tel: 704.822.9380 fax: 704.822.9390

HomeAVRO KitsBASCOM MicroGUICo-Pros | Order Info

'AVRO' Single-Chip Stamp

 

The AVRO is based on a Modern RISC Microcontroller, the 'Atmel AVR' 

AVRO Features: 

  • The Convenience of a Stamp at the Cost of a Chip

  • Comes with 4k BASCOM Basic, can be used with 'C'

  • Download Program Code using a PC Serial Cable

  • The Download Auto-Calibrates the AVR Internal Oscillator

  • No MAX232, No External Crystal, No Boot Jumper

  • Plus Download & Upload EEPROM Data Memory

  • $3.90 to $10.90 for 8 to 40 Pins and 8.0 to 9.6 MIPs

  • Affordable in All Classrooms

AVRO Minimum Loader Hardware:
  • One Resistor
  • One Pushbutton
  • Means of connecting to the PC's Serial Cable

The above requirements apply to all AVROs from 8-40 pins.

 

Performance:
Because the AVRO executes Compiled Code rather than Interpreting Tokens at run-time, the performance relative to a typical Stamp can be as much as 1000 times faster (see BASCOM SerBuf2 example). And the user is not restricted to one Language or one Compiler.

Devices:

AVRO# (Atmel AVR#) I/O Pins RAM EEPROM H/W UART H/W SPI H/W I2C Timers A/D PWM
AVRO-T13 (Tiny13) 5 64 64 0 0 0 1 4 2
AVRO-M48 (Mega48) 22 512 512 1 1 1 3 6 6
AVRO-M88 (Mega88) 22 1024 512 1 1 1 3 6 6
AVRO-M85 (M8535) 34 512 512 1 1 1 3 8 4

Software:
The CD-1 supplied with AVRO Starter Kits includes the professional BASCOM 4k Compiler, illustrated manuals for: Experimenter-AVRO, Experimenter-LC, Experimenter-ISP, AVROs as Co-Processors, Basics of Interfacing, plus many examples for each situation, plus the PC Tools shown below:

BASCOM Structured Basic Compiler RingTone Exerciser

CoPro Exerciser

MicroGUI-Lite Debug ShortHand AVRO Loader
     

Starter Kits:

CD-1 with Software, Manuals & Examples Experimenter PCB for Student/Proj Sharing AVROs Included ISP Option Soldering Required Cost US$ More Info
Experimenter Assembled Yes Yes 3 Yes No 69.00 Here
Experimenter Components Yes Yes 3 Yes Yes 53.00 Here
Experimenter-Low Cost Yes No 3 No No 35.90 Here
AVROs+Loader H/W+CD Yes No 3 No No 24.50 Here
 The Experimenter with 3 AVRO Single-Chip Stamps
  • Allows moving Core H/W from one Project to another, OR one Student to another, and without any re-wiring

  • Eliminates the need for further purchases for each different size of AVRO or AVR

  • Brings organisation to Breadboards for ease of Reading/Understanding & fewer Mistakes

  • Second Programming Port allows low cost progression from AVROs to directly Programming Atmel's AVRs 

Please note that certain aspects of the Experimenter are protected.

Everything included with the Experimenter Showing how little board space is used.
Two projects can use opposite ends
10 secs to move between Projects, and without disturbing any wiring


$69.00  Experimenter with Buttons, LEDs, Rotary Encoder, Piezo, 2 Programming Ports, 830 Breadboard, DC Power Jack, 5v Regulation, 1 AVRO-M48, 2 AVRO-T13, Custom Serial Cable, plus CD-1 including MicroGUI-L and all Manuals


$53.00 Experimenter Components - Requires Soldering Skills - Buttons, LEDs, Rotary Encoder, Piezo, 2 Programming Ports, 830 Breadboard, DC Power Jack, 5v Regulation, 1 AVRO-M48, 2 AVRO-T13, Custom Serial Cable, plus CD-1 including MicroGUI-L and all Manuals

 
 Experimenter-LC with 3 AVRO Single-Chip Stamps
A Low Cost version of the above Experimenter Kit, but without the Encoder & Piezo. It includes three Single-Chip Stamps:  1 AVRO-M48 (28Pin, 512 RAM, 256 EEPROM) plus 2 AVRO-T13 (8Pin, 64 RAM, 64 EEPROM).

