Academic Newsletter Third Quarter 2010 - Microchip...

wwwmicrochipcomacademic Third Quarter 2010

Q3 2010

IN THIS ISSUE

Enabling a Visually Impaired Physiotherapistto Use a Portable Pulse Oximeter With aVisual Display 2

Teaching Electronics and ProgrammingConcepts to Middle School Students UsingPIC Microcontrollers 4

EasyPIC6 Development System 6

SchmartBoardtrade Solving the SMTPrototyping Problem 8

New Microchip Development Board Makes itEasy and Cost Effective to Design with16-bit Microcontrollers and DSCs 10

Coming Soon Embedded Designerrsquos Forum 11

Interact with Microchip at ldquoMCHP Tuberdquo 12

Academic NewsletterThird Quarter 2010

We recently completed our 14th annual MASTERs Conference here in Arizona For those of you unfamiliar with this yearly event MASTERs is Microchiprsquos four day premier technical training event for embedded control engineers around the globe This is an opportunity for Microchip application engineers to present classes on a variety of topics ranging from the basics of our various architectures to technology specifi c topics such as USB or capacitive touch sensingAfter classes are fi nished for the day a variety of evening activities for the whole family are offered including robotics competitions simulated tours of our fab facilities and even a video game zone The Arizona event is held during August in Scottsdale Arizona at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort The resort features a championship golf course spa and four acres of pools to keep the family busy while Mom or Dad attend their classesBeyond these events MASTERs is a fantastic venue to network with companies big and small and a large number of Academics from around the world Additionally Microchiprsquos Academic Partners receive a 30 discount for the conference by simply supplying their partner number at registration More information on MASTERs and the Academic Partner Program are available atMASTERs Homepage wwwmicrochipcommastersAcademic Partner Page wwwmicrochipcomacademicpartner As always visit our Academic Exchange Landing Page at wwwmicrochipcomacademic for information on free software tools general purpose development boards becoming a Microchip Academic Partner or joining the Microchip community on Facebook Twitter and YouTubeWe can be reached via email atacademicmicrochipcomThanks for reading

Marc McComb Editor

Greetings Academics

CALLING ALL

Students Professors amp

Third Party Tool Developers

want to submit an article for

the Academic Newsletter

Contact us at

academicmicrochipcom

Facebook Fan Pages (click on the name to view) Academic Support Group

Microchip Technology Inc Fan Site

Microchip En Espanol

Regional Training Centers

Microchip Academic Partners Newsletter

2 wwwmicrochipcomacademic Third Quarter 2010

Small size and good mobility ndash convenient and seamless to carry around

Low battery audio alarm ndash to inform the user that the charge level in the battery is low and needs to be changed

Vibrotactile feedback ndash to warn the user when oxygen saturation level is critically low

Normal and fast pace announcements ndash fast pace announcements allows delivering the information in shorter periods therefore giving more frequent updates of the values

Variable intervals for announcements ndash to make the device suitable for home and hospital use

Design and ImplementationDisplays on most pulse oximeters consist of three seven-segment digits Each digit can display numbers 0-9 and it is sufficient to know the state of only 5 segments to recognize a number displayed Due to similarity of the displays a power supply was used in development of the proof-of-concept (Figure 1)

The light emitted by an active segment is passed through an optic fiber to a photo sensor on a circuit board A transparent acrylic patch is used to align the optic fibers exactly above the segments which allows other people to see the display as well A similar patch directs optic fibers directly onto the photo sensors (Figure 2 and 3)

IntroductionA pulse oximeter is an indispensable piece of equipment for physiotherapists as it provides critical information about a patientrsquos vital life signs such as oxygen saturation and heart rate This data is relayed to the physiotherapist via a digital visual display which is unfortunately inaccessible to users with vision-impairmentIn the current situation a visually-impaired physiotherapist has to constantly request the information from a specially trained personal assistant The personal assistantrsquos role is to be an interface with the clinical environment and assist with for example navigation and reading and taking notes but this limits the physiotherapistrsquos independence Requesting information would also introduce unwanted time delays that could be crucial in emergency situations Therefore the aim is to enable a visually-impaired physiotherapist to work independently with a standard portable pulse oximeter through the development of an electronic display readerThis design of such an electronic aid device is based on a Microchip PIC24HJ64GP210 microcontroller and involves fiber optics for transferring light from the display to the sensors and a SD card mass storage device with audio files containing pre-synthesised speech

