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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : PicoMite - composite video output
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Nimue Guru  Joined: 06/08/2020 Location: United KingdomPosts: 367 |
I've a degree in Physics, a Master's in Computer Science and working on the PhD (on the question of adequate preparation at post-16 for undergraduate study in non CS science disciplines.90% of all science undergraduate courses use Python / R or C (one in the UK still uses Fortran) yet the science qualifications at post-16 contain no prep for this - therefore unless you do a CS qualification, upwards of 20% of your science degree in totally new to you -- and for many students unwelcome). I design and maintain websites for people and one client has a JavaScript app I wrote that seems to make him some £££ << Not saying any of this to sound clever -- just that I don't consider myself knowledgeable enough to call myself a "programmer" or a "software engineer" -- I hack code together, it makes sense to me. To be programmers "understand" things like memory garbage collection and can do clever things like write there own languages and compilers -- things that require you to understand things in the widest possible sense. I aspire to be a programmer. N Entropy is not what it used to be |
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| Nimue Guru Joined: 06/08/2020 Location: United KingdomPosts: 367 |
^^ This Not going to rant, but if I had £1,000,000.... ;-) N Entropy is not what it used to be |
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| Tinine Guru Joined: 30/03/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1646 |
Picomite Companion? Composite is easily added |
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| Nimue Guru Joined: 06/08/2020 Location: United KingdomPosts: 367 |
For me - the whole product would be over kill for my limited use case, but love the "easy" optimism given what I seem to have started in this thread. N Entropy is not what it used to be |
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| Tinine Guru Joined: 30/03/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1646 |
Would be a killer combo for the student. The Prop has 8 independent CPUs but it's programmed like any other micro. Two really nice BASIC compilers etc. Have 8 separate tasks running (launched by MMBASIC). No "interrupt hell". |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3013 |
My post was referring to the "Web Code Editor" to which cicciocb linked, not to your terminal (but that is also not showing me the Pico serial port which I see when run Serial_Term" on the chromebook--otherwise looked like your screen shot). PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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stanleyella Guru Joined: 25/06/2022 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1641 |
My thoughts on such an interesting and beachy thread. Composite video is not fun. I tried it on fast 8bit. I was a "teacher" in the '80 showing unemployed folk basic using ms dos and drdos. Frame works was the ms office at the time. That was teaching adults. children, different. just make it seem fun and they don't realize they're learning. I had to entertain my grandson , 7, using a uno and leds and he picked up the code enough to change it and his spelling wasn't brill at 7 but he could change the numbers to change the display. deciding a curriculum is difficult. |
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| Nimue Guru Joined: 06/08/2020 Location: United KingdomPosts: 367 |
DRDos - those were the days!! I raise you QEMM. Interestingly here in Wales the Government has delegated the "curriculum" to the actual teachers. In total the framework for CS says: "Computation is the foundation for our digital world. Computation involves algorithms processing data to solve a wide range of real-world problems. Computational processes have changed the way we live, work, study and interact with each other and our environment. They provide the foundation for all software and hardware systems, but learners should also be aware of the limitations of what computers can achieve. To create and use digital technologies to their full potential, learners need to know how they work. They also need to understand that there are broad legal, social and ethical consequences to the use of technology. This can help learners to make informed decisions about the future development and application of technology." This is mandatory but as you can see is open to seven which ways to Sunday of interpretation. There is additional guidance, but that is not mandatory to follow. For example - by about 11 years old children should be able to say: "I can explain and debug algorithms. I can use sensors and actuators in systems that gather and process data about the systems’ environment. I can effectively store and manipulate data to produce and give a visual form to useful information" What is absent is any notion of calibration across the piece. One teacher in one school could design it one way and others in a different manner to a different standard. Exciting stuff or your worse nightmare depending on your views on technology. This one "I can create simple algorithms" is aimed at 6-7 year olds. We have a rush of schools interpreting that as "make a jam sandwich" or "cleaning your teeth", through to using Lego Mindstorms to save the Martian explorers. An interesting system to work in at present. N Entropy is not what it used to be |
