[dba-Tech] [SPAM SUSPECT] Re: OT: Is anyone into controllers?

Bobby Heid bheid at appdevgrp.com
Tue Sep 26 07:50:55 CDT 2006


I have been wanting for quite some time to build a controller for my
telescope so that I can hook up some encoders and have goto capability.  But
that will have to wait for a time when I have more time.

Bobby

-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Lembit Soobik
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 4:05 AM
To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
Subject: [SPAM SUSPECT] Re: [dba-Tech] OT: Is anyone into controllers?
Importance: Low


YES, yes, here!

I have been working since a few weeks on this and finished a program which 
reads from my EIB bus and displays the results on a 2 x 16 LCD. Things like 
Window in basement is open or such.
It was pretty easy to get started.
I am using assembly language and am surprised how easy it was.
I have still a lot of plans with this and things that I have not found a 
good answer for, like communication with a PC,...

I am using Microchip. I have got the ICD2 (debugger) and PICDEM 2 PLUS demo 
board, which I am using for programming.
I have buildt the circuit hardware with one of these universal boards. have 
not yet made a pc-board.

Right now I am building an Access db, which reads the .asm file and modifies

it to insert customized message-texts.

Microchip has forums and also a 7/24 support group (free).

I am interested in participating in your forum.

Lembit

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "JWColby" <jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com>
To: "Tech - Database Advisors Inc." <Dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com>; 
"'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'" 
<accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 7:08 AM
Subject: [dba-Tech] OT: Is anyone into controllers?


> Well, I did it; I ordered most of the stuff required to build a controller
> project.
>
> Back in 1997 or so, while I was living in Puebla Mexico, I was tasked with
> building a controller based phone debit card vending machine.  I designed 
> it
> from the ground up, specing the micro-controller (a zworld z8xxx based 
> SBC),
> using a bill acceptor and a custom built vending hopper to vend the debit
> cards.  The micro was a ready built board with a ton of i/o pins, rs488,
> rs232 etc.  It cost $180 qty 1.  The language was a custom 'C' dialect
> written for ZWorld for use on their boards.  In the end, 250 of the 
> machines
> were produced, about 100 actually went into use around Puebla and in the
> subway in Mexico DF.  Eventually the company went under, I found AccessD
> (1997) and I have been in this world ever since.
>
> It was the most fun I have ever had on a job, and I have been itching to 
> get
> back in to controllers ever since.
>
> This time around I did the research and selected the Atmel family,
> specifically the AVR line
>
> http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/devices.asp?family_id=607
>
> These are extremely cheap, extremely powerful u-controllers.  I purchased 
> a
> handful of them as well as a programmer / debugger board and a demo board
>
> http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/tools_card.asp?family_id=607
>
<http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/tools_card.asp?family_id=607&family_name=
> AVR+8%2DBit+RISC+&tool_id=3146> 
> &family_name=AVR+8%2DBit+RISC+&tool_id=3146
>
> which can be (re) programmed.
>
> I briefly considered the PIC family of controllers but they are pretty
> archaic and once I discovered the AVR I was sold.
>
> Life is cool again.  Of course it is a learning curve reminiscent of .Net.
> I have been out of the controller world for many years and have to learn
> everything from scratch, the chips, the IDE, the 'C' compiler, the
> programmer / debugger.  The tools so far are sooooo cool.  There is a free
> IDE, assembler, 'C' language etc.  The emulator actually allows you to 
> watch
> the program run (I have written my first assembler program, though I don't
> have hardware yet), watch the registers, I/O pins etc, do all of the 
> things
> you need to do to program - breakpoints, watchpoints etc.  Of course I
> haven't written 'C' code since 1997...
>
> Controllers are a gas though, and once mastered allow you to do so many 
> cool
> things with very simple circuits and some code.  In this case I am looking
> to build a PWM motor controller for my son's ride-on Gator.  From there, 
> the
> moon.  As my son gets older perhaps we can do some robotics stuff 
> together.
>
> So is anyone out there doing anything with controllers, want to chat about
> it?  Anyone want to get into it?  It is really neat stuff and these chips
> are cheap and immensely powerful.  How about 40 pins, 16 MIPS, 32K 
> program,
> eerom, ram etc for $13 for the controller?  Or 8 pins, 2K program, eerom,
> ram, etc for $2.  A breadboard, some resistors / LEDs (or even LCDs)  and
> you are off and running.
>
> Want to build a sun tracker for your solar array?  A robot that will 
> follow
> a line on the floor?  An alarm system for your house?  A battle bot?
>
> Should be fun.  I have a forum on my web site we can use if anyone wants 
> to
> join the fun.
>
> John W. Colby
> Colby Consulting
> www.ColbyConsulting.com




More information about the dba-Tech mailing list