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AC_Hacker · 02-08-13, 06:57 PM

I have decided to go with the Teensy++ 2.0 because:

They are well made
They are small
They are inexpensive ($24)
They use the Arduino Development Environment
They are compatible with the world of Arduino libraries
They have an Analog-to-Digital input (actually eight)
They have a PWM output (actually six)
I know the guy who makes them (PJ), so I can ask him in person for help
I already have one in my Geek Box

So, the Teensy comes just as in the photo above. Wires can be soldered right to the board, for experimenting, but there is much more flexibility if header pins or sockets are added to the board, which will then fit perfectly into an experimenter's bread board. I have already tried an actual bread board to align the pins and I melted the plastic (sigh).

Here is a row of header pins. These can be purchased from any electronics supply house, sometimes even Radio Shack.

It's necessary to use just a little bit of care when soldering the pins, else they won't line up perfectly with the bread board. If you use a piece of experimenter's perf board, to align the pins, they will be in good shape.

Here's the Teensy with the header pins perfectly soldered to their thru-holes.

I just happen to have a microscope lying about, so I examined my soldering job.

Upon inspection, they're not all so good...

The flaws don't look so very bad, but they are indicative of insufficient heat and bad flow. Could cause hard-to-find problems down the road. A couple of touches with the soldering iron, and re-inspection, and I'm ready for the next step. [NOTE: if you'd prefer to avoid soldering on the pins, the Teensy is also available with pins already soldered on]

The next step is to go to the Arduino Download Page and download the latest stable (no betas for me, thank you) IDE (AKA: Integrated Development Environment).

For me that would be the one for Windows...

The Arduino IDE is about 91 Mega Bytes, so depending on your bandwidth, it could take a while...

This gets installed before the Teensy programs. It doesn't seem to spread itself out all over your computer like other programs, so wherre you install it is wherre it will run from. Remember where it is installed, because you'll need to find this folder again when the Teensyduino add-on files get installed.

Also required is the Teensyduino, which is an add-on to the Arduino IDE.
So I download the Teensyduino add-on... again, in my case, it is for Windows.

...this file is about 22 Mega Bytes, so it'll take a while, also. Install this after the Arduino IDE has been installed. You'll need to install them in the same folder that contains your Arduino IDE.

Next to get is the Teensy loader, which gives you a convenient way to load and try different programs.

... this one is pretty small and is quick to download. It just runs from it's location... no formal install.

Last, is a small file, LED Blink, Both Slow & Fast that actually contains two hex files, "blink_fast.hex" and "blink_slow.hext" that are test files that you can load and run to verify that your Teensy & the Integrated Development Environment is all working as it should be.

So that concludes acquiring and setting up the Development Environment for not only regular Arduino du jour but also the nifty thrifty Teensy.

Now the programming begins, and this is the part I may need some help on.

Best,

-AC

02-08-13, 06:57 PM	#27
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	I have decided to go with the Teensy++ 2.0 because: They are well made They are small They are inexpensive ($24) They use the Arduino Development Environment They are compatible with the world of Arduino libraries They have an Analog-to-Digital input (actually eight) They have a PWM output (actually six) I know the guy who makes them (PJ), so I can ask him in person for help I already have one in my Geek Box So, the Teensy comes just as in the photo above. Wires can be soldered right to the board, for experimenting, but there is much more flexibility if header pins or sockets are added to the board, which will then fit perfectly into an experimenter's bread board. I have already tried an actual bread board to align the pins and I melted the plastic (sigh). Here is a row of header pins. These can be purchased from any electronics supply house, sometimes even Radio Shack. It's necessary to use just a little bit of care when soldering the pins, else they won't line up perfectly with the bread board. If you use a piece of experimenter's perf board, to align the pins, they will be in good shape. Here's the Teensy with the header pins perfectly soldered to their thru-holes. I just happen to have a microscope lying about, so I examined my soldering job. Upon inspection, they're not all so good... The flaws don't look so very bad, but they are indicative of insufficient heat and bad flow. Could cause hard-to-find problems down the road. A couple of touches with the soldering iron, and re-inspection, and I'm ready for the next step. [NOTE: if you'd prefer to avoid soldering on the pins, the Teensy is also available with pins already soldered on] The next step is to go to the Arduino Download Page and download the latest stable (no betas for me, thank you) IDE (AKA: Integrated Development Environment). For me that would be the one for Windows... The Arduino IDE is about 91 Mega Bytes, so depending on your bandwidth, it could take a while... This gets installed before the Teensy programs. It doesn't seem to spread itself out all over your computer like other programs, so wherre you install it is wherre it will run from. Remember where it is installed, because you'll need to find this folder again when the Teensyduino add-on files get installed. Also required is the Teensyduino, which is an add-on to the Arduino IDE. So I download the Teensyduino add-on... again, in my case, it is for Windows. ...this file is about 22 Mega Bytes, so it'll take a while, also. Install this after the Arduino IDE has been installed. You'll need to install them in the same folder that contains your Arduino IDE. Next to get is the Teensy loader, which gives you a convenient way to load and try different programs. ... this one is pretty small and is quick to download. It just runs from it's location... no formal install. Last, is a small file, LED Blink, Both Slow & Fast that actually contains two hex files, "blink_fast.hex" and "blink_slow.hext" that are test files that you can load and run to verify that your Teensy & the Integrated Development Environment is all working as it should be. So that concludes acquiring and setting up the Development Environment for not only regular Arduino du jour but also the nifty thrifty Teensy. Now the programming begins, and this is the part I may need some help on. Best, -AC Attached Images __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker... Last edited by AC_Hacker; 02-08-13 at 07:09 PM..