Comp Sci Hack Pack

When I started building projects with the Illuminato X Machina ecosystem, I noticed I started to use a pretty consistent configuration when experimenting on my laptop.

I programmed and powered the boards through a Red Terminal and some Type B-mini USB cables , and usually the Red Terminal and 3 IXM cells made up a neat little 2×2 grid. This way, I didn’t need to carry around extra power or long cables, but with a small grid, I really didn’t need it.

Inspired by my need to code and test things out on the go and moving my setup between home, Starbucks, and the lab, I put together the Comp Sci Hack Pack.

Components

• 3 Illuminato X Machina cells
• 1 Red Terminal
• 3 “12 Type B-mini USB Cables
• 12 7-pin Intracellular Matrix Headers (3 per board)

*I’m out of the 2 Shrapnel Resistant USB cables shown, so I’ll replace it with 3 regular USB cables instead. Thanks! -Justin

Specifications

• Weight: 24g
• L x W x H: 1.87” x 1.87” x 0.25”
• General Purpose I/O: 24 pins
• Total I/O: 56 pins
• Processor Type: 32-bit ARM
• Processor Name: LPC2368
• Processor Speed: 72 MHz @ 64 Dhrystone MIPS EEPROM: IC SRL EEPROM; 128 KB

• 3 type-B mini USB 2.0 ports (480 Mbps)
• Program up to 3 IXM cells simultaneously
• 2 W power output per USB port connected
• General purpose I/O: 9 pins
• Total I/O: 33 pins

Resources and References

• Custom version of the Arduino IDE designed to program the Illuminato X Machina
• Programming API & Documentation
• Schematics
• Gerbers
• Source code tree

Video

Programming a tribe of IXMs with a Red Terminal

Programming a tribe of IXM cells through a Red Terminal from Matt Bitz on Vimeo.