MSP430 and TI LaunchPad

7/23/2012

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!

2 Comments

8/12/2012 01:32:37 pm

I followed the link to the launchpad page, but it is lacking in some important details. It says $4.30 gets you the board and two MSP430 microcontrollers, but it doesn't say which of the 200 different versions of the MSP430 you get.

Can you fill me in on how much flash and how much RAM you get? Is it the 14 pin or 20 pin uC? How many general I/Os are at your disposal? Or better yet, if you can supply the model number, then I can look up the other information and more.

I'm empathetic to your problems of getting hobbled by not having the right connector or the right chip on hand in order to build a given project. The few times that I've overcome inertia and attempted to turn a simple idea into a real operating circuit, I get bogged down in those side details.

Good luck

VccGnd

8/16/2012 09:30:14 am

Hi JB.

Sorry for the delay. Here's some more info on the TI LaunchPad:

1. The box I received came with an MSP430G2553, socketed onto the board. This is a 16MHz part, with 16KB Flash, 512B (yes, bytes) RAM, and 24 GPIOs. More details at:

http://www.ti.com/product/msp430g2553

2. Also included, in a sealed anti-static bag, is an MSP430G2452, which you can replace the chip in #1 with. This is also a 16MHz part, with 16KB Flash, 256B RAM, and 16 GPIOs. More details at:

http://www.ti.com/product/msp430g2452

3. I think #1 and #2 means I have version 1.5.

4. The board is compatible with all Value Line devices listed at:

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/MSP430_LaunchPad_%28MSP-EXP430G2%29#MSP430_Value_Line_.28MSP430G2xx.29

5. The free compiler is size-limited, but my understanding is that the size limit exceeds the flash sizes of these chips, so the free compiler is in practice not size-limited.

MSP430 and TI LaunchPad

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VccGnd

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