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Introduction to E-blocks
Congratulations. You have just bought
into the world’s most flexible range of
electronics system development kits. The
E-blocks range is made up of more than 150
individual products that allows you to both
learn how electronic systems work, and to
rapidly develop electronic systems of your
own.
The range is split into several parts:
Hardware
There are two kinds of hardware E-blocks:
• Upstream boards
‘Upstream’ is a computing term which
indicates that this is the board that controls
the flow of information in a system.
Upstream boards are usually device
programmers of some kind. Any device
which contains ‘intelligence’ and can dictate
the direction of flow of information on
the bus can be thought of as an ‘upstream’
device. Examples include microcontroller
boards and Programmable Logic Device
boards. You can see a full list of boards at
www.matrixtsl.com.
• Downstream boards
Any device which responds to these changes
and whose behaviour is determined by
another device can be thought of as a
‘downstream’ device. Examples include LED
boards, RS232 boards, internet boards etc.
Downstream boards are controlled by
the upstream board - but information can
flow into them and from them. Upstream
and downstream boards can be snapped
together to form a complete electronic
system for learning and development.
• Accessories
In addition to the circuit boards themselves
you will find that there are more than 40
accessories available for E-blocks.
Software
The software you use will depend on your
choice of upstream board(s). In the E-blocks
range you will find C compilers, assemblers
and Flowcode - a
unique graphical
programming tool
based on flow charts
which allows those
with little experience
to develop complex
electronic systems.
Curriculum and
applications
If you are just starting to learn electronics,
or if you an experienced engineer learning
VHDL, you will find that the E-blocks
range is supported by a fantastic amount
of curriculum materials, datasheets, and
project articles. Much of this is available on
CD ROM, but you will also find our website a
great source of information.
User guide
This short guide will introduce you to the
E-blocks system and explain how it works
from electrical and mechanical points of
view. It will also give you some hints and
tips on how to use E-blocks so that you can
get the best from your equipment.