Tag Archives: open source projects

Using the FRDM-KL25Z as USB Keyboard

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I miss my old DELL laptop. Ok, the new one I received from IT services is not bad. It is faster and has a better screen. But I’m not really happy with the new keyboard. With the previous keyboard I was able to do a ‘PrtnScrn’ with a single key press. With the new one I need to press Fn + PrntScrn. And this is impossible to do with one hand:

Impossible to reach Prnt Scrn

Impossible to reach Fn+Prnt Scrn with one hand!

Yes, I have two hands ;-). But many times I need to do ‘print screen’ while having my other hand on the mouse :-(.What else can I do?

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Using the HC-06 Bluetooth Module

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After my first post using a Bluetooth module, things have evolved a bit. The challenge with these Bluetooth modules is: they look the same, but having different firmware. I did not fully realize that until I have ordered another bluetooth module from dx.com:

DX.com Bluetooth Module (HC-06)

DX.com Bluetooth Module (HC-06)

That module comes already on a carrier, so I assumed I can use the same driver as for my other module. I was wrong :-(.

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Tutorial: Arduino Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield – Part 2: Timed Servo Moves

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You have decided: More than 52% voted in Part 1 that the next topic should be Timed Servo Moves. So here we go :-).

This is about how to move the servos over time, instead of moving it to the given position as fast as possible. I’m using a linear approach here: moving the servos linearly over time.

Moving Servo Motors

Moving Servo Motors

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Tutorial: Arduino Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield – Part 1: Servos

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This post starts a small (or larger?) series of tutorials using the Arduino Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield with the FRDM-KL25Z board. That motor shield is probably one of the most versatile on the market, and features 2 servo and 4 motor connectors for DC or stepper motors. That makes it a great shield for any robotic project :-).

Arduino Motor Stepper Servo Shield with FRDM-KL25Z

Arduino Motor Stepper Servo Shield with FRDM-KL25Z

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How to use MCUonEclipse GitHub without Git

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Not everyone is familiar with Git, and not everyone wants to use it. Although I think using Git or SVN is something every software engineer today needs to master 😉 To make it easier for the ‘non-Gitter’ to use the Processor Expert components, they are available now as *.PEupd files as described here. However, the *.PEupd files are just a snapshot, and not the latest and greatest. So how to use the latest component sources and example projects without Git?

gits in a box

gits in a box

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CMSIS-DAP with IAR and the KL25Z Freedom Board

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Beside of USBDM, there is another Open Source implementation of a debug interface for the Freedom Board OpenSDA: CMSIS-DAP.

CMSIS-DAP stands for ‘Cortex Microcontroller Software Interface Standard – Debug Access Port’) has been published by ARM Inc. With this, there is an open source alternative to proprietary implementation (e.g. P&E OpenSDA or Segger OpenSDA).
Beside of the ARM MDK IDE, CMSIS-DAP is supported by Coocox and IAR. And IAR is what I’m using in this post.

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USBDM 4.10.5 supports now MCU10.4

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Wow, that was fast! The SourceForge USBDM project has added support for MCU10.4 (see as well this post) in release 4.10.5 available here, announced in the Freescale Forum.

USBDM 4.10.5 Installer

USBDM 4.10.5 Installer

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Serial Bootloader for the Freedom Board with Processor Expert

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Bootloaders are a very useful thing: it allows programming an application file without a debugger. This makes it ideal for upgrading a system in the field.

Usually, there are application notes and examples from silicon vendors available. But typically they are for a certain microcontroller, and hard to change it to another system without a lot knowledge about its implementation. What I need for a project based on the FRDM-KL25Z is a bootloader which shall be small and portable. As I’m using Processor Expert to keep my applications portable across different microcontroller families: why not create a bootloader with Processor Expert components?  With the Processor Expert drivers available, things can get a lot simpler compared to the ‘traditional’ approach. With less than 10 KByte footprint?

Serial Bootloader made with Processor Expert

Serial Bootloader made with Processor Expert

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USB CDC with the FRDM-K20D50M

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Good news for everyone owning the FRDM-K20D50M board: I have extended the FSL_USB_Stack with USB CDC device class support for the K20D50M :-).

USB CDC Test Application with the FRDM-K20D50M

USB CDC Test Application with the FRDM-K20D50M

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