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Pete Brown - 24 October 2011

The .NET Gadgeteer (I'll call it the Gadgeteer throughout this post) is an open source (Apache 2.0) software and creative commons-licensed standardized hardware platform based on the .NET Micro Framework (NETMF, also Apache 2.0 OSS). You've seen me talk about NETMF before, creating projects using the Netduino and FEZ Panda, among others. Those board follow the Arduino standard layout, and make use of shields for expansion. Beyond using NETMF, there is no standardization for software or communication.

The Gadgeteer lets you prototype devices quickly, without worrying about soldering connections or dealing with different types of connectors.

The Gadgeteer is the brainchild of Microsoft Research. Being both a hardware and software standard, it describes both the form factor for as well as the communications between modules. It also includes IDE support for Visual Studio. This video explains the Gadgeteer concept


The .NET Gadgeteer Explained

And here is a video showing a simple Snake game built using the Gadgeteer

Gadgeteer Snake Game

As was the case with other .NET Micro Framework boards, you use your existing .NET skills (C# typically, but VB is also supported in NETMF 4.2 and above), along with the commercial or free versions of Visual Studio, to build and debug applications on the hardware. Once your application is loaded on to the device, you no longer need the PC connection, so you can build interesting things like robots. Here's a simple robot I built using a Netduino. You could create a similar robot using Gadgeteer, although all the sensors are not yet available in Gadgeteer format (hey, it can't all be plug-and-play simple!)

Pete's Netduino-powered robot

Ok, enough of all that. Show, how do you get one?

Where to get one

First, you'll need a main board and some number of modules. You can start off with the full kit like that offered from GHI or Sytech, or simply get a main board and a module or two, adding more as you learn more. The Gadgeteer is very new (just launched this month) so there are only a few vendors with offerings. Here are the ones I've found so far:

The photos below (copyright by their respective companies) show the GHI FEZ Spider on the left, and the Sytech Designs NANO main board. These main boards form the heart of a Gadgeteer system; they have the micro controller and support electronics on-board.


Note how the connectors are identical on the two. Yes, that's part of the standard as well. Because of that, and the software communications standards, you can use modules from different vendors.

This is by no means a comprehensive comparison, and the information below is only as complete and accurate as it was on the vendors' web sites as of October 24, 2011. That out of the way, here's a list of main features for the two main boards.

Feature FEZ Spider Sytech NANO
Processor type ARM7 Freescale ARM920T
Processor speed 72MHz 200MHz
Flash 4.5MB 8MB
Total Gadgeteer Sockets 14 10
I2C Yes Yes
UART Yes: 4 Yes: 2
SPI Yes: 2 (8/16 bit) Yes: 2
USB Host Yes ?
LCD Controller Yes Yes
Touch Controller Yes Yes
Ethernet Support Yes Yes
SD Support Yes Yes
Price $120 apx $112 (70 ukp)

Both vendors took the approach of using an existing module they already sell (EMX in the case of GHI and what looks to be a Meridian i.MXL in the case of Sytech. Truthfully, I hadn't seen a 200MHz Freescale processor in that package until now, just the 100MHz i.MXS), and adapting that to the Gadgeteer form factor and software.

As an aside, the Freescale I.MX processor I've drooled over in the past is the Topaz i.MX25 400MHZ processor. That thing's a real beast, fast, runs Windows CE, Linux and NETMF. Someone needs to tack that on to a Gadgeteer form factor board. When you start talking 400MHz things get interesting.

Note that many of the features require the respective modules. For example, there's no on-board ethernet jack on either main board, but both vendors offer an ethernet module. I also caution about making too much of an assumption regarding the speed difference. Past experience shows me that speed doesn't become a significant factor for NETMF until you start looking at 5-10x or so improvements, at least when compared to the 48MHz and 72MHz boards I've used in the past. That's not to say it isn't a factor at all - that really does depend on what exactly you're doing.

In addition to the main board, you'll need a power supply and USB interface. Unlike Arduino-style modules, those ports are not built into the main board. Again, FEZ on the left and Sytech on the right.



The power modules are functionally equivalent, both offering USB power plus dedicated DC inputs. The only real physical difference here is whether or not you prefer a terminal block like the Sytech, or a barrel plug as shown by GHI. Note that I can't guarantee that they are interchangeable as there is some difference in voltage/mA ratings. In general, pick the power supply recommended by your board manufacturer.

Notice how both boards are red? Yep, that's part of the Gadgeteer standard as well: power boards must be red

The USB input on the boards can be used for power and also for communication with the device. Just as we did with the Netduino and other NETMF boards in the past, you'll load your software onto the device using USB.

What I got

I ordered the GHI FEZ Spider starter kit. At $250, it seems somewhat expensive until you add up everything that you get. Just the camera and color touch LCD alone are typically very expensive add-ons for traditional NETMF boards. Remember, with both main board vendors, you can get a kit or jut order them part by part. To start, at least get the main board and the power supply, and maybe a couple switches and LEDs. You can add the more expensive components later if you wish.


At the same time, I also ordered the eBlock expansion module to enable me to use all the eBlocks I have from my FEZ Panda Ultimate kit, as well as a few extra Extender Modules so that I can take a swipe at creating my own Gadgeteer modules without having to fiddle with those surface mount connectors (more on that in a future post). Finally, I added a Potentiometer Module so that I can mess around with a pot. I'm actually somewhat surprised the potentiometer module doesn't come with the starter kit, but I guess they can't include everything.

Seeed Studio has some other unique modules which I may order in the future. They've always been big on different types of sensors, and they've brought that to the Gadgeteer. In addition to moisture sensors, barometers, compasses, accelerometers, and GPS, you can even get cellular radio and a Pulse Oximeter! I've run into the commercial ones at the doctor's office before, but seriously, I have no idea what I'd do with that. However, it's totally awesome, so it will probably show up on my desk some day.


It's great to see so many modules available on day 1 of the Gadgeteer launch. As is often the case, it's the ecosystem that can make or break a product. Looks like this one has a bright future :)

Software Setup

The software comes in a few parts. First, of course, you need a version of Visual Studio. You can use the free Visual C# 2010 Express, or use Visual Studio 2010 Pro or Ultimate if you're already developing other .NET applications.

Once you have the IDE installed, you'll need to install the NETMF SDK. This is common across all versions of the Gadgeteer. Once the vendors complete their ports to NETMF 4.2, you'll be able to use that instead (and also use Visual Basic). If you're already using the Netduino or FEZ Panda, you almost certainly already have the SDK installed - you don't need to install it again, but it won't hurt anything if you do.

Next, you need to install a vendor-specific package. This includes the drivers for the main board and modules they provide. The APIs, while similar, will be different from vendor to vendor, just as different control vendors on the desktop offer different versions of, say, a Grid control or ListBox control.

For the GHI FEZ Spider, all the downloads are located here. Install their Gadgeteer package (it's a zip file with a setup file and some documents). That will install the drivers mentioned, as well as required support files, and the USB driver so Visual Studio can see your Gadgeteer.


I left the defaults on for the installation even though I already had the GHI NETMF SDK installed due to having used their FEZ Panda and Panda II in the past. Make sure Visual Studio is closed when you do this.

Next, the .NET Gadgeteer code setup is run. This installs the files that are outside of NETMF, but are common across all Gadgeteer implementations.


After that completes, you'll get the GHI Gadgeteer setup. This setup installs the things that aren't common to other GHI NETMF boards, and aren't common to other Gadgeteer boards. In other words, this has all the special drivers you'll need for the main board and modules offered by GHI.

Finally, the USB drivers will be installed. I already had these installed from my experiments with the Panda/Panda II. The installer gave the options of "Repair or Remove", so I should really have unchecked that box in the main setup. Since I was already down this far, I decided to simply Repair rather than risk a Cancel (Cancel in setup from various vendors often triggers a rollback. That probably wouldn't happen here, but I didn't want to risk it)

If everything completed, you should get a confirmation window like this one:


Click "Next" and you'll be prompted to update the firmware on your device.

