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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Maximite equivalent hardware?
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| aargee Senior Member  Joined: 21/08/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 255 |
Is there any reason that this http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9713 couldn't be programmed with the Maximite FW? For crying out loud, all I wanted to do was flash this blasted LED. |
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donmck Guru  Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
I have some shipping to me right now. I'll be sending a couple onto Geoff, as he would like to see if he can get the Maximite firmware running on them, but no guarantees, and no time limitations. I figure the answer will be yes, but you may need to wait a little. Cheers Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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| aargee Senior Member Joined: 21/08/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 255 |
I'm assuming Geoff is now off in the boondocks away from this maddening crowd! ;-) So any insights on the following from anyone? I've got hold of the Bit Whacker board in the post above. Playing around a bit. Firstly Geoff's bootloader doesn't see it as 'working properly'. The bootloader that's meant for this board does see it and is quite happy to load a hex file and feed it to the PIC. This is where I'm hesitating. Can/should I just feed it the Maximite hex file and all will be well? After I build all the other hardware onto the board, i.e. Video/keyboard/etc, will I effectively have a Maximite? I don't have a PicKit3, which would be the ideal way to go, i.e. put Geoff's bootloader onto the board. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. - Rob. For crying out loud, all I wanted to do was flash this blasted LED. |
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thetinkerer Regular Member  Joined: 16/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 68 |
The page for this bit whacker board says that the chip comes with a boot loader "" The board comes pre-loaded with a USB bootloader and special UBW firmware that accepts simple serial commands to control the various I/O functions. I don't know enough about Geoffs bootloader but you may be able to try it. Make sure that you bridge the "reset" button on startup so that the PIC goes into boot loader mode. Have a look at this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOOZpQ1m0C0 best of luck |
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| aargee Senior Member Joined: 21/08/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 255 |
Yep, this is exactly what's happening. It seems to me that the boot-loader is an independent module, so it just facilitates the loading of hex files via the USB port. My guess is that even if I loaded Geoff's Maximite program, and it didn't work, then I could go back and reload the UBW firmware. The next (worse) option would be the need for a PicKit3 to load up Geoff's boot-loader front end to do the job. I'll sleep on it and look at documentation/schematics/pinouts and firmware again tomorrow. - Rob. For crying out loud, all I wanted to do was flash this blasted LED. |
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| donmck Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
Yes he is. Yesterday, I sent him a couple of these boards, which he doesn't know about yet, as I haven't sent him a private message because of his location. But when he gets them, he still may not be able to do any development work on them for some time. But I know he is keen to have a look. Cheers Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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| aargee Senior Member Joined: 21/08/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 255 |
Well, I've done a bit of experimenting with this board. Yes you can load Maximite FW into the board but it won't work. My guess is that Geoff's bootloader sets up memory locations, etc for the Maximite programming. The Microchip HID Bootloader is different somehow. The good news is that you can just reload the UBW back in and all is back to normal. It's still a pretty awesome little board by itself. The next step might be to do the Maximite Bootloader AND Program via a PicKit programmer... or wait 'till Geoff has a look at it, courtesy of Don. Back to the documentation... - Rob For crying out loud, all I wanted to do was flash this blasted LED. |
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| aargee Senior Member Joined: 21/08/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 255 |
WooHoo! Have programmed the UBW32 with Maximite software using the Pickit3, and have it running in Tera Term!! ... back later with an update and some gory (not so..) details. This is just like getting the first tape to load into the System 80! For crying out loud, all I wanted to do was flash this blasted LED. |
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| donmck Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
AHA, another one of them there System-80 doodes. It is like flashing your first LED with a micro, all over again. Have fun, and let me know what needs to be done if you can, as I have a few in stock that may get some desperados on the Maximite road: http://www.dontronics-shop.com/usb-32-bit-whacker-pic32mx795 -development-board.html Cheers Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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| aargee Senior Member Joined: 21/08/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 255 |
OK, I won't have any time to play for the next few weeks, here's what I've done... Maximite into UBW32 Good luck, - Rob. For crying out loud, all I wanted to do was flash this blasted LED. |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Wow, good work Rob. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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stuarts Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 199 |
I suppose that is the advantage of a computer that has one chip and almost no other parts. The firmware is everything, but it should also run on any compatible hardware. Stuart Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. |
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| donmck Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
Great work. Rob, thanks for the write up you have done. I currently have 23 of these boards in stock. They may even be cheaper than the one you got. http://www.dontronics-shop.com/usb-32-bit-whacker-pic32mx795 -development-board.html It is a great way of getting a Maximite system going if you are that keen. At least you can develop software, but you will need to fiddle the hardware to make it into a Maximite. In conjunction with Richard @ tctec, we will have a mini-Maximite. I only saw the first artwork draft for it last night, so I figure it may be a month or two before it sees the light of day. I always try and to over estimate on these matters, as I have seen years of spin from other companies, where I have been the one waiting. 
