Any thoughts of providing a USB Programming Cable...serial, 12c....??? With all the machines
out there that have USB ports and no serial..it would seem like a logical step...

steve
------------------------------------



(You need to be a member of oopic -- send a blank email to oopic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

--- In o...@yahoogroups.com, "stevebotag" wrote:
>
> Any thoughts of providing a USB Programming Cable...serial,
12c....??? With all the machines
> out there that have USB ports and no serial..it would seem like a
logical step...
>
> steve
>

The more modern OOPic chips can be programmed with a serial cable
including USB->Serial.

Those versions of OOPic that can only be programmed with a parallel
cable have probably reached their end of life.

It wouldn't be hard to get a USB BitWacker to program the EEPROM. I
just used one of those to make an SPI based PlayStation controller
look like a serial port. There would need to be a Visual Basic (or C,
C++, whatever) program to grab the OOPic compiler output and send it
out the VCOM serial port.

Easy enough to do but time consuming for little gain. After all, the
older chips don't have nearly as many objects.

See http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=762

Apparently, PonyProg can also program the EEPROM
http://www.lancos.com/prog.html but I don't know if it can do it
in-circuit.

In any event, EEPROM programming would be external to the OOPic IDE.

Richard

------------------------------------



(You need to be a member of oopic -- send a blank email to oopic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

Try a USB to Serial TTL cable/adapter for the older "S" style boards.

Matt

stevebotag wrote:
>
> Any thoughts of providing a USB Programming Cable...serial, 12c....???
> With all the machines
> out there that have USB ports and no serial..it would seem like a
> logical step...
>
> steve
>
>

------------------------------------



(You need to be a member of oopic -- send a blank email to oopic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

On Apr 13, 2008, at 8:03 AM, stevebotag wrote:

> Any thoughts of providing a USB Programming Cable...serial,=20=20
> 12c....??? With all the machines
> out there that have USB ports and no serial..it would seem like a=20=20
> logical step...

The problem I have run into is that, in an attempt to "simplify" my=20=20
life for me, vendors are starting to put USB on their controller=20=20
boards (Parallax comes to mind here). This is just fine ... if you=20=20
have the driver for the USB-to-Serial converter that they have chosen=20=20
to use. Since every vendor then chooses a different USB-to-Serial=20=20
converter chip, I end up having to load a bunch of different drivers.=20=20
On Mac and Linux this is bad but at least one driver usually works for=20=20
a whole family of USB-to-Serial converters. For Windows you have to=20=20
have a separate driver for each and every vendor and product. (This=20=20
sucks big-time.)

The simplest solution is to get one USB_to_async-RS-232 adaptor and=20=20
then continue to use RS-232 on the device being programmed. In that=20=20
case I only need to install one USB_to_serial driver for all my devices.

BTW, I am using OOPic, Basic Stamp 2, and Propeller in my uC and 'bot=20=20
lab at school. I ended up standardizing on the USB-to-serial interface=20=20
that Parallax sells (FTDI chip) so I only need one driver.

I guess what I am saying (long way around) is, "MANUFACTURERS: PLEASE=20=20
DO NOT PUT USB ON YOUR CONTROLLER BOARDS!"

Thoughts behind this -- this is a network layering issue. We treat=20=20
RS-232 at the application layer but the transport is USB. It is much=20=20
simpler to disconnect these two and allow the end-user to select how=20=20
he/she wants to bind the layers together. If given my 'druthers I=20=20
would go to a full IP stack and allow physical transport to be RS-232,=20=20
USB, FireWire, Ethernet, WiFi, T1, T3, Sonet, i.e. whatever you have=20=20
just lying around. :-)

(As one of the authors of PPP, I tend to be a bit biased here.)

--

Brian Lloyd Granite Bay Montessori
brian AT gbmontessori DOT com 9330 Sierra College Blvd.
+1.916.367.2131 (voice) Roseville, CA 95661, USA
http://www.gbmontessori.com

I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things . . .
=97 Antoine de Saint-Exup=E9ry

PGP key ID: 12095C52A32A1B6C
PGP key fingerprint: 3B1D BA11 4913 3254 B6E0 CC09 1209 5C52 A32A 1B6C

------------------------------------



(You need to be a member of oopic -- send a blank email to oopic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

With USB/serial dongles costing about $10, it is a simple upgrade for
the user. And yes, I'll bet it is being considered.

DLC

stevebotag wrote:
> Any thoughts of providing a USB Programming Cable...serial, 12c....??? With all the machines
> out there that have USB ports and no serial..it would seem like a logical step...
>
> steve
> ------------------------------------



(You need to be a member of oopic -- send a blank email to oopic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )