arduino dev board

[Newz2000]

Anyone played with the arduino dev board yet? I like the fact that it's relatively cheap ($32), usb, cross platform (Linux, Mac, Windows), C based and completely open source. Its apparently built on an atmel Atmega8 chip.

Sparkfun sells the usb devboard, or you can build/design your own via the specs on the arduino website. They even have a single layer version that you can build at home, which I'm thinking about doing.

[Sambuchi]

sounds ok..

I wonder how far along they are on the bootloader.


I am always skeptical about an open-source platform.

On a simular note...

BLACKFIN
http://www.analog.com/processors/blackfin/index.html


I believe Analog will tell you to use VisualDSP++ 4.5 and the trial period is only for 1 month

Sooooo..

I've been watching the Blackfin/uClinux Project.. they are coming along but still working out some bugs..

http://blackfin.uclinux.org/

The blackfin, made by Analog Devices, can do video processing and much more.. not a bad chip!

[philba]

arduino seems like a decent choice. did you find the schematics for the USB version that SFE us selling? What I don't think I'd use is the language. I like to control what goes on under the hood so I'd just write in C.

Sambuchi, why are you skeptical of open source platforms? The schematic is out in the open, the pcb is out in the open, the source code is out in the open - what's to be concerned about? at least if the product gets orphaned, you can carry on with it on your own.

On blackfin, lots to like but I'm personally skeptical of all the marketing hype surrounding it. I sat though an AD presentation at the last embedded systems show and they have been blanketing me with literature ever since. How about saving all that cost and just send me a fricking chip with cheap dev envt? Seems like they are trying to sell it old fashioned way. I think I saw an ad about it curing cancer and winning the war on terrorism...

[Newz2000]

arduino seems like a decent choice. did you find the schematics for the USB version that SFE us selling? What I don't think I'd use is the language. I like to control what goes on under the hood so I'd just write in C.

Phil, it looks like it is C. All the examples I saw were C. I thought at first that there was something else there, and maybe there is, but if so, C seems well supported.

I didn't see the schematics for the sf usb version.

[Sambuchi]

Skeptical with the software.. not with the hardware.. When I think open source software compared to a commercial package I think: licensing, product support and peoples dirty fingerprints that were left on the source... Most of the time it is not an issue.. but I have been burned in the past.

That cracked me up philba.. I must have been sitting next to you in that seminar. The BF is a nice chip but there are better ones. What I found nice with the BF.. is that it comes in a quad flat pack. Not too many video processors come like that.