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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Newie got a few questions
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lew247 Guru  Joined: 23/12/2015 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1676 |
Hi everyone I've literally just discovered the Micromite and MMBasic and I have to say from what I've seen it seems amazing. My first computer experience was in college when I was 16 in 1977 (shows how old I am) and the computer then had no monitor but only a printer and it ran basic. MMBasic from what I can see is extremely similar to the basic I learnt back then so it brings back lots of memories. Obviously since then I've been through computers from most of the dos versions to Windows 10. But never really did any programming. Since then I've been a radio ham, radio and tv engineer and a gsm field engineer so got "some" electronic building/fixing experience but little programming. What I'd like to do is a mixture of projects, I saw/read geofg's project the GPS Synchronized Clock and I'd like to mae one but I'd also like to do this: I also want to add an lcd display under it showing the time/day/date and maybe some other information such as temperature inside and outside which could be done easily enough with DS18B20 or something similar I'd also like to incorporate a means of it chiming on the 1/4 1/2 3/4 and on the hour playing either mp3 sound of a gong chiming the hour or maybe if possible use something like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3-AawZLvWo Probably way too advanced to do but I'd like to have a genuine sound so probably have to me MP3 really with a decent speaker. Eventually I'd like to make remote sensors for the fridge and freezer showing the temperatures of those, and maybe incorporate an alarm if the temp rises above a set level Also humidity and maybe even wind speed (can all be added at a later stage) Is all this possible? or would it really be too hard to do for a newie to programming? I believe the output from the GPS could be used for both the Synchronized Clock and the digital one The other idea I had was to maybe use one of the new 64 pin Micromites and have something like a 5 inch display and have it draw the clock and a box with the other things (day date etc) in it Id really welcome any thoughts ideas suggestions etc, even if its telling me that its impossible or too hard! |
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BobD Guru Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
Welcome Lewis It's all possible. Just decide what you want and go for it. Ask questions as you need. Merry Christmas to you and all of the TBS. Bob edit This may be the wrong time to ask a lot of questions. People may be concentrating on other things. |
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| viscomjim Guru Joined: 08/01/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 925 |
Hi Lewis, welcome aboard. I too think you will really enjoy the uMite. I for one am hooked and use it in a lot of projects. All the things you mentioned are doable with the uMite. I noticed you mentioned the gps synchroniezed clock but I don't know if you saw THIS ONE. It has the LCD that you are looking for and the code is really pretty cool. As far as adding sound, also very doable. HERE is a project that I used an MP3 sound module and uMite. You can easily add any sounds you want for your projects. This is a great forum and everyone here is super friendly and like to help. Geoff has really made a wonderful product and I can't thank him enough for his incredible efforts. There are quite a few contributors to this project that go above and beyond and have made this a great development tool and platform. MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone here!!!! |
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CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1421 |
All taken at once it is a big project for a newbie, but you don't have to do the whole thing at once. What you describe is easily done a bit at a time. Get the basics down and then add what you want in a modular way. Start with a big graphic LCD perhaps on portrait orientation. Divide it into a large section at top for time, and room underneath for data. To begin with have the time displayed as digital, but put it in a box that you can later make into the face of an analog clock. There is a system time in the MM that you can display. Next add GPS time support. A GPS sends serial strings that you need to decode. Now you have built the second part of your project - having accurate time from GPS. Add MP3 (http://circuitgizmos.com/gizmo-store/#!/Shield-to-Play-MP3-WAV-files-from-SD-USB/p/54453068/category=14355151 is an MP3 player I make and sell) and write code to look for your quarter hours to trigger an mp3 file. Now add sensors that you can display their values on the LCD below the clock. Perhaps make that area scroll or cycle between readings. There is a ton of built-in support in MMBasic for sensor reading. Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
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TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5923 |
Welcome. I would look at the DHT22 as a sensor for temperature and humidity. There is also the BMP085 for pressure. Both work well with the micromite. Us more mature users are always happy to help the youngsters who come along. Jim VK7JH VK7JH MMedit MMBasic Help |
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| CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1421 |
That made me LOL. Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
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| WhiteWizzard Guru Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2794 |
Hi Lewis, and welcome to TBS As people have already mentioned, all this (and lots more) is possible; and the best thing is it is very easy to achieve when taken step by step. The fact you know BASIC already is a great help - and once you start playing you will see just how easy things are. I am based in UK too (Slough) and will gladly help you by phone too if you need. The people here are great for helping and sharing ideas/problems so post here first. Get hold of at least a 28pin MM and a cheap colour TFT (with touch), and also a USB-to-Serial module and you will have enough to get started . . . . SEASONS GREETINGS to you ALL 
WW For everything Micromite visit micromite.org Direct Email: whitewizzard@micromite.o |
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| lew247 Guru Joined: 23/12/2015 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1676 |
Thanks everyone, some good advice there, I'll get started after Christmas The one question that still sticks out is Is there support for an rf module? ie if I put a temp sensor outside, could i connect it to an rf transmit module and have a receiver on one of the pins of the micromite? I was thinking that would be a great way to get outside temp, humidity wind speed and so on to the micromite without having to run wires through the wall |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2294 |
as it happens, i've been using these modules, an HC-12 clone, to transmit GPS data with great success: http://www.ebay.com/itm/171907297975 costing us$9.20 (delivered) for two. a pair will, out-of-the-box with no programming required, provide a 9600 baud duplex serial link that acts just like a wired connection. in my case this matches the 9600 baud of the GPS modules i am using, but could equally well provide a link between two micromites. (1) use an outside micromite with temperature sensor attached, that every minute or so wakes up, turns on the transceiver and sends out the temperature data, then turns off the transceiver and goes back to sleep. (2) inside have a second transceiver attached to a micromite that listens for the temperature data and dispays it on an LCD screen. although this uses two micromites, the 28-pin MX170 chip is cheap enough (at less than $5) to not worry about the cost. cheers, rob :-) |
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palcal Guru Joined: 12/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1805 |
In the last link I like the instruction to stop overheating Paul. "It is better to be ignorant and ask a stupid question than to be plain Stupid and not ask at all" |
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| TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5923 |
If you do use a wireless link, make sure it is legal to use in your country. Permitted frequencies and power levels vary a lot between countries. Jim VK7JH MMedit MMBasic Help |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9083 |
Hi-de-hi. 
Welcome to the forums, as many others have said. If it helps at all, when I first became a member, the black-and-white Maximite had just been published in Silicon Chip, and I knew practically no MMBASIC at all. I had done several years worth of work with the PICAXE chips, and some of the commands were the same, but essentially, I had to learn a new programming language. I am so glad I did, as since the B/W Maximite, we have seen the Colour Maximite, Micromote 150, Micromite 170, Micromite Plus 64 and Micromite Plus 100 chips come along, each one advancing the language and adding more fancy go-faster stripes as they arrived on the scene. All the while, keeping the price of the main chip next to nothing, and now that Rob(robert.rozee) has done the ascii programmer unit, you can build a programmer for the chips for about US$5 - hard to beat, even with the offerings on eBay. But I digress..... When I first arrived here, I felt I could do nothing, as I did not know even the basics of the language, but members here were very willing to help me learn, and now I involve myself in quite complex projects such as the stereo amp controlled by MMBASIC that I, jman and HankR are all working on behind the scenes. So, I can't really think of anything that the Micromite CAN'T do in the embedded world with the addition of extra external modules for specific tasks, but the Micromite and MMBASIC make things much quicker and easier to get working then the Arduino - no offence to Arduino. Arduino used to win hands-down on raw speed(being coded in C) over the interpreter that runs MMBASIC, but since MMBASIC added Cfunctions, then specific tasks can be written in raw C or MIPS, and that has opened up the Micromite to a whole plethora of tasks and situations where it can be used - mainly thanks to matherp's on-going Cfunction development work. Even interpreted MMBASIC is plenty fast-enough for most tasks without needing Cfunctions. So, dive on in, and do post back with anything that you trip on - as others have already said, this is a friendly forum and plenty of people are willing to help with any issue you may have. Learning MMBASIC is definitely worth the effort - put it that way! Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| WhiteWizzard Guru Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2794 |
I have used RFM12 wireless modules connected to a 28pin SMD MicroMite and used TMP102s as the temp sensor. Was personally using 868MHz modules as less interference than with the 433MHz ones. The only thing is, you need to write the 'configuration' sequence to the RFM12 modules rather than the MM having inbuilt support. However, with the use of LIBRARY command (and the information for the startup sequence for the RFMs) then you can end up with an easy (and legal) RF link for remote sensors. Use the CPU sleep command too and battery power becomes a reality. . . . WW For everything Micromite visit micromite.org Direct Email: whitewizzard@micromite.o |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2294 |
