technical documentation on how Propeller Tool connects to Hydra

gonzobrains

Hi everyone,

Are there any technicals docs available describing the process/protocol/etc used between the Hydra and the Propeller Tool? Is it possible to connect to the Hydra without using the Propeller tool? Or perhaps port the Propeller tool to Linux?

Also, can the Hydra be programmed via the EtherX interface? I was wondering if it would be possible to remotely upload new programs to it.

Thanks,
Jeff

SRLM

There is no special protocol for the hydra. It's just a regular download (Propeller Tool -> USB -> FTDI USB to Serial -> Propeller). I believe it's documented in the Propeller Datasheet.

There is a Linux version of the Propeller tool. Some googling will help (it's not an official Parallax product, but it's free).

I guess it could be programed via the interface. You could load a program image into the EEPROM and do a software reset (at the cost of overwritting the original). You could also load the image into RAM and execute from there. There are several sets of code that does something similar with SD card, Ethernet, or Flash drive.

Mike Green

Have a look at the YBOX2 (Google for that). The YBOX2's code is open source and allows you to download new programs via the Internet. You would probably have to modify the low level driver, but you could probably copy a lot of the code.