I had procrastinated actually doing this article because I wanted to just march in triumphantly having finished the clock and ready to move on. I haven’t learned at all. This series isn’t about successes – or is it?
You see, in making the leap from the MSP430F2003 chip to the much, much more powerful MSP430FR2355 I’ve put in the Pluggable MSP module, I left the code compatability island I’d lived on for so long. The FR stands for FRAM. The FR2355 doesn’t use the Flash and SRAM combo found on the previous chips, instead having a single, unified space for storage and memory. This change to the architecture gave the designers mental permission to make other changes that percolate through the code base. I got hung up on not being able to get button inputs to work on the new chip. Because I’d gotten that working so long ago on the F2003, this had me greatly distressed.
I decided to take a step back and look at what was actually done since the last installment. I had talked about the various custom circuit boards I’d designed to go along with the FR2355 since the surface mount design didn’t lend itself to the manner in which my rapid code updates were handled on the older chips. So, looking down at my breadboard, I realized I actually had a lot of successes to share.
What I had wired up looked like this.
That doesn’t look like much, it’s a tangle of jumper wires. It isn’t really that much. In shematic form it looks like this.
Of course that shematic leaves out the whole debugger module. Because I didn’t design or build it. But it plays a vital role in getting code onto the chip via UART (Yet Another serial protcol I’m not going to dig into). If I disconnect the circuit boards from each other, well the launchbad’s robotic assembly complexity and my buggy pluggable module’s simplicity stand in stark contrast while the adapter board is completely hidden by the ZIF socket and the pin header bank.
The ZIF socket on that adapter is there because the adapter and launchpad will not be in the final closed project, they are workplace tools to get code onto the chip and debug it. In fact, most of the launchpad is unused. That dashed line down the board that runs through the block of pin headers separates the debugger on the left from the delivered FR2355 and its connection pins on the right. While the chip on the launchpad and the chip on the pluggable module have different form factors, they have the same internals. If we turn over the two boards I build, we find some text on the adapter that looks kind of like some text on the launchpad.
This isn’t just happy coincidence, That sevem pin female header is there to plug into half of the pins from the block on the launchpad and divert those signals so I can make use of them. On the face of the board that is completely obscured by the socket, the traces run those lines to the appropriate pins so that the debugger can’t tell it’s not talking to the hardwired chip on the launchpad. It expects an FR2355, and it gets an FR2355, but one I can remove without a hot air gun.
Wired up to the breadboard, I was able to get the four LEDs to light up in a sequence controlled by code. Basic blinkenlights. But I’m stuck on getting it to respond to the button presses. In fixating on that problem, I ignored everything that had gone right.
A: I had designed a board that let me use a surface mount MSP430FR2355 in a standard 40 pin socket.
B: I had assembled that board and attached the surface mount chip (twice).
C: I had designed an adapter board to give me access to the full debugger capacity of the launchpad with my custom module.
D: I had assembled that board even though it required some custom modification to the plasic of the ZIF socket to be able to solder the vital 7-pin header underneath it.
E: I successfully compiled and loaded code onto my custom module’s chip from my PC through these boards I had designed and built.
F: That code ran.
This is nothing to sneeze at. I still need to figure out what I’m doing wrong with the button inputs. I still need to bodge two wires to connect the I2C pins on the five pin RTC header on the pluggable module to an actual pair of I2C pins on the chip. Oh, didn’t I mention, while looking at the documentation to figure out what I’d done wrong with button presses, I found that the integrated serial protocol implementation was only on specific pins. And those pins did not include the two I’d hard wired to the RTC header.
While you do learn a lot from mistakes, sometimes you have to take a step back and take stock of your successes. If not, you can easily get discouraged. Not getting that button working was making me feel stupid and ignorant, when the evidence of my own eyes says otherwise. I’m just overlooking something, and I’ll find it.
I screwed up. The first image was supposed to be this one:
https://www.glibertarians.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Pluggable_Plugged_In.jpg
I don’t often ask – but is there an edit fairy in the house?
I thought so.
