Purchasing question for the MMA9559L Cube Accelerometer

[p_h_]

Hello to everyone,

I am not a big expert when it comes to electronics, but I was hoping whether there could be some help.

I saw the video with the MMA9559L cube accelerometer, where by tilting it, we get different colors. My question is whether I can purchase one or more of these such that:

(1) when the cube is not moving, the colors should be still, not blinking, and

(2) if it is possible to get a predefined color selection (no need to add new colors, just need to change the orientation order of the provided colors).

Many thanks

Peter

[anthonyduhamel]

Hi Peter,

You can get more information on the MMA9559L Kube Demo at Accelerometer Kube Demo|NXP .

We provide the CodeWarrior project. So you would be able to customize with the color you want.

Please download the project and take a look at the kube.c file. This describes the high level operation of the Kube. As it is well commented, I suggest you to modify the section between line n°126 and the end of the file.

The picture below will help you to understand the basic functions of the MMA9559.

Have a good day!

Anthony

[p_h_]

Hi Anthony,

Many thank you for a wonderful reply! :-)

So to sum things up, I will need:

1. The MMA9559LKUBE.

2. A BDM connector (that connects the accelerometer to the PC - is this provided?)

3. A program which helps to edit the accelerometer's code.

4. To study the documents and change the correct parameters.

Regarding the BDM connector, are there many types, or is this a specific type? (I assume it connects directly to the PC)

Again, many thanks!!!

Peter

[JackITB]

Hi Peter,
Have a look at the Software Reference Manual, i.e. MMA9559LSWRM.pdf document to help you understand and modify the Cube firmware.
Then you need CodeWarrior IDE to edit the Cube Demo project source code and compile it. There's a free version of this IDE (Codewarrior "Special Edition") with code size limitation that will be more than enough.
At last, a debug/program interface from PEmicro is required to flash and debug the device with the new firmware. We suggest the Multilink Universal USB to BDM interface (USB Multilink Universal). Note that a 6 pin header is provided with the Cube demokit to connect the interface.

Regards,   Jacques.

[p_h_]

Hi Jacques,

I am very grateful for the informative and prompt reply. Many thanks!

Three final questions:

1) I had a good look at the manual ( I found it here http://cache.nxp.com/files/sensors/doc/ref_manual/MMA9559LSWRM.pdf?fsrch=1&sr=1&pageNum=1 ). Which part should I use to "play a bit" with the different

values to get the LED colors I need? (I want to focus on the ones related to color change when rotating the cube).

2) The USB Multilink Universal seems to cover plenty of functionalities of all types of headers. In my case though,

I need something ultra simple and specific just for this 6-pin accelerometer. Is there such a device, or should

I just get the Universal one?

3) Regarding the CodeWarrior IDE, I found a list here:

Freescale: CodeWarrior IDE Development Suite Sp... | element14 | Technical Library 

The one for the windows platform seems the right one. Is this correct? (I suppose it is GPL freeware)

Apologies for asking too many (probably newbie-type) questions, and I thank you for all the help.

All the best,

Peter

[JackITB]

Hi Peter,

Let me answer your latest questions. And don't worry, everyone started as a sometime newbie for something.

1/ MMA9559LSWRM describes the overall framework of the proprietary Firmware provided with the device. So it does not explicitly details how the cube demo operates. As Anthony already mentioned: "modify the section between line n°126 and the end of the kube.c file" to customize the LED colors.

2/ USB Multilink Universal from PEmicro is a reliable and proven BDM interface for ColdfireV1 MCU such as MMA9559L. I'm not aware of simpler/cheaper alternatives officially supported.

3/ download below reference (if you have a Windows machine)

Special Edition: CodeWarrior for Microcontrollers (Eclipse, Windows hosted) - Code   Size Restriction: RS08/HCS08 - 32KB, ColdFire V1 - 64KB, ColdFire   V2-V4/Kinetis - 128K, MPC56xx – 512K

Regards,   Jacques.