I envision a future where instead of having to use a usb to serial converter chip just to interface with a AVR chip...
You could just get a spare usb cable, and hook the two data lines to the AVR's pin, and start reprogramming away at it.
Considering the popularity of the arduino, I would think it would make the ardunino even cheaper.
This will also allow for faster programming of chip on the field.-- mofosyne, Jan 23 2011 USB hub used for In System Programming http://hackaday.com...system-programming/"It uses the data wires from four different USB cables to program AVR chips..." [Spacecoyote, Jan 23 2011] So, if I understand correctly:
USB is a serial protocol RS232 is a serial protocol Therefore it should be possible for the USB port to act like an RS232 port (with suitable connectors), using software rather than hardware to convert the data formats?
I'm curious because I've just started to dabble in using serial devices, having discovered that a large number of gadgets are still produced with RS232 instead of USB ports, while computers now mostly lack RS232 out.
Would the computational burden of this be too great? EG would the software have to sit checking for each bit of data in realtime, instead of just waiting for it to pile up somewhere and then go and collect it?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 23 2011 Hmmm. Could some kind guru explain a bit of this jargon for the benefit of us nongurus (i.e., your present interlocutor)?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 23 2011 looking at the AT90USB1287, I say that it looks pretty sweet.
If only, they also provide it in DIP socket format.
anyhow for maxBuch. DIP=Dual Inline Package, AVR = Brand of microcontrollers, Arduino=easy to program development board, RS232=super ancient port used for old old dial up modem. Hope that helps-- mofosyne, Jan 24 2011 MBED NXP LPC1768?-- Dub, Jan 24 2011 And here, I thought you were campaigning on behalf of "the people".-- Jinbish, Jan 24 2011 //It’s the wrong language to use.//
Now - I'm not sure that is completely true... but at the same time (as we've had discussions around this before), I do know where you're coming from.
I hate C. I've had a very brief look at Forth and it does not seem to be any easier. It might make a bit more sense in some ways but it seems a little more low level. "The People" need a higher level language (and a monumentally clever compiler). Maybe Ruby... {link}
{Btw - I'm teaching assembler & 8051 as part of my microcontrollers class}-- Jinbish, Jan 24 2011 Righto - I just searched, then linked, then read, then sighed, then came back.
{link deleted}.-- Jinbish, Jan 24 2011 //non-Harvard//... Erm.. no - 8051 is a Harvard architecture (I'd better check!).-- Jinbish, Jan 24 2011 There are several Forth compilers for AVR if you wish to go that route. (Incidentally I just received an MSP430 launchpad...haven't gotten it to do anything yet other than blink)-- Spacecoyote, Jan 24 2011 //There are several Forth compilers for AVR //I thought the attraction of FORTH was that it was interpreted not compiled, and therefore immediate, like the old home computer BASIC. Unless you've got some true interactive simulator to develop on before committing to ROM, I don't see the advantage of FORTH on an AVR (or any other Harvard architecture controller with less than about 16k bytes RAM).
Learn C - it isn't that hard.
The only reason FORTH is reasonably fast is because it is stack-based, so the interpreter doesn't have to decode too many memory references. Beyond that, it is about as user-friendly as APL.-- coprocephalous, Feb 02 2011 Baked: ATmega8U2/16U2/32U4?-- notexactly, Jun 13 2015 yup
Arduino Leonardo etc... but more of a pain to spin your own board... (e.g. small to medium distribution of products based on Leonardo)
You need your own USB PID/UID number... and boy is it expensive. Not sure why they didn't use UUID.-- mofosyne, Jun 13 2015 // No way of using it on OS X though, so I can’t use my little USB stick thingy of it that I got for free. //
I got an MSP430 LaunchPad (MSP-EXP430G2, IIRC) and was able to use it from my Mac using Energia (basically the Arduino IDE adapted slightly and turned red). I don't know why I didn't say that back in 2015, because I did that before then.-- notexactly, Apr 26 2019 I haven't used mine in ages either. I keep thinking of projects to do using microcontrollers, but never get around to starting (like everything else).
Have you looked at the recent developments in visual programming at all? I haven't (but probably should), but a guy I know (whom you remind me of—he's a Mac-using artist, and doesn't like things that waste his time) taught a class at Protospace recently to some non-programmers/new programmers using, I think, using Microsoft MakeCode and the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express, and from what I heard it seemed to go pretty well. But they were only making relatively simple things.-- notexactly, Apr 28 2019 random, halfbakery