This will have the 26 pin peripheral header position, and headers for other Maximite control I/O, so basically it will be the same as a maxi, but no kbd, or vga out the back. Oh, it will have a microSD card. 
Cheers Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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VK6MRG Guru Joined: 08/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 347 |
OK, I've asked before and got nowhere. 
So I’ll ask again but in a different way. 
With people wanting extra features and functions like colour graphics, I2C, RS232, RS485, etc.. Can the 100 pin version of the PIC32 give the extra outputs required to give colour graphics and I2C, and RS232, etc. and keep the 20 current I/O pins as they are? Or is the limitation the RAM and ROM on the chip itself the issue? I would like to see a maximite with colour graphics, etc, etc, and maintain the current pinouts for I/O's. I my inexperienced and very limited exposure to this level of electronics mind, the extra I/O's on the 100 pin version PIC32 chip would provide the few extra outputs required for colour and a few for RS232 and a few for I2C and still have the standard 20 I/O's that the current Maximite has. 
Or am I barking up the wrong tree?!!  Its easier to ask forgiveness than to seek permission! ............VK6MRG.............VK3MGR............ |
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| stuarts Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 199 |
I believe that the biggest impact of colour graphics is that it will use 3 times as much ram for video as is currently used. We'd need to get Geoff's take on this though. Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. |
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| VK6MRG Guru Joined: 08/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 347 |
Could an etxra ram chip be added to the design to give more memory, or will only slow things down? Thanks, Matthew. Its easier to ask forgiveness than to seek permission! ............VK6MRG.............VK3MGR............ |
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| donmck Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
I noticed on the top of the wish list at: http://www.themaximitecomputer.com/wish-list-priority-level- poll/ that we have Colour graphics, and I am just wondering if users have applications in mind for making use of it, such as information screens, or message boards of some description. There was a discussion here: http://www.thebackshed.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3554&PN =3 what do you want your Maximite to do? If you want a message or information board, then possibly an $89 Netbook PC will do what you want with a VGA screen. If you wish to integrate some I/O control to a colour screen, well that's a very different matter. Mind you, Maximite talking to a cheap PC that can generate those graphics for you, may be a better and cheaper solution than trying to turn Maximite into something that is stretching the simplicity of the design. So you have Maximite as the I/O front end to do the task you want, and use the Netbook cheapy as the graphics processor. Next how do you easily talk to the Netbook? USB would be the simplest approach, but you now need the Maximite as a USB host. Something that may eventually need doing, when we can no longer get PS2 keyboards. I have a 7" ASUS running my Webcam (and local weather station) at: http://www.dontronics.com/webcam/ and Mick has one running an on-line file server. Both of these have been running 24/7 for about 2 years now, would that be correct Mick? Anyway, just another alternative approach. Cheers Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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| donmck Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
Rob, have linked from my USB 32-Bit Whacker - PIC32MX795 Development Board at: http://www.dontronics-shop.com/usb-32-bit-whacker-pic32mx795 -development-board.html to your web site article on the subject. Cheers Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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| aargee Senior Member Joined: 21/08/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 255 |
No worries Don. I'm planning on sticking the board in the middle of a matrix board and setting up the SD reader, video, etc as little satellites around it. Getting on the 'net is not a problem but getting to my workbench to do the work is! I'm not a C programmer (well, I have dabbled in the past), but I plan to look at Geoff's source code to see if it's possible to expand the PIN commands for the extra I/O on the 100 pin device on the UBW. - Rob. For crying out loud, all I wanted to do was flash this blasted LED. |
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| donmck Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
OK great, Bear in mind that you don't need the extra I/O on the chip, if you need plenty of I/O. 8 bit micros using an 8 bit data bus managed to control world before the larger micros came along. Basically you load shift registers, or latches, to increase the data pin count "in or out" to effectively infinity. To chase a 100 pin device, it will possibly be dearer, and it will need new Maximite boards, and BASIC commands to control it, to say nothing of headers to bring the new I/O out. What we have with a few simple tricks will work fine. I did a moving message board project in Silicon Chip Magazine in 1989 that had rows and columns of I don't know how many LEDs. It was all done with an 8 bit Z80 running at 4Mhz. Cheers Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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