On Aug 10, 2010, at 3:15 PM, Steve Trigero wrote: > There are no free compilers for the Rabbit.
> But you can buy an RCM5700 Standard Development
> Kit for $99 that includes the compiler, a
> programming cable, and a prototype board for
> $99. The prototype board can be used with any
> 5000 series rabbit.
>
> http://www.rabbit.com/products/RCM5700/index.shtml
>
> Steve
You can download Dynamic C for free now, as long as you only use it to program
their products. Since it generates Rabbit assembly, I'm not sure how
you'd use it otherwise :-). Rabbit stopped charging for it years ago.
Be aware that the development board for the RCM5700 kit uses a simple USB cable
as the interface, so it won't help with RCM5400W development. But you
might want to consider the RCM5600W for Wi-Fi.
The RCM5400W series uses the older "Rabbit 4000 Prototyping Board" and the same
programming cable as the other RCM4xxx modules.
If you already have a dev board and programming cable for an RCM4xxx board, then
you don't need another one to explore a new core module (unless you want to
try the MiniCore modules, RCM56xx and RCM57xx, which use a different
connector).
The dev kits are nice in that you get a programming cable, dedicated power
supply and a prototyping board with an RS232 driver, two buttons and two LEDs.
As a software engineer, I found that to be a lot easier to get started with than
to wait for hardware on any given project.
-Tom
Reply by eilidhs_daddy●August 11, 20102010-08-11
Rabbit's Dynamic-C is a free download from www.rabbit.com although you may
be required to register.
RCM5450W requires a programming cable to connect the module to your PC - the
schematics for the cable are freely available from the same website. So you
could build your own cable.
However, the simplest way to get everything you need is probably just to buy one
of the dev kits.
-Kenny
--- In r..., "Bob Colwell" wrote: >
> Fellow Rabbiteers: it is my understanding that if one possesses a Rabbit
> module, say the RCM5450W, and wishes to program it, one needs to buy the
dev
> kit (http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail
>
> D> &name16-1161-ND) in order to use the Rabbit compiler and use the USB
> cable to download the result.
>
>
>
> Since that dev kit costs $249, this is a nontrivial proposition.
>
>
>
> Am I correct that the dev kit and compiler require one another? You
can't
> just buy a programming cable and get the compiler & libraries free somehow?
>
>
>
> Thanks.-BobC
>
Reply by Dave McLaughlin●August 11, 20102010-08-11
Hi Bob,
Rabbit don't appear to need you to purchase a dev kit to get going with
their modules, unlike some other companies. You can just purchase the module
and a programming cable, download the code and away you go. You will however
need something to plug the module into to provide power and IO connections
etc.
For this reason, if you have only the module, is to develop your own PCB
with an FT232RL USB device and then you are ready to develop without any
additional external hardware. Fitting a small switch to the PCB will allow
you to switch from PROG and RUN mode easily. I did this for a client
recently where he now has the programming interface installed into the end
units so that end users can upgrade without having to tear it apart to plug
in the cable.
The RCM5450W is a nice unit. I have it working nicely in a custom designed
board. I never purchased any dev kit, just the module.
From: r... [mailto:r...] On
Behalf Of Scott Henion
Sent: 11 August 2010 01:47
To: r...
Subject: Re: [rabbit-semi] Does one have to buy the dev kit to use the
compiler & download to Rabbit?
On 8/10/2010 2:42 PM, Bob Colwell wrote:
Fellow Rabbiteers: it is my understanding that if one possesses a Rabbit
module, say the RCM5450W, and wishes to program it, one needs to buy the dev
kit (http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail
D> &name16-1161-ND) in order to use the Rabbit compiler and use the USB
cable to download the result.
Since that dev kit costs $249, this is a nontrivial proposition.
Am I correct that the dev kit and compiler require one another? You
can't
just buy a programming cable and get the compiler & libraries free somehow?
They sell the cable separately. Youc an use that with the compiler or the
RFU utility.
There are no free compilers for the Rabbit.
But you can buy an RCM5700 Standard Development
Kit for $99 that includes the compiler, a
programming cable, and a prototype board for
$99. The prototype board can be used with any
5000 series rabbit.
