engineering

Phidget

Phidget is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Phidget rather than just read about it. In short: A phidget is a physical representation or implementation of a GUI widget. For example, an on-screen dial widget could be implemented physically as a knob.

Key takeaways

Phidget belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Phidget to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Phidget from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A phidget is a physical representation or implementation of a GUI widget. For example, an on-screen dial widget could be implemented physically as a knob. Phidgets are a system of low-cost electronic components and sensors that are controlled by a personal computer. Using the Universal Serial Bus (USB) as the basis for all phidgets, the complexity is managed behind an Application Programming Interface (API). Applications can be developed in Mac OS X, Linux, Windows CE and Windows operating systems. Their usage is primarily focused to allow exploration of alternative physical computer interaction systems, but have most notably been adopted by robotic enthusiasts as they greatly simplify PC-Robot interaction. Phidgets are an attempt to build physical analogue to software widgets, allowing the construction of complex physical systems out of simpler components. Phidgets are designed and produced by Phidgets Inc.

Phidget A phidget (physical widget) is attached to a host computer via USB. There are various phidgets available, each having a counterpart class in the phidget API. As each phidget is attached to the host computer, it is made available to control in the API, where its state can be accessed and set. Phidgets arose out of a research project in 2001 directed by Saul Greenberg at the Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary.

Phidget API Phidgets can be programmed using a variety of software and programming languages, ranging from Java to Microsoft Excel. Examples of programming languages are: Adobe Director, AutoIt, C#, C/C++, Cocoa, Delphi, Flash AS3, Flex AS3, Java, LabVIEW, MATLAB, Max/MSP, Microsoft Robotics Studio 1.5, Python Module (version: 2.1.6.20100317), REALBasic, Visual Basic .NET, Visual Basic 6.0, Visual Basic for Applications, Visual Basic Script, Visual C/C++/Borland and FlowStone. The phidget API is what allows systems to access the phidget devices in a high level manner. The API allows the management of devices as they are attached, to subscribe to events and to access the state of the phidgets. The core API is originally written in C and has been extended to work in numerous languages including .NET and Java.

Examples of Phidgets Servo – Allows control of up to 4 servo motors. Each servo can be addressed individually where it can have its position read and set. PhidgetAccelerometer – The accelerometer senses acceleration in 2 and 3 dimensions. TextLCD – A 20 character * 2 line LCD, acting as an alternative display mechanism in a phidget project. InterfaceKit – Allows input/output interface to analog and digital sensors and switches.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Phidget

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Phidget claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Phidget before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Phidget ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Phidget

In research: Phidget appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Phidget in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Phidget is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Robotics projects, User interfaces, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Phidget outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Phidget in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Phidget means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Phidget out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Phidget in simple terms?

A phidget is a physical representation or implementation of a GUI widget. For example, an on-screen dial widget could be implemented physically as a knob.

Why does Phidget matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Phidget?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Phidget.