SpecificationThe first stage involved working collaboratively with a visually impaired physiotherapist to derive the device specifications Discussions with a visually impaired physiotherapist produced a range of user specifications as follows Auditory information output ndash speech is easy to

understand and it carries less cognitive load compared to tone or volume mapping

Miniature speaker ndash an ear piece could interfere with echolocation where as a miniature speaker placed around the neck or on the shoulder would be sufficiently loud enough for the user to hear it without disturbing others

Physical interface with recognizable states ndash this enables the user to easily recognize current mode and state of the device

Enabling a Visually Impaired Physiotherapist to Use a Portable Pulse Oximeter With a Visual DisplayBy Timur Yunusov tyunusovtheietorg University of Reading UK

Figure 1 Seven segment display of a power supply with optic fibers by an acrylic panel


wwwmicrochipcomacademic 3

The segments on the display are not continuously active but the display driver multiplexes each segment at rate of 60 Hz resulting in a series of peaks in output current from each photo sensor The current from each sensor is converted into 12-bit digital form using 22 inputs of the Analog-to-Digital Converter module The signal from each sensor is then filtered from background light with auto gain control and compared to an experimentally selected threshold value to determine whether an associated segment is active or not The pattern of active segments is converted to an integer value using a simple look-up table and is used to fetch the corresponding WAV file on the attached SD card The data on the card is accessed via Microchiprsquos Memory Disk Drive File System library[1] which provides tools for convenient data management operations such as finding and accessing a fileStoring pre-synthesised speech on an SD card allows the storage of dictionaries in different languages The audio file is then played back through a pulse-width modulation driven speakerThe device also has a vibrotactile feedback which can warn the user of a low battery or a critically low heart rate

Results and Future WorkThe display reader is successfully working for a three digit display announcing numbers in English and in fast or slow pace Additionally it warns the user if the battery needs replacing and provides an opportunity to vary the frequency of the announcements

This concept can be further developed to enable the device to read any segmented display This would require creating a custom acrylic patch specific to a particular display and channelling the light from the segments to a connector for the optic fibers The connector would be common across patches thereby enabling a user

to easily plug the reader into a range of devices As a result not only can a visually impaired physiotherapist benefit from using the device with a pulse oximeter but consumers requiring assistance using domestic appliances with visual displays could also benefit Possible applications include microwaves digital audio broadcasting receivers or TV set top boxes

Reference1 Memory Disk Drive File System Library Application Note AN1045 Microchip Inc Revision 21210

AcknowledgementsThis project was funded by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme at the University of ReadingI would like to thank Dr F Hwang Mr P Minchinton Dr A Godfrey and Mr DHowlett for support

Figure 2 The optic fibers convey light from five segments of a seven-segment display to photo sensors The light signals are processed and a value is read out through a speaker

Figure 3 Working proof-of-concept reading display of a power supply



Teaching Electronics and Programming Concepts to Middle School Students Using PIC MicrocontrollersA program of CABPES the Colorado Association of Black Professional Engineers and Scientists

By Ron Fontenot and Ganesh Basawapatna

IntroductionThe Colorado Association of Black Professional Engineers and Scientists (CABPES wwwcabpesorg) is an organization that has been operating in Colorado for the past 30 years CABPES aim is to develop interest among minority students in Mathematics Engineering and the Sciences so that they can enter creative careers in these fields Over 90 of high school graduates who participate in CABPES go to college and proceed to earn degrees

CABPES operates multiple programs It has a Math Enrichment Program called MEP where volunteers and instructors provide Mathematics and often Physics and Chemistry assistance to elementary through high school students three evenings a week CABPES also operates a program called Junior Engineers Tomorrows Scientists or JETS where students choose an area of engineering to learn about by participating in projects in addition to theoretical learning It operates a program called Widening Our World (WOW) where the students teach senior citizens with no computer skills how to operate computers and how to surf the web create documents send emails etc CABPES offers SAT preparation classes for students and has many other interesting programs

JETS has multiple areas of concentration including Aerospace Mechanical Engineering Electrical Engineering Architecture Civil Engineering and Construction Programming and Software development and others

The Microcontroller ClassOur area of concentration has been in Electrical Engineering We usually have around 15 to 17 students a year from 5th grade through high school seniors We teach principles of Electricity and Magnetism Analog and Digital Circuits RF and Microwave Transmission Principles The students attend 2 hours of class from 6 to 8 pm every Tuesday during the school year At the end of the year the students build a project based upon what they have learned and demonstrate it to the community Prior yearsrsquo projects have included an Electronic Maze an Arcade Game and Intelligent Traffic Signal and others The class is divided into three groups consisting of younger middle school and older students

For 2009-2010 we decided to take the middle school group of students and use PIC programming with MPASMTM Assembly Language to teach a number of fundamental concepts ndash how a computer is designed how it is programmed and how it can be used to control various useful things

We set up a laboratory consisting of 6 computers into which MPLABreg IDE was downloaded We decided to use the PIC16F88 family as it had an instruction set that worked well for us to teach students the basic concepts and to test them With Microchip assistance we obtained a number of demonstration boards at a discounted educational price so each student had a board with which he or she could program test and move at their own pace

A JETS one-year program consists of 26 to 28 classes The last 4 to 6 classes are devoted to defining and building a Project that is interesting to the students and demonstrates what they have learned



The first few classes were devoted to the fundamentals ndash what is a computer what is a microcontroller what are its various key parts how do they communicate with each other and what is an instruction set They learned the relationship between assembly language and binary instructions and got the concept of how higher level programming might be done

The students then created a series of short programs so they could learn how practical things are done such as turning on an LED or turning it off counting creating subroutines to handle repetitive tasks and creating delays

The ProjectFor the project we chose the PIC16F88 for the convenience of its two 8-bit ports in a low pin-count package and because its versatility would facilitate a wide variety of projects as the students progress

Based on microcontroller concepts and a subset of the PIC assembly instructions that the students learned earlier during the year we embarked on a design project to create colorful animated patterns on a circular array of RGB LEDs

We walked through simple flow charts as team activities to help the students understand the design process

We provided and reviewed with the students easy-to-understand descriptions of a subset of the PIC assembly instructions Our approach emphasized first learning the purpose and application of each instruction and then learning the syntax

Next we used program segment worksheets to guide students through the coding process The students used their instruction set descriptions to look up the particular instruction that would perform the operation described for each step on a program segment worksheet

Each student was provided with an 18-pin demo board that had been re-populated with a PIC16F88 and fitted with an RGB LED circuit

The students used MPLABreg IDE to edit assemble and debug their code segments and then used the PICkittrade 2 to program the PIC16F88

Initially the students wrote code segments to change the color of a single RGB LED by writing the appropriate bit patterns to an output port of the PIC16F88 The students also wrote code segments for counting delay loops and pushbutton detection Later each student assembled and soldered their own circular RGB display on a custom PWB

Students also learned to store bit patterns in the on-chip EEPROM which could be read out to a port to create a variety of patterns on the RGB LED display By combining this segment with their loop counting and delay code segments they created a short program to generate rotating squares triangles a spinner pattern and a ldquochaserrdquo on the RGB display board

At the conclusion of this class the students displayed their projects along with those of other JETS students to parents friends and educators at the CABPES Annual Awards Banquet in May

Even though JETS students have been in school all day they arrive in the evening highly motivated and excited about what they are learning in the microcontroller class We believe that the JETS microcontroller class benefits our middle school students in many ways including the following Increasing their confidence in applying technology that is entirely new to them Helping them gain insight into how computers work Providing an early introduction to basic programming concepts Helping them to take on new challenges and succeed

AcknowledgementWe at CABPES would like to thank the staff at Microchip in particular Marc McComb for proving us parts and useful guidance Based upon this experience it is our intent to expand this class in the future



EasyPIC6 Development SystemThe easiest way to create your own PICreg MCU-based electronic device

