My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

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Glorfindel
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My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

Post by Glorfindel » Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:57 am

I have been looking at tablets and eReaders. And they all seemed so expensive and still couldn't seem to do the basic functions I wanted one to do. So I decided I was going to try and make a simple handheld device with a inexpensive small LCD screen and the ability to view and edit text files. So I knew almost nothing about electronics when I first came up with the idea however after finding this site and looking through Brad's tutorials it makes a lot more sense. However I don't have much money and don't want to just start buying components with out knowing what I'll need. I know I basically need a microcontroller a programmer and a display, aswell as a bread board and some resistors. But I don't want to buy things over and over again for example I don't want to have to buy a new programmer everytime I find a better controller. So I want to start out with the right stuff and am not sure exactly what that is. Can anyone help? And sorry I didn't know exactly what forum I should post this in.

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Re: My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

Post by Chuckt » Tue Sep 06, 2011 7:24 am

I think you will have to choose an LCD that you will be happy with. Some of the smaller ones are 2x16 or 4x20 and they are the HD44780 type displays or you could choose a graphical LCD made for a cell phone but the problem then becomes price and availability. If you want an LCD larger than that (like one comparable to the Kindle) then the price goes up.

I'll let the other guys take it from here.

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Re: My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

Post by Glorfindel » Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:22 am

Well a graphical display would be nice but at the moment I want something inexpensive that could write/edit text files. I'm trying to take this one piece at a time so I don't get in to deep. I was also thinking about having an SD card reader on it or a antenna to connect to a wireless network but that's pretty far ahead. Also can assembly or VB create a text file and add to/delete it? Also just to give you an of idea of what I am aiming for I'll post these pictures.
Attachments
photo.JPG
Here's a picture of a hand-held battleship game that I have that I was thinking about using the case for.
photo.JPG (288.96 KiB) Viewed 12121 times
padd.png
Here's a drawing I made of it in gimp
padd.png (5.12 KiB) Viewed 12121 times

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Re: My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

Post by Chuckt » Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:02 am

We kind of went through this discussion with cookmike as he wanted to make a Pic Laptop so I included the link here as well as the new link to the Maximite. If you want something that is already finished, there is the Maximite computer and you would have to hack it (it is open source) and or adapt an LCD to it. The Pic 32 was also briefly discussed.

Maximite Computer:
http://geoffg.net/maximite.html

The chip in it is $8.44 and I remember reading that the Maximite could be breadboarded for about $20 in parts but the kit costs more.

PIC microcontroller laptop
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=330

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Re: My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

Post by Glorfindel » Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:16 pm

So I should get:
Pic18f4685 Microcontroller
Breadboard
PICkit 2 Programmer
LCD 20*4 screen
Resisters

Also should I start out with assembly or Basic?

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Re: My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

Post by Chuckt » Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:32 pm

I think you should start out with the tutorials here and free samples from Microchip. If you don't like it or if you find out that it is too difficult, you haven't invested more money than you had to.

In electronics, I have found that I do not know all that is involved and it takes me down several trails so I think if you accomplish the tutorials here, you will know if you like this sort of thing and if you are ready for more. I solder but it goes beyond the patience of young children so there is work involved. There are easy tutorials but there are parts that don't have tutorials and the manuals are 300 pages long and some of them are written by engineers for engineers and that is when you need to get help.

Writing a driver for SD cards is not something that I have done yet but I imagine that I have to find all of the information before I can do it. I believe I would damage some cards before I got it all right.

I would wait till Brad, Stacy or Bitofgav give you their opinion.

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Re: My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

Post by bitfogav » Wed Sep 07, 2011 7:23 am

Hi Glorfindel, welcome to the site :)

Sound like you have got a big challenge on your hands if you want to make your own tablet or eReader, not something for someone with no or little experience in electronics or a beginner I would say?

I would suggest maybe a GLCD screen 168x64 with a built in KS0108B driver for the display.
Something like this GLCD screen = http://www.sparkfun.com/products/710.

A PIC 18F4685 Microcontroller should do the trick fine for what you want, you can get free samples from microchip has chuck pointed out, but you will have to register a business email to get free samples.

Yes would recommend a pickit2 programmer, thats my favourite programmer of choice. there is a pickit3 out but the functions are limited.

Now Brads tutorials are first class but they are in assembly language, for a beginner I would recommend Basic language like Swordfish Basic http://www.sfcompiler.co.uk/swordfish/ there is actually a Module for SD cards, this would help to connect a SD card to your project easier but theres a downside, you will need the full version of the compiler (Swordfish) to use the SD card module but the compiler (Swordfish) isnt cheap.

you may also need = resistors, capacitors, a variable potentiometer for the GLCD screen contrast, a crystal 20mhz for the microcontroller?, some buttons? and a breadboard to make the circuit on.

