Question UART: please read from Bottom Up!

Tue Feb 5 23:12:46 UTC 2008

Question for UART (where do I begin this process?)

Ok, 
you 
could 
get 
the 
same 
functionality 
with 
any 
of 
our 
serial 
enabled 
LCDs 
like 
this 
one, 
LCD-00462. 
All 
you 
need 
is 
a 
micro 
that 
can 
spit 
out 
serial 
commands 
(which 
most 
all 
micros 
have 
a 
serial 
UART) 
and 
you 
can 
manipulate 
the 
pixels.

I 
would 
start 
with 
this 
development 
board, 
DEV-00666, 
this 
is 
an 
AVR. 
You 
can 
have 
a 
tx 
line 
goto 
the 
display 
and 
you 
can 
configure 
the 
I/Os 
for 
buttons.

Let 
us 
know 
if 
you 
have 
anymore 
questions.

Andy 
L 
wrote:
> 
Here 
is 
a 
picture:
>
> 
Virus 
free.
>
>
>
> 
----- 
Original 
Message 
----
> 
From: 
SparkFun 
Support 
<spark at sparkfun.com>
> 
To: 
Andy 
L 
<arlugophotog at yahoo.com>
> 
Sent: 
Tuesday, 
February 
5, 
2008 
2:20:28 
PM
> 
Subject: 
Re: 
Question
>
> 
Hi,
>
> 
Your 
link 
is 
dead.
>
> 
"This 
link 
is 
not 
authorized 
by 
Yahoo"
>
> 
-Support
>
> 
Andy 
L 
wrote:
> 
> 
Thanks 
for 
writing 
back,
> 
>
> 
>  

All 
I 
have 
in 
mind 
for 
the 
display 
is 
a 
simple 
one 
like 
the
> 
> 
following:
> 
> 
> 
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0S020nbBKVHFSoAhWCjzbkF/SIG=12eannskb/EXP=1202083419/**http%3A//www.clothingtrends.co.uk/images/products/sudoku.jpg
> 
>
> 
> 
So 
you 
have 
at 
least 
a 
very 
good 
guess 
as 
to 
what 
these 
guys 
used 
to
> 
> 
get 
this 
program 
from 
design 
to 
prototype 
I 
imagine 
(above).
> 
>
> 
> 
If 
you 
do, 
how 
can 
I 
get 
started 
right 
now 
headed 
down 
that 
road?
> 
>
> 
> 
Thank 
you, 
Andy.
> 
>
> 
>  

> 
>
> 
> 
----- 
Original 
Message 
----
> 
> 
From: 
SparkFun 
Support 
<spark at sparkfun.com 
<mailto:spark at sparkfun.com>>
> 
> 
To: 
Andy 
L 
<arlugophotog at yahoo.com 
<mailto:arlugophotog at yahoo.com>>
> 
> 
Sent: 
Tuesday, 
February 
5, 
2008 
9:36:01 
AM
> 
> 
Subject: 
Re: 
Question
> 
>
> 
> 
Hi 
Andy,
> 
>
> 
> 
Let 
me 
ask 
you 
this, 
do 
you 
have 
any 
experience 
programming
> 
> 
microcontrollers?
> 
>
> 
> 
There 
are 
many 
processors 
you 
can 
use 
to 
accomplish 
this. 
It 
will 
really
> 
> 
depend 
on 
how 
advanced 
you 
want 
your 
display, 
because 
this 
is 
where 
most
> 
> 
of 
the 
processing 
power 
will 
be 
used 
up. 
Most 
of 
out 
uCs 
like 
the
> 
> 
ATMega168 
should 
be 
able 
process 
a 
simple 
game 
algorithm 
and 
the 
inputs
> 
> 
of 
the 
buttons. 
Check 
out 
our 
Tetris 
game:
> 
> 
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/present.php?p=Tetris
> 
>
> 
> 
You 
will 
definitely 
need 
to 
modify 
your 
code 
to 
work 
with 
the 
specific
> 
> 
microcontroller 
you 
will 
be 
using. 
Basically, 
you 
will 
need 
to 
convert
> 
> 
your 
code 
into 
hex 
that 
the 
uC 
can 
read. 
Check 
out 
our 
embedded
> 
> 
tutorials 
for 
AVRs:
> 
> 
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/hdr.php?p=tutorials
> 
>
> 
> 
The 
big 
issue 
is 
going 
to 
be 
the 
display. 
We 
have 
many 
serial 
enabled
> 
> 
LCDs 
which 
are 
very 
easy 
to 
interface 
and 
do 
not 
take 
much 
processing
> 
> 
power 
at 
all, 
but 
are 
not 
very 
snazy.
> 
>
> 
> 
What 
do 
you 
have 
in 
mind 
for 
the 
display?
> 
>
> 
> 
-Support
> 
>
> 
> 
Andy 
L 
wrote:
> 
> 
> 
Thank 
you 
for 
your 
response,
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
>  