Mikroelektronika offers a broad line of PIC microcontroller development tools and related products that are reasonably priced for engineers students and beginners This article presents EasyPIC6 one of the flagship development kits from Mikroelektronika

EasyPIC6 OverviewEasyPIC6 is a full-featured development system for PIC microcontroller applications development and test This tool provides a complete development platform supporting PIC (P10 P12 P16 and P18) devices With built-in electronic

circuits including USB 20 programmer with mikroICD support touch panel controller keypad port expander serial COG display DS1820 support and much more the EasyPIC6 Board has many practical features for users to develop various embedded applications using the most popular components in electronic products

On-Board USB 20 Programmer with In-Circuit DebuggerEasyPIC6 has a built in PIC MCU programmer that easily connects to a PC via USB cable The programmer circuitry features the ability to fully switch the PGD PGC and MCLR pins so they can still be utilized in your project This system lets you have full use of all PIC MCU pins at all times with the programmer only taking control of them during the fully automatic programming itself The programmer also has a built-in ICD hardware debugger that runs under the same USB lead and is standard in all MikroElektronika compilers for PIC MCUsThis programmer is easy to use for beginners Simply write source code on a PC using one of Mikroelektronikarsquos compilers (mikroC mikroBasic or mikroPascal PRO) then program the PIC MCU using EasyPIC6 (this takes about 10 seconds) and your project will start working This allows very fast project building and modifying Note You can use any compiler or assembler that produces standard Intel HEX format you can then use the free PICFlashtrade Windows software to load the HEX file into the EasyPIC6

Built-In Electronic PeripheralsAt the heart of the EasyPIC6 board is a PIC16F887 MCU in a removable 40-pin DIP socket Besides the

DIP40 socket DIP20 DIP18 DIP14 and DIP8 sockets are available on the board to handle lower pin count PIC MCUs The MCU is totally accessible with all of its ports bonded not only to connectors and DIP switch arrays but also to LEDs for easy visualization of logic states as your program is running Input to the digital ports is easy to simulate by means of 36 pushbuttons labeled with port pin names Inputs can be also simulated via keypad 4x4 and menu keypad The analog measurement can be done with PIC MCU pins RA0-RA4 on the pin header and a potentiometer on the board to simulate discrete analog levels between 0 and 5V For higher level connectivity the board has RS232 PS2 USB and a external ICD connector

Various Displays SupportedFor visual messaging purposes the board contains a serial COG display that is capable of displaying text messages In addition the board supports EasyPIC6 development system standard 2x16 LCD character display For advanced visual messages Graphic LCD 128x64 can be placed on-board Graphic LCD combined with TouchPanel can also be connected on-board and used as an input device

Comprehensive DocumentationFull color documentation clearly explains the EasyPIC6 Additional manuals and manuals on the PICFlash programmer section the debuggerand a complete schematic diagram are included These comprehensive and easy to use manuals include demonstrations and examples that can be put in the context of real life projects

Intuitive Working EnviromentEasyPIC6 provides an intuitive working environment a large number of peripherals with lots of useful examples additional tools that boost productivity and facilitate development fast and reliable support and resourceful user manuals The kit and software tools supplied reduce hardware difficulties allowing users to concentrate on software and understanding and optimizing the PIC MCU code

Accessory BoardsAccessory boards allows students or engineers to easily exercise and explore the capabilities of the PIC microcontrollers with peripheral devices such as ADC DAC CAN Ethernet IrDA MP3 RS485 and many more The use of the boards is simple just connect



an accessory board load an example to the PIC microcontroller and you are set for device development

Included CompilersFully-functional demo versions of mikroC PRO for PICreg mikroBasic PRO for PICreg and mikroPascal PRO for PICreg compilers are shipped with the board Demo version HEX output is limited to 2k of program words These compilers come with examples that show how to easily connect the PIC microcontroller with other peripheral components or devices when developing your prototype device Each example contains detailed description and comments of the program Registration keys for these compilers can be obtained online from MikroElektronika

Wide Range of PIC Microcontrollers SupportedThe EASYPIC6 development system supports more than 120 PIC microcontrollers Newly released PIC microcontrollers will be supported with regularly updated versions of PICFlash software

mikroElektronika manufactures high-quality development tools for microcontrollers In addition they develop sophisticated comprehensive compilers and tools for PIC MCU users who want to get a quick start mikroElektronika also distributes books and articles many of which are available for browsing and download absolutely free of charge

For more information contactmikroElektronikaVišegradska 1A11000 BelgradeAddress Code 111701EuropePhone + 381 11 30 66 377Email officemikroecomVisit our web site at httpwwwmikroecom



SchmartBoardtrade Solving the SMT Prototyping ProblemBy Neal Greenberg VP Sales amp Marketing for SchmartBoard

SchmartBoard was incorporated in 2005 with the goal to make prototype boards useful again We saw that companies were spending too much time and money perfecting prototypes and knew that a market existed for a better solution The SchmartBoard founders wanted to create a system that allowed companies to cleanly quickly and inexpensively create working prototype circuits using todayrsquos SMT component technology The idea was not to replace the custom PCB prototype step but to assure that prototype boards would not have to be produced numerous times This would reduce the time-to-market and overall development costs much like wire wrapping did the same a generation agoIn addition to the problems in industry SchmartBoard saw SMT creating a problem in electronics education and also the hobbyist market For the student parts are less prevalent in a DIP package If one wants to work with a gyro component for example DIP is not an option If a student is to graduate with the best engineering education they certainly do not want to be limited by the inability to solder todayrsquos most current technology The same issues impede hobbyists in electronics robotics ham radio and other niches The first SchmartBoard products were generic prototyping boards with one main innovation called SchmartBridgetrade We made our boards 5 x 5 cm (2 x 2 in) in size These boards supported numerous pitches of the most popular components for SO QFP PLCC packages as well as through-hole components We then put notches on all four sides that connected to a plastic piece called the SchmartBridge The SchmartBridge allowed you to connect the boards together The reason for this is to first reduce the real estate and second to make testing and debugging easier We felt that users should be able to choose what is on their real estate By building it in small blocks they could do that In addition by allowing users to build a block at a time and then connecting them together using the SchmartBridge testing and debugging can be performed on the individual circuit blocks instead of the entire prototyping board as in traditional optionsWe also started producing SchmartModules SchmartModules are common populated circuits such as RS232 and power regulators that also can connect

to a circuit using SchmartBridges to make prototyping quicker and easierWe had users who were happier than before but surveys confirmed that we had a lot of work to do People loved the boards and the modules but many just did not have the skills to hand-solder surface mount components especially when pitches are 5 or 4 mm Two problems impede peoplersquos ability to hand solder tiny surface mount components The first is the need to place and hold the components correctly in place on the pad surface The second is hand soldering in such small confined areas without creating short circuits

The SolutionIn September 2005 we released SchmartBoard|eztradeSchmartBoard|ezrsquos patented technology solves these issues in the following way Unlike all other circuit boards the solder mask is higher than the pads not lower This creates canals on the surface of the board The solder mask makes the walls of the canal and the floor of the canal is the pad surface The legs of a surface mount IC fit into these canals thus allowing easy hand placement of the chip legs onto the pads

The SchmartBoard|ez employs a raised solder mask that forms canals around pre-tinned traces This holds surface-mount integrated circuits in place and permits easy soldering

A fine-tipped soldering iron melts the thin layer of solder inside each SchmartBoard|ez canal The raised solder mask prevents short circuits between traces



The IC is soldered in place using a soldering iron with a finely pointed tip No external solder is required Instead the soldering iron heats the solder on the pads in each of the canals and pushes the molten solder from the end of the canal until the iron touches the chiprsquos leg The solder stays in the canal thus assuring that no shorts are created This is repeated for each canal that has a leg to be soldered A quick overview of this technology can be seen in a video at httpwwwschmartboardcomindexasppage=schmartboard_movie

