Firmware 2.1.6 unfortunately is larger than 56KB, therefore the only way to upload this firmware to OS 2.1 is using an external programmer, bypassing the bootloader. Months after OS 2.1, we were the first to discover this drawback. ![]() The drawback is that this bootloader prevents writing into the first 8KB of the flash memory space, leaving only 56KB available. There is a drawback of this bootloader that was not known at the time OS 2.1 was designed. OS 2.1 in particular uses one called USBasp bootloader. There are different types of bootloaders. In order to flash a firmware through the built-in USB, the microcontroller requires a piece of code called bootloader, which resides at the top of the flash memory space. Q: Why is this required for OpenSprinkler 2.1? How is this different from the other OS? Before proceeding, please read the following FAQ. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to do so. In order to update OS 2.1 to firmware 2.1.6 (and beyond), you will need to use an external programmer such as USBasp, USBtiny, or other AVR ISP programmer. So in sum, this was an upgrade that went ahead of schedule, and was due to an unexpected shortage of the previous microcontroller.Firmware 2.1.6 has become large enough that it exceeds the non-bootloader section of OpenSprinkler (OS) 2.1. At the minimum it will be able to allow for a larger number of stations, more programs, and more data stored in the microcontroller. ![]() However, since OpenSprinkler 2.3 has doubled the flash memory size and quadrupled RAM size, it’s geared up for major firmware upgrades in the future. Some other changes include using as much SMT components as possible, to reduce the number of through-hole components.Īt the moment, the firmwares for OpenSprinkler 2.3 and 2.2 are pretty much the same. This is pretty much the only major change between 2.3 and 2.2. ![]() Because of this, it no longer makes sense to stick with ATmega644, therefore we decided to immediately upgrade to OpenSprinkler 2.3, by using ATmega1284. Even today, you can see that the price of ATmega644 is no less than ATmega1284. Then on the US supplier websites, ATmega644 ends up costing slightly more than its next upgrade ATmega1284, which has twice the flash memory size and four times the RAM size! This is very surprising. A few months ago, as we were about to purchase another batch of 2.2, it suddenly occurred to me that there was a shortage of ATmega644 - our Chinese suppliers said they couldn’t source this component. Basically, OpenSprinkler 2.2 was using Atmel’s ATmega644 microcontroller. OpenSprinkler 2.3 was released ahead of schedule, due to a weird supply chain shortage issue. So let me give a brief introduction here. I realize that I haven’t properly announced OpenSprinkler 2.3. Looks very nice, and much better than hand soldering! This is the result of the selective soldering. The selective soldering includes a fluxing phase, and soldering phase. Next, each board goes through a pre-heating machine to get pre-heated, and then sent to the selective soldering machine. First, before soldering, the boards are queued, and all through-hole components are hand inserted to the board, Check the video here:īelow are some snapshots. This time, I was able to get two great videos of the selective soldering machine, which is used for through-hole soldering. ![]() Previously I have blogged about OSPi manufactured at WAi, and I’ve shown videos of their SMT surface mount manufacturing pipeline, including pick and place machine and reflow oven. Within a couple of weeks, we’ve done two batches of OpenSprinkler 2.3 at our local manufacturer - Worthington Assembly Inc. Since March this year, orders of OpenSprinkler have been increasing rapidly.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |