AVR-Chat

Hi!

I'm currently looking at a project that will contain a quite large 
menusystem in several languages to be displayed on a character LCD. Even 
with a mega128 I'll have to store all the strings in an external SPI 
flash. Has anyone done anything like this, what's a good way to write it 
(structures/pointers/arrays/headerfiles for languages)? To limit the 
number of changes I'd have to do is there any software or such where 
others could, sort of, simulate menus and try them out?

> I'm currently looking at a project that will contain a quite large
> menusystem in several languages to be displayed on a character LCD.
> Even with a mega128 I'll have to store all the strings in an external
> SPI flash. Has anyone done anything like this, what's a good way to
> write it (structures/pointers/arrays/headerfiles for languages)? To
> limit the number of changes I'd have to do is there any software or
> such where others could, sort of, simulate menus and try them out?

I use Proteus from Labcenter Electronics for AVR simulations (and all 
other ECAD work.)  They have a lot of AVRs in their library and 
plenty of peripheral devices, such as memory and LCDs.  Being able to 
simulate the micro on the circuit diagram has been a great tool.
It's not too expensive either: http://www.labcenter.co.uk/



Richard
---
"Iz dana u dan ona dolazi i odlazi u talasima"
   http://www.van-gogh.co.yu/

> I use Proteus from Labcenter Electronics for AVR simulations (and all 
> other ECAD work.)  They have a lot of AVRs in their library and 
> plenty of peripheral devices, such as memory and LCDs.  Being able to 
> simulate the micro on the circuit diagram has been a great tool.
> It's not too expensive either: http://www.labcenter.co.uk/

Thanks, but I'm looking for something more like this: 
<http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=253152>

Anyone have a surplus VAX 11/780? =)

> I use Proteus from Labcenter Electronics for AVR simulations (and all 
> other ECAD work.)  They have a lot of AVRs in their library and 
> plenty of peripheral devices, such as memory and LCDs.  Being able to 
> simulate the micro on the circuit diagram has been a great tool.
> It's not too expensive either: http://www.labcenter.co.uk/

Thanks, but I'm looking for something more like this:

<http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=253152>

Anyone have a VAX 11/780 just laying around? =)

>
>Anyone have a surplus VAX 11/780? =)


Seriously, you just might find an emulator out there somewhere.

--- In AVR-Chat@yahoogroups.com, Magnus Johansson <rnd-avrchat@r...> 
wrote:
> I'm currently looking at a project that will contain a quite large 
> menusystem in several languages to be displayed on a character LCD.
> Even with a mega128 I'll have to store all the strings in an
> external SPI flash. Has anyone done anything like this, what's
> a good way to write it (structures/pointers/arrays/headerfiles
> for languages)?

I implemented a menu compiler for one of my projects.  The compiler 
reads a textual description of the menu structure (including string, 
action code, etc.) and produces a numeric representation of the data 
which is stored in program memory.  The current system is built using 
a BX24 (AVR based) but I am considering re-implementing it using an 
AVR directly.

My system may not be as complex as yours and it is currently only in 
a single language.  You can see some of the menu structure on the 
project page at: http://tinyurl.com/2vtus

Full link:
http://www.kinzers.com/don/BX24/Indexer

Yes, actually, I took one out to a dumpster about three weeks
ago...sorry.   You might try ELI http://www.eli.com, if you actually
need a VAX 11, they can probably get it for you.  I think all you
would need it the operating system for what you want to do though...in
which case, OpenVMS is a really good solution for you.  A good link is
http://www.wherry.com/gadgets/retrocomputing/vax-simh.html which
explains the whole process of getting the license/media/etc..

-
Mike

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 13:40:43 +0100, Magnus Johansson <rnd-avrchat@rnd.se> wrote:
>  > I use Proteus from Labcenter Electronics for AVR simulations (and all 
>  > other ECAD work.)  They have a lot of AVRs in their library and 
>  > plenty of peripheral devices, such as memory and LCDs.  Being able to 
>  > simulate the micro on the circuit diagram has been a great tool.
>  > It's not too expensive either: http://www.labcenter.co.uk/
>  
>  Thanks, but I'm looking for something more like this:
>  
>  <http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=253152>
>  
>  Anyone have a VAX 11/780 just laying around? =)
>  
>  
>  
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At 10:33 AM 12/30/2004, Michael Haisley wrote:


>Yes, actually, I took one out to a dumpster about three weeks
>ago...sorry.

Geez.. An 11-780 had lots of nice cabinet space!

(Damn, so that first post actually got through eventually, sorry!)

Don Kinzer, the menu compiler actually sounds like a very good idea, thanks!

> Yes, actually, I took one out to a dumpster about three weeks
> ago...sorry.   You might try ELI http://www.eli.com, if you actually
> need a VAX 11, they can probably get it for you.  I think all you
> would need it the operating system for what you want to do though...in
> which case, OpenVMS is a really good solution for you.  A good link is
> http://www.wherry.com/gadgets/retrocomputing/vax-simh.html which
> explains the whole process of getting the license/media/etc..

It wasn't meant as a real option, probably couldn't get that software 
anyway. There is some modern software around though, like 
e-sim/RapidPLUS <http://www.e-sim.com> but I'm afraid to even ask what 
that would cost us.

I once was a member of a computer club that mainly ran VAXens with 
OpenVMS and I actually liked the OS, but a VAX 11 or 6000 or that sort 
of a machine is a bit too large for my apartment (Yes, there were those 
that ran them in their dorm rooms, nice and warm in the winter, a bit 
too hot in the summer... =), and I already have too many machines eating 
away at my electric bill anyway. Hmmm, maybe an alpha workstation... No, 
don't give me bad ideas, I don't need more of those. ;)