TheBackShed.com

Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : New Firmware Release for the PicoMite Family - V5.08.00

Page 5 of 5

Author

Message

TheMonkeys

Regular Member

Joined: 15/12/2022
Location: Australia
Posts: 59

Posted: 03:42am 16 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

After prodding around, I tried (in my Arbitrary Exec/Eval web page)

OPTION HEARTBEAT OFF

Which used to cause an error after 3-ish hours runtime.
The Heartbeat turned off and the above-mentioned error ceased at the same time.

Which leads me to wonder...
How about

OPTION HEARTBEAT DEFAULT

which would have the LED do whatever the chip does normally?

Thanks to you both for creating such a robust wee web server.

Cheers,
Chris.

MarkF
Regular Member

Joined: 01/08/2023
Location: Australia
Posts: 47

Posted: 01:46am 25 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

Thank you Peter and Geoff for the new firmware and manual.

A question regarding Sprites. The sprite commands are missing from "User Manual MMBasic Ver 5.08.00 Revision 4".

The only reference of "sprite" is on page 96.

Have sprites been replaced with framebuffer?

phil99

Guru

Joined: 11/02/2018
Location: Australia
Posts: 2135

Posted: 02:18am 25 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

My understanding is that the standard PicoMite never had true Sprites, the Sprite command just being an alternative name for Blit and has now been removed.
See the Blit Command in the manual.

MarkF
Regular Member

Joined: 01/08/2023
Location: Australia
Posts: 47

Posted: 02:31am 25 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

Thanks Phil. I will check out BLIT. Yes, sorry I am referring to Sprites on the PicoMite VGA hardware.

I see my confusion. There are two manuals:

PicoMite User Manual MMBasic Ver 5.08.00 Revision 4
PicoMiteVGA User Manual MMBasic Ver 5.08.00 Revision 4

The VGA manual contains the Sprite commands.
Edited 2024-02-25 12:36 by MarkF

Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4233

Posted: 08:08am 25 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

It is unfortunate that the Blit/sprite change happened in 5.09.00 beta. It would have been a good thing to have that change in the 5.08.00 release.

Volhout

PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS

Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4233

Posted: 08:08am 27 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

Hi Peter, Geoff,

In the V5.09.00 beta a bug was found with the LINE command.
This bug also exists in 5.08.00

See details here:

LINE bug in 5.09.00 and 5.08.00

Regards,

Volhout

PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS

matherp
Guru

Joined: 11/12/2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 9115

Posted: 08:57am 27 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

Found and fixed - will be in the next 5.09.00 beta

Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4233

Posted: 09:29am 27 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

Hi Peter,

Hate to disturb you, but there is another bug in PicoMiteVGA (not in the standard PicoMite) with SPI. See below program. The SPI is set up for 8 bit transfers.
The first set of xxx=SPI(yyy) work (easiest is to see that there are 3x8 clocks on a scope).

Then there is a loop where 4 ADC channels (24 bit) are read, then finally a section where 24 bit (CRC data) is read.

If I run this code in PicoMite (normal pico) it works fine.
It uses GP2,3,4,5) that are also free to use on the PicoMiteVGA (your reference board 1.7).

But when I run it on the PicoMiteVGA, it sends the first 3 xxx=SPI(yyy) commands, and then stops.
When I comment out the PRINT commands, all SPI commands are send.

So some way, the PRINT is blocking furter SPI commands. Since PRINT statements to VGA consume time, I checked is there other clocks where simply delayed, but that is not the case.

I have no idea what happens. This is on 5.08.00.

'SPI interface with ADS131M04

option default integer

setpin gp4,gp3,gp2,SPI 'spi bus pins
setpin gp5,dout 'cs pin
pin(gp5)=1 'cs = high (not selected)
'SPI open 1000000,1,8 '1MHz,falling edge=capture,8bits
SPI open 100000,1,8 '100kHz,falling edge=capture,8bits

const comnd=&hA0
const dummy=0
dim dat(2)

do
pin(gp5)=0 'cs low
pause 0.1
dat(2)=SPI(comnd)
dat(1)=SPI(dummy)
dat(0)=SPI(dummy)
print hex$(dat(2)),hex$(dat(1)),hex$(dat(0))
pause 0.1
for i=1 to 4 'get data of 4 ADC's
dat(2)=SPI(dummy)
dat(1)=SPI(dummy)
dat(0)=SPI(dummy)
print "channel ";i;" = ";hex$(65536*dat(2)+256*dat(1)+dat(0))
pause 0.1
next i
'READ crc (NOT USED)
dat(2)=SPI(dummy)
dat(1)=SPI(dummy)
dat(0)=SPI(dummy)
print "CRC = ";hex$(16536*dat(2)+256*dat(1)+dat(0))
pause 0.1
pin(gp5)=1 'cs high
pause 1000
loop

Volhout

P.S. it would be nice to have

answer() = SPI(command())

Edited 2024-02-27 19:41 by Volhout

PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS

matherp
Guru

Joined: 11/12/2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 9115

Posted: 10:00am 27 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

Can't replicate - working perfectly for me

Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4233

Posted: 11:43am 27 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

EDIT:
post removed, needs mor investigation form my side.

I was looking at a problem with the ADC. When the VGA picomite prints data, and needs to scroll the screen, that consumes 15ms in time. The ADC looses sync (have to investigate why) when there is more than 3ms between reads of ADC channels. Pobably becuase it has new ADC data, and the SPI is busy, so it can't store the data anywhere.
The ADC is in "free run" mode.

I now read the channels immediate, and print later. That works.

Engineering is fun !!!

Volhout
Edited 2024-02-27 22:30 by Volhout

PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS

matherp
Guru

Joined: 11/12/2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 9115

Posted: 12:08pm 27 Feb 2024

Copy link to clipboard

Print this post

I'm not making it up

V5.09.00b3 as copied from your post will all print statements

Page 5 of 5

Print this page

To reply to this topic, you need to log in.