This modular Linkbot has an Atmel MCU under the hood

The Linkbot – designed by the Barobo crew – is a modular robot platform powered by Atmel’s ATmega128RFA1 (running at 16MHz) that boasts 100oz-in (7.2 Kg-cm) of torque and a free-run speed of 300 deg/sec.

“[The ‘bot] integrates an 8-bit AVR microcontroller (MCU) with an 802.15.4-compliant and ZigBee-capable radio transceiver operating in the 2.4GHz band,” the Linkbot crew explained in a recent Kickstarter post. “Out of the box, it communicates at 250kbps over the air, but with custom firmware you can enable speeds of up to 2Mbps for an 8X increase in throughput.”

So what sets the Linkbot apart from other robotic platforms? Well, for one, it is a fully functional individual ‘bot that can be switched on and used right out of the box. Perhaps most importantly, the Linkbot offers an almost unlimited capability to expand, as it is equipped with three mounting surfaces to attach additional modules or accessories which can be designed and manufactured on a 3D printer.

Indeed, SnapConnectors can be used to easily snap-on accessories such as wheels, a gripper, a camera mount and more. And yes, there is also a #6-32 bolt pattern on each mounting surface, allowing Makers and modders to attach virtually anything to the Linkbot.

Additional key hardware specs? A multi-color (RGB) LED, three -axis accelerometer, buzzer, RJ11 (6P4C) expansion connector, 3x buttons, micro-USB connector, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, high torque weight ratio motors and a polycarbonate shell.

On the software side, the Linkbot offers absolute encoding for precise control of the ‘bot, along with a graphical interface (BaroboLink) that allows Makers and modders to run programs, actuate motors and read sensors on a PC. Essentially, BaroboLink converts PoseTeaching into Python and C/C++ code.

“The Linkbot communications protocol has been implemented as a cross-platform C library which includes functions to connect, move, and get data from robots. The library is able to communicate with any module over USB,” the Linkbot crew noted.

“Linkbot can also be used as a dongle to wirelessly communicate with other modules. The C library is compatible with SWIG, which may be used to generate wrapper libraries in a variety of different languages, including Java, C#, and Python.”

There are also a number of “built in” modes for the ‘bot, such as BumpConnect which allows Linkbots to connect to each other wirelessly without having to connect to a PC, along with TiltDrive which converts one Linkbot into a remote control.

CopyCat allows users to control a single Linkbot by rotating the hubs of another, while PoseTeach makes it possible for Makers to program complex robot motions with their hands instead of using a keyboard.

Linkbot has thus far raised $13,532 of a $40,000 goal with 20 days to go. Additional information can be found here on the official Kickstarter page.

Getting back to basics with Atmel and the Maker movement

Upgrading or building a PC from scratch was certainly an adventure before the days of plug and play. Now I’m not saying you needed a soldering gun to upgrade your video card, although I did know plenty of people who would break one out at the drop of a hat (or screw), even if it wasn’t strictly necessary.

Still, there was plenty of blood, sweat, and yes, sometimes even tears if you wanted to install a new hard drive (go MFM!), memory, and in later years, a sound card paired with a 2x CD-ROM. Manually setting DMAs and IRQs was routine, and the same could be said for endlessly tweaking other BIOS settings. Make no mistake, building or upgrading a PC back in those days was somewhat time consuming, taking hours and sometimes days, especially if the new hardware was faulty or didn’t play nice with your older (or legacy) components.

Fast forward to 2013. I’m writing this article on a laptop which took all of 5 minutes to configure. Am I nostalgic for the old days? Why yes, yes, I am. And I say this without any hesitation whatsoever, even though there were many days when I pulled my hair out back in the 90’s because I couldn’t get the darn PC to work right.

I was just a young kid then, wanting to play the latest titles like Sim City, Monkey Island and Starflight II, so any delay in getting things up and running meant less gaming time, something I was desperate to avoid, even though I was playing on a massive VGA monitor that probably consumed as much power as the WOPR.

Despite all the rather obvious shortcomings of a time before plug and play, I really enjoyed building something from scratch, as well as working with both hardware and software on a more visceral level. Sound familiar? Well, it should, because that is exactly what today’s growing Maker Movement is all about – getting back to basics with electronic DIY components like Arduino boards which are powered by Atmel microcontrollers.

While it is practically impossible to list all the devices showcased at the recent Bay Area Maker Faire with Atmel silicon under the hood, a quick glance at the exhibitor list reveals a plethora of projects powered by our microcontrollers, including drones, electric vehicles, numerous robots and even mini space satellites.

