Porting Arduino Software to the Axon

[dellagd]

If this has already been done please point me in the correct direction as I was not able to find it.

I am currently enjoying the easy of programming the arduino's supply. I Also love the design of the Axon much more than the Arduino's with their female headers. Im not experienced in the "beneath the surface" part of the working of MCUs, so I am simply posing an idea to see if anyone who is here at SOR would like to pursue it.

Could we easily port the arduino firmware to the Axon with its Atmega640? Id love to be able to use the Arduino IDE,  Arduino language (Scratch they call it?), and one click uploading easiness with the Axon, as well as many others? Would Admin like to do this?

I have seen other topics similar but they didnt seem to lead anywhere.

[Webbot]

Well I'm kinda working on it with WebbotLib Studio (WLS).

Arduino has the advantage that all of their boards MUST fit with their design (and use their boot loader). So it makes stuff a whole load easier - for them!!!!

ATmel AVR Studio is nice gui but only supports Windows and their boards.

WLS will run on Win/Mac/Unix. It will support all sorts of different boards (initially AVR ones including the Arduino ones like Project Designer does today). But its new plug'n'play means it could support other architectures (like ARM for example).

WLS will also have a plug'n'play + publish architecture. ie if I or anyone else writes code for a new device then it can be published and downloaded by others (ie no new release of WebbotLib). Same applies to not just devices: but boards, projects and code libraries. So you/me/anyone can publish stuff for others to share.

WLS will probably use AVR Dude for the programming since it copes with most hardware programmers as well as software bootloaders (including Arduino).

WLS also has a better IDE than the old fashioned one for the Arduino - but not as good as AVR Studio (as they use Microsoft freebies - so good to look at but MS only).

 

[dellagd]

You said this is written in Java? If it is, then wunderbar , as I am pretty well acquainted with java.

Might want to make a little guide of "GETTING STARTED MAKING YOUR OWN PLUGINS FOR WLS"

Id love to help you test it out this summer

[Webbot]

Probably worth pointing out that "Yes - WLS itself is written in Java" - but "The code for devices/libraries/projects etc still need to be written in C".

Still slightly early days for a tutorial - I need to finish coding first. Initial version will probably be Windows only (my only 'challenge' with 'nix and Mac is not to get WLS running but being able to package a compiler/linker etc for those operating systems). If anyone has tried to go through the 'gnu' route of building the AVR compiler from scratch then they will understand the jumping through hoops required.

As for plug-ins etc then the only piece that may be missing is the Devices themselves (until I can create a Device Designer). Its still hand-crafted XML as it always has been inside Project Designer etc. So anyone adding code to support a new device will need to know XML to write the descriptor for it - this then drives the user interface within the Designers as well as the code generation. Easiest thing is to take an existing device - copy the XML descriptor and make changes.

Will be looking for guinea pigs as soon as the design and structure has settled down a bit. Otherwise I will spend all my time supporting the guinea pigs or telling them they have to trash what they've done and start again.

[Invicta]

@Webbot

Count me in as a guinea pig for WLS. Let me know if you need to refresh my email address.

[Webbot]

@Invicta - gotcha; thanks

Once I'm at a point of needing 'guinea pigs' I think I'll open a new thread - because people who have volunteered in the past may no longer have the time or inclination. Its taking longer than I'd hoped ..... partly down to the large number of devices supported - as each new 'killer idea' means changing every device in some way, re-testing etc etc.