.NET Gadgeteer, developed by Microsoft Research, is an open-source platform designed to facilitate rapid prototyping of electronic devices for education and hobbyists, featuring a mainboard that connects with various modules. The platform supports easy hardware and software integration, enabling users to build devices like digital cameras in a streamlined manner using C# programming. Resources and lesson plans are available online to assist users in exploring and utilizing .NET Gadgeteer.

1. Computer Science with
Microsoft .NET Gadgeteer
Lee Stott
@lee_stott
LeeStott@Microsoft.com
Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/faculty

2. A new way to make inspire and stimulate learning

3. History
• .NET Gadgeteer comes from Microsoft Research in
Cambridge, UK
• Designed as a tool for researchers to make it faster and
easier to prototype new kinds of devices
• Since then, it has proven to be of interest to hobbyists
and for secondary and tertiary education
• Because of this interest, we have launched .NET
Gadgeteer as open source software/hardware

4. The .NET Gadgeteer Hardware
At the heart of every Gadgeteer project is a mainboard.
A mainboard is made up of a programmable processor, and a
number of sockets that Gadgeteer modules can plug into.

5. Modules, Modules, Modules
Sensors, Actuators, Networking, User Input,
Displays, Power, Extensibility, …

6. Today we are using the
GHI Electronics FEZ Spider Kit
Touchscreen Display Camera Multicolor LED Button FEZ Spider Mainboard
Joystick USB Host Ethernet SD Card USB Power Supply
+ Programming Interface

7. Goals
Low threshold
Simple gadgets should be very quick to build
High ceiling
It should also be possible to build sophisticated and complex
devices

8. 3 Key Components
Modular
Hardware

9. 3 Key Components
Modular Object-Oriented
Hardware Programming

10. 3 Key Components
Modular Object-Oriented Digital Design
Hardware Programming and Fabrication

11. Building gadgets

12. The .NET Gadgeteer Hardware
At the heart of every Gadgeteer project is a mainboard.
A mainboard is made up of a programmable processor, and a number of sockets
that Gadgeteer modules can plug into.

13. A Closer Look at the Mainboard
Socket Numbers
Power LED Debug LED
Socket Types
Reset Button

14. Match socket type letters when connecting modules to the mainboard

16. Connect modules to mainboard, and connect to PC via USB.

17. Engineering and Technology
We want to make it easier to give shape to Gadgeteer devices by using
digital fabrication technologies
First step: integration with 3D CAD modelling software (e.g. Solidworks)

18. Auto-generate mounting fixtures

19. Falling cost and increasing availability of 3D printers

20. Digital design and rapid manufacture

21. Hardware configuration (~5 minutes to assemble)
MICROSOFT CONFIDENTIAL
Four-way switch to control
placement of puzzle piece
Knob to rotate
piece
Colour OLED display
USB power source
(128x128 resolution)
and programming socket

22. Software development CONFIDENTIAL
MICROSOFT in C# (~5 hours)

23. Enclosure design in MICROSOFT CONFIDENTIAL
Solidworks
(>3 hours)

24. Enclosure 3D printed (>6MICROSOFT CONFIDENTIAL
hours)

25. MICROSOFT CONFIDENTIAL
Assembly (>30 minutes)

27. LETS BUILD A DIGITAL CAMERA
FROM SCRATCH IN 15 MINUTES

28. Development Tool: Visual Studio
or
Available for FREE for students and educators from www.dreamspark.com

29. Designer Tab
Solution Explorer
(Program.gadgeteer)
(Project Files)

30. Code Tab
(Program.cs)

31. Designer Tab
(Program.gadgeteer)
Toolbox

33. Module manufacturer
and module type
Module name

34. You can rename a module by editing the label below the module.
For example, from button to myButton.

35. When clicking on a module’s socket, To connect the button to a
compatible sockets on the mainboard compatible socket, click and drag
are highlighted in green.

