Pushpin Nodes

The Pushpin sensor node consists of a power module, a communication module, a processing module, and an expansion module. The capabilities of the Pushpin can be easily upgraded by replacing one of these modules with another that contains different communication hardware, sensors, or a new power source. We have developed several such modules including:

• Expansion:
  • Accoustic Time of Flight Measurement Module
  • Light Sensor and LED Display Module
  • JTAG Programming Module
  • Through-hole Prototyping Module
• Processing:
  • Cygnal C8051F016 Module
• Communication:
  • Four-way Infrared Module
  • IR-to-RS232 Converter Module
  • RS232 Module (deprecated)
  • Capacitive Coupling Module (deprecated)
• Power:
  • Two-prong Thumbtack Module
  • AA Battery Module

Pushpin Power Substrate

The Pushpin power substrate, available commercially from Steelcase, is a 125cm x 125cm x 2cm sheet of layers of polyurethane foam separated by two sheets of thick aluminum foil, one for power (3V) and one for ground. Pushpins equipped with the two-prong thumbtack power module can be inserted into the substrate to connect to the power planes. The substrate is powered by a conventional lab power supply.

Personal Computer

Any personal computer with a serial (RS232) port can be used to interface with Pushpins equipped with either the JTAG programming expansion module or the IR-to-RS232 converter communication module. Using the JTAG programming module also requires a serial JTAG programmer and IDE software (which runs under Microsoft Windows) available from Silicon Laboratories.