Plan for Tom Bampton
by Tom Bampton · 01/03/2005 (6:46 am) · 10 comments
I've finally gotten around to updating the GID website with the entries for GID8. Sorry it took so long, with being ill and christmas I completely forgot about it.
In order to try and get back into a working mood after sleeping through most of christmas and new years, I thought I'd GID since I missed GID8.
Some of my first work that got public attention was back in the BBS days. I wrote some games and utilities for Amiga BBSs. I thought it might be fun to relive the days when all I had was ANSI text to work with. So, the general idea for this GID was to make a BBS based game of some sort. Being somewhat out of touch with the BBS scene these days, I didnt want to go and find some new BBS software and learn how to use it. No, instead, I would have to write it myself. Oh, and all these PCs I have laying around, they're not good enough. I think I'll have to make the hardware to run the BBS as well.
So, for the GID, here's what I need to make:
1: A computer
2: The BBS software
3: The game itself
Right about now I'm sure some of you are thinking that I'm joking. Well, if you're thinking that, you don't know me very well :)
I present, for your viewing pleasure, a bunch of pictures from my building of the PIC18F458 based SBC that the BBS will run on.
January 1: 19:42
The first "component" to go on the board: the MCU socket. Quite why it was this I don't know.
A friend rang and I had to go out shortly after this picture was taken. I resumed working at midnight.
January 2: 00:20
Now we have the oscillator, filtering caps, a pullup for /MCLR and some diodes to protect the batteries and the Vcc line from the programming voltages.
January 2: 01:50
Almost ready for the first test. The IC shown in this picture isnt the same one that is in it now. Due to being overly tired, I somehow managed to destroy the
pins on this one and rather then spend ages straghtening them, I just used another IC. This was the first big cock up.
January 2: 01:55
New IC seated. After this I hooked it up to the programmer and did some simple tests to make sure I could correctly program the MCU and data EEPROM. Everything worked first time so I went to bed.
January 2: 15:43
Resuming the next day, I finished off the hardware with the addition of the a 512K EEPROM and the connector for the serial port. This shot was taken running
the first test program. Both LEDs should be lit, but due to a bug in the test program only the red one lights. A quick hardware test showed that the green LED was wired properly so I didnt bother fixing the bug.
January 2: 16:29
In true GID style, this shot shows mass reuse of existing assets. I couldnt be bothered to wire up another MAX232 so I just used an existing board that I know works. The firmware for this test was also heavily borrowed from a previous project. This test was also strangely successful and worked first time. All it did was use the red LED as a serial port activity indicator and write AbCd to the serial port at 115.2Kbaud.
The EEPROM is yet to be tested, but I can see no reason why it won't work.
I have other stuff to do so this is where I've left it for now. The software side will probably be finished off for GID 9, though I might get some framework code done before then. Total time spent on this so far is about 4 or 5 hours, which I'll take off from my time limit for the software. I havent decided on what game to make yet.
In order to try and get back into a working mood after sleeping through most of christmas and new years, I thought I'd GID since I missed GID8.
Some of my first work that got public attention was back in the BBS days. I wrote some games and utilities for Amiga BBSs. I thought it might be fun to relive the days when all I had was ANSI text to work with. So, the general idea for this GID was to make a BBS based game of some sort. Being somewhat out of touch with the BBS scene these days, I didnt want to go and find some new BBS software and learn how to use it. No, instead, I would have to write it myself. Oh, and all these PCs I have laying around, they're not good enough. I think I'll have to make the hardware to run the BBS as well.
So, for the GID, here's what I need to make:
1: A computer
2: The BBS software
3: The game itself
Right about now I'm sure some of you are thinking that I'm joking. Well, if you're thinking that, you don't know me very well :)
I present, for your viewing pleasure, a bunch of pictures from my building of the PIC18F458 based SBC that the BBS will run on.
January 1: 19:42
The first "component" to go on the board: the MCU socket. Quite why it was this I don't know.
A friend rang and I had to go out shortly after this picture was taken. I resumed working at midnight.
January 2: 00:20
Now we have the oscillator, filtering caps, a pullup for /MCLR and some diodes to protect the batteries and the Vcc line from the programming voltages.
January 2: 01:50
Almost ready for the first test. The IC shown in this picture isnt the same one that is in it now. Due to being overly tired, I somehow managed to destroy the
pins on this one and rather then spend ages straghtening them, I just used another IC. This was the first big cock up.
January 2: 01:55
New IC seated. After this I hooked it up to the programmer and did some simple tests to make sure I could correctly program the MCU and data EEPROM. Everything worked first time so I went to bed.
January 2: 15:43
Resuming the next day, I finished off the hardware with the addition of the a 512K EEPROM and the connector for the serial port. This shot was taken running
the first test program. Both LEDs should be lit, but due to a bug in the test program only the red one lights. A quick hardware test showed that the green LED was wired properly so I didnt bother fixing the bug.
January 2: 16:29
In true GID style, this shot shows mass reuse of existing assets. I couldnt be bothered to wire up another MAX232 so I just used an existing board that I know works. The firmware for this test was also heavily borrowed from a previous project. This test was also strangely successful and worked first time. All it did was use the red LED as a serial port activity indicator and write AbCd to the serial port at 115.2Kbaud.