On display at the Atmel booth was the Maker Bot 3D printer, the Puzzlebox Orbit, Marshmallow Crossbow, Hexbugs and Faraday bike – all fitted with Atmel MCUs. There are also a number of noteworthy Atmel-based hacks and mods we’ve highlighted on both the hardware and software side in recent weeks on Bits and Pieces, including the ShuttAVR, KLBasic, running a GUI window manager on the ATMega1284p microcontroller, the Uzebox and lots more.

So yes, I think it is pretty safe to say that the DIY Maker movement has come full circle in recent years and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon – as technology becomes more and more accessible for the masses. We at Atmel are proud to be at the forefront of such a democratizing movement that will undoubtedly help shape the next generation of engineers, hackers, modders and do-it-yourselfers.

KLBasic for Atmel AVR MCUs

Like many of you, I have fond memories of BASIC, a nifty acronym for Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. Back in the early 90’s I wrote a couple of RPG fantasy text games in the language on my (286) PC, complete with color changes (on a black background) and rudimentary speaker beeps. Ah, those were certainly the good old days, well, at least for me.

But I digress. Yes, BASIC has been around for a long time and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere due to its rather obvious nostalgia factor. Recent versions (and there are many) include QB64, Bywater BASIC, Gambas, FreeBASIC, PureBasic, Power BASIC, RealBasic, True BASIC, Quite BASIC, Small Basic, RFO BASIC and Mintoris Basic.

Unsurprisingly, there is even an iteration of the wildly popular language – dubbed KLBasic and written in C – for Atmel AVR microcontrollers.

“My BASIC is a C rewrite of Gordon Doughman’s assembly language program. When I started work on KLBasic, I was trying to solve what I saw as a long-standing problem. I did not have a target-resident tool for working with MCUs that provided immediate feedback and interaction with the low-level parts of the device,” explained KLBASIC creator Karl Lunt.

“There are variants of Forth, of course, and I have done some work with amforth for the AVRs. Very much low-level, but I also wanted a tool that was friendly for beginners, and Forth can have a steep learning curve. Frankly, I have very fond memories of tools from decades ago, such as TinyBasic, Radio Shack’s TRS-80 Model 100, and QuickBasic. Those tools started my interest in microcontrollers, which has not slackened yet. Perhaps KLBasic or some variant of it will inspire a new generation of kids to get started with MCUs.”

According to Lunt, the goal of KLBASIC is to hand the community the source code for a working, target-resident interpreter/compiler for a simple language. Lunt also said he hopes others will build on his work, taking the design in new directions and adding new features along with improvements.

Interested? You can find the source files for the core (target-independent) routines here and the source files for AVR target implementation here.

Oh, and yes, you may also want to check out this Arduino-BASIC interpreter created by Usmar A. Padow, which includes an LCD, (PS/2) keyboard and SD card.

Atmel’s SAM4L ARM MCU tech powers game controllers

Atmel’s SAM4L ARM-based microcontroller lineup redefines the MCU power benchmark, delivering the lowest power in both active (90µA/MHz) and sleep modes – 1.5µA with full random access memory (RAM) retention and 700nA in back-up mode.

Simply put, the SAM4L lineup is the most efficient MCU tech available today, achieving up to 28 CoreMark/mA (using the IAR Embedded Workbench), while also offering the industry’s shortest wake-up time at 1.5µs from deep-sleep mode.

The SAM4L is targeted at a wide variety of portable and battery-powered consumer, industrial and medical applications.

However, the MCU lineup can also be used to power next-gen game controllers, along with related Atmel tech like the AT24C/AT25/AT93C serial EEPROM and ATR2406 RF transceiver.

On the software side, designers can look forward to an extensive ecosystem from Atmel and its partners, with an integrated development environment (IDE) and compiler (Studio 6 is free and integrated), along with multiple libraries.

And last, but certainly not least, there are also production-ready software packages available for drivers, software services and libraries. Interested? Additional information can be found on Atmel’s SAM4L MCU page here.

Keep the FCC happy with Atmel’s ZigBit modules

So the other day my pal Dave Mathis calls me up to talk about how some people don’t seem to understand the FCC requirements on certain wireless chips. See, a lot of people hear “unlicensed” ISM (industrial scientific and medical) bands and think that means “unregulated.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. What “unlicensed” means is that the end user does not have to register your wireless device to use it. But the FCC does put power level restrictions and harmonic spur requirements on your gizmo. And it is not just for the radio, it is for the whole system including the power supply. So if you have some sloppy switching power supply churning out interference, you will fail your FCC certification, even if you use a wonderful Atmel wireless chip for the radio.

