Introducing Netduino Go
#101
Posted 27 April 2012 - 01:23 AM
#102
Posted 27 April 2012 - 02:14 AM
Regarding "S" compatibility... If you design a Gadgeteer module which only uses the GPIO pin and SPI pins (but not the UART pins), you can use one of those Gadgeteer modules on every socket...since they won't share pins other than the standard SPI shared pins (SI, SO, SCK). You won't be able to use them on the same channel as go!bus devices necessarily, but when we say "one Gadgeteer module per go!bus channel" we're underpromising a bit...to make sure users have a consistent experience. You're welcome to push things to the maxIs it a long discussion that is documented anywhere?
Yes, every module has a UUID. The go!bus protocol is based on interrupts and polling, to ensure a lack of collisions. It is like a small network, specifically designed and tuned for electronics.This sounds to me like you have some kind of addressing scheme and a corresponding discovery mechanism as well as I/O queuing to prevent collisions on shared channels - essentially a small network. Is that right?
The RTC isn't surfaced because it requires an external battery...and there are some complications to that. We have a plan to enable RTC...more on that later this year.The STM32F2 and 4 both have an onboard RTC. I hope you're surfacing this.In fact the datasheet I'm looking at says it supports ethernet. But I understand why you'd want to offload this to other hardware.
With Ethernet, the onboard PHY of the STM32F407 is fantastic...but an integrated PHY puts the full burden of network processing on the mainboard. By using an external PHY/MAC chip on a module, the solution can become even more robust (since the external networking chip can be designed to filter traffic, etc. and minimize the processing required on the mainboard).
Chris
#103
Posted 27 April 2012 - 02:16 AM
Created by Secret Labs with help from the core community tech team and input from the community. We're opening it all up as an open source protocol. The electrical, mechanical and enumeration specs for go!bus 1.0 are already set, and we'll be refining the current draft spec over the coming weeks. We'll make sure we get it all up on the Wiki.I'm having a hard time finding relevant hits on Google for Go!Bus. Is this a new industry standard or is it a proprietary Secret Labs thing? Are there web pages describing Go!Bus?
Chris
#104
Posted 27 April 2012 - 12:01 PM
Yse, every module has a UUID. The go!bus protocol is based on interrupts and polling, to ensure a lack of collisions. It is like a small network, specifically designed and tuned for electronics.
I hope you and the guys at Nwazet put together a practical guide to DIY add-on boards.
The RTC isn't surfaced because it requires an external battery...and there are some complications to that. We have a plan to enable RTC...more on that later this year.
Good. I'll wait for that then. In case you were wondering, the reason I want an RTC when I have a GPS is to identify and reject the rubbish dates you sometimes get while the GPS system is acquiring first lock. I don't need it to be terribly precise - for my purposes even 1% drift would be acceptable - but boy oh boy does it simplify things if I can sanity-check values before logging them.
With Ethernet, the onboard PHY of the STM32F407 is fantastic...but an integrated PHY puts the full burden of network processing on the mainboard. By using an external PHY/MAC chip on a module, the solution can become even more robust (since the external networking chip can be designed to filter traffic, etc. and minimize the processing required on the mainboard).
Yes, that was pretty much my thought when I said I could see why you might not use it. I still remember being shocked by the load cheap NICs put on PCs in the nineties. In the single core systems of the time, trying to read a file off an IDE disk (also CPU intensive) across the network was a performance disaster.
Nevertheless, you could have marketed onboard ethernet as convenient for low performance prototyping, and recommended a separate NIC for high performance. One of the biggest attractions of the N+ is the fact that you don't have to fiddle about or spend extra to get mass storage and comms going. I can't think of a non-trivial application that doesn't use both of those.
#105
Posted 27 April 2012 - 01:20 PM
Yes, this exactly. Or even a dedicated non-volatile 4k of storage for small files or config.One of the biggest attractions of the N+ is the fact that you don't have to fiddle about or spend extra to get mass storage and comms going. I can't think of a non-trivial application that doesn't use both of those.
#106
Posted 03 May 2012 - 12:33 AM
#107
Posted 03 May 2012 - 06:33 AM
Possible, but I'm not sure how compatible it would be. Those boards sometimes have unique pinouts which sometimes make them non-Arduino shields.I have a Panda II and a mess of modules, how much effort would it be to use a Panda II Shield with your Shield Base?