the 433MHz band is referred to as LPD433 (low power device 433 MHz) and requires no licence for use in many countries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LPD433 for the average person, the most familiar use of this band is for garage door controllers, green button Merlin remotes, for example. it is also shared with amateur radio operators (70cm, 430-440MHz). the first four channels of the HC-12 module fall within this band. the default power output of the HC-12 is 100mW, while in australia and new zealand the maximum power allowed is 25mW. however, the antenna supplied is a helical (20-turn, 4.5mm diamater, 20mm length) that is likely to attenuate the output to be within the 25mW limit: http://www.cqham.ru/spiral.htm the bandwidth of the transmission is also quite wide (400kHz), which spreads this power out quite bit, again helping to keep within the regulations. also of note: the HC-12 only transmits when there is data sent to it. so if transmitting (for example) a temperature reading every minute, transmission will only consist of a short 'blip' now and then. this mode, in itself, is unlikely to interfere with other users such as remote controls or voice. conclusion: using the supplied 20mm helical antenna the HC-12 should be ok to operate in australia or new zealand on channels 1 to 4 (channel 1 is the factory default). so no configuration needs to be sent to the unit. setting a channel number above 4 is best avoided without first checking the local regulations, as is attaching a 'real' antenna. and finally, avoid sending data continuously to be courteous to other users of the band. UK and american users may with to chime in with details of their own local regulations. cheers, rob :-) |
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| lew247 Guru Joined: 23/12/2015 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1676 |
Thanks everyone, everything is being taken in and all advice greatly recieved :) I'm actually in Manchester in the UK I think I'll start off with probably a 5 inch touchscreen lcd, showing the day/date time etc from a gps module. This should be a big enough screen to allow me once I figure out how (or is someone posts examples) of adding an analogue type time display on the screen, but it would have to have decent hands, not sticks if that makes sense Later on once I've learnt a bit more I can add the temperature sensor and some rf modules to recieve the outside temp humidity and so on. I really love the idea of an ultrasonic wind speed/direction being added at some stage but this will be way way in the distant future, I've seen some arduino projects doing that and it looks really complicated (the coding) What I'd like to do with the lcd display if it was possible and I really dont know if it is or if its going to be too hard to program - is maybe have a background picture (jpg or similar) read off an sd card and the clocks drawn over the top probably way too advanced. I'm going to buy the MicroMite+ Explore 64 as soon as Christmas is over and start playing with that and a display to i can start learning. I decided to buy that one as it should have enough pins and power to do most of what I want it to do, although I may have to get some smaller micromites to work with the remote modules, no idea yet but I'm going to start small and work up. (hopefully) |
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| lew247 Guru Joined: 23/12/2015 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1676 |
Really simple question but I cannot find the answer anywhere (not even in the manual) When making a circuit that will not have in circuit programming - Do I have pin 1 connected to 3.3V or do I connect it through the 10K resistor or do I leave it unconnected? |
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| matherp Guru Joined: 11/12/2012 Location: United KingdomPosts: 8606 |
Page 7 in the latest manual Personally I wire to VCC with 10K and then have a switch to GND to allow easy resetting |
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| lew247 Guru Joined: 23/12/2015 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1676 |
Thanks matherp I did read that which is why I asked, it doesn't make it clear if it HAS to be connected to +V or not (not in my mind anyway) If I get what you said right, I connect it via the 10K resistor and then I can have a switch anywhere connected to ground and pin 1 and if I want to reset the micromite I press the switch If I have autorun turned on, will that reset the micromite and restart the program once the switch is turned off? |
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| matherp Guru Joined: 11/12/2012 Location: United KingdomPosts: 8606 |
Yes: just use a simple push-button switch |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9083 |
As far as I know, MCLR(pin1) must be pulled high for the MCU to run. I am not sure if it has anything internal in the way of pull-up - I would have to look at the Microchip datasheet. It would not be a good idea to leave it floating. So, in a nutshell, MCLR must be pulled high, yes. It is generally good practice to use the somewhat ubiquitous 10k as the pull-up on this pin. As this pin is active low, and if left to float, it could result in many an unhappy project, as the MCU would be forever restarting at odd and unpredictable times - not a good thing for one's sanity.
For the sake of a couple of tracks, I always include the ICSP pads and tracks, weather I think I will ever need them again or not. Pretty much mandatory for any of the SMD chips, but you can get away without the ICSP header on the DIL chip I guess, as it is simple enough to swap out to program etc. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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