Rodeostat Firmware Guide | IO Rodeo x GOSH
New Resource: Rodeostat firmware guide ✨
We recently added new firmware documentation to the Rodeostat Product Guide. While we ship Rodeostats pre-programmed with the latest firmware, we wanted to thoroughly document the process of downloading, building and installing the latest version of the firmware for your Rodeostat from start to finish. This guide can be used as instructional material for teaching students or for anyone that wants to learn on their own.
More info about the firmware
The firmware for the Rodeostat is written in C++ and runs on the 32-bit ARM microcontroller on the Teensy 3.2 development board which is part of the Rodeostat. It provides low-level control of the device hardware - such as controlling amplifier gains, setting the output voltage during tests, reading analog inputs, and communicating with the host computer over USB. The firmware is distributed as an Arduino sketch in combination with an Arduino library and as such it can be built (compiled) and uploaded (to the hardware) using the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment).
The Firmware Guide actually has 4 detailed step-by-step tutorials with images for visual guidance:
- Installing the Arduino IDE: These instructions cover how to download and install the Arduino IDE
- Adding support for Teensy: In the next step, learn to use the Boards Manager to add support for the Teensy series development boards
- Downloading the Rodeostat firmware: This step covers how to download the latest firmware for the Rodeostat
- Building and uploading the firmware: Finally, learn how to build the firmware using the Arduino IDE and upload the firmware to the Teensy 3.2 on the Rodeostat
Check out the full Firmware Guide at the link below:
Note on Rodeostat Stock
Due to continued supply issues with the Teensy 3.2 development board, Rodeostats are currently out of stock. However, we have developed a new variant that uses the Adafruit ItsyBitsy M4 Express board as described in a previous newsletter:
We expect to have these new Rodeostat M4 boards in stock in the next 1-2 weeks. If you would like an email notification once we have them in stock at the online store, sign-up using the form below so we can prioritize you!
We are excited to be presenting at February's GOSH Community Call! Registration is open to everyone and is free to attend. We will be talking about our experiences running an open hardware science business, followed by a Q&A!
If you're not already familiar with GOSH, checkout our Spotlight newsletter from last year.
And don't forget to register below ⬇️