Firmware Update

Plug the Spider into an available USB port on your computer. The power need to provide sufficient power for the board and its modules, so make sure you're not already on an oversaturated bus on an unpowered hub or something. If power is an issue, plug a DC wall-wart into your spider, as recommended by GHI.

When you plug in the board, you should see the power board light up, and Windows pop up a notification that the device is installed.

Now, select "Update my FEZ Spider firmware" and click "Update"


The firmware is the code that runs on the spider and enables you to do things like load applications, debug from Visual Studio, and more. It's possible you may already have the latest version but, chances are, GHI has updated it since burnt to your Spider main board.

The prompts are complete and helpful (including mentioning that you need to remove the protective film on the DIP switches), so I won't duplicate that here. I found that it was easiest to lift off the film using the point of an exacto knife.

When hitting the rest button, you only need a quick press. A long hold (like you would on a PC) will actually fail.

The update process will take a few minutes, and will then reboot the Spider.

Apply SDK Updates/Fixes

There are some simple fixes that haven't (as of the time of this writing) yet made it into the official SDK installer. The one we're interested in is the button update as described in this thread. Go ahead and run that updater to get the new button driver.

Verifying the Installation

Next, open up Visual Studio. Choose File | New -> Project and look at the Installed Templates list. You should see a Micro Framework folder with several FEZ items. It may look something like this:


You won't actually use those, I'm showing it simply to verify installation of the GHI-specific SDK. You'll also see a folder named "Gadgeteer" with a single project template ".NET Gadgeteer Application"


Go ahead and select this project type, naming the project "GadgeteerHelloWorld".

Gadgeteer Hello World Program

My first .NET Micro Framework program, written just over a year ago, was one which flashed the LED on the board.

For another cool Hello World, with a bit more complexity (video *and* display) check out Andrew Duthie's blog post with the unboxing video and walkthrough.

If you get this warning:


Just ignore it. The templates here are safe :)

The Design Surface

The first thing the Gadgeteer project will throw you into is the design surface. One of the cool things about the Gadgeteer standard is that module developers need to provide a design-time experience (easier than it sounds) for their modules. That enables you to allow the tools to help you correctly connect and configure your modules.

In my case, I added to the design surface a MulticolorLed, a Button, and the UsbClientDP (the red power module). Here's what that looked like on the design surface.


I then, as mentioned in the tip, right-clicked the diagram and selected "Connect all modules". This option used the socket information for each device to figure out the best (or a working way, anyway) way to connect the modules together. Not all sockets are created equal - you need to match up socket types with socket requirements using the letters. For example, socket X or Y are the most basic kinds, and power needs to be plugged into the "D" socket.


When connecting the modules, notice how the cable is configured. If the connection seems awkward or upside down, swapping the ends of the cable will often help

If you don't like the names given to the components, you are free to change them. I decided to leave them at the default "usbClient" "led" and "button" for this example, although it pains me not to see underscores in front of those class-level variable names.

The generated code ends up in the Program.generated.cs file. Here's what mine contained after connecting all the modules:

// <auto-generated>
// This code was generated by the Gadgeteer Designer.
// the code is regenerated.
// </auto-generated>

using Gadgeteer;
using GTM = Gadgeteer.Modules;

namespace GadgeteerHelloWorld
public partial class Program : Gadgeteer.Program
// GTM.Module defintions
Gadgeteer.Modules.GHIElectronics.MulticolorLed led;
Gadgeteer.Modules.GHIElectronics.Button button;
Gadgeteer.Modules.GHIElectronics.UsbClientDP usbClient;

public static void Main()
//Important to initialize the Mainboard first
Mainboard = new GHIElectronics.Gadgeteer.FEZSpider();

Program program = new Program();
program.Run(); // Starts Dispatcher

private void InitializeModules()
// Initialize GTM.Modules and event handlers here.
usbClient = new GTM.GHIElectronics.UsbClientDP(1);

button = new GTM.GHIElectronics.Button(12);

led = new GTM.GHIElectronics.MulticolorLed(14);


You can see that all the code does is create some member variables and initialize them with their port numbers. Of course, using the design surface is completely optional. It makes it easier for people to visualize their solutions and for people new to NETMF to wire things up, but it's certainly not a requirement.