________________________________
From: Bob Colwell
To: r...
Sent: Tue, August 10, 2010 11:42:16 AM
Subject: RE: [rabbit-semi] Does one have to buy the dev kit to use the compiler
& download to Rabbit?
Fellow Rabbiteers: it is my understanding that if one possesses a Rabbit module,
say the RCM5450W, and wishes to program it, one needs to buy the dev kit
(http://search. digikey.com/ scripts/DkSearch /dksus.dll? Detail&name16-1161-
ND) in order to use the Rabbit compiler and use the USB cable to download the
result.
Since that dev kit costs $249, this is a nontrivial proposition.
Am I correct that the dev kit and compiler require one another? You can’t
just
buy a programming cable and get the compiler & libraries free somehow?
Thanks…-BobC
Reply by Scott Henion●August 10, 20102010-08-10
On 8/10/2010 2:42 PM, Bob Colwell wrote: >
> Fellow Rabbiteers: it is my understanding that if one possesses a
> Rabbit module, say the RCM5450W, and wishes to program it, one needs
> to buy the dev kit
> (http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name16-1161-ND
>
)
> in order to use the Rabbit compiler and use the USB cable to download
> the result.
>
>
>
> Since that dev kit costs $249, this is a nontrivial proposition.
>
>
>
> Am I correct that the dev kit and compiler require one another? You
> can't just buy a programming cable and get the compiler & libraries
> free somehow?
>
They sell the cable separately. Youc an use that with the compiler or
the RFU utility.
Fellow Rabbiteers: it is my understanding that if one possesses a Rabbit
module, say the RCM5450W, and wishes to program it, one needs to buy the dev
kit (http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail
D> &name16-1161-ND) in order to use the Rabbit compiler and use the USB
cable to download the result.
Since that dev kit costs $249, this is a nontrivial proposition.
Am I correct that the dev kit and compiler require one another? You
can't
just buy a programming cable and get the compiler & libraries free somehow?
Thanks.-BobC
Reply by Tom Collins●July 24, 20102010-07-24
On Jul 22, 2010, at 1:18 PM, ebrains2003 wrote: > There are several ways to do what you want. Scott
Henion created a program that used UDP packets (if I remember correctly) to poll
for rabbit modules. If they are on the same local subnet (and running the proper
code), they will reply with their IP addresses. See this link:
>
> http://www.shdesigns.org/rabbit/locateip.shtml
>
> Another idea is to have the Rabbit send you an email with its IP address any
time it powers up. I did that with some products I designed at my last job.
Actually, it sent its first email to a mailing list, since we had no way of
embedding our customer's email addresses in a virgin unit. They simply
powered up their units and went to the online mailing list to find the email,
then clicked on the link to access their setup page in the Rabbit. I still have
the mailing list running on my server, but that company is now out of business.
Seehttp://ilf100.com/pipermail/ilf100_ilf100.com/ for an example. The links in
the emails only work if you are already connected to the same local subnet, so
this was a very safe way to "discover" the units' IP addresses.
Also note that recent releases include an ADDP server compatible with
Digi's "Device Discovery" utilities and a DLL with sample code for
developing your own ADDP client.
A "dyndns.c" sample that makes use of the HTTP client to look up a device's
public IP address and register it to a hostname with dyndns.org.
-Tom
Reply by ebrains2003●July 23, 20102010-07-23
--- In r..., "Dave McLaughlin" wrote: >
> Hi Bob,
>
>
>
> If this is being installed in a network with a router, this is not a
> problem. All routers allow you to allocate a fixed IP address that will
> always be assigned to that MAC address when the module does a DHCP request.
> This is how I have a couple of embedded devices setup on my network here.
>
>
>
> This way your coding will work with any network and it is simply a matter
of
> setting up the networks router to point any traffic on port 80 to your
> device.
>
>
>
> You will need to make sure that the IP address of the actual network you
are
> on has a static IP address to the internet, but if not, there is usually a
> DYNAMIC DNS option in most router setups that allow you to assign a
> www.xxx.com domain to it. I use www.dyndns.com to always have a domain name
> to reach my network. Even if the ISP changes my IP address, using this I
can
> get access to the Rabbit module etc.
