Hack Your Watch: The EZ430-Chronos from Texas Instruments

Are you a software developer who loves watches and is curious about hardware? Have you ever wanted a watch that you could hack on? If so, this might just make your day: the TI EZ430-Chronos. Produced as a promotion for the MS430 line of low-power microcontrollers from TI, it’s a $50 kit for a fully programmable sport watch:

• 96-segment LCD driven by the MCU.
• Onboard 3-axis accelerometer, just like the iPhone.
• Onboard pressure sensor, tempurature, and battery voltage. Hmm, potential ABC (altimeter/barometer/compass) watch!
• Wireless radio interface for other sensors, such as heart rate monitors, pedometers, or whatever else you can imagine.
• Water-resistant to a kinda-lame 30m (100ft).
• Includes USB programmer, IDE, and IAR C compiler to get you started.
• Included source code gets you time, date, alarm, stopwatch, sensor readings, HRM and fitness interface, and two wireless protocols.
• Can also function as a data logger.

Awesome idea, great promo, fantastic price. Mine is already ordered! (Video after the jump.)

By Paul Hubbard