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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : I had a short break from software the other day...
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Mixtel90 Guru  Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 5726 |
I've been getting fed up with carrying a breadboard & PicoMite around with me when developing the PIO assembler. I do most of the work on the days that I go to look after my mum, so the breadboard, laptop, charger, books etc all take up half a sofa. :) Anyway, I decided that it was time I had a development system. But which one? I don't really need Grove ports and LEDs on everything, but a few would be useful. I don't really need a display. A power switch would be useful so that things could be plugged and unplugged without disconnecting the USB. SD card is essential. RTC would be nice, as would a reset button. It would be better if it was as cheap as possible too. :) This is what I came up with, built mostly from what I already had around. The SD card module was a special buy. The RTC was bought for my PicoMite backpack (when the PCBs turn up). There is a 90 degree reset button underneath the RTC module. The blue buton pulls 3V3EN down to switch the 3.3V supply off. The little breadboard has the "bumps" at top and left so that it can be expanded if necessary. I can just about fit 3 buttons in the bottom left corner. If/when I get a Round Tuit.  Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 3523 |
Actually quite amazing. All the backpack boards and development boards people design on this forum, turn the bare pico into an F4. Apparently Raspberry foundation are good at bringing out a product that challenges to be completed. Since everyone is missing something. So it was with the pi 1A....4B , you needed to add keyboard, mouse, hub, monitor, RTC, audio in, until you payed for the price of a cheap laptop, wich could do the same. And everyone liked it.... Edited 2021-08-02 16:07 by Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 3656 |
I think the best idea is to use the RPi devices where you typically do NOT add all those things :) John |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 5726 |
I like the RPi, but I've never been really certain where it *does* fit in if you take it away from its educational target. :) Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3015 |
Right. I use one rpi-ZW headless as a kind of utility server to host little web pages and to play with things like Node-Red. And I have two serving front yard and back yard cameras on a house 2000 miles away. The only time I've used a monitor on them is when for some reason I don't get or lose headless access. And briefly with a 7-inch monitor when picromite mmbasic was working (and that was still headless, with the hdmi monitor as display). PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2287 |
this has always been the problem with 'cool new inventions' - quite often they are a solution looking for a problem. outside of education and running kodi, RPi applications have always fallen into the 'niche' category. i'm afraid that much the same mostly holds for maximites and micromites. the one shining light i see is the MX170 (micromite mk2), because it is quite unique (DIP-28, chip+1 capacitor solution), very general purpose, and has been used by quite a few folks in building things where the MM is thoroughly hidden under the hood. there are several forum members on here who have found commercial applications where dozens to hundreds of MM2's have been used. it is interesting to type 'pi pico' into google and see all the things people have been using them for. the list is... short. cheers, rob :-) |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 5726 |
I think that's probably because the usual RPi market still isn't sure about the Pico. It isn't something they've been used to. It will change. :) I completely agree with you regarding the Micromite Mk2. It's a dream of a chip for embedding - I'm currently (but very slowly!) embedding one into a lab power supply to handle the user controls and display. I could do to get back to that project but so little time... I see the PicoMite very much as a turbocharged Maximite with more I/O and built-in Microbridge. It takes more board space, but the relocatable pins makes that less of an issue. It's competition is really the Arduino market, not the RPi. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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