Hardware

Figure 1.1 illustrates a block diagram of the Shimmer baseboard and the interconnections between the integrated devices. The core element of the platform is the low-power MSP430 microprocessor which controls the operation of the device. The CPU communicates to various peripherals through the internal/external-expansion modules. It captures sensor data from the 8-channel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) channels.

Shimmer Baseboard Interconnections and Integrated Devices

The core element of the platform is the low-power MSP430F1611 microprocessor which controls the operation of the device.  Nearly every feature of the CPU is exercised in the Shimmer implementation! The CPU configures and controls various integrated peripherals through I/O pins, some of which are available on the internal/external-expansion connectors.

The CPU has an integrated 8-channel 12bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) [11] which is used to capture sensor data from the accelerometer and sensor expansions such as ECG, kinematics, GSR, and EMG. The external expansion allows communication to and from the baseboard using the docking station. The Shimmer board has a built in MicroSD Flash socket for additional storage and has three light-emitting diodes (LED) for display purposes. For wireless data streaming the platform is equipped with both Bluetooth and 802.15.4 radio modules.

Baseboard / ECG / Gyro