I’ll stick with Arduinos, no sense to get so complex, and I don’t mind standing on the shoulders of giants. I still do a lot of soldering which is fun, and boards are dirt cheap.
I can’t stand the Arduino IDE. I don’t know what about it bugs me so much, but it feels like it’s trying to hide the functions behind a GUI
As in, I can’t see what the code does, and I can’t see the information I feel I want.
Yes. It works like the older Modicon and assorted other industrial controller software interfaces. That isn’t a bad thing for businesses but it would keep you from understanding the actual workings.
An error that will haunt you for the rest of your life. Do you want to borrow the GlibFlicks Seppuku knife? I only used it a few times so far.
Do I look Japanese to you?
We Irish just increase our alcohol intake.
Somebody left a family poop knife over here too, if you’d rather use that.
What is wrong with you?
Yeah, RJ! He needs a poop shillelagh, you insensitive bastard.
shillelagh
That’s not gonna work.
So, so very much is wrong with me.
Wow, there’s a lot of flux on those boards.
Why don’t I clean them better?
Is it Batman Fluxx? That one is a collector’s item.
https://www.looneylabs.com/games/batman-fluxx
You shouldn’t assume gender.
I got nothing else.
*shrug*
Oh, that’s the fembot assembly machine. Don’t mix it up with the Chematic, which is a robot revolutionary.
While you do learn a lot from mistakes, sometimes you have to take a step back and take stock of your successes. If not, you can easily get discouraged. Not getting that button working was making me feel stupid and ignorant, when the evidence of my own eyes says otherwise. I’m just overlooking something, and I’ll find it.
And you’re light years ahead of somebody who says that would be hard, so I won’t try it.
If Something’s Hard To Do Then It’s Not Worth Doing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G8XQA9QFS0
Agreed. Good work and deep learning.
And you’re light years ahead of somebody who says that would be hard, so I won’t try it.
I feel called out.
Good work. Good idea to enjoy your successes, because yes, you had many.
Meanwhile, I’m still trying to FIND the “PGM FI” relay which is apparently the source of the intermittent no start problem with the Honda. I’ve got the dash all pulled apart and yesterday I pulled the driver’s seat out so I can worm my way in there for a better look.
You need a bigger hammer.
You might be able to get a deal on some Recaros for it.
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/business-corporate/sports-seat-manufacturer-recaro-files-bankruptcy
Employees were reportedly unaware of the move, which comes four years after firm was sold to private investors
I have seen this happen so many times. Why do private equity firms suck so badly?
It’s what PE does. You will either save to the company or get your money back from some of its assets or it’s bankruptcy.
Keep in mind the bankruptcy can either be reorganization or liquidation.
What I find amazing is that people don’t understand what’s going to happen. It’s a necessary service, but you should never view them as altruists.
They tend to buy firms in poor financial shape, which need to restructure in some way. Whether or not they are able to turn the company around and make it something worth selling whole depends on the problems. Bankruptsy protections allow for more drastic changes and even escaping from contracts – potentially including those with the union.
Goddammit! I like the Recaro seats in my car!
Obligatory
https://youtu.be/62kxPyNZF3Q
I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that my honors finance prof showed this in class.
Loved the Recaros I had in my FJ. They didn’t hook up to the sensors, so the idiot lights were on (didn’t care) and there was some question whether the airbags would work (also didn’t care). When I sold the FJ, I had to buy FJ seats from a junkyard and have them swapped back in. I sold the Recaros (I think it was Facebook Marketplace; Mrs. Dean handled it) in a couple of days for enough to break even on the whole.
Really nice seats.
Daily muppets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4Bq69HfR0Y
Wonderful
“What exactly is in a Mai Tai, anyway?”
Legit lol
Are you still singing yesterday’s song?
See… this is why I stick with an Old Fashioned.
Are you still singing yesterday’s song?
Yes, you asshole. 😉
Awesome
😕
Just had a fraud alert on one of my cards and had to get a new one issued. Funny thing is it was my backup card which I pretty much never use. Except on Audible.
Amazon is ordering Firehouse Subs using my card!
