Thanks again for sending me that prototype. There are literally dozens of ARM boards floating around here now yet that is absolutely my favorite. It's definitely the easiest to program of any ARM too thanks to virtual drive interface. NO drivers or special download software to hassle with. It don't get any easier than drag-n-drop.
It's definitely the easiest to program of any ARM too thanks to virtual drive interface. NO drivers or special download software to hassle with. It don't get any easier than drag-n-drop.Just a FWIW: Energia (http://energia.nu/) works similiarly easily with TI's Tiva C ARM development boards (and MSP 430s). It's basically an Arduino IDE clone that is also cross platform so it's not as full featured as this.
Well done Zapta. That looks very cool! :-+QuoteIt's definitely the easiest to program of any ARM too thanks to virtual drive interface. NO drivers or special download software to hassle with. It don't get any easier than drag-n-drop.Just a FWIW: Energia (http://energia.nu/) works similiarly easily with TI's Tiva C ARM development boards (and MSP 430s). It's basically an Arduino IDE clone that is also cross platform so it's not as full featured as this.
is the plastic "shoe" removable? seems like it would use up valuable breadboard space
excellent, I should have also said it looks good (which it does!). been looking for an excuse to dive into arm/mbed
I will say this particular board is still my favorite over any of the other ARM or AVR dealies mostly because of that drag-n-drop capability. I don't know why none of the other low cost platforms haven't adopted similar approach. There's something very nice about not needing special download utilities or drivers.I thought the whole MBED platform was drag&drop? The ST Nucleo definitely is.
That sounds ridiculous to me. AVR was modeled after the 68xxx/DEC instruction sets and has far simpler yet similarly powerful peripheral register setup. It does occur to me that the C (centipede) Girls may lack accurate perspective on the matter since most of the ugly details are hidden from their delicate sensibilities.
I will say this particular board is still my favorite over any of the other ARM or AVR dealies mostly because of that drag-n-drop capability. I don't know why none of the other low cost platforms haven't adopted similar approach. There's something very nice about not needing special download utilities or drivers.
Hi Daniel, you can mail it to me and I will try to fix it. I built this weekend one board from OSHPark and it worked (before I was using Elecrow).
Were did you get a short? I have good experience with Oshpark (from previous orders) so possibly it's just a soldering short.
Hi Daniel, you can mail it to me and I will try to fix it. I built this weekend one board from OSHPark and it worked (before I was using Elecrow).
Were did you get a short? I have good experience with Oshpark (from previous orders) so possibly it's just a soldering short.
It's a soldering short for sure! I did a bad job soldering the µC, those pins are not easy to solder. I tried to turn the board one, and there was a short, I am not sure if all components are still working.
How much work would it be for you to solder one board? I could send you one of the PCBs from OSH Park and buy the components and send to you. Or I will just buy the parts and try a second round. ;)
How do you get the metal stencil? Do they provide it when you make a pcb with them?!
How shitty would it be to try to reflow on a working small electric oven?
...with the mbed online IDE. It's a very nice environment considering that it's browser based...no! browser based is not nice for oldtimer like us. give us standalone based and we may consider programming with... and for us who have other things to do, we just prefer to buy it from you (if the price is reasonable) we dont have time to mess redesigning the board and ordering from pcb fab house and plethora of components suppliers. nice effort though on the hw side. after you settle the sw standalone ide side, you may expand your idea to larger pin count such as arduino mega, because mini is too limited for some larger application such as full color tft with other stuffs to do.
we just prefer to buy it from you (if the price is reasonable) we dont have time to mess redesigning the board and ordering from pcb fab house and plethora of components suppliers.
I updated the u8g lib driver to work with the ARM PRO MINI. It can now be hooked to graphical displays via SPI. Here is my test unit with a 1.3" 128x64 pixel OLED, updated at 20 fps (frame update time is 8ms so it can go 100fps).
https://vimeo.com/116735823
Sample program is here
https://github.com/zapta/arm/blob/master/pro-mini/lpcxpresso/u8g_example/src/u8g_example.cpp
Driver is here
https://github.com/zapta/arm/blob/master/pro-mini/lpcxpresso/u8g_lib/src/u8g_arm_pro_mini.cpp
I was analyzing the arm pro mini schematics, and I have two simple questions.
What does the Optional A and Optional B does on the circuit?
Thanks ;D
I was analyzing the arm pro mini schematics, and I have two simple questions.
What does the Optional A and Optional B does on the circuit?
Thanks ;D
Optional A allows the MCU to control its USB enumeration by the host. The host will consider the board to exist only when the 1.5k resistor is pulled up. It is useful for example when switching from serial to ISP mode and vise versa, or if your USB initialization code is too slow after the reset (typically not a problem).
Without A the device exists whenever it is plugged in. To switch between serial and ISP you need to replug the board. This is exactly what I am doing with the ARM PRO NADA board (which is a very strip down version of the ARM PRO MINI).
