Hello all, I've just registered here in hoping that this is the right place for my questions and that I'll be able to learn valuable lessons from some (apparently very) experienced people.
I wish to start a new open source project, but posses no Atmel/embedded know-how. I'm very experienced C & UNIX programmer, though (Linux kernel, IBM AIX extensions), and I wrote a couple of PC HW drivers (mostly USB). I did study electro-faculty, but have forgotten much since those days. :(
This is what I'd like to implement:
http://www.sas.org/tcs/weeklyIss... (the last article "Down Among the Micrograms")
This is what I'm ordering:
1 1 73-1289-ND LCD MODULE 20X2 BLUE CHARACTER 0 17.64000 $17.64
2 1 365-1008-ND SENS OPTO SLOT 4.83MM TRAN W/RES 0 1.40000 $1.40
3 1 LM3046M/NOPB-ND IC TRANSISTOR ARRAY 14-SOIC 0 1.12000 $1.12
4 1 ATSTK500-ND PROGRAMMER AVR STARTER KIT 0 82.16000 $82.16
There is source code for driving these electro-balance scales, but it's in a weird symbolic language. I'd like to reprogram it in C (developing on Linux). If anybody can identify this language, please let me know (extension ".f"):
http://www.sas.org/tcs/weeklyIss...
First of my many questions, if somebody will choose to help me:
1) Code is for STK200, which I understand already came with some CPU. I have to pick a CPU for STK-500, correct? Is there something compatible so that the code will run as is, but also support GCC/C programming? This is the driving circuit and STK board connectors for "Port D". I'd like a CPU that would "plug & play" :)
2) Which power source (ideally from digi-key), would you suggest for the STK-500? I'm in Europe, BTW, 220V sockets here.
3) Any suggestions, tips, links? Perhaps somebody here tried something similar?
Obviously, it's an old project, but I found the necessary replacement parts and it doesn't look that complicated. I learn quickly and won't bother you too much.
I'm just afraid of the STK-500 stuff, it's not described there at all. Which CPU, fuse configs, learning the platform-specific programming, I/O...
When I'm done, I plan to document everything, write a CLI driver interface (via serial port) and a simple GUI drawing a real-time graph of the measurements. Then release everything under GPL. Everything I've written is GPL, so I have plenty experience there.
Thanks in advance!