I said this before, but I really admire your patience and that you’re sticking this out. I can’t wait to see what kind of housing you put this in. I think you should go to Goodwill and find something crazy like an old football phone or something.
I’ve been through a few such places, and they don’t seem to offer oddities as much anymore.
Antique places are great for this kind of thing. I nearly impulse bought an old Bakelite radio just to make something fun out of it.
There’s quite the selection of oddities at our Farmer’s market.
I guess it depends. If we drive somewhere on a road trip we sometimes go to an out of town Goodwill because they sometimes have different types of stuff.
What we have noticed is people aren’t really into selling at flea markets anymore. They are getting smaller and there isn’t as much merchandise.
It’s all gone to eBay hasn’t it?
Not as much as you would think. The whole vintage flea market customer base and vendor base is dying off and nostalgia in general is receding.
We are hitting this up this year. Will be interesting if its actual people or just vendors selling. Anyone ever been to it along its 127 route?
I snagged someone’s titanium hip from a junk place in Austin. I gave it to a knifemaker to make handles from. The machining on it was surprisingly crappy, though maybe that’s intentional to help the bone grow into it?
Sloopy might have something in one of his auctions. He could keep an eye out, anyway.
They use titanium for those things because it’s non-reactive, neutral in the body. It has way more strength than is needed, so there’s really no need for top-shelf machining.
Why do private equity firms suck so badly?
That’s what vampires do.
Actually, I’d love to have a genuine Recaro office chair.
You need a bigger hammer.
I have kept this shitbox on the road for twenty years. There’s no reason to quit now. It still runs great, when I can get it to fire. I used to ask myself, “Maybe I should just retire it, but what would I replace it with?” I don’t even bother to ask that anymore.
The whole vintage flea market customer base and vendor base is dying off and nostalgia in general is receding.
The past ain’t what it used to be.
Are you unburdened by it?
Doesn’t Lord Humongous have a flea market stall? You (UCS) could try flea markets.
I heard there is a rather large one in Ohio…another thing I have to find out where it is to take the missus
OBE, are you perhaps thinking of Treasure Aisles and, right across 75, Traders World, a little north of Cincy (and perilously close to the mythical metropolis of Blue Ball?)
I think those I saw and a co-worker mentioned Rogers?
Humongous has stalls in Antique Malls. I sell on eBay, but we move different product.
Antique malls! That’s what I meant. Couldn’t pull that out of my brain for some reason.
Also, I don’t know how you as a seller can stand eBay anymore with their onerous customer-is-always-right on steroids.
What do you peddle, Zwak?
Somehow I’ve managed to avoid being dragged to any of the antique malls along the Ohio and PA freeways. I know locally there’s quite a few flea markets with some being themed based on the location that’s holding it (such as the Beachland Flea). The fairgrounds near me has one regularly (every month I believe) which I also haven’t gone to.
Does lake Erie ever get surfable waves? That seems like an odd graphics choice for that website.
Probably. People surf Lake Superior
Correction:
Madmen surf Lake Superior
UCS:
At least in the Cleveland area, you run into the issue of the breakwalls and rocky beaches. There’s only a couple of sand beaches in the area. I’ve heard tales of people surfing, but am more familiar with people doing windsurfing.
The reason that the Beachland went that way is the name, and that they focus (but aren’t exclusively) on rockabilly, swing, punk, and burlesque. The girlfriend and I were just there Sunday night to see Save Ferris.
“Also, I don’t know how you as a seller can stand eBay anymore with their onerous customer-is-always-right on steroids.”
Easy, you treat it like a business. You expect shrink (theft/damage/etc.) in a brick and mortar, so you just plan it into your pricing. Also, never get greedy, learn how to price things as you purchase them to sell, understand condition in pricing, and so on. The biggest issue among new sellers is not knowing how to price things for resell in a used environment. You aren’t selling individual items, you are selling product, and you need to handle things accordingly.
Honestly, I like the policy. It keeps customers engaged.
Tunda, I mostly sell collectable and/or high end tools, also some air guns, and generally anything I know I can flip quickly.
@Zwak, could you email a link?
Minnetundra@ gee mail.
Thanks!
