3...2...1...Liftoff

Hello, and Welcome to the start of the In-depth Intro to Electronics and Embedded Controls using the MSP430 Launchpad, undertaken as part of RCOS at RPI. It is our goal to bring an open-source collection of beginner-friendly educational resources and software libraries to those uninitiated in programming, electronics, or both. Our microcontroller of choice is the TI MSP430 series, specifically using the ridiculously affordable Launchpad Development Board. Arduino is the dominant force in the hobbyist electronics community, so we thought it would be refreshing to introduce people to embedded electronics with these nifty little controllers. The MSP offers quite a different skill set compared to the AVR chips in the Arduino, skills that we hope to highlight through traditional electronics projects as well as projects that let the MSP shine. Finally, the other part of our project which this writer is stoked for is an introduction to general circuit and electronics theory. I am always stunned when I see people able to build robots and helicopters with what seems like only basic conceptual knowledge of how their circuits are operating. Our goal is to help instill this conceptual knowledge, and extend this to theoretical knowledge to show people the wonderful world of electrical engineering. We will discuss all these things and more, through this blog, through the RCOS website, as well as a wiki that we have in the works, so stay tuned for this and more.