If you can give me a link to what you're trying to accomplish, we can help dig into it for you.
Chris
- Arron Chapman likes this
#108
Posted 03 May 2012 - 09:01 AM
Hi LenR,
Possible, but I'm not sure how compatible it would be. Those boards sometimes have unique pinouts which sometimes make them non-Arduino shields.
If you can give me a link to what you're trying to accomplish, we can help dig into it for you.
Chris
http://www.ghielectr...log/product/261
Here is a link to the shield. It looks like a standard pinout. I would be interested in picking up as much functionality as possible, I just want to know how much would be involved to determine if it is worth the effort. I would imagine the analog and digital pins would be straightforward, maybe not the Ethernet and battery backup for the real time clock - which could be not compatable all by itself.
I received the GO starter kit and your boards are little jewels.
#109
Posted 03 May 2012 - 10:12 AM
The Ethernet is a Wiznet chip, so you can probably use the experimental Wiznet networking drivers...although since the Netduino Plus has integrated Ethernet I'm not sure if that's so desirable... The analog/digital connectors should be really close.Here is a link to the shield. It looks like a standard pinout. I would be interested in picking up as much functionality as possible, I just want to know how much would be involved to determine if it is worth the effort.
Glad you like them, thanks for the feedback!I received the GO starter kit and your boards are little jewels.
Chris
#110
Posted 03 May 2012 - 02:46 PM
Hi LenR,
The Ethernet is a Wiznet chip, so you can probably use the experimental Wiznet networking drivers...although since the Netduino Plus has integrated Ethernet I'm not sure if that's so desirable... The analog/digital connectors should be really close.
Glad you like them, thanks for the feedback!
Chris
I plugged in the FEZ Panda II shield with a temperature sensor and light sensor and the code is reading them fine. At least it gives me some sensors to play with.
The big cap served as a battery backup for the RTC, I don't imagine it does anything for the Shield Base?
#111
Posted 03 May 2012 - 02:53 PM
No, that pin is traditionally the "AREF" pin on Arduino-style boards. The Shield Base has an internal AREF, so that pin is disconnected and that cap won't do anything (if indeed it is attached to the AREF pin, as I believe it is).The big cap served as a battery backup for the RTC, I don't imagine it does anything for the Shield Base?
Chris
#112
Posted 09 May 2012 - 03:47 PM
#113
Posted 09 May 2012 - 03:52 PM
Netduino Go has twice the available RAM for your application, and it has six times the flash, so you should see some nice improvements.Will it perform better with networking module? I am currently having a lot of OutOfMemory exceptions with Plus and I am looking for alternatives. Compared to Plus while using networking how better will perform Go?
Initial testing with networking has gone very well.
Chris
#114
Posted 12 May 2012 - 03:40 PM
#115
Posted 12 May 2012 - 07:11 PM
Yes. We will continue populating the Shield Bases with the nicer chip for a while--probably through the summer. We actually just got more of these chips for the next batch.i am wondering if the upgraded "128KB-flash MCU to a full-blown 512KB-flash 120MHz Cortex-M3 microcontroller", as per the OP, is still shipping? i need all the processing power i can get.
Chris
#116
Posted 03 July 2012 - 04:08 AM
#117
Posted 03 July 2012 - 06:22 AM
I would say:OMG awesome! Where can I buy a set with all the current modules? I like what I see in the picture, and especially want the upgraded board and touchscreen!
http://www.nwazet.com/products
Besides that, a few other modules are currently in development. See also: http://wiki.netduino...GO-Modules.ashx
My .NETMF projects: .NETMF Toolbox / Gadgeteer Light / Some PCB designs
#118
Posted 03 July 2012 - 01:25 PM
#119
Posted 08 August 2012 - 02:22 PM
How goes the ethernet module?
Yes I would like to order the ethernet module also. Will it be available in August?
Is the Chris Walker on these forums the same guy who started ControlThink. I played with that for a couple years (Zwave)
#120
Posted 08 August 2012 - 02:48 PM
It should go into production this month. Production takes a few weeks, but it should be shipping very very soon. We already hand-built the first samples and are testing them now.Yes I would like to order the ethernet module also. Will it be available in August?
Quite possibly Hello again Tombo!Is the Chris Walker on these forums the same guy who started ControlThink. I played with that for a couple years (Zwave)
Welcome to the Netduino Community,
Chris
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