Mrs. TOK and her dad (and sometimes I go) make an annual trip to the Covered Bridge Festival in the fall in southern Indiana. We usually don’t even make it to the actual festival because we stop at a half dozen flea markets on the way. Every year they get smaller, and some have shut down completely.
OT
https://youtube.com/shorts/24_dWWdxSUo?si=Z4Q8b98mWqj6s-ub
question: how real and how much exaggerated for effect is an accent like this?
the dish itself looks disgusting
Nasty. Would not.
That accent sounds about right to me, with minimal exaggeration. But I haven’t spent much time in that area.
He might be exaggerating it a bit. Not much. Deep country Cajun. And that’s a good buffalo chicken dip recipe, you heathens!
Sounds right. Never was a fan of Buffalo Chicken dip, but its made from real cheese so points fro that.
I probably wouldn’t have topped with crushed pretzels, as I think they would just absorb the moisture and get soggy. But I’d be willing to try that dip, it’s better than the Rotel and Velveeta dip that was usually brought in (by multiple people) for every potluck.
And as for the accent, Mike Judge claims that Boomhaeur was based on a real voicemail that was left for him.
The accent is not real.
how real is this?
https://youtube.com/shorts/ighEKzuLZX4?si=84vWk8SkCuzkzSVz
I felt like he is exaggerating it a bit for effect. Can’t tell if he is missing teeth.
This is the authority I was looking for. 🙂
I purchased another 2 years of extended warranty from VW. That’s kind of a can’t miss gamble on a “German” car, right?
Probably fine. How many miles?
I’ve only bought one extended warranty (for a Jetta) and never used it.
Currently at 53k, coverage is good to 85k. The Jeep is doing most of the day to day these days.
GTI?
I don’t care what all the experts say – I’ve had great luck with VW (and Audi). I don’t mind spending money on upkeep and repair because the older ones were built like tanks.
Yeah, GTI.
I just had the sunroof surround replaced, fuel filler door latch replaced, and AC serviced all under warranty in the past 3 months.
A warranty is to cover infant mortality. Extended warranties are horseshit.
Pre-paid maintenance contracts potentially make some sense. I expect these get sold as “extended warranties”, but I have never read the details since I refuse to even consider an extended warranty.
It’s a continuation of the factory bumper to bumper through the mfg. On top of what was a superb 60k/72m b2b base warranty.
I ain’t buying an Ice T shilled product!
The insurance guy in me agrees. If you take all the funding across all your assets with available extended warranties and put those dollars into a rainy day fund you will come out ahead.
The anecdotal guy actually has relatively late in car new warranty repairs done that I was surprised about.
If you do get one of these warranties always get the manufacturer ones. Third party contracts are notorious for what they won’t cover and even getting them to cover covered claims can be an ordeal.
Why is there an insurance guy inside you?
New vehicles are really kind of scary. But shakedown repairs during the warranty period are not necessarily predictive.
I agree with you. Keep a stash of money for the oh fuck repairs.
I got into an argument with the dealer when I bought a new car half a decade ago. I refused to consider the extended warranty. He asked why. I said I had experience with the brand and they don’t fail. I could carry the risk of a rare failure by myself. He responded that I really said that I needed the extended warranty. I asked if the quality of their products had plummeted recently. If so, I was going somewhere else. He stopped pushing the extended warranty.
Last car I bought, I said I would not buy the extended warranty under any circumstances. I said I would walk out if he even mentioned it. He was smart enough to keep quiet.
“If you take all the funding across all your assets with available extended warranties and put those dollars into a rainy day fund you will come out ahead.”
Indeed. The house always wins, and the insurance companies are the house. If this wasn’t true, they would all be broke. Instead, they sit on top of massive piles of assets.
Insurance is for contingencies you can’t afford to pay out of pocket. Period. Figure out the deductible you can swallow, and go from there. You’ll lose money paying the premium for a low deductible.
Kinnath, I had a similar conversation when I bought the Highlander. I told them that, in over 300K miles across two Toyotas, we had exactly one repair (an alternator). I was buying another Toyota because they don’t break, so why would I need an extended warranty?