The same 5v Reg PSU, Pushbuttons, LEDs and software CD-1 with Examples (except when the Encoder or Piezo is required). The Experimenter-LC Manual is specifically for this version. Additionally there are 2 Manuals Basics of Interfacing & AVROs as Co-Processors, plus all the PC Software Tools

A Breadboard to PC Serial Cable Adapter is also included, thereby eliminating any need for soldering.

 Battery Box Option with Power On/Off switch (3 AAs not included)


$35.90  Experimenter-LC, No soldering, CD-1 including MicroGUI-L and all Manuals, 4 LEDs, 4 Buttons, 5v Reg PSU, Jumper Wire, S/Cable Adapter, One AVRO-M48 and Two AVRO-T13, plus decoupling Caps


$35.90 Experimenter-LC-B, No soldering, CD-1 including MicroGUI-L and all Manuals, 4 LEDs, 4 Buttons, Batt/Box, Jumper Wire, S/Cable Adapter, One AVRO-M48 and Two AVRO-T13, plus decoupling Caps

 
 3 AVROs plus CD, and parts for a Loader


Assumes the User already has a Breadboard and a 5v DC source. Sufficient is included to allow programming of the three AVROs and includes the DB9 Breadboard Adapter. The CD includes, amongst many other examples, 16 for the AVRO-T13 as a  Co-Processor and covering: Steppers, A/D, PWM, IR, RingTone, Serial Buffers and more.



$24.50 AVROs+CD, Two AVRO-T13, One AVRO-M48, CD-1 including MicroGUI-L and all Manuals, Pushbutton, Resistors, Decoupling Capacitors, and S/Cable Adapter

 

   Parts / Accessories

                                                                   Free Download of AVRO Loader  
 


$3.90  AVRO-T13 (Tiny13) 5 I/O Pins, 64 RAM, 64 EEPROM, plus Decoupling Capacitor


$6.75  AVRO-M48 (Mega48) 22 I/O Pins, 512 RAM, 256 EEPROM, plus Decoupling Capacitor


$8.30  AVRO-M88 (Mega88) 22 I/O Pins, 1024 RAM, 512 EEPROM, plus Decoupling Capacitor


$10.90  AVRO-M85 (Mega8535) 34 I/O Pins, 512 RAM, 512 EEPROM, plus Decoupling Capacitor


$4.60  DB9 Female Adapter for connecting a standard PC Serial cable directly into a Breadboard, plus resistors and a breadboard compatible Reset Switch needed for programming the AVRO.


 


$6.90 One 830 Point Breadboards 6.5" x 2.1"
Matches the Experimenter.
There are subtle differences between different manufacturers, the most obvious is the offset between power rails and the work area. Using force with a non-compatible breadboard will damage both the Experimenter and the Breadboard.


$5.90 Compatible AC Adapter from CUI Inc.
For US 120 VAC, 5W, Output 200 mA at 9v DC. A good quality reliable device.


$16.50 ISP Programming Cable for registered users of the Experimenter
Connects between a PC Printer Port and the Experimenter 10 Pin Boxed Header. Through BASCOM, it allows the programming of Blank AVRs, plus control of all internal Fuses for total customisation of the microcontroller.


$23.90 ISP Programming Cable for non Experimenter users
Connects between a PC Printer Port and the Experimenter 10 Pin Boxed Header. Through BASCOM, it allows the programming of Blank AVRs, plus control of all internal Fuses for total customisation of the microcontroller. 

