Misty Backpack for Arduino

The Misty Backpack for Arduino is a microcontroller embedded in a magnetic mount that communicates with your skills via the UART serial port on Misty's back. You can use the Arduino-compatible backpack with sensors and other hardware to extend the capabilities of Misty's native hardware.

Schematics

• Processor Schematics PDF
• Power & Connectors Schematic PDF

What's in the Box?

The box for your Misty Backpack for Arduino includes:

• Backpack Cover
• Misty Backpack for Arduino & Magnetic Mount
• Spacer Shield

Specifications

The Misty Backpack for Arduino:

• uses a 3.3v logic board (not 5v)
• uses a baud rate of 9600/8-N-1 for serial data transmission
• includes a Sparkfun QWIIC connector wired to the SCL and SDA pins on the microcontroller
• has a USB micro port for programming
• includes built-in pins configured to interface with Misty's UART serial port
• is embedded in a mount with magnets attaching the microcontroller to Misty
• provides the ability to switch the default serial TX and RX pins from pins 0 and 1 (default) to pins 8 and 9

QWIIC Connector

The QWIIC system makes it easy to connect SparkFun sensors and other kinds of hardware to Misty's Arduino-compatible backpack. Misty's backpack comes with a built-in QWIIC Connector that operates through the SDA and SCL pins on the board. This connector uses the Inter-integrated Circuit (I2C) communication protocol and can connect directly to any SparkFun QWIIC Sensors or Accessory Boards.

Input & Output

You can use the digital pins on the Misty Backpack for Arduino for either input or output. These pins operate at 3.3v logic. With the exception of the difference in voltage, the pinout for this board is the same as the pinout for the Arduino Uno. For more information about the function of each pin, see the Input and Output section of the documentation for the Arduino Uno.

Shield Compatibility

The Misty backpack has Arduino-compatible headers. It has a similar pinout to the Arduino Uno, and is compatible with most 3.3v-compatible Uno Shields.

Using the Spacer Shield

You can connect the spacer shield to Misty's Arduino-compatible backpack to create extra space between the backpack and any connected shields. This helps prevent larger shields from interfering with Misty's chassis.

A spacer shield connected to the Misty Backpack for Arduino.

Programming the Misty Backpack for Arduino

The Misty Backpack for Arduino uses an ATmega328P microcontroller pre-programmed with a bootloader that allows you to upload code directly from the Arduino IDE. When you upload your code, you must target the Arduino Pro or Pro Mini board and the ATmega328P (3.3v, 8MHz) processor.

Follow these steps to configure the Arduino IDE to upload code to Misty's Arduino-compatible backpack:

1. Download and install the Arduino IDE.
2. Connect the Misty backpack to your computer via the backpack's USB micro port.
3. Open the IDE and select Tools from the top menu.
   1. From the Board sub-menu, select Arduino Pro or Pro Mini.
   2. From the Processor sub-menu, select ATmega328P (3.3V, 8MHz).
   3. From the Port sub-menu, select the port that the microcontroller is connected to. (Your port number may be different than what is pictured here).

Serial APIs

When you write code for Misty's Arduino-compatible backpack (or any other Arduino microcontroller), you can use the Serial library to configure communication between the external development board and your robot.

In the setup() function for your sketch, use the Serial.begin() function to set the data transfer rate to 9600 baud. Then, in the loop() function, use Serial.println() to send data to Misty. For greatest flexibility in handling, we typically recommend formatting this data as a JSON string. Here's an example:

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
    delay(1000);
    Serial.println("{\"message\":\"Hello, Misty! This is your backpack talking.\"}");
}

To read serial data, you must register for SerialMessage events in your skill code. SerialMessage events occur when Misty receives a message through the receiver (RX) pin of her UART serial port.

The following example demonstrates how to handle serial messages in a JavaScript skill. By default, the data for SerialMessage events is processed by a _SerialMessage() callback function. You define how this callback handles the message in your skill code.

// Return the value of the "SerialMessage" property in the
// SerialMessage data object
misty.AddReturnProperty("SerialMessage", "SerialMessage");

// Register for SerialMessage events. Set the debounce rate to 0, or
// use the rate defined in the sketch. Set `keepAlive` to `true`, so
// the event does not unregister after the first callback triggers.
misty.RegisterEvent("SerialMessage", "SerialMessage", 0, true);

function _SerialMessage(data) {
    try{
        if(data !== undefined && data !== null) {
            var obj = JSON.parse(data.AdditionalResults[0].Message);
            var message = obj.message;
        }
    }
    catch(exception) {
        misty.Debug("Exception" + JSON.stringify(exception));
    }
}

Finally, you can use the WriteSerial command in your skill code to send messages from Misty to an external development board. (The WriteSerial command is available in Misty's HTTP API, and .NET SDK libraries.)

Misty TX/RX Switch

The Misty Backpack for Arduino supports hardware serial communication over pins D0 and D1. These pins are wired by default to interface with the serial port on Misty's back.

In addition to this default, you can use the Misty TX/RX switch on Misty's Arduino-compatible backpack to toggle the receiver and transmitter pins from D0 and D1 (hardware serial) to D8 and D9 (software serial). This is useful when you want to connect a shield that uses serial communication over the default hardware serial pins.