36. Now: please build a digital camera!
FIRST use the designer to get it as below
and THEN build the hardware

37. VERY BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO C#

38. using System;
using Microsoft.SPOT; The code starts with a
using Microsoft.SPOT.Presentation;
using Microsoft.SPOT.Presentation.Controls; standard template
using Microsoft.SPOT.Presentation.Media;
using GT = Gadgeteer;
using GTM = Gadgeteer.Modules;
using Gadgeteer.Modules.GHIElectronics;
namespace GadgeteerApp1
{
public partial class Program
{
void ProgramStarted()
{
/******************************************************************************************
Access modules defined in the designer by typing their name:
e.g. button
camera1
Initialize event handlers here.
e.g. button.ButtonPressed += new GTM.MSR.Button.ButtonEventHandler(button_ButtonPressed);
***************************************************************************************** */
// Do one-time tasks here
Debug.Print("Program Started");
}
}
}

39. ProgramStarted() executes
whenever the mainboard is first
namespace GadgeteerApp1
{ powered up or restarted.
public partial class Program
{
void ProgramStarted()
{
/******************************************************************************************
Access modules defined in the designer by typing their name:
e.g. button
camera1
Initialize event handlers here.
e.g. button.ButtonPressed += new GTM.MSR.Button.ButtonEventHandler(button_ButtonPressed);
***************************************************************************************** */
// Do one-time tasks here
Debug.Print("Program Started");
}
}
}

40. namespace GadgeteerApp1
{
public partial class Program
{
void ProgramStarted()
{
/******************************************************************************************
Access modules defined in the designer by typing their name:
e.g. button
camera1
Initialize event handlers here.
e.g. button.ButtonPressed += new GTM.MSR.Button.ButtonEventHandler(button_ButtonPressed);
***************************************************************************************** */
// Do one-time tasks here
Debug.Print("Program Started");
}
}
}
Debug.Print(string) prints
text to the debug output
window.

41. To access hardware functionality type the name
of the hardware module followed by a period
e.g. myButton.

42. Properties
Values that can be read, and sometimes also assigned.

43. Methods
Built-in functions that can include a number of parameters.

44. Events
Notification that something of interest has occurred.

45. Events
Notification that something of interest has occurred.
This line specifies that we are interested in knowing when this
particular event occurs, and associates it with a specific method.

46. Events
Notification that something of interest has occurred.
This line specifies that we are interested in knowing when this
particular event occurs, and associates it with a specific method.

47. Events
Notification that something of interest has occurred.
This method will now get called (and the code inside
it will get executed) whenever the button is pressed.

48. The quick way to use events
Inside the ProgramStarted() method, type module name followed
by a period, then select event using the arrow and Enter keys.

49. The quick way to use events
Type +=, followed by the Tab key twice.

50. The quick way to use events
Replace the line throw new NotImplementedException(); with your own
code.

51. SOFTWARE FOR A DIGITAL CAMERA

52. Setup events for camera.PictureCaptured and button.ButtonPressed
by typing the event name, then +=, then <tab> twice

53. When the button is pressed, call the
camera.TakePicture() method.

54. When the camera has captured a picture,
use the display’s SimpleGraphics to
display the image.

55. The DisplayImage method takes three parameters: a
GT.Picture object, an X coordinate and a Y coordinate.
The PicturedCaptured event returns a GT.Picture object,
called picture, which is used as the first parameter.
The coordinate 0, 0 (passed as the second and third
parameters) refers top-left corner of the display.

56. RUNNING THE PROGRAM

57. Make sure that the mainboard is
connected to the PC, and that the
power LED is on.
Click the button, or press the
F5 Key to deploy the code to the
mainboard and start a debugging
session.

58. After loading messages, output window should display Program Started,
Note: If you can’t see the Output Window, press Ctrl+Alt+O

59. Click the button, or press
Shift+F5 to exit the debugging
mode.
Note that you can’t edit the code
while in debugging mode.

60. If you see the following message in the output window,
stop debugging (Shift+F5) and try again (F5):
Updating display configuration. DEVICE WILL NOW REBOOT. Visual Studio might lose
connection, and debugging might need to be manually restarted.
If the output window is stuck displaying the following
message, press the reset button on the mainboard:
Rebooting...
Now: Lets program a camera!

61. Completed program (comments removed)
Now: Please write your program!

62. Gadgeteer Resources
End user website
http://netmf.com/gadgeteer/
Source repository
http://gadgeteer.codeplex.com/
Lesson Plans
http://www.gadgeteering.net/
http://www.Microsoft.com/faculty