We have just released a new firmware build for Meridian/P that supports the Ethernet adapter board.
The firmware includes SSL and DPWS support. You can download it here.
Please read this document before you hook up the Ethernet board as there is one issue that could let the smoke out of the Meridian/P if you do it wrong!
We have also released a new version of the standard build that fixes an application deployment issue that some people were seeing.
Michel Verhagen from GuruCE has an excellent post on his blog about how to use WinUSB with the Micro Framework to communicate between your application and a PC.
Meridian/P is our new Micro Dev Board, which incorporates all the features of the Meridian CPU in a prototype-friendly package. You have a USB connector on the board for download and debug of code, and plenty of easy-to-access headers for adding all the bits you need. It also supports the SchmartBoard form-factor so prototyping with surface mount components won’t slow you down!
The kit package includes the board, a USB cable and 0.1″ headers which you can solder as you please.
Our web store has stock now, and our distributors will have stock next week.
Two people have posts showing how to display maps on the Tahoe-II!
Celiker Bacheci has some code that uses Google maps, and Elze Kool uses OpenStreetMap in his DareToDream contest entry.
More entries for the Dare To Dream Different contest have been posted online. Check them out!
James Y Wilson – Wearable Camera
Elze Kool has just published his entry for the Dare to Dream Different contest. Apart from looking like a lot of fun, he has created a very nice user interface on the Tahoe-II and shows what you can do with the .NET Micro Framework.
There has been a lot of press regarding changes at Microsoft in the last few days. Today, Colin Miller clarified what the changes mean for the Micro Framework:
I need to correct a recent announcement of the demise of the Micro Framework. There are changes taking place on the team but they are all for the good.
First, the product is moving into the Developer Division (Server and Tools). This is a great fit for the technology and we are really looking forward to it. The move means that we will be fully aligned with the rest of the .NET groups and tools in building the uniform programming model from the sensors to servers.
The announcement that we are moving to some form of community direction and development including code access is accurate. We will investigate how to do that in the near term so stay tuned. For now however, the current products are available and continue to be supported as before.
I am really excited about the potential of really accelerating the changes in the industry that we see coming. I hope that you are as excited as I am. Please let me know if you have any questions.
For those concerned about the level of support from Microsoft, I can confirm that we are still receiving support and that Microsoft is working on a number of issues we have reported (including the SD card corruption issue).
On a personal note, I understand some of the team will be looking for work. I have enjoyed working with many members of the Micro Framework team over the last couple of years and wish them all the best for finding work.
Device Solutions is (of course) still committed to the .NET Micro Framework and as excited as Colin about being a part of it!
We are very pleased to be able to announce the Meridian/P Micro Dev Kit!
Meridian/P is a prototype-friendly version of the Meridian CPU. Now you can create small prototypes without needing a surface mount line.
Key features are:
All the details are available here, including data sheets and mechanical drawings.
Meridian/P will be available from our web shop and shipping to distributors on May 18.
And the price: US$99.
We have just uploaded new firmware for Tahoe-II and a new SDK to support this.
The new firmware is built using Service Pack 1 that was released by Microsoft a few days ago. The main fixes in this release are for the file system and SD card support. This now works with 2GB cards and no longer requires the use of our KillMBR application.
The other main feature we added was screen rotation. You can change this on a reboot by holding down the left button and pressing reset for portrait, and the right button + reset to get back to landscape. Check out the release notes for all the changes.
The SDK has also changed. It’s now called the Device Solutions SDK as it supports all our development boards and not just the Tahoe. The libraries have been updated to include support for several new features, and the Tahoe-II emulator finally supports touch – thanks Jens!
We have just updated the Tahoe-II firmware. This release adds file system support and fixes a number of issues with the SPI bus.
When using the file system, the key limitation to be aware of is that the SD card you use must be formatted with FAT32 and NOT contain a Master Boot Record (MBR). You can re-format cards under Windows to FAT32, but Windows will not remove the MBR. We have a utility that will do this (scroll to the bottom of the download page), but please use it with extreme care! It’s early days for the Micro Framework file system and future releases will fix some of these issues.
