TI 430EZ Wireless development watch

[grindz145]

I just ordered one of these and I thought it was my duty to share this with the ES community

http://focus.ti.com/lit/ml/slyt318a/slyt318a.pdf

for 50 bones you get a wireless MSP430 based watch and USB development boards (one RF and one ISP).
I won't repost all the specs, but if you're an embedded developer...this is cool. Even if you're not.

There is a bicycle speed sensor in development for it, if you aren't willing to build your own wireless sensor board.
wireless ebike monitor? I see this as a nice wireless cycle-analyst interface.

forgive me if someone has brought this up on the forum before but I couldn't find it.

Imagine the possibilities...

 

[12p3phPMDC]

That is cool.... I love the trend in low cost dev kits!

ST micro has a cool one called the Primer2 for the ST32 arm chips.

 

[grindz145]

Yeah, I mean the AVR Butterfly is incredible. But this takes it to the next level. I can't wait until mine comes. I seriously think parsing the UART data from a cycle-analyst for displaying on the watch would be amazing... Can't wait to turn on lights on in the house and turn on the lights on my bike remotely...

 

[amberwolf]

I really like the Primer2 (and have a Primer1, wish it was a 2), and have an idea for an entire ebike control system using one. I just need a software engineer to write it.

 

[grindz145]

I'm kind of surprised more people aren't as pumped as I am about this I suppose it isn't directly applicable to ebikes... but thats never stopped us before

 

[amberwolf]

Everything is directly applicable to ebikes; the people that make the things just don't know that yet.

 

[bigmoose]

grindz, I'll ask a few since you are up on this interface. Is the data link bi directional to/from the watch? Is the external node only a USB interface or is there a serial/parallel interface for the external node?

 

[rkosiorek]

TI did a promo on this before christmas. i kept on thinking that i should get one but i had too many other things on the go. did you get it from Digikey or one of the others.

i was thinking that it should be pretty easy to hook the USB to the ouput port of a Cycle Analyst and then have it display data on the watch.

now i don't have to run out and immediatetly buy one. i can read the details here.

rick

 

[grindz145]

grindz, I'll ask a few since you are up on this interface. Is the data link bi directional to/from the watch? Is the external node only a USB interface or is there a serial/parallel interface for the external node?

Bigmoose, the data link IS bi directional! The target board is usb, but I am thinking that I can setup a separate breadboard with another msp430 to do the UART from the cycle-analyst and transmit. It may be possible to do it with the USB RF board as well but I havn't looked that far into it. I have entirely too many projects so its hard to say when Ill get time to work on this, but I will undoubtedly find many applications

 

[grindz145]

TI did a promo on this before christmas. i kept on thinking that i should get one but i had too many other things on the go. did you get it from Digikey or one of the others.

i was thinking that it should be pretty easy to hook the USB to the ouput port of a Cycle Analyst and then have it display data on the watch.

now i don't have to run out and immediatetly buy one. i can read the details here.

rick

Maybe Ill have some firmware written for you to use by the time you decide to get one. Mine is backordered from TI anyway.... No idea when it will show up.