Microvision homebrewing

Microvision

Hello. I bought a Parallax Multicore Development Board (Propeller P8X32A QuickStart) to try and make a homebrew game for the has-been-defunct-for-over-30-years Milton Bradley Microvision handheld video game system. I am fairly new to this sort of thing, and would appreciate any help. I know a little bit of assembly pertaining to the Magnavox Odyssey2 game system and know a BASIC language made for Atari 2600/VCS programming. So I have learned that there is a Basic program for the Propeller system that I should be able to use to program for the Microvision. I downloaded all the stuff I need, so now I just need to find some sample code and stuff. Looking at the chip I bought, I don't really see any buttons or things that would light up, perhaps someone can help me with this. More info about the Microvision can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microvision

Franklin

There look to be 8 leds and 8 switches on the board. I think, if you are going to do this you need to find the code for the microvision. Or you could just write your own game for a start.

Microvision

Someone told me that this board would be good for a Microvision homebrew, so I went and bought one. Now I don't know what to do with it. I was going to try and see if I can make one of the LEDs light up, but looking at the thing, I don't really see anything that can light up, unless they're really tiny LEDs.

Mike Green

There are tiny little (SMT) LEDs and touch switch areas. There's a simple demo on the product page along with a schematic (see here). There's a simple (slow) interpretive Basic that you can use as well as a variety of compiled languages including standard C, Parallax's own Spin, a variant of Basic (PropBasic), and several implementations of Forth.

potatohead

I think you should dig in and start learning how to program a Propeller. For the kind of games a Microvision could do, SPIN is plenty fast enough, and it's pretty easy.

That little board can have video added to it easily, or you can buy boards with VGA / TV video output too. For now, you can blink the LEDs, use the touch buttons, and use serial output back to your PC for programming feedback.

Honestly, I'm not really sure how a Propeller would be useful to program a real Microvision, but it could do a fine job rendering a simple display and sounds (does it have those? I can't remember) a Microvision has. If that style of game is interesting to you, a Propeller is a fine choice to explore it all some.

Adding video would take a little protoboard, some wires, resistors and an RCA connector, or just the cable with the wires exposed on one end to connect to the protoboard.

If you are wanting to learn some basic electronics, you can also take that same protoboard and do some of the Propeller Education Kit labs, or just pick up a kit which is all setup to go off and learn lots of fun, basic things and once you do, set about doing some fun game programming on the circuits you build up.

We have graphics drivers, sound, game controller I/O, serial and many other basic drivers done. On a Propeller, you take those and write a SPIN program to use them to do things you want to do.

SPIN is just not too hard. In fact, I would encourage you to get either a board setup, or build up a video circuit so you can run the graphics demos, games, and other things many have written and get an idea of how SPIN works. Once you see this, I think you will have a fine time.

Microvision

OK, I'm back. Apparently I will need to learn electronics if I want to program a game for the Microvision. How expensive are the kits that potatohead mentioned?

Microvision

potatohead wrote: »

. In fact, I would encourage you to get either a board setup, or build up a video circuit so you can run the graphics demos, games, and other things many have written and get an idea of how SPIN works. Once you see this, I think you will have a fine time.

OK. What would I need to build a video circuit? And would the demos display on my TV? I assume I would need something extra to get the TV to display sample SPIN programs. What would that be?

erco

Dangit. I saw homebrewing and thought there was beer involved.

Surely a Prop-based beer brewing monitor system would be a worthy project of the month. hic!

Publison

Microvision wrote: »

OK. What would I need to build a video circuit? And would the demos display on my TV? I assume I would need something extra to get the TV to display sample SPIN programs. What would that be?

Have a look at the Propeller Demo Board schematic. It has outputs for both TV, (composite), and VGA. Simply built with resistors.

If your TV has composite in, (usually a yellow RCA plug), you could display video.

There are many TV and VGA demos in the OBEX.

+1 to erco's observation. That was my take also.

Publison

See my new post here for the correct schematic:

http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/148790-Propeller-Demo-Board-Schematics-differs-from-old-site?p=1192398#post1192398

or you can use the one in the Propeller Tool help menu.