Optinal B includes two functions, ESD protection and impedance matching. I removed both in the Nada board and everything still seems to function.
BTW, the USB connector itself is also optional. For example if you don't use USB and just want occasional firmware upgrade you can have a header or exposed pads as people do with ICSP.
BTW, I am not a USB expert so other may provide more details.
Awesome! I will ship the current board to you, and you can take a look then!!
Thank you very much!!!
I will get your address on Private Messaging. ^-^
Awesome! I will ship the current board to you, and you can take a look then!!
Thank you very much!!!
I will get your address on Private Messaging. ^-^
Hi dansku, the board arrived, got fixed and will hopefully go out with tomorrow's mail.
The main problem was the soldering of the USB connector. It had shorts and one pin didn't have solder. I noticed solder paste that didn't melt so I reflew it again and this fixed the shorts. Also, the board has some white crust, probably from the flux, that I never seen before and it didn't come off easily with IPA. I wonder what solder paste you use.
The 0.5mm QFN MCU was soldered OK. It's interesting that soldering the micro USB connector is more challenging than the QFN. This is also my experience. Never had a problem with the QFN.
I think you need to refine your reflowing process. I am not an expert but others may provide more information.
I have used elecrow 5mil metal stencils but oshstencils says that their plastic stencils can do 0.5mm pitch. I have on order two stencils 3mil and 5mil so will see how this will go. The plastic stencils are cheaper and arrives in the US in few days. Will see how it will go. Placing the paste with toothpick or syringe doesn't work well for me, stencils do.
Here is Hackaday's entry for ARM PRO MINI
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/19/arm-pro-mini/ (http://hackaday.com/2015/01/19/arm-pro-mini/)
Here is Hackaday's entry for ARM PRO MINI
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/19/arm-pro-mini/ (http://hackaday.com/2015/01/19/arm-pro-mini/)
Congrats Zapta!!!
Here is Hackaday's entry for ARM PRO MINI
http://hackaday.com/2015/01/19/arm-pro-mini/ (http://hackaday.com/2015/01/19/arm-pro-mini/)
Congrats Zapta!!!
Yes. Congrats! Well deserved (even if you are a wacky anti RE, anti EV 'er ;) ). This looks like a really good easy ARM solution. It deserves more exposure.
Got your board today, pretty thing, and small!, need to figure out how to get it out of the printed enclosure without tearing off the usb connector (only thing to hold on), but very nice kit.
Ah, super!, I thought it was the case that very snug fit, but it was only the tape that was strong, nice! :)
What kind of tape did you use?, this was very much better tapes than the ones I have used before?
3M Outdoor tape http://amzn.com/B00004Z4BV (http://amzn.com/B00004Z4BV) . I use it a lot.
Is it possible that it's just an hardware problem? Some short, broken connection, etc?
Can you send me that bad binary, I will try to reproduce it here.
Is it possible that it's just an hardware problem? Some short, broken connection, etc?
Can you send me that bad binary, I will try to reproduce it here.
This is the file that I uploaded:
http://cl.ly/2p0m0P1a381B (http://cl.ly/2p0m0P1a381B)
Maybe I broken connection on the usb plug?
Let me know if yours worked fine!
Thanks!
Is it possible that it's just an hardware problem? Some short, broken connection, etc?
Can you send me that bad binary, I will try to reproduce it here.
This is the file that I uploaded:
http://cl.ly/2p0m0P1a381B (http://cl.ly/2p0m0P1a381B)
Maybe I broken connection on the usb plug?
Let me know if yours worked fine!
Thanks!
Hi dansku, your mbed file seems to run just fine, except that it generates blinking at 50hz (too fast). Also, I don't have a problem going back to ISP mode.
You can observe the blinking with an osciloscope or a voltmeter (half voltage on the LED output). If you can't get into ISP mode it's probably some short or connection issue. I have a chopped micro USB cable that I use to test the USB connectivity (just chop the computer side connector and expose the wires).
I am getting more boards next week. Will be able to send you one for comparison if it will help.
I would love the board to make more tests and projects!
I would love the board to make more tests and projects!
I am playing now with a 1.3" SPI OLED display attached to the ARM PRO MINI. The u8g graphics library is easy to use, it's fun to see the things moving on the screen, and everything including the USB serial stack, graphics library and printf library takes ~10k so plenty of room for application code. Life is good.
Got a good source to share for the OLED? :)
If you want a consistent source of such displays, talk directly to Heltec. They are responsive and will ship also small quantities.
Is it possible that it's just an hardware problem? Some short, broken connection, etc?
Can you send me that bad binary, I will try to reproduce it here.
This is the file that I uploaded:
http://cl.ly/2p0m0P1a381B (http://cl.ly/2p0m0P1a381B)
Maybe I broken connection on the usb plug?
Let me know if yours worked fine!
Thanks!
Hi dansku, your mbed file seems to run just fine, except that it generates blinking at 50hz (too fast). Also, I don't have a problem going back to ISP mode.