Bringing SchmartBoard|ez to MCUsIn 2009 we realized that because people could hand solder ICs using our technology we could produce application specific boards that would allow users a choice of which component they wanted to use We decided that microcontrollers were the way to go and that Microchiprsquos 8-bit PICreg MCU was the best candidate to make a very flexible and inexpensive development boardWe released the SchmartBoard Development Board A for the 8-bit PIC microcontroller in 2009 The 2rdquo x 25rdquo board has an on-board 5V power regulator and reset button It also supports optional external clock options ICSPtrade and RJ11 interfaces for programming 8-bit PIC MCUs in 8 14 18 20 and 28-pin SOIC packages are

SchmartBoardrsquos 2010 MCU Challenge is really three contests in one Prizes are being awarded for circuits based on Microchip PIC MCUs Texas Instruments devices and Parallax Propeller MCUs

For the Microchip portion of the challenge first prize wins an Apple iPadreg second prize is a Cue Radio Model r1 third prize is an MPLABreg ICD 3 In-Circuit Debugger one honorable mention wins a MPLAB Starter Kit for PIC18F MCU and four other honorable mentions will win a $50 Coupon at Jameco Electronics or Robot Shop

Hurry The entry deadline is November 30th 2010 Rules and more information can be found at wwwschmartboardcom

all supported by this single board 116 in all The user simply hand solders a PIC MCU using SchmartBoardrsquos ldquoEZrdquo solder technology adds a row of headers (included) and then configures jumpers for the type of PIC MCU that was soldered onto the board

This PIC MCU development board is the most flexible option on the market for PIC device compatibility At a price of $15 this inexpensive solution offers frequent PIC MCU users the opportunity to keep a

number of development boards on hand knowing they will work with any 8-bit PICreg MCU SOIC chip they use in the future For a distributor this is a real inventory solution A distributor can now stock one part to support 115 PIC MCUs Today a distributor must stock many different boards to support the many 8-bit PIC MCU options The board is offered today domestically through Microchip Direct Mouser Electronics Jameco Electronics Frys Electronics and at SchmartBoardrsquos web siteSchmartBoard plans to follow up this product with an 8-bit PIC MCU board for QFP packages as well as boards for 16-bit PICreg MCUsA video demonstrating the use of the board can be seen at httpwwwschmartboardcomindexasppage=pick_your_pic



New Microchip Development Board Makes it Easy and Cost Effective to Design with 16-bit Microcontrollers and DSCsMicrostick for dsPIC33F amp PIC24H Provides Small Size and Integrated ProgrammerDebugger

Microchip has introduced the Microstick for dsPIC33F and PIC24H development board which provides a complete low-cost solution for designing with Microchiprsquos 16-bit

PIC24H microcontrollers and dsPIC33F Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs) in a compact 20x76 mm footprint At a low cost the Microstick offers an integrated USB programmerdebugger which shortens learning curves For maximum flexibility the Microstick can be used stand-alone or plugged into a prototyping board Additionally educators are eligible for a 25 discount

Many engineers educators students and hobbyists need a low-cost solution for working with and debugging code on 16-bit microcontrollers and DSCs In addition to its other benefits the Microstick is populated with a socketed microcontroller that can be easily swapped out The Microstick works with the PIC24HJ64GP502 which is the highest performance 16-bit MCU in the industry and the dsPIC33FJ64MC802 DSC which seamlessly blends DSP and MCU resources into a single architecture Software support includes the same free MPLABreg Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and software libraries that work with all of Microchiprsquos 81632-bit PICreg microcontrollers and DSCs

Additionally the dsPIC33F DSCs are supported by the free demo version of Microchiprsquos Device Blocksets for the MATLABreg language and Simulinkreg environment which work seamlessly within the MPLAB IDE

This combination of low-cost tools and free software provides an industry-leading platform for experimentation and development of smart-sensor and a host of other embedded-control applications

Microstick is great for anyone who needs a complete low-cost development solution for working with the highest performing 16-bit microcontrollers available The Microchip team worked with university professors to ensure that this board fits nicely into their curricula but the benefits of this platform extend to a broad range of designers who want get started with embedded development

Availability amp PricingThe Microstick for dsPIC33F and PIC24H (part DM330013) is available today at httpwwwmicrochipcomget3PXP The dsPIC33FJ64MC802 DSC and PIC24HJ64GP502 microcontroller are both included in the kit Educators are eligible for a 25 discount For additional information contact any Microchip sales representative or authorized worldwide distributor or visit Microchiprsquos web site at httpwwwmicrochipcomgetLBHK



