OSProg Hardware Phylosophy
Status: Planning
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Hi.
I saw that the OSProg seams to be based on the Willem programmer. Thats good but it should be much better.
Allmost of proffesional programmers are working with pin drivers. I thing it will be a good idea to make a new hardware implementation.
In that way, The software part of the project will provide libraries hows setup the internals "switches" (Logic gates) of the programmer to provide de good signal levels on each requiered pins.
Then the software core wil gest all the programming algorythms so the hardware wil only make the communication interface between th PC programm and the pin driver. I see a µC with a USB interface
(By example a PIC18F4550)
The pin driver technology allow to support a very large amout of devices.
I prupose you to make the pin driver hardware
Are you interested ?
Hi,
Thanks for the interest!
Unfortunately I had no much time recently, as I changed my job :).
You are right!
The Willem-based idea was to make the Willem programmer more flexible, using the existent Willem SW, and only adding CPLD instead the complicated IC-logics. The CPLD will be configured with a simple PC software program, or with Willem SW plugin. I started with this, but Willem was faster :) and I stopped eforts in this direction.
Actually the main idea was to make totally different hardware platform, with minimum user effort to programm any chip. The whole SW project should be portable (the core processor can be any ARM, CORTEX, MIPS, ... any), support any chip, support RFID, and so on.
Currently I started with ST32F103 MCU and a CPLD. I've developed the bootloader for the MCU. The function is to load .bin Firmware to the MCU and to execute it. This allows the firmware to be upgraded easy. Also I started to write the loader functions for the CPLD (to be updated in the same way as FW). There is a .dll also. In this way the application can be Java, .net, C++, Qt, and other based. Basically that are the ideas.
The pin driver hardware seems to be most complicated work. I have some ideas, but they include a lot of transistors :).
Yes, I'm interested in any ideas you may have!
Best regards,
Nikolay
Hi Nikolay
During this time I've continue with the pin driver and you're right taht it requier some discretes components for each pins (
The DAC088S085 wich provide for 8 pins the voltage level required to a tl274 Opamp powered at 12.5V mounted in non inverting amplifier.
This one input an lm6511 comparator . The second input of the comparator is an transistor mounted in swithing mode with a base level of 3.3V.
2 buffer (level converter) with an output enable provide the input signal of the transistor and alow the processor systhem to read de pin throught a resistor and a 3.3V zener diode.
A inverter (an hc04 like) apply the OE signal to the level converter if the pin is an input or an output.
Thats right that it is heavy but the price to pay to have something more professional.
The CPU unit is actualy a PIC18F8722 equiped with an FT245 USB driver an 4 Xillinx FPGA's : 3x XC3S500E (16 pins pindriver interface) and a XC9536XL (19 bits parallel adress counter with preload) and buffer memory
The upgrade of the firmware can be done with an MPLAB ICD2 directely on the target.
The 1st test for me is to test the pindriver hardware when fixed.
If you have ideas, they are welcome ;)
thank's for your answer.
Best reguards
F.Declercq
Forgot something...
The lm6511 will be changed. It could not support an 12,5V output and be replaced by an LMC7211 with the same package (SO-8)
I split Kicad into 2 boards, the pindriver board and the CPU board. For the packaging I find a nice Bobpla box.
The two kicad projects wil be sent you by mail with the xilinx ISE project..
For the PIC18F8722, I thing it will can be replaced by an ARM processor.I will use the pic to test the pindriver without the FPGA's
Could you tell me with wich Electronic CAD programm you're working ?