2002june02 basicstamp large adj01

What's A Microcontroller?

By tekkninja

  • I Started to Consider Ideas for my Project

    I Started to Consider Ideas for my Project
    My favorite idea was to build a computer that would run Windows 8. Other ideas I had were:
    Writing a song
    and
    Making an app for a mobile device Pictured: The Windows 8 Start Screen (Formerly known as the Metro UI)

  • My Computer Building Idea is Thrown Out

    My Computer Building Idea is Thrown Out
    My father and one of his friends convinced me to learn how to program in PBASIC, instead of building a computer. Pictured: Source code.

  • I Started to Learn How to Program

    I Started to Learn How to Program
    My dad and one of his friends got me started at programming in PBASIC, with a BASIC Stamp microcontroller. Pictured: The book that I used to learn to program in PBASIC.

  • I learned some basic programming.

    I learned some basic programming.
    The most important things that I learned were:
    How to use the Debug Terminal
    The basic syntax of the programs
    and
    How to run a program Pictured: A screenshot of the BASIC Stamp editing software.

  • I Experimented With LEDs

    I Experimented With LEDs
    Using my microcontroller and my editing software, I created a program to make a series of different LEDs blink for various amounts of time. Pictured: Some LED lights, very simaler to the ones that I used.

  • I decided to learn to program a song.

    I decided to learn to program a song.
    After carefull consideration, I decided to program the microcontroller to play "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa, as arranged by Alan Small. Pictured: The sheet music of the arrangement I used.

  • I actually programmed the song.

    I actually programmed the song.
    I used the simple "FREQOUT" command to program this music. There were more complicated ways to program this song, but I chose "FREQOUT" because of the ease at which I could program chords. Pictured: The approximately 300 lines of source code that makes up my program that makes the microcontroller play "The Stars and Stripes Forever".

  • I started to prepare my presentation.

    I started to prepare my presentation.
    I decided to make a PowerPoint entitled "What's a Microcontroller," because I thought that this would be a good name for it. ("What's a Microcontroller" is also the title of the book from which I learned most of the programming content.) Pictured: The title slide for my PowerPoint presentation, "What's a Microcontroller?"

  • I Started to Practice my Presentation.

    I Started to Practice my Presentation.
    I started to practice giving my presentation. To get good presentation techniques, I watched Steve Jobs' Keynotes with which he introduced famous and successful products like the iPhone. Pictured: Steve Jobs giving a presentation. His famous phrase, "One more thing...," appears in the background.

  • Projected Presentation Date.

    Projected Presentation Date.
    When I presented, I first showed my timeline, then my PowerPoint, along with my handouts and song. Pictured: A calendar.