face a new struggle as they have to specialize in completely different sectors (hardware, software, big data). How should one approach such a challenge? Mobile developers, come one, come all It might sound crazy, but you don’t have to be a hardware...
Stephanie Shih
- Sep 26, 2016
Introducing the new TI LaunchPad™ kit site

A simpler, easier to navigate site to help you find the right hardware, software, and support for you. What’s new? 1. TI and community application-focused projects and tutorials 2. Quick comparison across LaunchPad development kits 3. Easy access to the tools you need most Check out the new LaunchPad kit site here. We’d love to hear your feedback. Tell us what you think below!
Jorge Troncoso
- Sep 20, 2016
Answering the infamous question, “Where is my bus?” with BeagleBone and Amazon Alexa

Bus signs are great at giving passengers information regarding which bus routes serve their stop, but they fail to help with complicated questions like, "Does bus X pass by stop Y ?" Fortunately, with the advent of voice recognition technology, passengers no longer have to be constrained to the information provided at traditional bus stops. We can now provide all the information a passenger would want through...
Adam Dunkels
- Sep 15, 2016
Building a connected soil moisture monitor with a Sub-1 GHz LaunchPad™ development kit

The TI SimpleLink™ Sub-1 GHz CC1310 device is a wireless microcontroller (MCU) that combines an ARM® Cortex®-M3 microprocessor with a Sub-1 GHz radio transceiver on a single chip. The CC1310 device has a very-low power consumption comb...
Sean Oliver28
- Aug 24, 2016
De-tether your MCU projects with the new battery BoosterPack™ module

How many times have you been working on an MSP430™ microcontroller (MCU) project when your AC wall adapter cord gets in your way or your last 9-volt battery runs dry and you have to run to the store to keep working? It’s unfortunately a c...
Angelo Delluomo
- Aug 16, 2016
Using the LaunchPad™ Development Kit to help the visually impaired

After entering the DIY intern design challenge, my team decided that it would be best to create something that a user could really benefit from. We settled on the idea of an upgraded white cane for the visually impaired that gave variable vibrational feedback to the user. The S.T.I.C (Sonic Technology Integrated Cane) is a white cane that provides a second form of haptic feedback through vibration (Fig. 1). The cane has...
Nicholas Brown
- Jun 22, 2016
Getting started with the TMS57012 LaunchPad™ Development Kit

When I was shopping around for a microcontroller development kit, I came across the Texas Instruments Hercules™ microcontroller (MCU) LaunchPad™ development kit . It offers CPUs with clock speeds upwards of 80 MHZ, which was just right for...
Mark Easley
- Jun 13, 2016
Pretty much everything you’ve ever wanted to know about ADCs

The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is an important component of any system. So important, in fact, that it is often included as a peripheral in many modern microcontrollers (MCUs). But not all ADCs are created equal and if you are designing for ultra-low power, you may want to take a second look at how your ADC is performing at a system level. Ever catch yourself asking “ what resolution and type do I need...
Mark Easley
- May 17, 2016
Sneak peak: Join TI for the Greatest Show and Tell on Earth

Maker Faire Bay Area , the largest event held worldwide for the Maker and DIY Movement is on May 20-22. Never been to a Maker Faire? Whether you’re an engineer, an educator, or just someone that appreciates hands-on fun, you’ll have a great time exploring the inventive demos and DIY projects that are scattered throughout the massive event. Maker projects can feature high technology to simple and creative solutions...
AdrianFer
- May 12, 2016
TI brings the Internet of Basketball to life at Maker Faire Bay Area 2016

The countdown to Maker Faire Bay Area 2016 has begun and we are super excited to showcase the Texas Instruments (TI) LaunchPad™ Development ecosystem at the TI booth! To make things more exciting, we will be co-located and adjacent to the BeagleBoard.org booth on the Maker Faire show floor in Zone 2! To showcase how well the TI LaunchPad ecosystem and BeagleBone boards can work together, we co-developed an Internet...
Mark Easley
- May 6, 2016
AT&T hosts IoT DevLab featuring SimpleLink™ Wi-Fi and MSP432 MCU

Mobile and embedded developers in Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas got a chance to learn what the Internet of Things (IoT) is all about at AT&T’s IoT DevLab. These events, hosted in major cities around the United States, gave members of AT&T’s developer program specialized training in topics related to mobile development. A very popular topic among developers is the IoT and integrating hardware devices...
Mark Easley
- Apr 20, 2016
Introducing the Sidekick Basic Kit for TI LaunchPad™

Introducing the Sidekick Basic Kit for TI LaunchPad ™ Just in time for your next project, the Sidekick Basic Kit for TI LaunchPad™ development kit is now available for purchase. The Sidekick line of kits from Seeedstudio offer customers a quick way to evaluate custom circuits with many of the popular microcontroller development kits available on the market. This expansive kit of commonly used breadboard...
AdrianFer
- Apr 12, 2016
Get started with Embedded Software Engineering 101! From our friends at embedded.fm

Interested in jumpstarting your embedded microcontroller (MCU) development, but not sure where to start? In addition to our resources on TI.com, take a look at the multi-part training series by Chris Svec at embedded.fm . He chose our ultra-low-power MSP430 MCU to introduce the basics of embedded software development and will dive into the nitty gritty to help you get more comfortable with embedded computing. Chris starts...
AdrianFer
- Mar 10, 2016
New webinar: Rapid Prototyping the IoT with Energia MT and TI LaunchPad™ kits

Hello everyone! UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who joined the webinar! Here are some helpful links & a recording of the webinar: TUTORIAL: https://www.hackster.io/elephino/cloud-connected-sub-1ghz-rf-star-sensor-network-8d5fee VIDEO: (...
Aaron Kondziela
- Feb 8, 2016
An IoT solution for perfect coffee – part 3

Aaron Kondziela is an IoT entrepreneur and designer who is guest blogging to discuss a recent project. The first installation of this series covered constraints and component selection, and the second installation discussed performance testing, prob...
Aaron Kondziela
- Jan 28, 2016
An IoT solution for perfect coffee – part 2

Aaron Kondziela is an IoT entrepreneur and designer who is guest blogging to discuss a recent project. In the first installment of this series , I discussed design goals, component selection constraints, and TI’s resources that helped my ...
Aaron Kondziela
- Jan 11, 2016
An IoT solution for perfect coffee – part 1

Aaron Kondziela is an IoT entrepreneur and designer who is guest blogging to discuss a recent project. As engineers, I’m sure you all agree that there are two very important things in our personal and professional lives: data and coffee (not...
Trey German289
- Dec 21, 2015
Saving the city with SIGFOX: San Francisco edition

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to attend the “Connect your City!” hackathon as a mentor in San Francisco. This was an especially exciting event because it was the first roll out of a brand new wireless network here in the U.S., SIGFO...
Trey German289
- Dec 11, 2015
Houston we have lift off: LaunchPad visits the Houston Mini Maker Faire

As you probably know, one of my favorite things to do is visit Maker Faires, and we in Houston are lucky to have a growing one. This year the Houston Mini-Maker Faire doubled in size and was hosted at a new venue: The George R. Brown Convention cente...

TI E2E Community