   
Output Devices  

Stepper Motor with Gear
This a low power Epsom Unipolar (6 wire) Stepper that can be driven directly by any of the AVROs. As a direct drive it cannot develop sufficient torque to perform any task other than overcome friction. 
It is offered solely for learning purposes. A driver IC would need to be added to perform any work, and the supply voltage increased to several times 5v. All of which would multiply the cost, and detract from the simplicity of learning about one/two phase & half-stepping when using direct drive. 
The required resistors are supplied. There are several example programs on the CD, and they even include queuing a whole string of commands when using as a Co-Processor.

Dual 7 Segment Display
This HP display is a direct drive from any of the AVROs and with a good light level. The example programs multiplex the digit segments to minimise the pins needed, but not sufficiently to use the AVRO-T13. The required resistors are included.

Small Speaker
This 1.125" diameter device generates good sound for its size thanks to the enclosure. The CD includes a sophisticated PC tool the 'Ringtone Exerciser' for importing RTTTL tunes, modifying, composing, and playing on the AVRO in real-time. When complete, the tunes can be encoded for standalone operation on any of the AVROs and including the Tiny13.
The interface capacitor is included and no audio amplifier is needed for one/two room applications - direct drive is sufficient. If small size is important, e.g. 'refrigerator door open' reminder, then this is perfect. Whereas in other cases, an old PC speaker can make a good alternative - see the manuals.


$3.40 Stepper with Mounted Gear and Resistors


$2.80 HP Dual 7 Segment Display with Resistors


$3.20 Miniature Speaker with Capacitor


$8.50 Stepper, Dual 7 Segment, Miniature Speaker, all with their associated Interface Components.

 

More Details on the Experimenter and CD

    Sharing between Students or Projects  

No more tearing down one Project in order to build another. The core hardware can be moved between Projects or Students without disturbing any wiring. 

Breadboards cost less than $7each whereas Development Boards typically cost $60 to $100 each.

In Education one set of Experimenter Boards can serve 'n' Classes, yet every Student has their own Personal Project on their own Breadboard.

(Available soon)
Optionally Converting to a PCB
Prototyping on a PCB is normally not a good route. But once a Project has been proven on a Breadboard then PCBs are perfect for making that Project permanent.

 

  Both Real & Virtual I/O Devices are Included

 

No further purchases are needed to do something meaningful on day#1. The Experimenter even includes a Quadrature Encoder, and many Ready-to-Run Example Programs - the Kits are Complete.

 

Having Mastered Real I/O, move onto Virtual I/O (or vice-versa)

  MicroGUI makes communication with Virtual I/O on the PC Screen extremely simple. Here is the total BASCOM code:
To Write to the Analog Meter:
Printbin #1 , Wr_meter ; Your_Variable;  'Identify the Destination, and include the Value to be displayed
To Read the Slider:
Printbin #1 , Rd_sldrb;                     'Tell the PC the Source to be Read
Inputbin #0 , Your_Variable                'then collect the Value the PC returns in your variable
It could not be more simple !
 

MicroGUI-Lite is included on the Kit's CD - it is limited in features, not time

 

 

 

 


The Lite version is limited to one Project, upper left. But the components of that project can be quickly re-arranged or hidden as shown by the two upper right pictures.
The Scope Wizard and the Scope itself are included for evaluation and will not run with actual Projects. But a license costs less than $20 which is more than reasonable for a limited-market product.

One of the Scope's most unique features is tracing 'By Event' - enormous value for Learning.

The bottom picture of a Debug Screen, offers its own unique facility and is fully functional. The Screen can be used in the conventional manner, but in Shorthand mode it offers so much more. Essentially it removes all repetitive data and only displays changes. It also has a read on-the-fly feature where data can be input 'Off-line' and then collected by the project in mSecs.

  The full MicroGUI is included as a Demo

 

 

 

 

 

This Demo has a 30 day time limit, but even beyond that, the cost is small. There are a total of 20 Examples, with most of them for Learning.

For those new to this field MicroGUI separates the Software from the Hardware. Virtual Inputs and Outputs means no wiring errors, no components to damage, no power supply to overload - they only exists on the PC Screen. Plus the results are more satisfying and give a greater sense of achievement.

