In one of my courses taken up this semester, I have to work on TinyOS and Meshbean platform. These can be considered as a part of Sensor Networks.
The Meshbean node is from Meshnetics which is now taken over by Atmel
The kit which I experimented on was given to me by my professor. The picture of one of the node is below.
MeshBean development board is based on the 2.4 GHz ZigBit OEM Module with dual chip antenna. The board supports standard extension connectors and includes temperature, light sensors and other peripheral devices.
The ZigBit module featuring ultra small size and superior rf performance enables the board’s wireless connectivity and makes it function as a node in the ZigBee network. The MeshBean board can be configured to operate as a network coordinator or a router either by DIP-switch settings or via AT-commands. Powered by two AA batteries, the MeshBean development board comes preset with 2 frequently used sensors – temperature and illumination. The board features PCB antenna, three Status LEDs, power on/off button and two programmable buttons. (Courtesy: Internet)
So, to use these nodes for wireless communication, I needed a OS to burn into it. I chose TinyOS as it is one of the leading OS used by researchers around the world. (Another major OS is Contiki)
The Meshbean node is from Meshnetics which is now taken over by Atmel
The kit which I experimented on was given to me by my professor. The picture of one of the node is below.
One of the Meshbean nodes
The whole package which I have is
The ZigBit module featuring ultra small size and superior rf performance enables the board’s wireless connectivity and makes it function as a node in the ZigBee network. The MeshBean board can be configured to operate as a network coordinator or a router either by DIP-switch settings or via AT-commands. Powered by two AA batteries, the MeshBean development board comes preset with 2 frequently used sensors – temperature and illumination. The board features PCB antenna, three Status LEDs, power on/off button and two programmable buttons. (Courtesy: Internet)
So, to use these nodes for wireless communication, I needed a OS to burn into it. I chose TinyOS as it is one of the leading OS used by researchers around the world. (Another major OS is Contiki)
To learn more about TinyOS, visit http://www.tinyos.net/. It has all the latest information and an active community of developers.
Finally, I had the hardware and the OS. Now, we require a program which will help in burning the OS into the hardware. To solve this purpose, I used Meshprog. I downloaded Meshprog from here.
So with all the components ready, I successfully ran a demo application in TinyOS on Meshbean Node.
I made a small video explaining the steps to be followed and a made a working demo and uploaded it on Youtube.
After this demo, I also configured two nodes and sent data packets at 2.4 GHz. Now, I am learning NesC, a programming language for TinyOS. With this knowledge, I can built better programs and use the nodes for various new things with an aim to create 'Internet of Things'.
On the final note, it was amazing to play with new hardware and learn something new :)
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