Selling uncertified wireless gear can get you in trouble. The FCC puts a $10,000 fine per gizmo on infringers. That adds up pretty quick. Now it seems like the FCC is ignoring a lot of the wireless systems coming into the country without certification. And you are welcome to take your chances just slapping a chip on a board and hoping you would pass if you ever go to get certified.

Dave tells me the testing costs about $10,000, so it is not cheap. But if you want to be sure you are squeaky clean and legal, just buy a pre-built module. Atmel makes them under the name ZigBit. They are pre-certified so you can sell them without worrying about the FCC busting you. You get an MCU, the radio and power and everything you need for low-volume wireless systems – all in a well-built and tested module.

The ARM-Atmel Churchill Club connection

Early this morning, journalists, analysts and industry watchers gathered at the Churchill Club in San Francisco to discuss cross-industry collaboration between ARM and its extensive network of partners.

Collaboration is often easier to talk about than achieve in Silicon Valley, yet ARM has been incredibly successful with its licensing model, generating an ecosystem that spans multiple industries and spaces – including the incredibly lucrative mobile market.

“ARM is in a fantastic state of health. Of course there are lots of challenges ahead, but we are confident our open partnership model is the way forward,” said incoming CEO Simon Segars.

“We have always thrived on a culture of collaboration from the very beginning, an attitude which has only increased with the rise of the Internet and social networking.”

Segars also noted that ARM had begun as a small start-up in a converted farmhouse with a limited budget.

“From the start, we knew we couldn’t do everything ourselves, and needed partners to make it work,” he said. “So we have always worked very closely with people from various industries.”

Clearly, ARM’s strategy has paid off over the years, as the Cambridge-based company has built up an impressive portfolio of collaborative IP projects with a number of industry heavyweights.

One example of close collaboration with ARM is the use of the company’s architecture in a number of Atmel microcontrollers, including the recently launched SAM4E and SAMA5D3.

As previously discussed on Bits and Pieces, the SAM4E is based on ARM’s high-performance 32-bit Cortex-M4 RISC processor with a floating point unit (FPU). It runs at a maximum speed of 120MHz and features up to 1024KB of Flash, 2KB of cache memory and up to 128KB of SRAM. Meanwhile, the SAMA5D3 is built around ARM’s Cortex-A5 processor, operating at up to 536MHz (850DMIPS) at under 200mW.

There are obviously many more examples of collaboration between Atmel and ARM which can be found here.

Let your Atmel SAM4L MCU do SleepWalking

Like several other Atmel core microprocessor devices, the new SAM4L ARM Cortex-M4 based MCU supports SleepWalking. This is a state where you can service interrupts and measure or test outside events while keeping the CPU core in a low-power sleep state.

• Unnecessary wake-ups are one of the main events that cause excessive power consumption. An interrupt wakes the entire system up to check a trivial condition. In most cases the system goes directly back to sleep again. Having the CPU wake to check these repetitive events uses a lot of power. A monitoring example shows how you can use SleepWalking to reduce the power consumption of your system.

The SAM4L series integrates Atmel’s proprietary picoPower® technology

Say you are monitoring a temperature sensor. If the value exceeds a threshold, your program should take an action such as turning on the air conditioning. Using a traditional approach, an interrupt would wake the system and the core at regular intervals to check the temperature. Very often the temperature is below the threshold and the program takes no action other than servicing the interrupt. The wake-up was unnecessary. In our case, the system would wake up over and over during winter and the threshold will rarely be exceeded. That means a lot of wasted MCU power. With SleepWalking you set the measurement and testing at the peripheral level. Only when the event is qualified will the rest of the system wake-up.

That is what Atmel calls intelligent peripherals. There is a nice video that shows the SleepWalking concept.

Intelligent MCUs for Low Power Designs

By Florence Chao, Senior Field Marketing Manager, MCU Business Development

Industrial and consumer devices using ARM® Cortex®-M4

Blood glucose meters, sport watches, game controllers and accessories, guess what they all have in common. Yes, like a lot of other industrial and consumer devices, they run on batteries and demand long or extended battery life. As an engineer, this translates into a key challenge when designing an embedded computing system. You need a central heart—in this case a microcontroller—that consumes as little power as possible in both active and static modes yet doesn’t sacrifice performance.  The Atmel® SAM4L ARM® Cortex®-M4 based series is designed with this in mind.