>
>
>
>
>
> Dave...
>
> ---
> Very funny Scotty, now beam down my clothes!!!
> ---
> http://www.axoninstruments.biz
> ---
>
>
>
> From: r... [mailto:r...] On
> Behalf Of Bob Colwell
> Sent: 20 July 2010 11:00
> To: r...
> Subject: RE: [rabbit-semi] how to configure wireless w/o compiler & dev
> board
>
>
>
>
>
> Dave, if you would entertain one more ping: after staring at the Rabbit
> sample code in, for example, dhcp.c, I realize I need to become better
> educated about this DHCP stuff. What I think I want is for the module to
> boot up knowing enough about my local network so that it can connect, and
> then get a dynamic IP address from the server.
>
> Then I want to browse to the homepage of the Rabbit module. When that's
a
> static IP address, it's easy, just go to http://192.168.2.45 (for
instance).
> But when it's a dynamic address, how do I reach it with a browser? Can
I
> somehow set the URL within the C code to something like
www.BobsProject.net?
> That can't be right, because I know I can't make up www.*.* URLs any
old way
> I want to. And I don't want this web site to be reachable from the
internet
> anyway. How do I browse to the Rabbit module's web site when I don't
know
> the IP address?
>
>
>
> Thanks very much. -BobC
> Not all routers allow you to assign an IP address based on MAC
address.
Bob said he didn't want to allow internet access to his Rabbit, so a
dynamic DNS service is moot.
Reply by Dave McLaughlin●July 22, 20102010-07-22
Hi Bob,
If this is being installed in a network with a router, this is not a
problem. All routers allow you to allocate a fixed IP address that will
always be assigned to that MAC address when the module does a DHCP request.
This is how I have a couple of embedded devices setup on my network here.
This way your coding will work with any network and it is simply a matter of
setting up the networks router to point any traffic on port 80 to your
device.
You will need to make sure that the IP address of the actual network you are
on has a static IP address to the internet, but if not, there is usually a
DYNAMIC DNS option in most router setups that allow you to assign a
www.xxx.com domain to it. I use www.dyndns.com to always have a domain name
to reach my network. Even if the ISP changes my IP address, using this I can
get access to the Rabbit module etc.
From: r... [mailto:r...] On
Behalf Of Bob Colwell
Sent: 20 July 2010 11:00
To: r...
Subject: RE: [rabbit-semi] how to configure wireless w/o compiler & dev
board
Dave, if you would entertain one more ping: after staring at the Rabbit
sample code in, for example, dhcp.c, I realize I need to become better
educated about this DHCP stuff. What I think I want is for the module to
boot up knowing enough about my local network so that it can connect, and
then get a dynamic IP address from the server.
Then I want to browse to the homepage of the Rabbit module. When that's
a
static IP address, it's easy, just go to http://192.168.2.45 (for
instance).
But when it's a dynamic address, how do I reach it with a browser? Can I
somehow set the URL within the C code to something like www.BobsProject.net?
That can't be right, because I know I can't make up www.*.* URLs any
old way
I want to. And I don't want this web site to be reachable from the
internet
anyway. How do I browse to the Rabbit module's web site when I don't
know
the IP address?
Thanks very much. -BobC
Reply by ebrains2003●July 22, 20102010-07-22
--- In r..., "petermcs" wrote: >
> >
> > If all else fails, login to your router and look at its DHCP clients table.
It will probably be the one with no Client Host Name (unless you added to code
for that in your Rabbit).
> > I use the following defines to at least get the host name to show up in the
dhcp table of the router on my network (a Netopia DSL router).
>
> #define DHCP_SEND_HOSTNAME
> #define DHCP_CLASS_ID "RabbitBL4SXXX-TCPIP:Rabbit:Test:1.0.0"
>
> Then later on in the code I have:
>
> sethostname("RabbitBL4S1xx");
>
> This seems to work for my setup YMMV :)
>
> Regards,
> Peter
>
Yes, I did something similar in our products. I even made it a user-changeable
field on the product's network configuration page. But really, all he
needs to do is look for his Rabbit's MAC address in the DHCP Clients Table.
I think the last 6 digits are the serial number that is on the barcode
label.