The MSP430 is a very convenient microcontroller to use, with a decent toolchain, and a cheap way to get started with the LaunchPad.  However, the MSP430 family does not offer 5V chips.

In my previous post, I used the MSP430 LaunchPad Value Line Development kit.

The MSP430 is a 16-bit microcontroller from Texas Instruments.  Code Composer, a C Compiler and Eclipse-based IDE is available from TI; the code-size limited version is free.

The development board is available for as low as $4.30 from TI.  At this very moment, it looks to be out of stock at TI, but it is also available from DigiKey or Mouser.

Nice way to experiment with microcontrollers without breaking the bank!

In the software world, it's customary to write a program that prints out "Hello, World" when trying out a new language.  With microcontrollers, the rough equivalent seems to be a blinking LED, as many development boards come with such a sample app.

As a warm-up exercise to getting back into hardware, I thought I'd combine these two ideas, and have a 4-digit 7-segment LED blink "Hola" (conveniently 4 characters long).

For now, there is some visible flickering.  The 'A' in "Hola" is also partially hidden due to messy wiring.

Parts:

1. TI Launchpad MSP430 Development Board
   
2. 4-digit LED
   
3. Small Breadboard
   
4. Ribbon cable with female ends
   
5. 3-pin cable (2 wires used for Vcc/Gnd, 1 unused)
6. Male headers