Harmony or Kaos

 

                                                                                                                                                                                        Designed by Freepik

Short missive on the framework Microchip calls Harmony 3.  Not sure if this is Harmony or is it a cruel replay of KAOS from Get Smart.

While Harmony 2 for PIC32 was tolerable, this new version is lacking.  I have read several forum entries where "experts" are expressing concerns that it may or may not work. And if it works today, no guarantee it will work tomorrow.  The "code suppositories" are just that.  Anyway I need to move to the next version of XC32, but that would require completely replacing about half of the Harmony 2 libraries and that was a non starter.  So a few days ago I started to build a simple project, USB HID and a console port.  Two basic things I need.

Now I admit I rarely used the code configurator for PIC18 projects. So using this for Harmony was a different thing.  Harmony 2 was mostly a text based configurator, except  for the clock and pins.  The documentation of Harmony 3 is mostly for previous revisions and implementations.  Instructional videos from Microchip do not match with using MPLAB 6.25.  The content creator is needed to download what you need for the framework.  Well the latest content is incompatible with the PIC32MX270 and it's components, at least that is the message I kept getting.  That was a day just trying to figure out how that worked.  Then there is a Project Graph where you have to connect the components.  I was an avid user of Borland's Object Vision in 90s, so graphical construction is not new to me.  But this was not intuitive.  When I finally got all the wires drawn on the GUI configuration, it failed to generate all the .h files and thus would not compile.  The first thing I figured out was I did not need the FreeRTOS component.  One thread in the project, no need for an RTOS, but I have to keep deleting it, since the configurator thinks I need/want it. 

I finally stripped the project down to just a console and then all the .h files were generated.  It appears once you get them generated, then the configurator will continue to update them,.  The trick is to get them generated.  Then I added the USB back in, generated the files and it still compiled.  A few more tweaks and the USB HID registered with the laptop and the console port started displaying messages.  So I have a basic system running.

But there is more fun ahead.  They have changed all the names of the common .h and .c files to something else as well as restructured them.  A lot of the common calls/types/functions have changed names.  It appears that many components that used drivers, no longer use them.  So the SysObj model for projects has changed.  When they said there was no compatibility between v2 and v3,  they meant none.  

One final hurdle.  The debugger will not load with MPLAB 6.25 and XC32 v4.40.  The message was 

 [ BootFlash ] at 0x1fc00490, expected 0x409bf800, got 0x00000000.
Could not enter debug mode because programming the debug information failed. Invalid combinations of config bits may cause this problem

which looks like a failure to load the Boot Loader memory, which I believe is where the debug module resides.  The config bits were the ones I have been using for a long time with this PIC32.  I thought this had something to do with the linker or the compiler version.  So I told the configurator not to generate a linker file.  That worked once.  I admit I did not go through this methodically, but in the end it looks like MPLAB 6.25 is the problem.  MPLAB 6.10 works every time, regardless of XC32 version.  I am still not generating a linker file so it using the default linker configuration.  

Not sure what lies ahead, but I am sure it will be challenging and frustrating.

 

Exploding Speeder

 

 The new theme at the Space Outpost is the attack of the native Flash Mob.  One vignette, was a speeder attacking a Flash coming up out of the abyss.  But the Flash got the better of him and the speeder exploded.  But the crusty Blacktron soldier goes down shooting.

 

I used the standard transparent clear bricks to indicate open space and a series of flames and the flat orange burst to show the explosion.  Finally there are several hinges to allow for the separating pieces to be at different angles.

Unfortunately the pictures don't really show the model as it would in person.

At the other end of the Space Outpost, three speeders are lining up for an attack run on the three Flash that are attacking the space port. Again I used hinges to get the leaning in turn on the first two.

 

 

 

Ore Processor - Part TWO

 

The basic layout of the Ore processor is this:

1. The stones come down from the cliff side onto a conveyor belt on the back of the module.  This conveyor belt runs right to left.
2. Goes through the crushing facility.
3. Then out of sight, the stones are processed underneath into small energy packets.
4. These energy packets then show up on another conveyor belt at the front of the module, that also runs right to left.
5. At this point they would be removed and ferried over to the space port for shipment.

 The conveyor in the back is a complete conveyor part, part number 92715c01 as shown here.

This provided the best choice for he stone movement and here is a video of what I was trying to do.

 

 

Here is the initial placement of the controller.

 

This shows the motor placement and the second conveyor.   The conveyor is built using the Technic link tread, part number 3873.  The back conveyor is using a standard M motor with a worm gear box to convert the direction 90 degrees to the large gear.  Then a chain will drive a small gear and then the conveyor.  As the video shows it runs at about the right speed. The front conveyor is using one of the small motors I found and then gear reduction section to slow it down.  I had to use the small tread links because there was just no room for the larger ones.  It all fits, but there is not much room left over.

 

 

 

 

Ore Processor - Part ONE

This has been in progress for a very long time.  For almost two years all that existed was an empty module base and the small crane on the cliff lowering in things.  Now there is something there.  Not sure this is the final version, but here is what got built.

 

This is the crushing facility.  The first conveyor belt takes the stones from above and moves them to this facility.  For now there is a red LED on the front that shows when the conveyor is about to start.  On the roof is an RBGW LED.  For none working, the light is white.  When the crushing facility is working the, light is red and blue, with a random PWM pulse applied independently to those two LEDs.

The red LED on the front is shown above.  There is a headlight brick on the side.  I used a small SMT style LED with the wires attached.  I bend the wires very close to the LED, to form a right angle.  Then I stuffed cotton into the hole to hold the LED in place.  It takes a lot more cotton than you would think.  The goal is to hold the LED and the wire in place, so stuff away.  Then a transparent red tile goes on the front.

You can see a fair amount of the inside of this small building and there is nothing.  What needs to happen is some kind of crushing mechanism will need to be built.  The problem here will be I have no more motor control channels.  so not sure how that will work yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Birck Days 2025 Lights

Here is Space Outpost SL ONE at night.

 

Brick Days 2025 - Omaha

 

  

Brick Days was another great time.  We thoroughly enjoyed it.  Here is a picture montage of the four days.

I thought this was quite interesting.  Using a net to capture the pieces and then make a quilt like structure.

This was the overall winner of the show.

This matrix vehicle was quite good.

Someone else who did a remake of the galaxy explorer.  You can see the original just in front of it. This similar to the idea that I had, except mine needed to fit on a landing pad base plate.

I am still attracted to this idea of micro architecture.  Just have not found a way to include it in the display.

Ship in a bottle?

This is taking the mosaic to whole new level.  The 3-D style is very good.  This particular one is a excellent combination of the mosaic and the new botanical line of Lego.

OK these two pictures might be pushing it a little.  But I had to laugh.

Me giving a presentation on Lighting Your Lego.

I thought this display should have won the Lights contest.  Very innovative display of both Duplo and Lego bricks that will fluoresce.  

This how we started out from Western Nevada on April Fools Day.  The week before it had been in the 70's. We finally caught up with the storm in Wyoming, where we had to take 2 hour detour because Interstate 80 west of Laramie was closed.  But we were able to see Casper WY, Chimney Rock and Scott's Bluff.