WHY GO VIRTUALIn keeping with the Smart Energy theme of this yearrsquos Embedded Designerrsquos Forum Microchip amp Digi-Key are pleased to bring an On-Demand component to support designers who are unable to attend one of our 100+ in-person events This means no registration fee no travel no paper and no time wasted in getting the content at their convenience

Attendees of the virtual Embedded Designerrsquos Forum learn from and interact directly with industry experts and technology providers via keynote speeches webinars moderated discussion panels live interactive chats and gain access to a comprehensive collection of educational material and resources supporting Microchip and the Smart Energy market

SPONSOR BENEFITS

Reach your target audience through a highly interactive platform and receive Targeted global access to focused design decision makers Attendee tracking and reporting Advanced platform to promote your rich media assets Immediate interaction with customers and prospects Targeted leads with detailed demographic data

LIVE amp ON-DEMANDNOVEMBER 2 20107 AM ndash 3 PM PSTwwwmicrochipcomVirtualEDF

The Virtual Embedded Designers Forum is a live one-day online event for software and hardware engineers looking to monitor measure control display convert or use energy more efficiently using the latest technologies and products to help design products for the emerging Smart Energy market

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate real-time in three keynote sessions from Microchip Energizer and Google PowerMeter nine educational modules download content from the Resource Center and visit Microchiprsquos key partners in the virtual Exhibit Hall

All content from the live event is then archived and available on-demand for 12 months

Brought to you by

PROMOTION

Microchip amp Digi-Key will execute a robust promotional campaign leading up to the event and during the 12-month on-demand period Promotions will include 500000+ HTML invites to our joint

databases 200000+ page view per month of banner

ads E-Newsletter advertising reaching 80000 YouTube Twitter Facebook amp LinkedIn

Announcements Cross promotions with Electronic Design

Machine Design EEampT Power Electronics Technology Microwaves amp RF and important industry associations and events

Additional promotions from Keynote participants and exhibitors

$2500 BOOTH SPONSORSHIP

One-year of lead generation and promotion One exhibit booth (includes the ability to incorporate video document

downloads live chat and choice of design) Logo included on Microchiprsquos EDF Partner site with a link to your

booth Post unlimited assets for download from the Resource Center Marquee announcement during the Live event to drive traffic to your

booth The ability to raffle prizes or provide giveaways to attendees All registration information for attendees who visit your exhibit booth

and download your information from the Resource Center

MODULES

Exploring MPLABreg Development Tools Adding USB to your Embedded Designs Connectivity Solutions for Embedded Designs Touch Screen Sensing and Graphical Displays Touch Sensing Solutions for Keys and Sliders Smart Energy Monitoring Smart Power Conversion Designing for Power Efficiency Signal Conditioning for Embedded Applications

BECOME

A SPONSO

R

Brought to you byContact LisaNeeleymicrochipcom to reserve your booth today



MCHP Tube provides the opportunity for Students Teachers and Professors to interact with Microchip directly

Volume 1 Issue 4 Fall 2010 bull This newsletter is sponsored by Microchip Technology Inc The items contained herein are published as submitted and are provided for general information purposes only This information is not advice Readers should not rely solely on this information but should make their own inquiries before making any decisions Microchip works to maintain up-to-date information from reliable sources however no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions or results of any actions based upon this information This newsletter may contain links to web sites that are created and maintained by other organizations Microchip Technology does not necessarily endorse the views expressed on these web sites nor does it guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information presented there Information subject to change The Microchip name and logo the Microchip logo dsPIC MPLAB PIC and UNIO are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the USA and other countries HI-TECH C is a registered trademark of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the USA In-Circuit Serial Programming ICSP mTouch PICDEM PICkit and PICtail are trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the USA and other countries All other trademarks mentioned herein are property of their respective companies copy2010 Microchip Technology Inc All Rights Reserved 910 DS01301D

Interact with Microchip atldquoMCHP Tuberdquo

Click on the image above to view the 3rd episode of MCHP TubeTo view Microchiprsquos YouTube channel click HERE