You can observe the blinking with an osciloscope or a voltmeter (half voltage on the LED output). If you can't get into ISP mode it's probably some short or connection issue. I have a chopped micro USB cable that I use to test the USB connectivity (just chop the computer side connector and expose the wires).
I am getting more boards next week. Will be able to send you one for comparison if it will help.
Yes, It may be some problem with the USB connector. I would love the board to make more tests and projects!
I will do some more testing later, I let you know how it goes! Thanks for the help! :-+
[May I ask owners of this display, what is the real mA consumption. Does it depend on how many "tiny LEDs" is on?
Is it possible to take a picture in direct sun, to see how good visibility is of these displays in daylight.
I purchased Sharp MemoryLCD to play with, but they are "expensive" :( and not sure yet if I want to go with this in my project.
[May I ask owners of this display, what is the real mA consumption. Does it depend on how many "tiny LEDs" is on?
Is it possible to take a picture in direct sun, to see how good visibility is of these displays in daylight.
I purchased Sharp MemoryLCD to play with, but they are "expensive" :( and not sure yet if I want to go with this in my project.
Mine takes 23ma to 45ma depending on the number of pixels turned on.
It's very visible indoor, even with direct light, will try to test it this weekend outdoor in the sun (it's winter here though). For outdoor application a reflective display may be a better choice.
no tactile feel, probably from the post office sorting machineI purchased one time 1000pieces very cheap tactile switches form China seller. It said ROHS compliant, but first batch under reflow oven melted in half. Some of them still had a tactile switch look, but there was no tactile feel at all.
I purchased one time 1000pieces very cheap tactile switches form China seller. It said ROHS compliant, but first batch under reflow oven melted in half. Some of them still had a tactile switch look, but there was no tactile feel at all.
I had to buy again, twice more expensive.
Regards
Jarek
Just made a super short "Hello World" tutorial for the Arm Pro Mini...
Hope it helps anyone :)
I looked at the schematics. I wish you put multiple processor pins on one PCB pin so you can use more peripherals.
I did a pass of cost reduction and am waiting now for the PCBs from OSHPARK. Same MCU, size, functionality, pinout and software compatibility. Different layout to improve the access to the ISP and RESET buttons.
I used digikey cut tape prices for cost estimation and the component cost, without the optional debugger connector (it's through hole so can be soldered by users that want to use a debugger) are
1 unit: $8.73
100 units: $5.57
1000 units: $3.93
Schematic and layout are here (this is a temporary branch, will move to main branch once I build and test it).
https://github.com/zapta/arm/blob/master/pro-mini/eagle_temp/arm-pro-mini-schematic.pdf?raw=true
https://github.com/zapta/arm/blob/master/pro-mini/eagle_temp/arm-pro-mini-board.pdf?raw=true
Yes, components only, without the optional SWD header. The new BOM is here
https://github.com/zapta/arm/blob/master/pro-mini/eagle_temp/arm-pro-mini-bom.csv
What kind of pricing did you get for turnkey?
PCB should cost almost nothing, not sure what is the going price of PCB assembly (anybody here knows?).
Yes, components only, without the optional SWD header. The new BOM is here
https://github.com/zapta/arm/blob/master/pro-mini/eagle_temp/arm-pro-mini-bom.csv (https://github.com/zapta/arm/blob/master/pro-mini/eagle_temp/arm-pro-mini-bom.csv)
What kind of pricing did you get for turnkey?
PCB should cost almost nothing, not sure what is the going price of PCB assembly (anybody here knows?).
In the end, price for PCB + assembly + Parts was going to be almost $20... which is way too much!
I wonder if anyone here have some experience with assembly that could help us. :box:
or forget about nxp chip, and move over to faster M3 STM32
http://www.ebay.com/itm/STM32F103C8T6-ARM-STM32-Minimum-System-Development-Board-Module-For-Arduino-DHUS-/321569700934 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/STM32F103C8T6-ARM-STM32-Minimum-System-Development-Board-Module-For-Arduino-DHUS-/321569700934)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hot-Sold-New-STM32-ARM-Cortex-M3-Leaflabs-Leaf-Maple-Mini-Module-For-Arduino-/311248450407 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hot-Sold-New-STM32-ARM-Cortex-M3-Leaflabs-Leaf-Maple-Mini-Module-For-Arduino-/311248450407)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hot-Sold-New-STM32-ARM-Cortex-M3-Leaflabs-Leaf-Maple-Mini-Module-For-Arduino-/311248450407 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hot-Sold-New-STM32-ARM-Cortex-M3-Leaflabs-Leaf-Maple-Mini-Module-For-Arduino-/311248450407)
The minor downsides to STM32 are lack of free IDE from ST (I believe they are working on one?), and their chips don't have "drag and drop" USB MSC programming, although they do have various serial bootloaders, or USB DFU. Nothing that is a show stopper.
Windows will install the required drive automatically via the internet.