Succ-U-Bus

[davem]

I've found that AVRDUDE will quite happily run on my Mac, so I've ordered an interface (no parallel ports) and a spare Atmega to work with (don't want to mess up my working one!). Hopefully I should be able to try this out soon.

[Pete Predictable]

davem,

... came home from work and my wife had a man in to fix her email...
When he started to talk about megadrum, we managed to get him down in the cellar with a plastic bag over his head.

Then before bed, I went down and took the bag off but he started off again so I knocked him out with an old vacuum cleaner. We can't keep him here all the time so I'm asking if you can help a bit. Top down, he said it's like this:

“To the outsider the forum looks like it is full of posts about LCD, button and update problems. What you need to understand first, is that this thing is bigger than that, because with the majority of builds there are no problems.”

He went on;
“Succ-U-Bus doesn't have any maintenance problems at all! The Arbiter group must want added value.” – so I hit him – there and again ,full in the face.

I have sent my partner to his place now with a concealed USB stick and if she makes it back I can post his stuff to you.

PS. shush - threading problems in JAVA code, maybe you can help.
Shush!

Good luck, see you very shortly (don't talk to any bus drivers).

[jman 31]

Ken, why did you change your user name?

[Pete Predictable]

Ken, why did you change your user name?

Doh!
"Why did you tell them - you make me look silly"

[rockdude]

Change it back immediately! You will always be remembered as the great Ken Forgettable
Pete Predictable is just too....predictable

I'm following the creation of Succ-U-Bus with great interest. Keep up the good work!

[kwas]

Doh!
"Why did you tell them - you make me look silly" [/quote]

... like we didn't noticed distinct similarities in your (Pete's) charming personality and expresion

[Ken Forgettable]

Like I said before, a 'headless' megadrum has fewer components and is therefore easier and less expensiveto build.
With no buttons or LCD it follows that it must also be more reliable too.

There are four requirements to the above:
1. Be backward compatible with existing designs.
Succ-U-Bus is compatible with all standard MIDI baud rate designs.

2. Replace all of the bootloader button operations.
Succ-U-Bus is controlled by the MCT.

3. Handle the manual 'power-up' "RIGHT" key (reset) sequence.
As a general enhancement to megadrum I would suggest a MIDI spec' RESET sysex should handle this.

4. MCT must be able to enter the bootloader at any time without needing the manual 'power-up' "LEFT" key sequence.
Succ-U-Bus v0.7 currently responds to the existing megadrum ERASE sysex but because there is a standard
mechanism to 'locate' a particular device on the system - I suggest that in any future versions use the standard
MIDI spec' DEVICE ID sysex.


Megadrum Succ-U-Bus *test version *
+ Hardware:
Should work with any 644 using any xtal - from 12Mhz upwards, but mostly
tested on a 644p @ 16Mhz... (The code for smaller devices is in place but untested).

+Software:
MCT built for XP with java version "1.6.0_07" (Oops!)
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_07-b06)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 10.0-b23, mixed mode, sharing)

+ To try the three supplied AppFWtest files:
Burn Succ-U-Bus.hex

Delete or otherwise save your MegadrumConfigTool options directory to check out the
'first run' port scan.

Run the supplied test .\dist\MegadrumConfigTool.jar.


NB.
It is ok to leave the bootlock fuses.unset.

Although this MCT test build has a 9 second time out for a manual reset of the AVR, if you
want to test it with your own firmware then that should be able to respond to an ERASE sysex by
doing a WDT reset (although see requirement 4 above).

Ken Forgettable 091118

<CUT>

So what advantages are there in this for the vast worldwide megadrum community?
Well - you don't need the unsupported Midiport.dll on the Microsfot platfrom, in fact what you end up with is a pure java cross-platform MIDI bootloader that actually works (All due respect to Florian here).

Succ-U-Bus has error codes - these highlight hardware and/or OS comm's errors (and don't think there aren't any).

Succ-U-Bus disables the new firmware until the very last byte is verified as being flashed correctly - you can unplug megadrum while the update is in progress without your brains turning to mush.

+ MCT can find a Succ-U-Bus bootloader on any PC automatically

+ Succ-U-Bus lets the MCT know which firmware Dimtri has released is suitable for it's hardware.

The Succ-U-Bus debugger CAN EVEN MAKE TEE!

<CUT>

With regaurds to AVR freaks - did I mention Succ-U-Bus can do fragmented hex records too?

[rockdude]

This is turning into something great!
I hope it will be stable very soon and a very good friend with MCT and MegaDrum.

Good work Ken!

[Ken Forgettable]

Good work Ken!

rockdude!

Unfortunately, I fell off my perch and forgot to upload the files - here you go:

+ Flash mega644 with Succ-U-Bus.hex

+ Use the MCT sources to add support into MCT v1.83

+ Try using the AppFW test hexes

Succ-U-Bus_v07_test.zip

[r0bbie]

I would like to report this post!

I love you Ken...