AS1130 First attempt - working

The software shutdown is implemented by the LSb of the Shutdown open short register.
Hardware shutdown is implemented by the RSTN pin.

According to the datasheet all the RSTN lines are connected together for all chips.

Obviously, the Shutdown open short register is different for each chip...so you need to send 3 commands for 3 chips. :wink:

The decision you have to make is whether you want to seperately Hard reset each AS1130 or whether you want to do them all at once. In the first case you need 3 dedicated pins, in the second only 1.

Or

You can leave the RSTN pins clear of the MCU and just use a button (this is what I have done)

You can hard reset all the chips by connecting the RSTN lines together and pulling them to GND.

You can do this either with the MCU or a button (or both)


There is no way of soft resetting all the chips using one command.

Each chip has it's own Shutdown register and you have to clear the shdn bit in each chip seperately.


There might be a way of resetting them all with software but I haven't tried it and the datasheet is not clear about it but you can get all the chips to respond on the same address which may mean that one write to the Shutdown reg. will do them all. You'll have to try it to find out. :grin:

binarygod:
Answer/Question on your first paragraph:

see attachment!
so if I connect the switch like in the attachment, I can to a hardware reset with the uC AND with the switch if I understood well?


Correct!

Answer/Question on your second paragraph:

I think I missunderstood you! you meant with "to send 3 commands for 3 chips" that when I send data to the first driver I have to send first his adress and then all HIS registers (with his own Shutdown register) with THEIR specific bits, then when I send data to the second driver I have to send first his adress and then his registers (with his own Shutdown register) etc?


You don't HAVE to send all the data to each chip to reset it...you just need to write to the Shutdown register.

In the end I have three methods to reset them??? :
software with their own register, and hardware with a switch & with the uC?

Yep!

I'll let you know about the IRQ when I have my 24x22 matrix finished, but you MUST clear the IRQ by reading the IRQ status register before you can use it AND after every interrupt generated.

I'm thinking that I'll use the MCU to do the timing...but I can't experiment until I've built the boards. 8)

No...if you're not using them you can leave them floating. :grin:

You have to connect the RSTN lines to a pullup resistor and to the switch, so the RSTN lines are pulled up not floating.

It's exactly as your schematic but not connected to the MCU pin.

That looks OK if you want to have a separate switch to reset the 1130s.

If you also want to reset them under program control you run the "separate Pin" wire to an output on the Arduino and pull that output LOW to reset the chips.


Rob

You got it.... :grin:

@Rob
Hello Mr Nomad! I don't know if you've read all this thread but I've sorted out the IRQ line problem. :blush: :.

This is turning into a bigger thread than one of the famous "random number" ones :slight_smile:

I don't remember what the IRQ problem was now but but good that you nailed it.


Rob

That's very true...but why connect them to a resistor if they are not being used?

The statemachine of the AS1130s at Power on pulls the IRQ line to GND so it's not really floating anyway. :stuck_out_tongue:

Just noticed...3830 reads.... :astonished:

I wonder if anyone is actually using this chip apart from us 3.... :grin:

That's what I've done with my first test module...all the pullups are there but the RSTN and IRQ are not used.

I bet they're all using our ideas but are too shy to post.... ]:smiley: ]:smiley:

It sure will... :wink:

URGENT probably for you guys anyway. :grin:

I've just discovered that pin18 (VDD) is NOT connected to the other VDD pins.

All the others are connected together as are the GND pins (all of 'em)

Okay

Please could you post here if you are interested in further developments with the AS1130 as I'm getting a bit frustrated with the Arduino method of development and debugging.

This is due to my lack of knowledge of the system, but I don't see any point in continuing with this if nobody is interested (I'll carry on but with a USB enabled PIC18F4550 happily on my own.)

Cheers. :wink:

I thought you were developing this on the PIC already. Please continue it on your preferred platform. I'll take care of porting it to the arduino.

I'm interested for future reference but not currently using the chips so don't have a lot of input.

the Arduino method of development and debugging.

What is this, and why is a PIC different? Are you referring to the neat-looking PICkit gadgets?


Rob

:grin: No...I don't have any gadgets other than a PicKit3 programmer/debugger.

I'ts mostly because I don't have to stumble every time I want to change something using the MPLAB IDE. I know how it works and am familiar with it.

Also I can set break points and step through code, look at timing cycles etc. etc.

The main thing that got to me this afternoon was I couldn't figure a way of moving the data array into another file and including it in the path of the compiler. I want to get on with programming the chips...not learning to do something that I can do without effort in the CCS C or PIC18 environment and it has frustrated me for a while now that I have to scroll past 380 lines of data to get from the defines to the main loop every minute or so. I can't even move it to the end of the file because the compiler complains... :roll_eyes:

Now that I have 2 chips on the go I will have a data array which is double the size and I don't want to wear out my middle mouse button or waste more of my precious time scrolling up and down like an idiot. :grin:

I will continue to learn the Arduino way...but at the moment I want to get on with my 24x11 LED matrix....

Yeah, learning a new tool set is a real pain, you just want to get on with the job but keep falling over stuff because you aren't familiar with it.

The standard IDE is way too frustrating to use IMO. That said you can split your code into multiple tabs, I've not done so (because I don't use the IDE :)) but that should allow you to move all the crap at the top of the file. Try clicking on the small down arrow at the right of the tab area, that gives a menu with a "New tab" option. I assume you do that and move code across but as I said I haven't done it myself.

I feel your pain re the lack of proper debugging tools. I've been using LPCs for a while now and it's fantastic to have a real debugging environment. Maybe you should try the Visual Micro IDE, that's based on VS2008/10/12 and it's pretty nice. It does have debugging although I've only just downloaded it and haven't got it working yet.

http://www.visualmicro.com/


Rob

Thanks for the comments guys. :smiley:

I've managed to get the data into another file now, so I'll stick with it I think.

Aparently the compiler goes through the files and headers in alphabetical order...so you have to make sure defines and declarations are in the right place!

Oh well...still here for the duration.... :wink:

PS the VS stuff looks useful.