Your 
first 
question: 
"what 
kind 
of 
programming 
language 
is 
the
> 
> 
> 
game 
written 
in?"
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
Well, 
right 
now, 
it 
is 
on 
Adobe 
Director 
8.5.
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
>  

Second: 
"How 
much 
memory?"
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
As 
of 
this 
moment, 
I 
have 
only 
got 
the 
program 
to 
work 
on 
my 
PC 
and
> 
> 
> 
it's 
really 
tiny, 
but 
the 
full 
fledged 
version 
will 
have 
a 
sizeable
> 
> 
> 
amount 
more 
data.  
I 
just 
needed 
a 
proof 
of 
concept 
with 
my 
laptop 
and
> 
> 
> 
now 
I 
have 
that.  
This 
is 
pretty 
much 
a 
numerical 
game, 
similar 
in
> 
> 
> 
scope 
to 
soduko, 
but 
not 
at 
all 
the 
same 
thing; 
no 
characters, 
no
> 
> 
> 
kooky 
sounds.
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
>  

Third 
question: 
"Did 
I 
need 
a 
display 
and 
or 
buttons?"
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
Yes, 
I 
definitely 
need 
a 
display 
and 
a 
number 
pad.
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
You 
see 
these 
games 
on 
the 
shelves 
of 
places 
all 
the 
time, 
the 
poker,
> 
> 
> 
the 
20 
questions, 
the 
crossword 
puzzle, 
the 
tic 
tac 
toe; 
this 
is 
all
> 
> 
> 
I'm 
trying 
to 
get 
going.
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
If 
you 
could 
answer 
this: 
"What 
software/hardware 
did 
any 
one 
of 
the
> 
> 
> 
many 
producers 
of 
these 
games 
use 
to 
bring 
their 
ideas 
to
> 
> 
> 
fruition?"-you 
would 
be 
totally 
handing 
me 
the 
way 
to 
go 
forward 
and
> 
> 
> 
get 
working 
on 
a 
prototype.
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
Thanks, 
brah.
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
Andy.
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
----- 
Original 
Message 
----
> 
> 
> 
From: 
SparkFun 
Support 
<spark at sparkfun.com 
> 
<mailto:spark at sparkfun.com> 
<mailto:spark at sparkfun.com 
> 
<mailto:spark at sparkfun.com>>>
> 
> 
> 
To: 
Andy 
L 
<arlugophotog at yahoo.com 
<mailto:arlugophotog at yahoo.com> 
> 
<mailto:arlugophotog at yahoo.com 
<mailto:arlugophotog at yahoo.com>>>
> 
> 
> 
Sent: 
Sunday, 
February 
3, 
2008 
7:49:40 
AM
> 
> 
> 
Subject: 
Re: 
Question
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
Hi 
Andy,
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
Well, 
we 
need 
more 
info 
to 
see 
if 
we 
can 
help.
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
What 
kind 
of 
programming 
language 
is 
the 
game 
written 
in?
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
How 
much 
memory 
does 
the 
'game' 
run 
on?
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
Do 
you 
need 
a 
display 
or 
just 
some 
buttons 
or 
both?
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
-Support
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
Andy 
L 
wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> 
Hello,
> 
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
>  

I 
really 
like 
checking 
out 
all 
of 
the 
things 
on 
your 
website.
> 
> 
> 
> 
It's 
what 
I 
always 
have 
asked 
the 
people 
behind 
the 
counter 
at 
Radio
> 
> 
> 
> 
Shak 
about.  
If 
you 
can 
answer 
the 
following 
question 
you 
are 
worlds
> 
> 
> 
> 
ahead 
of 
two 
days 
of 
www 
searching 
and 
asking.
> 
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
> 
I 
have 
a 
game 
ready 
on 
my 
pc 
that 
I 
designed 
to 
one 
day 
run 
on 
a
> 
> 
> 
> 
stand-alone 
hand 
held 
device.  
Kinda 
like 
a 
suduku 
or 
whatever 
game;
> 
> 
> 
> 
well, 
how 
do 
I 
get 
that 
game 
into 
a 
device 
such 
as 
a 
hand 
held 
that
> 
> 
> 
> 
will 
ONLY 
run 
my 
program 
and 
NOT 
be 
something 
to 
upload 
to 
a 
PDA?
> 
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
> 
Can 
your 
site 
offer 
any 
products 
that 
would 
facilitate 
the 
prototype
> 
> 
> 
> 
building 
process?
> 
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
>
> 
> 
> 
> 
Thanks, 
ANDY.