MicroTweet 2

Back in 2011 I released a Twitter OAuth API client library for the .NET Micro Framework called MicroTweet. Here’s the original blog post about it.

A lot has changed since then: most notably, Twitter deprecated and disabled their v1.0 API and started enforcing the use of SSL connections to access API endpoints. These changes meant that the original MicroTweet library hasn’t worked for quite some time (sorry!).

After receiving my Netduino 3 Wi-Fi (which features built-in SSL support) I thought it might be interesting to revisit this library and update it to work with Twitter’s new API requirements.

The result is MicroTweet 2 — now available on GitHub and as a binary package on NuGet.

In this post I’ll go over some of the changes to the library and its development process.

Continue reading MicroTweet 2

Initial Thoughts: Raspberry Pi 2 and Windows IoT Core

Over the past week I’ve been taking a look at Windows IoT Core running on a Raspberry Pi 2. Windows IoT Core is a powerful new operating system from Microsoft that currently runs on the ARM-based Raspberry Pi 2 and the Intel-powered, x86-based MinnowBoard Max.

Until now, the Raspberry Pi has mostly run a collection of Linux-based operating systems. Microsoft, as part of their recent push into the IoT market, is looking to change this by releasing a version of Windows that runs on these more resource-constrained devices. The result is Windows IoT Core, a surprisingly strong first step into a segment previously dominated by Linux.

In this post I’ll be taking a look at the Raspberry Pi 2’s hardware, followed by an overview of Windows IoT Core. At the end I’ll show a sample project that integrates with and enables the use of Netduino Go modules with this new platform.

Continue reading Initial Thoughts: Raspberry Pi 2 and Windows IoT Core

Seven Segment Display Driver Updated

Netduino 3 Wi-Fi
I’ve just posted an update to the Seven Segment Display driver, bringing it to version 1.1.0. This update brings support for the .NET Micro Framework v4.3 and the newly-released Netduino 3 Wi-Fi. It also contains a few bug fixes and adds XML comments for each of the driver’s public members.
You can download the latest version of the driver and its source code here: Komodex Labs – Downloads.
I’ve also posted some initial thoughts on the new Netduino 3 Wi-Fi on my personal blog here. Additionally, I wrote a separate post about an alternate GoBus library I developed here.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or issues. Enjoy!

GoBus: An Alternate Approach

When I first received the new Netduino 3 Wi-Fi I was very eager to test its GoBus functionality. There was one problem, though: the firmware it was running didn’t include the library needed for GoBus to work.

This gave me a chance to reimagine how GoBus could be implemented. I started thinking about a new, more flexible architecture that enabled complete customization while still remaining simple and easy-to-use.

I ended up implementing these ideas in an experimental GoBus library that, for the moment, I’m calling GoBusExperimental. (Catchy, I know.)

In this post I’ll start by going over my goals and some of the implementation details. If you’re just here for the cool pictures and experiments (I can’t blame you!) scroll down to the Customization section to see some of the things this library enables.

It’s important to note that everything in this library should be considered experimental. I haven’t spent much time implementing and organizing/thinking about this approach and it definitely shouldn’t be considered “final” in any way. I’m definitely open to hear suggestions for changes and improvements as well.

Continue reading GoBus: An Alternate Approach

Netduino 3 Wi-Fi Review

Two new Netduinos were announced today: the Netduino 3 Wi-Fi and the Netduino 3 Ethernet! The Wi-Fi version ships today, and the Ethernet version is scheduled to ship in late June now shipping! You can view Chris Walker’s announcement post on the Netduino forums here.

Update, August 8, 2015: The Netduino 3 Ethernet is now shipping (forum thread here). Also available is the Netduino 3 (base model, no networking). The forum thread for the base Netduino 3 is here.

I’ve been testing the Netduino 3 Wi-Fi for the past few weeks and I can easily say it’s the best Netduino hardware ever released. This board is awesome.

There are two huge differences with this model compared to the previous Netduino Plus 2: the Ethernet port has been replaced with Wi-Fi (2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n via TI’s CC3100) and three GoBus ports have been added along the right edge of the board. Even with these additions the board is still very small — only about half an inch wider than the NP2.

With the Netduino 3 Wi-Fi you get everything you’ve come to expect from a Netduino: most notably, beautifully crafted hardware with features to match.

Continue reading Netduino 3 Wi-Fi Review

A Developer's Introduction to GoBus

Update: Preliminary details about GoBus v1.5 have been released on the Netduino Forums. The following information still applies to the original GoBus implementation that currently exists on Netduino Go and its modules.
Hello, and welcome to the Komodex Blog!
This is the first of a series of blog posts I have planned that will cover a few different electronics subjects, most of which will be related to building modules for the Netduino Go.
Since this is a relatively new platform, I thought a good place to start would be an introduction to Netduino Go from a developer’s perspective, including an overview of how go!bus actually works.  The information in this post has been gathered from both my own development efforts and the Netduino Community (including the Netduino Forums and Wiki).
Continue reading A Developer's Introduction to GoBus

MicroTweet for the .NET Micro Framework

Update April 14, 2011: This project is now on CodePlex: MicroTweet – Twitter OAuth API Library for the .NET Micro Framework

I recently purchased a Netduino Plus, a small (but powerful) board based on an Atmel 32-bit microprocessor with the same form factor as an Arduino. The Netduino can run programs written in C# for the .NET Micro Framework and the “Plus” version adds a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port, giving you a very powerful network-capable device for about $59 USD.

What can you do with it? Quite a lot, actually, as seen in the Project Showcase section of the Netduino Forums. You have access to network sockets via System.Net.Sockets, you can perform HTTP requests via System.Http, and there are even a few lightweight web server implementations available.

The only thing I couldn’t find is a library for Twitter. Looking around, I found a project called Tweet Library for Arduino, which sends tweets through an external website, presumably to avoid implementing OAuth on the Arduino. For this project, I decided to make the Netduino communicate with Twitter’s API directly, which means no external websites or proxies are necessary.
Continue reading MicroTweet for the .NET Micro Framework