Microchiprsquos Academic Program team has launched a brand new YouTube-based show called ldquoMCHP Tuberdquo MCHP Tube is an online video newscast for all things Microchip with a focus on Academia Here yoursquoll find the latest information on new products technologies and softwarehardware development tools from both Microchip and Third-party sources It will be a monthly show targeting academics worldwide and will be divided into four sections as followsHeadliners ndash we will discuss new academic-friendly development resources brought to you by Microchip and our authorized Design PartnersUniversity Student Project ndash students can submit a video featuring a student project based on Microchip productsAsk Microchip ndash viewers can ask a question and a qualified at Microchip support person will answer itWhere in the World is Marc McComb ndash Marc is Microchiprsquos academic sales engineer and in each edition will talk about new products and tools that are a good fit for academicsTo submit a video on a student project or ask a question for the ldquoAsk Microchiprdquo section email us at mchptubemicrochipcomYou can also visit wwwmicrochipcommchptube for more information on the show



Small size and good mobility ndash convenient and seamless to carry around

Low battery audio alarm ndash to inform the user that the charge level in the battery is low and needs to be changed

Vibrotactile feedback ndash to warn the user when oxygen saturation level is critically low

Normal and fast pace announcements ndash fast pace announcements allows delivering the information in shorter periods therefore giving more frequent updates of the values

Variable intervals for announcements ndash to make the device suitable for home and hospital use

Design and ImplementationDisplays on most pulse oximeters consist of three seven-segment digits Each digit can display numbers 0-9 and it is sufficient to know the state of only 5 segments to recognize a number displayed Due to similarity of the displays a power supply was used in development of the proof-of-concept (Figure 1)

The light emitted by an active segment is passed through an optic fiber to a photo sensor on a circuit board A transparent acrylic patch is used to align the optic fibers exactly above the segments which allows other people to see the display as well A similar patch directs optic fibers directly onto the photo sensors (Figure 2 and 3)

IntroductionA pulse oximeter is an indispensable piece of equipment for physiotherapists as it provides critical information about a patientrsquos vital life signs such as oxygen saturation and heart rate This data is relayed to the physiotherapist via a digital visual display which is unfortunately inaccessible to users with vision-impairmentIn the current situation a visually-impaired physiotherapist has to constantly request the information from a specially trained personal assistant The personal assistantrsquos role is to be an interface with the clinical environment and assist with for example navigation and reading and taking notes but this limits the physiotherapistrsquos independence Requesting information would also introduce unwanted time delays that could be crucial in emergency situations Therefore the aim is to enable a visually-impaired physiotherapist to work independently with a standard portable pulse oximeter through the development of an electronic display readerThis design of such an electronic aid device is based on a Microchip PIC24HJ64GP210 microcontroller and involves fiber optics for transferring light from the display to the sensors and a SD card mass storage device with audio files containing pre-synthesised speech

SpecificationThe first stage involved working collaboratively with a visually impaired physiotherapist to derive the device specifications Discussions with a visually impaired physiotherapist produced a range of user specifications as follows Auditory information output ndash speech is easy to

understand and it carries less cognitive load compared to tone or volume mapping

Miniature speaker ndash an ear piece could interfere with echolocation where as a miniature speaker placed around the neck or on the shoulder would be sufficiently loud enough for the user to hear it without disturbing others

Physical interface with recognizable states ndash this enables the user to easily recognize current mode and state of the device

Enabling a Visually Impaired Physiotherapist to Use a Portable Pulse Oximeter With a Visual DisplayBy Timur Yunusov tyunusovtheietorg University of Reading UK

Figure 1 Seven segment display of a power supply with optic fibers by an acrylic panel


























































































SPONSOR BENEFITS






Brought to you by

PROMOTION













MODULES


BECOME

A SPONSO

R


































































































SPONSOR BENEFITS






Brought to you by

PROMOTION













MODULES


BECOME

A SPONSO

R









Academic Newsletter Third Quarter 2010 - Microchip...

Documents

Transcript of Academic Newsletter Third Quarter 2010 - Microchip...