Micromite for PIC32MX150 and PIC32MX250

[Skarden]

Hi all,
maybe you are not aware that there is a new release of the Maximite MMBasic targeted for the PIC32MX150 (for both 28 and 44 pins).
This transform this little chip in a very powerful picaxe-like chip running at 48 MHz.
The code name is Micromite.

http://geoffg.net/micromite.html

You can even request the source code and play with it adding new functions and commands to the existing ones.

Very nice project

[Ichan]

Seems it is new, much more practical - i do know Maximite, actually Duinomite by Olimex. There is some story between Maximite and Duinomite, find it yourself... 

It was some students that came to me asking for support and suggestions to participate on a robotic contest, the biggest problem is they have ZERO know-how on programming and electronics - they do have some skills on mechanic things.

Story short, Duinomite Mega is what i gave to them - with some modification on the firmware like adding rc-servo driving, reading ultrasonic sensor, etc. Then they can participate on the contest, well not win for sure 

Now they come again to me highly spirited and asking for a "more sophisticated" controller for next year contest...  any suggestion?

-ichan

[Skarden]

Yes, I agree with you that is very practical.

I already tried to modify it in order to include other functions and I found this very easy to do as the code is really very well commented.
This could be your next contest : implement new functions inside the micromite within the limitations of the free space available :-)

[Ichan]

I did ask for and got Maximite source code but hasn't touch it yet, neither the Micromite as I just know that. The board for the students is Duinomite so Olimex source code which i play with, they call it DMBasic - can be downloaded from github.

The students now want to go away from it, the reasoning is on what they said: We are ashamed as from 30 contestant we are the only team who use BASIC. 

What a reason! This is a true story...

-ichan

[Skarden]

Yes but adding functions inside require coding in C.
You can add powerful functions in C and then call them easely in basic

[CocaCola]

The students now want to go away from it, the reasoning is on what they said: We are ashamed as from 30 contestant we are the only team who use BASIC.   

Stupid peer pressure, what happened to being unique?  And it wouldn't surprise me if the kids applying the peer pressure were using some proprietary programming language like Arduino's sort-of-like-C sketches with sub-routines they begged for on the Internet...

I know full well 'C' has become pretty much industry standard but regardless there are still many professionals programming in some flavor of BASIC (I'm one of them, for many small projects it's just easier and faster for me to use BASIC)...  The reason I still personally use BASIC is because I learned it almost 40 years ago and have used it ever since, for me it's truly my 2nd language and to be blunt it works fine for in most applications...

[Checksum8]

The students now want to go away from it, the reasoning is on what they said: We are ashamed as from 30 contestant we are the only team who use BASIC. 

What a reason! This is a true story...

-ichan

That's sad, I have run into this in my work from other engineers. I often thought, what if BASIC had of been named COMPLEX? Every engineer would be using it, because its so complex. How can a programmer go home and tell his kids he specializes in BASIC programming? The kids would think their dad is only BASIC and not complex. At the party the pretty woman you have been chatting with eases away, once she knows you're only a BASIC programmer. C programmers have fast cars, hot wives, proud kids and very rich. Everyone knows a C programmer is between a brain surgeon and a astrophysicists. C++ guys are over the top. That extra + is very impressive. If only basic was complex.

All joking aside, C should be the choice of students since its the universally accepted language. Supported by all the chip makers, transportable and cheap tools. Basic and Pascal are ok for old farts, but will fade away due to non support.

This is a great board I have been playing with, using Mikrocomplex32 it also works with MMBasic.

http://www.schmalzhaus.com/UBW32/

[Ichan]

Maximite is a great thing, that word is what came out when i read about it on the first time: wow this is great!

On the students case, i saw the bright side of it - it is proven to become a powerful jump start that make the "empty" students asking for more in short time  .

All joking aside, C should be the choice of students since its the universally accepted language. Supported by all the chip makers, transportable and cheap tools. Basic and Pascal are ok for old farts, but will fade away due to non support.

I tend to agree, but how do i push them to learn the C, the compiler, the IDE, and the programmer + debugger while i have only fraction of my time for them? They are not my students, i am not a teacher, i am just helping them.

So what is the next thing should i give to them, any idea?

-ichan