Microvision

OK, well, this just got a bit more interesting. I clicked on the link. I guess the problem here now is I don't understand schematics. I guess what I need to do is first get familiar with the Quickstart board with sample programs, et al. that don't have anything to do with video. But before I even do that, I'm wondering if it's at all possible to change the controller from the pads to a Microvision cartridge button?

Microvision

erco wrote: »

Dangit. I saw homebrewing and thought there was beer involved.

Surely a Prop-based beer brewing monitor system would be a worthy project of the month. hic!

LOL. The term "homebrewing" can also mean developing video games for an obsolete system, like an Atari or a Colecovision.

Whit

Neat idea - I never heard of Microvision. Good luck with your project. Please keep us updated...

RDL2004

Homebrew Computer Club

Jeff has a bunch of QuickStart Addons for the QuickStart at the ProppellerPowered store. There are boards for just about every thing. You should have no trouble doing video.

Microvision

OK, I'm back thinking about this again. I guess what I need first is a gentle push of what to do first. I made a folder in my My Documents file called "propeller". Here's what I have in it.

I have a couple of routes here. I could try and find the light-blinking demo and try to run it. I guess what I'm looking for is a tutorial for complete newbies to this sort of thing. Stuff like: How to connect the board to the computer, how to run programs, those sort of things. I was hoping the board would come with a big huge manual explaining this stuff, but all I got was a board and a cord. It says "install USB drivers first!" I can't remember if I did that or not.

Duane Degn

Microvision wrote: »

I was hoping the board would come with a big huge manual explaining this stuff, . . .

You're in luck, it does. Of course these days it's in pdf format. Look under the help menu of the Propeller Tool for 'Propeller Education Kit". If you have a QuickStart you can just skim over some of the hardware setup since you don't need to breadboard your circuit.

I really like version 1.0 of the Propeller Manual. It had a nice Spin tutorial in it. You can still download the v1.0 manual. There's a link to the pdf file of the v1.0 manual in post #3 of my index (see signature). There are links to other tutorials as well in post #3.

The Propeller Forum has stickie for additions to the P.E.K., you ought to check that out also.

I've collected some QuickStart related links in this thread. It's far from complete but hopefully you'll see some useful stuff in it.

And there's always the Propeller forum for times you get stuck.

Microvision

I found the manual in pdf format on my computer. It's 399 pages long! All I need is the part that tells me how to put sample programs on my board.

Duane Degn

Microvision wrote: »

I found the manual in pdf format on my computer. It's 399 pages long! All I need is the part that tells me how to put sample programs on my board.

The PEK would be good place to start as would the older manual.

To load a program open the program in the Prop Tool, make sure the USB is connected and press F11.

I think the the FTDI driver gets installed along with the Prop Tool so you shouldn't have to worry about it (IIRC). If you do need to install the FTDI driver, don't have your QS plugged in while installing the driver (or while installing the Prop Tool for that matter).

You don't have to read the entire fantastic manual, but you'll probably want to read at least some of it.

Microvision

I finally did this and immediately ran into problems. (Figures.) I don't know which USB port is COM5. There's a whole bunch of them on the front of my computer. How do I find out which one is COM5?

Microvision

I figured it out! Turns out it was the last one. I can now press the buttons So then I unplugged it and plugged it back into the same USB port and it gives me the same errors in the last post.
Now what I need to do once I figure this thing out is try and make a useful program besides pressing the buttons and making the things light up. Can I hook this up to a TV or something? What is spin language capable of?

EDIT: I worked out the problem I was having. It wasn't happy with the way I partly plugged it in, so I had to close the Prop program and reopen and refigure it.

Franklin

Can I hook this up to a TV or something? What is spin language capable of?

Yes you can hook it up to a TV or VGA monitor with the right parts. What is it capable of? So much there were books written about it, you should do some reading and start slow until you get the hang of programming. You also need to learn how to set the com port in spin or the serial monitor as it will change at times and has nothing to do with which physical port on the computer you plug into.

Mike Green

Since you have a QuickStart Board, the easiest thing you can do to hook it up to a TV (and a PS/2 keyboard and/or mouse if you want) is to get a QuickStart Human Interface Board. This plugs in on top and gives you all you need to hook up a TV or VGA monitor other than standard connecting cables. It makes the combination of boards work like a Propeller Demo Board, but without the built-in microphone, so you can run nearly all of the Demo Board demo programs on it.