28. February 2009 by admin.

Check out http://www.vscp.org

VSCP stands for Very Simple Control Protocol and it is, as the name implies, a very simple protocol indeed ( a protocol is much like a language for machines etc on how they should talk with each other). It is simple because it has been developed for use on low end devices such as micro controllers. But actually its more then just a protocol. Its a complete solution for measurement and control. And even though VSCP is very easy to use it is still very capable and can be used in very demanding control situations.

Except for a very well specified message format the protocol supports global unique identifiers for nodes, a register model to give a flexible interface to node configuration and a model for node functionality.

VSCP does not assume anything about the lower level system. It works with Ethernet TCP/IP, Wireless, Zigbee, Bluetooth, CAN, GPRS, RS-232, USB and everything else you want. Its just a uniform way of describing the systems available. Every control situation can be described and implemented using VSCP.

A normal user does not see or know much of VSCP anyway. Its just the underlying control system that makes things possible. Much the same way as someone driving a car does not need to know a lot about motors.

Some features:

• Free and open for commercial and other use.

• Have two levels. Level I and Level II where level I is designed with CAN as the least common denominator. Can be used for TCP/IP, UDP, RF, Mains, etc etc.

• Has globally unique id’s for each node.

• Has a mechanism to automatically assign a unique id to a newly installed node.

• Can use “decision matrixes” and “registers” as a uniform way to configure nodes.

• Has software and drivers for Windows and Linux. More added all the time.

• Has a common specification language “MDF” that describe a module in a uniform way that can be used by set up software and such.

and more…

Posted in Bluetooth, RS-232, Protocol, RF, Wireless, Open Source, USB, CAN, TCP/IP, Ethernet, ZigBee | Print | 1 Comment »

28. February 2009 by admin.

Was $129.85, now $89.95 at http://www.modtronix.com/index.php?cPath=157_158 Microchip PICDEM 4 (DM163014) demo board for 8, 14 and 18 pin general purpose family of products with power management features

Posted in Power Management, Modtronix, 8-bit, Development Tool | Print | 1 Comment »