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Re: My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

Post by Glorfindel » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:06 am

I'm trying to take this one step at a time after I get all the parts the first thing I want to try to do is just interface with the screen and the button and when a button is pressed add a letter to the screen. I was thinking the current file should be stored in memory in a .txt file. Is this possible to do? Also would it be better to learn assembly first before Basic or should I just start learning Basic? I have some knowledge with server side scripting. In fact I have a mostly working game made with ASP and an Access database. However I have a hunch that Basic and Assembly are going to be a lot different than ASP. :P

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Re: My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

Post by bitfogav » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:25 am

Glorfindel wrote:I'm trying to take this one step at a time after I get all the parts the first thing I want to try to do is just interface with the screen and the button and when a button is pressed add a letter to the screen.
Thats a good starting point Glorfindel.
Glorfindel wrote:I was thinking the current file should be stored in memory in a .txt file. Is this possible to do?
I guess you mean memory on the microcontroller? dont think you will be able to store .txt file in that format,
I dont have much experience using SD cards with microcontrollers but you should be able to store it in memory as a .txt file on a SD card, and then use the microcontroller to read the SD card .txt file and should be able to display it on the screen that way?. sorry I cant be more help here.
Glorfindel wrote: Also would it be better to learn assembly first before Basic or should I just start learning Basic? I have some knowledge with server side scripting. In fact I have a mostly working game made with ASP and an Access database. However I have a hunch that Basic and Assembly are going to be a lot different than ASP. :P
Would recommend start learning with Basic :) Assembly is a big headache hehe!, but it is the cheaper option if you are looking to save costs?.

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Re: My Project - PADD (like from Star Trek)

Post by brad » Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:43 pm

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks for sharing your idea here, hopefully we can help you out and I see some of the guys have already started you off in the right direction.

I would certainly recommend using Swordfish basic. It is not too steep a learning curve for the beginner and is more fun and easier to use than ASM / Assembly. I started out with assembly and while it was fun, I found that I hit a wall and just could not do what I wanted to do. I then moved onto Basic (swordfish basic to be exact) and it has been a dream to use. There is a good user base out there and it has made my life much easier when it comes to more complex circuits and projects.

My recommendation would be to get yourself a breadboard, a pickit 2 (programmer which plugs into your USB port - it programs hundreds of microchip microcontrollers), some hookup wire, some LED's, some resistors (just get some 150 ohm, 470 ohm and 10k ohm) that should be fine for some simple projects. You could also get a dirt cheap 16x2 LCD from here:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1602-Charact ... 4aae425698

(it will cost you $3)

I would also get some push buttons like these:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-10-X-Tac ... 4cf744864c

10 will cost you $2

You can then start experimenting with having an input (push buttons) and outputs (LED's / LCD Screen) and just have fun with programming different things to make something happen.

For example, using basic and having an LED connected through a 470 ohm resistor to PIN 0 of PORTB, and then a push button connected to PIN 1 of PORTB you could write some code that would simply turn the LED on when you press the button, like this:

Code: Select all

PORTB.bits(0) = PORTB.bits(1)
very basic, this code just sends to the LED what ever data is found from the switch (either a 1 or a 0)

or if you wanted to go a little further, you could make the LED flash on and off once a second when the button is pressed (and stay off when it is not pressed) like this:

Code: Select all

If PORTB.bits(1) = 1 then
     PORTB.bits(0) = 1
     DELAYMS(500)
     PORTB.bits(0) = 0
     DELAYMS(500)
else
     PORTB.bits(0) = 0
endif
and then you can just experiment more and more (just as I did, and all the other guys on this site.) Then you can work your way up to using the LCD screens.

Swordfish basic has an inbuilt library that makes using LCD's quite simple (because the hardwork is done for you)

for example you could have two buttons, one connected to PORTB pin 0 and then one connected to PORTB pin 1. You could then have some code that would display on the LCD what button is pressed (lets call them button A and button B):

Code: Select all

If PORTB.bits(0) = 1 then
     LCD.WriteAt(1,1,"Button A Pressed")
elseif PORTB.bits(1)  = 1 then
     LCD.WriteAt(1,1,"Button B Pressed")
else
     LCD.WriteAt(1,1," Press A Button ")
endif
Let us know if you want to go ahead and I'm sure we can help you out with how to connect things up. It's a fun learning experience :)

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