Uh oh.
Those days might be over.
There are many OEMs with sparkling reputations that started to have real problems in the last 5 years or so.
How much is because of the reliance on modeling instead of old fashioned QA?
Also, China junk is still China junk. It’s not like they’ve ever stopped lying about specs and tolerances.
I’ve ready many explanations/theories on declining quality. It’s some combination of modeling to provide products that meet the warranty period and no further; all sorts of supply chain issues during COVID and beyond; loss of know-how in design, development, production; complexity driven by mandates; etc.
I have serious doubts about all vehicle manufactured post 2020 or so. When I bought my truck I intentionally bought used (from 2017) instead of buying new (first time in 25ish years).
Indeed. The house always wins, and the insurance companies are the house. If this wasn’t true, they would all be broke. Instead, they sit on top of massive piles of assets.
With offsetting liabilities. Depending on the timing and the line you can still easily generate a negative NPV. It’s easy to go broke underwriting insurance. The unique thing about an insurer unlike other financial companies is they are in the business of collecting liabilities and not assets.
Rogan and Malice talk about Kamala.
https://youtu.be/DdfjV_n_7dY
“On a scale of ‘Me’ to ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ – How stoned are you right now?”
A Scanner Darkly
Oh shit – that’s not good stoned.
Full Metal Jacket
I love how no one went “wait, what?”
You used quotes. We knew you weren’t asking for yourself.
Requiem for a Dream
TW: Gizmodo
CIA Denies Conspiracy Theory That It Used MKUltra on Trump Shooter
Lol. Sure it did. The fact that they even addressed this suggests that something was going on with the little geek.
I’m still waiting to hear an explanation for the geolocation data showing a phone going between his house and next door to the FBI in DC, multiple times.
I’m still waiting for an explanation how the Heritage Foundation would have that geolocation data for the shooter’s phone, how they picked out that particular phone that went to DC, how they had geolocation data for _that_ phone, etc.
That analysis relies on NSA-level data collection and analysis. I’m not saying it’s bullshit but I want them to show their work.
Treadstone is a decommissioned former program of theoretical game-scenario exercises.
Exactly one minute after I ordered more than 80 box lunches with sandwiches for an all-staff meeting, a supervisor emailed me to ask what was being served and claim there were “a couple of employees who can’t have gluten.” 😒
This is why I hate people.
Go buy a head of lettuce and they can make an unwich.
Cross contamination, cross contamination…
/remembers the piles of vegan and gluten free box options sitting untouched at many a large meeting
I’m gonna need a keto option.
tyvm.
Email back: “No there aren’t.”
there were “a couple of employees who can’t have gluten.”
Let them eat cake.
Surprisingly (perhaps), gluten-free flour (I.e., King Arthur’s Measure for Measure) makes the best angel food cake. No gluten, no worry about toughening the cake. I’ve made this several times; it’s always excellent.
Seriously though, my low carb peeps, these are amazing:
https://www.missionfoods.com/products/zero-net-carbs-tortillas-sundried-tomato-basil/
There’s another brand that has an identical product too.
Cool! Thanks for that. I like a good breakfast burrito.
I found these at Sprouts
They are quite tasty, too.
Huh. Pricey on Amazon, but there is a Sprout’s not terribly far.
I think they were 9.99 at Sprouts. Refrigerated, not frozen fyi
UCS, I have a bunch of shit left over from my dabbling into electronics five or six years ago and it’s now just collecting dust in my spare room, if you want it, I’ll send it to you, or if your next road trip brings you through north central Ohio again we can met at a well lighted and populated place and I’ll give it to you.
https://www.glibertarians.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/electronic-shit-scaled.jpg *
*The yo-yo is not included in the offer.
My next road trip does in fact take me through North-Central Ohio – I plan to arrive in the Cleveland Area at the end of August 26th, heading on towards Dayton on the 27th before continuing on to Cedar Rapids on the 28th. I can make reasonable detours along the route.
Assuming you’re taking 71 south from Cleveland to get to Dayton you’ll be passing right by (Mansfield), remind me when it gets closer and we’ll set something up.