The SAM4L microcontroller redefines low power, delivering the lowest power consumption in its class in active mode (90uZ/MHz) as well as in static mode with full RAM retention running. It also delivers the shortest wake-up time (1.5us). At the same time, this is the most efficient microcontroller available today, achieving up to 28 CoreMark/mA.

The SAM4L series integrates Atmel’s proprietary picoPower® technology

The SAM4L series integrates Atmel’s proprietary picoPower® technology, which ensures the devices are developed from the ground up—from transistor design to clocking options—to consume as little power as possible. In addition, Atmel Sleepwalking technology allows the peripherals to make intelligent decisions and wake up the system upon qualifying events at the peripheral level.

In this video, you will see how the SAM4L microcontroller supports multiple power configurations to allow the engineer to optimize its power consumption in different use cases. You will also see another good feature of the SAM4L series, Power Scaling, which is a technique to adjust the internal regulator output voltage to further reduce power consumption provided by the integrated Backup Power Manager Module. In addition, the SAM4L series comes with two regulator options to supply system power based on the application requirement. While the buck/switching regulator delivers much higher efficiency and is operational from 2 to 3.6V. The linear regulator has higher noise immunity and operates from 1.68 to 3.6V.

The Atmel® SAM4L ARM® Cortex®-M4 based Microcontroller

It’s all about system intelligence and conserving energy. Simply put, the SAM4L microcontroller is your choice if you are designing a product that requires long battery life but you don’t want to sacrifice performance.  To get started, learn more about Atmel SAM4L Xplained Pro Evaluation and Starter Kits.

SleepWalking Helps Conserve Energy

Imagine you are the sole care-provider for a household full of babies all under the age of 3.  Each and every single one of them requires you to tend their needs and desires.  From feeding to going to the bathroom, from burping to changing their diapers, from bathing to putting them to nap/sleep to keeping them entertained, you are needed every single step of the way.  Isn’t that just exhausting?  Fast forward by a decade when they are grow to become teenagers – autonomy and self-sufficiency – in which they can all satisfy their own basic needs without your help, unless it’s an urgent matter.  Now you have much more free time to read a book, surf the net, get a job, or take a nap.

In essence, this is what SleepWalking is all about in the realm of an Atmel MCU.  Traditionally a technology found in the AVR architecture only, it is now incorporated into the ARM architecture as well.  It is a feature that extends the concept of autonomous peripherals (babies) that operate independently of the CPU core (a parent or care-provider) during active mode, to actually keeping the peripherals functional when the system clock has been stopped. This is achieved by clocking the peripherals using the real‐time clock (RTC), instead of the system clock.

In the SAM4L, SleepWalking has been integrated into many of the peripherals, including the analog comparator, the ADC, the I2C, UART and the capacitive touch interface. It is then the peripheral that decides whether to wake the system, instead of the CPU waking periodically to carry out an interrupt service routine.  With this feature, the need to wake the CPU reduces significantly thus allowing it to stay inactive for longer and more frequent and thereby conserving more energy.

For more information, check out this video for a more detailed explanation on SleepWalking.  Please note: despite the AVR UC3 being used as an example in the video, the underlying fundamentals of how SleepWalking works and its benefits are the same as in the ARM SAM4L.

What’s new in Atmel’s ARM MCU? picoPower!!

The SAM4L it is the first ARM device to feature Atmel’s picoPower technology, and takes low power to a new level.   There are many different characteristics that make a low power device; foremost it is the active power, the wake-up time and sleep mode power consumption. For the SAM4L, this can go down to 90 µA/MHz in active, down to 700 nA in sleep mode and down to 1.5 µs wake-up. Additionally the Cortex-M4 and Atmel’s fast flash technology allows your application to spend a shorter amount of time in active and spend more time in low power modes. All of this significantly reduces the total power consumption for your application.

Atmel SAM4L MCUs redefine the power benchmark, delivering the lowest power in both active (90uA/MHz) and sleep
modes (1.5uA with full random access memory (RAM) retention and 700nA in backup mode). They are the most efficient
MCUs available today, achieving up to 28 CoreMark™/mA using the IAR Embedded Workbench, version 6.40.

Check out this video for more information about picoPower in the SAM4L.  Also, please be sure to follow us on this blog to learn more on how these ARM devices become so power conscious and other neat application tutorials.  Or share, collaborate, and innovate with the other tens of thousands of engineers/builders in the vibrant AT91 community.