For components like Shift Registers, 7 Segment Displays, and Stepper Motors, the user receives a much deeper understanding of their operation. The internal operation of those components are accurately animated with LEDs or in the case of the Stepper, the Rotor and its Magnetic Polarities. Add to that the Scope, and one has an excellent environment for learning, and quickly.

For Learning:

 

 

As an Interface:

Beyond its use as a learning tool, MicroGUI has even more value as a practical PC interface with Buttons, Sliders, Bars, Annunciators and more. Each device has a set of Properties such as Colours, Scales, Text etc. which the user can readily change.

Here is the MicroGUI.chm for full details.

 
  Custom Co-Processor Tools are Included

CoPro Exerciser
Just one Serial Cable connecting the AVRO to the PC allows fast loading of the User's Code, and interaction using other PC Tools supplied by Rhombus. They share the same Serial Link very easily and thereby create a very convenient development environment.

Without additional PC Tools, the user would be developing code for the Host (our examples use a Parallax BS2), and the AVRO at the same time. During Debug, deciding which code was responsible for a problem could be very difficult.

But by fully developing the Co-Processor using the PC as a temporary Host, the user can then establish full functionality before ever writing code for the intended final Host. That Separation creates two simple tasks from an otherwise complex task.

For Example:
Here the CoPro Exerciser is showing Command Strings for three totally different Examples, and purely for this quick explanation. Normally they would all be specific to just one AVRO under test.

1) Example is a Serial Controller for an LCD, any size, and using an AVRO-T23 or M48 because of pins required.

  • 9,1,3 Says Command #9, Locate, 1&3 define the Row & Column
  • "Row 1 Col 3" Says Print this text at that Location
  • Back to Back Commands (no waiting for completion) is OK, it is using Background Receive, but transparent to User

2) Example is a Stepper Controller and using an AVRO-T13

  • 3,100,20 Says Mode3(half-step), 100 Steps, 20 mS Hold-time/Step
  • 11,100,20 Says Mode3 +8 says Reverse, 100 Steps, 20mS Hold-time/Step 
  • Back to Back Commands (no waiting for completion) is OK, it is using Background Receive, but transparent to User

3) Example is a Serial Buffer on a Data Highway and using an AVRO-T13
    Note that there are 4 Serial Buffer examples, and this is the 3rd most sophisticated

  • 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 is junk to try and confuse the AVRO
  • The AVRO is looking for $EE which it knows is the Start of a new Packet of Serial Data
  • The '4' immediately afterwards is the Node ID to receive this Packet
  • The AVRO #4 collects "Test"

All returned data is displayed in 3 lower textboxes. Only one is shown above, but by resizing there are 2 more. They display vertically aligned representations of each byte received, as Hexadecimal, Decimal, and ASCII characters to cover all situations. 

Copy and Paste
It is so simple issuing new Commands that the AVRO code can be 'fully' tested. When finalised, simply Copy and Paste the Command strings that work, into the BS2/Final Host code. 

Debugging the Co-Processor and Host code separately dramatically reduces the potential complexity - they become nothing more than two simple and separate programs.

Extracted from the manual AVROs as Co-Processors


RingTone Exerciser

In the above CoPro examples, it was easy for the user to enter the Row#, "Text", Steps etc. when testing. Here it would be far more difficult because the AVRO expects 3 parameters compressed into a single byte. Hence a tool specifically for RingTone data. A further advantage is that it helps with visualisation when modifying or composing.

At the CP end there are two ready-to-run programs for most AVROs (this is a fun project). The 'RT-PC' programs just follow commands that the PC sends down the shared Serial Cable. This way the user gets to hear exactly how they will sound before loading them into the associated AVRO 'RT-Mem' program that plays directly from its own memory.

How and when they are selected to play is up to the User. Using BASCOM's IR code makes a very neat solution for activating on demand using an IR Remote. Sensors for Light, Proximity, Switches, Temperature etc are equally suitable. Or using Background Receive to queue a whole sequence of Tunes is another alternative.