BeagleBone For Dummies

Chapter 14

Building Your First Project

In This Chapter

Preparing to build a complete, functional, and useful apparatus

Dividing and conquering to build the project incrementally

Wiring up an LCD and programming an email reader

Building a device that reads and displays your emails

This chapter shows you how to build a lasting, complete, and useful project.

In the completed project, your BeagleBone functions as a small, energy-efficient apparatus that notifies you when you receive an email, and allows you to use buttons and an LCD screen to go through your entire mailbox and read any message.

Getting Started

Before you get to work, you need to assemble your supplies. Here’s the shopping list:

• A breadboard
• Many jumper wires
• A 3.3V liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, preferably one that’s 20 character by 4 line and is compatible with the Hitachi HD44780 LCD controller
• Four pushbuttons
• Four 10K Ω resistors
• A light-emitting diode (LED)
• A 470 Ω or 220 Ω resistor
• An Ethernet cable and a stable connection to the web
• Two potentiometers, preferably 5K Ω and 10K Ω
• A buzzer

So that you know ...