The EEPROM is yet to be tested, but I can see no reason why it won't work.
I have other stuff to do so this is where I've left it for now. The software side will probably be finished off for GID 9, though I might get some framework code done before then. Total time spent on this so far is about 4 or 5 hours, which I'll take off from my time limit for the software. I havent decided on what game to make yet.
About the author
Recent Blogs
• A Game in 2750 Days• GID23 and NPC Editor
• Fun with Lua
• How NOT to make a game
• Thinking Outside the Box
#3
Crazy Brittish person.
01/03/2005 (8:00 am)
Hey Tom, I have like two Motrola 68k processors lying around somewhere, DIP. I've been meaning to make a board with them, I should have given them to you. Crazy Brittish person.
#4
01/03/2005 (8:10 am)
Man. I feel out-geeked. Way to go, Tom. Can't wait to hear how this turns out!
#5
01/03/2005 (8:53 am)
GID9: Rome in a Day.
#6
Planning a version similar to the pic based webservers to hook it up to the web?
01/03/2005 (3:59 pm)
Methinks someone watched too much Bluepeter as a kid.Planning a version similar to the pic based webservers to hook it up to the web?
#7
I am very familiar with the PIC Micro Controller family. I have done allot of development using the PIC16C54 and PIC16C57. All assembly....loved the instruction set. Also the Maximum MAX232 for your serial interface is a good solid chip. Used it all the time. Looking at your screen shots brings back allot of cool memories. I still have all my development tools, PICStart Plus, PIC Pro II,SEEVAL,MBLAB and PICDEM.NET. The PICDEM.NET board was really cool and worked great. I used to breadboard like you did all the time until I started getting older and needing glasses. HA! I started using ORCAD for my schematics and got hooked on TANGO PCB for PCB design. Have not messed with it in a while. Anyway, seen your post and had to make comment. Memories........ :-)
Good luck!
01/03/2005 (6:22 pm)
Hey Tom. I am very familiar with the PIC Micro Controller family. I have done allot of development using the PIC16C54 and PIC16C57. All assembly....loved the instruction set. Also the Maximum MAX232 for your serial interface is a good solid chip. Used it all the time. Looking at your screen shots brings back allot of cool memories. I still have all my development tools, PICStart Plus, PIC Pro II,SEEVAL,MBLAB and PICDEM.NET. The PICDEM.NET board was really cool and worked great. I used to breadboard like you did all the time until I started getting older and needing glasses. HA! I started using ORCAD for my schematics and got hooked on TANGO PCB for PCB design. Have not messed with it in a while. Anyway, seen your post and had to make comment. Memories........ :-)
Good luck!
#8
01/04/2005 (2:18 am)
This is crazy :) unbelievable...
#9
Damn :) I like 68Ks. I dont have the rest of the stuff needed to get one running in my spares box though so they probably wouldnt of gotten used for a long time anyway. The next non-PIC based thing I was going to make when I had the time was a Z80 based thingy but maybe 68K would be more fun.
Mark M,
Hmmm... maybe thats a good idea for a theme :)
Mark B, not at the moment. If this gets hooked up to the net it'll be via a telnet<->serial link on my PC. That would be an interesting project, but this board (or one very like it but with a 28pin PIC) will probably end up in an R/C car.
Jackie,
I cut my teeth on 16Fs. This is actually the first time I've used an 18F and I was very pleased to find that pretty much everything I knew from those still applies. The 18Fs are impressive chips. They have enough grunt to run a multitasking RTOS, so that may be a fun passtime somewhen down the road. I used breadboard because I still lack a drill, otherwise I probably would of made a PCB. Though, thinking about it now, that would of taken much longer. I try and mess around with electronics at least once a year. It's tough to find the time but its always lots of fun. I totally reccomend you pick it up again if you have the time ... get some samples from www.microchip.com and go mad :)
T.
01/04/2005 (2:19 am)
Pat,Damn :) I like 68Ks. I dont have the rest of the stuff needed to get one running in my spares box though so they probably wouldnt of gotten used for a long time anyway. The next non-PIC based thing I was going to make when I had the time was a Z80 based thingy but maybe 68K would be more fun.
Mark M,
Hmmm... maybe thats a good idea for a theme :)
Mark B, not at the moment. If this gets hooked up to the net it'll be via a telnet<->serial link on my PC. That would be an interesting project, but this board (or one very like it but with a 28pin PIC) will probably end up in an R/C car.
Jackie,
I cut my teeth on 16Fs. This is actually the first time I've used an 18F and I was very pleased to find that pretty much everything I knew from those still applies. The 18Fs are impressive chips. They have enough grunt to run a multitasking RTOS, so that may be a fun passtime somewhen down the road. I used breadboard because I still lack a drill, otherwise I probably would of made a PCB. Though, thinking about it now, that would of taken much longer. I try and mess around with electronics at least once a year. It's tough to find the time but its always lots of fun. I totally reccomend you pick it up again if you have the time ... get some samples from www.microchip.com and go mad :)
T.
#10
01/04/2005 (3:27 am)
I never doubted your maddness, Tom, really :) 
Associate Ron Yacketta