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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: nyteschayde on February 10, 2012, 10:16:23 PM

Title: Entry Hardware Dev Kit
Post by: nyteschayde on February 10, 2012, 10:16:23 PM

This is not directly Amiga related but I plan to set some very low dev bars and to use it with an Amiga.

I've seen kits at Radio Shack and other places, like the Makers Faire, but never invested in one. Many of these kits interface with your PC (usually Windows, sometimes Linux, rarely MacOS) via USB or sometimes serial. They often have pads or pins that can be used to exchange data over and some basic hardware/software stack (either a BASIC or something FPGA related).

I've never done any hardware development, period. I'd like to pick up one of these kits and learn something with them. Maybe write a program on the Amiga that can exchange basic messaging over a serial port or parallel port. Or something basic like that.

Even a "hello device" string from the Amiga with a "hello Amiga" response. Or even more simply, press a button on the Amiga and have a led turn on on the kit.

If I can achieve this level of communication, then I am quite certain I can move on to bigger things. My question to you is, have any of you worked with any of these kits before? Is this the wrong path to go down? Should I be doing something else instead?

Thoughts? Hints? Websites?

Thanks

Title: Re: Entry Hardware Dev Kit
Post by: bloodline on February 10, 2012, 10:55:52 PM

Arduino or Mbed... Arduino development software need Java (so basically a mac or a PC to develop for it), Mbed just needs a fairly modern browser.

Have fun :)

Title: Re: Entry Hardware Dev Kit
Post by: nyteschayde on February 10, 2012, 11:00:04 PM

Awesome! MBed looks great at first glance and I haven't even looked at Arduino. I use Java everyday so that's not an issue. Neither is access to both Macs and PCs.

Title: Re: Entry Hardware Dev Kit
Post by: JimS on February 11, 2012, 01:22:33 PM

I've been thinking about something like this too. Maybe decode an address somewhere in Amiga's I/O area and map in a parallel interface to one of these microcontroller boards. The controller could talk to some SPI interface chips.. There are some interesting ones out there, radio receivers, mp3 players, network interfaces, etc.  Take a look at sparkfun.com there have some of these on breakout boards for easy soldering.