OT - PIC / Microchip News

Gabriel · Joined: 03 Aug 2009 Posts: 1067 Location: Panama

Hi,

I thought this would be interesting to some here:
http://hackaday.com/2016/03/11/microchips-publishes-usb-mass-storage-loader/

G.
_________________
CCS PCM 5.078 & CCS PCH 5.093

Ttelmah · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 19545

A very minor thing.
Useful, if more target chips can be added, on systems where you don't want the overhead of USB on the main chip, and (of course) a very quick solution to implement.

temtronic · Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 2:40 pm

Gee I wonder how it compares, overall, to just using a $2 USB<>TTL module? After all, their way you need the USB connector, a PIC, some 'interface' devices (resistors, caps, etc.) and of course correct wiring of the PCB !
Just curious....
I'm probably missing 'why' it's such a great thing....
then again I ran a forklift over my foot today so not thinking 100% !

Jay

gpsmikey · Joined: 16 Nov 2010 Posts: 588 Location: Kirkland, WA

how the heck do you run a forklift over your foot? All of the ones I have ever used, I was sitting up on them driving and there was no way to get my foot near the wheels. Hopefully nothing is broken (but it may result in some wonderful colors - I remember my foot when I dropped my motorcycle on it - gee I didn't know I had that many colors in me!!.

mikey
_________________
mikey
-- you can't have too many gadgets or too much disk space !
old engineering saying: 1+1 = 3 for sufficiently large values of 1 or small values of 3

Ttelmah · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 19545

The point is that it appears as an MSD, and requires no code in the main processor.

Even the USB-TTL module will be a CDC, which then involves using a terminal program or something to send it, and will then require a bootloader in the main chip.

What's being done here, is the small processor is programmed as a PIC programmer, which accepts it's input file as an MSD device. So you can just drag and drop the file to this device, and it then programs the main chip.

So it is quite neat.
It is designed for 'plug in and update' type use though, since otherwise leaving the MSD programmer 'exposed' on the system, could easily lead to disasters.

I must admit the 'how' on the forklift, had me puzzled too....

temtronic · Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 6:14 am

Thanks Mr. T for the 'how it works'..seems to make more sense, guess growing up with REAL comports and ASR33s I'm a bit 'gun shy' of 'new fangled' technology. I assume next month they'll announce a wireless version? That I can see being more useful, allowing you to update remote devices. Though I can see 'security' issues like 'unwanted' updates(hack,hack,hack) !

Jay

Gabriel · Joined: 03 Aug 2009 Posts: 1067 Location: Panama

Ttelmah is spot on the use of this "trick"/feature.

Its nothing new... the mBed platform has been using this for years.
I though it was cool that now microchip has it too.... limited, but its a start.

G.
_________________
CCS PCM 5.078 & CCS PCH 5.093

Ttelmah · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 19545

newguy · Joined: 24 Jun 2004 Posts: 1909