Embedded Data Recorder

So I have finished the schematic and layout of the data recorder board I've been planning on putting together. Schematic and layout information can be found here. I've ordered the boards from PCBExpress. They should be here in a few days along with most of the parts which I'm getting from Digi-Key.

Also starting to play more with the MSP430 boards that I've been gathering. If you're looking for a cheap way to get into microcontrollers I'm not sure there's a cheaper way than the Texas Instruments Launchpad.

For $4.30 you get a socketed MCU with a built in JTAG interface a USB interface and headers for external connections. I couldn't see not getting a couple of them.

Then there's the EZ430 USB stick I picked up last year. Also low price and you can detach the small MCU boards once programmed and have them run in your own system.

Very reasonably priced and I also bought several daughter boards so I can use them in a variety of projects. Again they provide connections to all the pins and should prove handy for small projects.

I also ran across an interesting bit of pricing on Digi-Key where you can actually buy a small dev kit with the USB Flash Emulation Tool (FET) programmer for less than the programmer alone. This tool will allow you to program any MSP430 through the standard JTAG interface. Digi-Key currently has them listed at $76 for the kit and $99 for the programmer. Mine should arrive in the next couple days so I can verify Edit: It is verified that you do get the full FET pod. I have no idea how long that pricing will last.