In this MSP430 Launchpad used as a programmer tutorial, the MSP430 Launchpad board will be used to program a MSP430G2230 microcontroller. The MSP430G2230 is an 8 pin microcontroller and comes in a Small Outline Integrated Circuit package (SOIC), so offers the developer the chance to reduce the overall footprint of the project on a budget. As the MSP430G2230 comes in a SOIC package, for prototyping it’s often easier to increase the package size, which allows more conventional and off the shelf components to be used during the development stage. Texas Instruments sells a Dual In-Line Package or DIP adaptor PCB, the image below shows the board and it can also be found here.
