StickOS

[Bruce]

FYI: Just had several email conversations with Rich Testardi (the inventor behind StickOS), and he's one very likeable person, and someone that's very interested in making complex embedded control applications simple for students, and anyone else interested in embedded programming. With ZERO experience in embedded applications.

If these initial boards work as expected, we will for sure be producing a lot more with various options, including the MC13201 2.4GHz wireless chip on board for wireless programming & communcations between boards.

Imagine development programming a PIC32 via wireless with this simple system!

Pretty cool stuff.

[ScaleRobotics]

This thread is about the StickOS (which is also used in hardware called soBasic http://www.sobasicsoeasy.com/). It is an operating system that allows development through a telnet like terminal. This interface can be made over the serial port, USB port, or wireless port. StickOS has been compiled to run on a few different types of chips. Two Microchip series that it can run on are the PIC32MX3 and the PIC32MX4 families.

A description from the www.cpustick.com website:

StickOS™ BASIC is an entirely MCU-resident interactive programming environment, which includes an easy-to-use editor, transparent line-by-line compiler, interactive debugger, performance profiler, and flash filesystem, all controlled thru an interactive command-line user interface. In StickOS, external MCU pins may be bound to “pin variables” for manipulation or examination, and internal MCU peripherals may be managed by BASIC control statements and interrupt handlers. A StickOS-capable MCU may be connected to a host computer via a variety of transports and may then be controlled by any terminal emulator program, with no additional software or hardware required on the host computer. Once program development is complete, the MCU may be configured to autorun its BASIC program autonomously.

For more information on this system, see this post for a few videos that describe the development/operating sytem: http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/show...9397#post89397

[ScaleRobotics]

A heart-beat LED on a PIC32 processor running at 80MHz is pretty trivial stuff..;o)

Definately trivial, just wanted an LED on the board. StickOS already has it programmed (and allows it to be changed to any available IO), just wanted a pin to set it to, and it would be handy if the LED was on the board.

Thanks,

Walter

[Bruce]

Oh - great - the cost just went up by $0.001 per board...

Surface mount - or through-hole? Blue, red, green, yellow?

[Bruce]

OK guys - so far it's;

Me
Walter
Mark
Dave

Walter wants the BASIC Stamp type layout with header pads down both sides for a Stamp type board that can be inserted directly into a breadboard.

I prefer the board with header pads around the processor in a square type arrangement like an Explorer16 type PIM module - with an area large enough to place a small breadboard on top of the solder pad area.

That's 1 to 1, so we need at least one more vote to tip-the-scales, and we'll go with that design factor.

I've already started the board design, but have to wait for the final vote before moving on - so let me know ASAP.

I can have the board design ready long before we get the PIC32 controllers.

[Darrel Taylor]

Curious,

Are these the PIC Sticks that PBP already supports?
(PS1-5)

Or a different "Stick"?

[ScaleRobotics]

Hey Bruce,

No rush, especially since you are doing all the work. Just wondering if you had any updates. No worries though.

Thanks,

Walter

[Bruce]

Almost ready. Have a few parts to lookup for BOM, and some hand-routing to finish, but I'll post here when it's ready.

[Bruce]

In the process of selecting parts. Anyone have a problem with tiny surface mount switches that may require the end of a pen or something similar to press, or would you prefer a raised button you can press with a finger?

Last part to select - so please let me know ASAP.

[ScaleRobotics]

Thanks Bruce!

I loaded Bruce's latest design to BatchPCB.com. Here is the link, (at cost) at $11.50 each http://batchpcb.com/index.php/Products/53019

I will probably get to an order in a week or three. If anyone else wants to give it a go, feel free. Bruce's board and the UBW32 board are about the same area, so the cost for an order of 30 should be pretty close. Might be closer to $7.00 each for Bruce's board, where the UBW32 would be $6.50.

Please chime in. I would like to see if people are still interested, and if so, which board.

Or, I could just put both boards on batchpcb, and those interersted could place their orders.

Let me know.

Thanks,

Walter

[ScaleRobotics]

A BASIC Stamp 2px Module does about 19,000 instructions per second. So it's definitely faster than that.

[ScaleRobotics]

Rich has added a few neat features in v1.80, like I2C. Check out 2.2 in http://www.cpustick.com/stickos.htm (and all other improvements in red).

[rmteo]

Any news on this?

[ScaleRobotics]

Thanks Bruce, I think these are going to be fun!

Here is something that exists, only hard to find, and almost as expensive as the others:



http://mysite.verizon.net/reswwg6r/id9.html

And I found this at the Mikroe site. Lots of bells and whistles (not claimed to be compatible with StickOS). And the graphic lcd would certainly be very difficult, if not impossible to interface with using StickOS. But interesting....

http://www.mikroe.com/eng/products/v...timedia-board/



Walter