7 posts tagged with "tibbit_18"

Timers do not have to count down constantly; they can be started and stopped.

Up to this point, all blocks of every project were connected sequentially, like beads on a string. This means that an output of one block only connected to a single input of the next block. This doesn't have to be the case. It is possible to connect one block's output to several downstream blocks in a fashion called block stacking.

This project adds a bit of complexity to the Variables and Arithmetic application of the previous topic. Pressing the MD button will keep incrementing the Counter variable, but the value of this variable will be reset to 1 once it exceeds 10.

This project introduces a new storage type -- settings. Settings are kept in your device's EEPROM. They are referred to as "persistent storage" because they retain their values even when the device is powered off. Settings are incredibly important, as they provide a way to store your application's operating parameters.

This application introduces timers. When a timer is preloaded with a value greater than zero, it counts down at the rate of one count per second. Once the timer reaches zero, it generates an event.

AppBlocks has another type of timer called a periodic timer. Unlike the plain (one-shot) timers discussed in the previous topics, periodic timers:

• Are configured at design time and cannot be reloaded at run time
• Are always running (cannot be stopped)
• Cannot be restarted
• Auto-reload and start counting down again as soon as they reach zero

This project is the first one that "gives you a reason" to open the Features tab. Nested between the Hardware configuration and AppBlocks (dynamic behavior) tabs, the Features tab comprises a collection of pages that define everything that is permanent in your project. Your application's variables are one such entity in the sense that variables are not created and deleted dynamically but exist as a static list.