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| stanleyella Guru Joined: 25/06/2022 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1641 |
@Nimue "Interestingly here in Wales the Government has delegated the "curriculum" to the actual teachers." I've always lived in Cardiff since a baby, born in Llandebi. I don't think you get O and A level chemistry,physics,biology any more or english lang or english literature or choice of Welsh or German, French was mandatory. It depends on age. A teen probably knows more about modern user tech than the teacher :) With young children who can read then computing should be interesting fun so they don't realise they're learning. My grandson's 8 now and has a lego robot kit that connects to an app. most kids have used video games so moving graphics is both creative artistly and animating them teaches variables. just my thoughts |
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| pwillard Senior Member  Joined: 07/06/2022 Location: United StatesPosts: 274 |
Hmmm... I recall some folks did composite output on Arduino when VGA was "off the table". I recall that one guy had to dedicate an MCU to basically just doing video. AmigoJapan's Arduino TV BASIC There is also the chip on the BASIC ENGINE computer that uses a dedicated CHIP for video... "VS23S010 video controller with 128k VRAM and composite video output in PAL or NTSC" Basic Engine Edited 2022-08-18 02:56 by pwillard |
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| stanleyella Guru Joined: 25/06/2022 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1641 |
I got a few things like an old analogue tv and photo frame viewers both of which are small and have avi input. Thinks is avi composite video? I setup a rpi 1 I think to composite but getting the correct 4 terminal 3.5mm jack was a pain as there's 2 standards.  |
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| stanleyella Guru Joined: 25/06/2022 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1641 |
Just thinking rpi's all got hdmi but can be composite video and sound maybe, can't remember but it was ok if I remember. My 8bit avr version was using ssd1306 gcb glcd. You need a 1k buffer to run it. the idea was use that buffer which is where all graphic commands go and send the on/offs with an interrupt but it's not that easy... well it must be cos people have done it :( |
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| Nimue Guru Joined: 06/08/2020 Location: United KingdomPosts: 367 |
I'm in Bassaleg! Small world. Don't get me wrong, I think the curriculum reforms are necessary and a good thing - skilled practitioners are needed to make the right decisions. Scratch can teach the basics and if young people are personally interested is a great starting point -- its when we institutionalise it that I worry and as you say when the children know more. BUT to be honest that's always been the same -- in the 1980's I self taught BBC basic and the teachers knew next to nothing. N Entropy is not what it used to be |
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| Nimue Guru Joined: 06/08/2020 Location: United KingdomPosts: 367 |
Ive seen TinyBasic (via WifiSheep) using the two MCU approach -- but to be honest, they are interesting proofs of concept, but not exactly primary school teacher friendly ;-) The simplest solution to my woes is getting teachers comfortable with unplugging cables -- not an easy task ;-) Cheers all and Nos da for those living in the 'Diff !! N Entropy is not what it used to be |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3013 |
I'm sure you've looked at the "37-sensor" kits (a lot of the "sensors" are switches--but I guess a switch which senses a tilt is a sensor)--now for $15.98Canadian: sensor kit Here's a Picomite PCB designed to exercise the modules in those kits plus some other devices:  I made an earlier version which was a add-on PCB for connecting to the 20x2 socket on the CMM2 or an Armmite F4 PCB I had made. I subsequently made a Picomite board with the 20x2 socket, and showed it here with a youtube video. This latest version of the PCB has the Picomite and the sensor sockets on the same board. Many of the modules have pinouts in the form of V+, sensor, 0V (and 3V3 works for V+ on everything I've tried. In addition to the kit modules, I provided for SPI RF module nRF20L01, ultrasound sensor with LED and serial connection, MOSFET module, micro servo, 128x64 SSD1306 LCD, and I2C MCP23017 I/O expander module. The MCP23017 has become ridiculously expensive (was a few bucks 3 years ago), so for this board I added the (negative on) PCF8574 and PCF8575 I/O expansion modules. I moved the pins around, so the program provided in the link would have to have the pin numbers adjusted. PCB is just ordered, so not tested, and manual is not yet written. For anyone who has an interest, PCBs can be ordered from JLCPCB for $6.38US with this file: Picomite_20x2_sensorkit V1A_2022-08-18.zip ~ Edited 2022-08-19 20:45 by lizby PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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