Making the LED Blink

For this first program, I'm going to make the LED blink when you press the button, pretty much like I did with my first Netduino program. The LED included with the FEZ kit is a nice RGB LED, so it can do most any color you'd want. I chose Blue.

NOTE: Some of the LED modules have errors in their firmware. This is mentioned in this thread. I happen to have at least one of those where the blue and green are swapped.  GHI is working on a fix for that. In my case, If I enter "purple" as a color, I get a yellowish color instead. When I use the code below, my LED lights green. I bring this up in case you run into the problem and think it's something wrong with your code.

using System;
using Microsoft.SPOT;
using Microsoft.SPOT.Presentation;
using Microsoft.SPOT.Presentation.Controls;
using Microsoft.SPOT.Presentation.Media;

using GT = Gadgeteer;
using GTM = Gadgeteer.Modules;
using Gadgeteer.Modules.GHIElectronics;

namespace GadgeteerHelloWorld
public partial class Program
void ProgramStarted()
Access modules defined in the designer by typing their name:

e.g. button

Initialize event handlers here.
e.g. button.ButtonPressed += new GTM.MSR.Button.ButtonEventHandler(button_ButtonPressed);

// Do one-time tasks here
Debug.Print("Program Started");

button.ButtonPressed += (s, ea) =>


Deploying and Running the Program

Remember how we set those DIP switches to enable the firmware update? Now we need to set them back so that we can deploy and debug over USB. The Spider comes with a little reference card that tells you what the various DIP settings mean. In our case, just set them all to "Off" (so they are pointed towards the little button).

If your deployment fails, check the DIP switches. They should all be up (Off). If it still fails, run MF Deploy from the NETMF folder (on my machine: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft .NET Micro Framework\v4.1\Tools )and see if it sees your device as a USB device. A ping there should bring back a response. If you get nothing, try a different USB port. Also try plugging a 9v or so power supply directly to the board. Finally, try plugging the USB cable directly to your PC, avoiding any hubs.

I had some issues with the initial recognition on my machine, probably related to USB power during the firmware upgrade. Gus from GHI helped me figure it out. The steps I went through and the resolution may be helpful to you.

Just as we had to with other NETMF boards, we need to make sure the project is set to deploy to the Gadgeteer. Double-check the project properties .NET Micro Framework tab and ensure the transport is USB and the device is the Gadgeteer.


Then, you can build the solution and deploy it, or simply run it with Debug | Start Debugging to have the build and deploy happen automatically.

Press the button. Did it work? If not, make sure you updated your button DLL as described in the earlier installation section. If you do that now, you'll need to remove and re-add the reference. The DLL is located in your Program Files (x86) folder, under GHI Electronics.


Modifying the Program

Go ahead and change the LED color passed into the BlinkOnce function, recompile, and run it again. Cool, eh? Change the function call to use the FadeOnce function as shown here:

button.ButtonPressed += (s, ea) =>
led.FadeOnce(GT.Color.Blue, new TimeSpan(0,0,1), GT.Color.Red);

Now run it again and press the button. Experiment with the timespan (set at one second in the above) and the from and to colors. Fun :) Don't be afraid to experiment; the Gadgeteer platform is a robust one, and your code is very unlikely to let out any magic blue smoke. The nature of the modules also makes it difficult to toast anything there as well.

Taking it Away

Once you have something you like, disconnect it from your computer and bring it and your power supply upstairs. Don't have a power supply? You can rig up one with a 9v battery and a barrel adapter you can order online or get at your local Radio Shack. Suddenly, the Spider is portable. Show your friends. Show your family.

More Information

I'll have more blog posts on the Gadgeteer as I build out additional projects and samples. I have a number of things I plan to try out. In the mean time, I encourage you to check out the other Gadgeteer resources on the web.

Oh, and yes, the Gadgeteer supports a subset of XAML, so you bet I'm going to try that out for the UI :) (I'll also try out "Glide" which I understand has better performance on NETMF)

posted by Pete Brown on Monday, October 24, 2011
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