Have there ever been discussions about a "standardized" device? Complete with Display and Keyboard (buttons)? I've built a few devices like the one pictured below and am wondering if it would be an even wider market that would like some of the design decisions and programming "headaches" already sorted out for them.
I haven't read about the orangutan, couldn't make much sense out of the 20mhz and the timing code needs double maintenance now decision so I left it at that. But it seems a similiar concept.
It is very much like a little computer, and the pins have been selected to keep the most useful pins free for building on it (comm, edge triggers, a couple PWMS and a couple analog reads).
If the bootloader or base code had a little "keyboard buffer" in it so you could do getNextButton or something, and the LCD was immediately accessable and the code pared down for the unit in question (and all the pins sorted out for these items), then folks might be up and coding their devices sooner. Though they will be putting off some of the nitty gritty of how things actually work.
But the idea isn't to build in too much, just user IO, and leave the "good" pins open. Maybe another 5 volt pin too.
Just thinking out loud. Here's my "standard" device, except I have 4 2x16 models and just the one 4x20:
I haven't read about the orangutan, couldn't make much sense out of the 20mhz and the timing code needs double maintenance now decision so I left it at that. But it seems a similiar concept.
What do you mean by "timing code needs double maintenance now decision"?
Sorry Ben, didn't mean to single you out. And mellis seems to want to get to 20mhz, but it represents a branch from the standard hardware, and extra maintenance/coding/testing/debugging (and bugs) that the application code will have to contend with if they want to be portable as well, once the core timing bugs are exposed and fixed. This is what happens when things branch, it isn't news, it's work for the developers who want portability.
It is part of the reason I think a standard computing device with pre-defined user i/o might have some appeal/support. It allows maximum portability and reliability and minimum effort/bugs/maintenance to get to basic user I/O, besides blinky and reset button that is
Have there ever been discussions about a "standardized" device? Complete with Display and Keyboard (buttons)?
Actually, I have thought about the possibility of creating a series of Arduino-based devices in "standard" form-factors and cases (e.g. key fob--with/without LCD/joystick/LEDs, hand held etc) to enable the creation of "professional looking" Arduino-based devices. The case designs could be freely distributable/modifiable to encourage development.
To me something along these lines would represent the "next step" in Arduino development from prototype construction to...?
I had hoped to be in a position to explore this idea a little more but I'm not sure if that's going to happen or not. (Offers welcome. )
(For those who are familiar with them, I envisage something like a Bug Labs device writ small.)
