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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : PIC32MZ?
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| akashh Senior Member  Joined: 19/01/2014 Location: IndiaPosts: 115 |
Hi guys, I have been doing some research on using the PIC32MZ as a replacement for the MX since it has more RAM and flash, but there seems to be so many things that just don't work properly in this chip yet (such as the SQI bus). The FreeRTOS blinky demo works on my demo board though 
I started thinking about trying to port linux (not retrobsd) onto it since it has an MMU and external bus, but then I just started wondering if it really makes sense to put all that energy into a chip that's just not ready for market yet. I am wondering whether any of you have any thoughts on the new IC and its future. Akash |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9308 |
I know that Geoff has mentioned that he is looking very closely at it for a future Maximite, and I understand he has an early production sample IC from Microchip, but I don't know if there has been any more on this, as Geoff is probably very busy on other things! 
Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| JohnS Guru  Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 3807 |
Well, there will presumably be fixes to the chips and any port of an OS will take a while so I don't see why not to start now and then switch to the fixed chip later on. It'll be a slow Linux if that's what you use. John |
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vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Well, in many cases, not even PIC32MX works 100%. Also my favorite PIC18F46K22 has problems and needs a couple of revisions (luckily, ATmega644P is a mature microcontroller so I don't miss the PIC that much). It seems like 75% of Microchip personnel are in holidays full week but don't complain, as they will name you "cry baby". Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 3807 |
Yes, and STM32F401 chips (like on the new NUCLEO-F401RE, $10 for a board with 512KB flash 96KB RAM 84MHz) have errata but rather minor ones. Intel have had some major chip bugs before now!! Sadly, it's the way of these things. John |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2350 |
a slow linux, but a blindingly fast micro or maximite. and even if there are problems with various onboard peripherals, MMbasic can simply not use these, instead bit-banging it's own serial ports and the likes. the big sales point of the 32mz from the micro/maximite perspective is enough flash and plenty of ram. i think the micromite will come to demonstrate a new direction, where a single 'package' with minimal cost contains the complete computer system. yes, the maximite is a nice machine, but at a cost of several to many tens of dollars it makes for an expensive embedded system for many hobbyist. the micromite (in my opinion) will take off like hotcakes, especially if geoff can devise a cheap way for users to get MMbasic loaded up onto the blank chip. this may be in the form of a pickit2 solution, or an arduino shield containing a 28-pin zif socket and associated arduino application. what i would like to see with the 32mz is the processor made available soldered onto a small PCB about 2/3 the size of a credit card with caps, crystal, and LDO regulator. this would serve as a breakout to 0.1" pitch single rows of connectors along the two long sizes, with the power pads, console port, and ICSP header on a short side. well, that is my opinion at least! rob :-) |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9308 |
WhiteWizard and Zonker have developed lovely little PCB's that will do exactly what you are suggesting - they have both already ordered the board, from what I can remember reading of both of their threads. This is for the MX chip though, but I am sure both of these members would jump in and design new boards for the MZ chips, IF Geoff develops for it in the future. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| WhiteWizzard Guru Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2817 |
Indeed Grogster - am still talking to Microchip trying to obtain working MZ samples! For everything Micromite visit micromite.org Direct Email: whitewizzard@micromite.o |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9308 |
Careful Gandalf - Geoff has not released anything at all for this chip yet, and I would expect it to be a while away - don't jump the gun!  Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| akashh Senior Member Joined: 19/01/2014 Location: IndiaPosts: 115 |
I don't think porting mmbasic to the mz will pose much of a problem, it should in fact make things easier and maybe even allow Geoff to come out with higher resolutions and more colours due to the 512k of ram. He mentioned elsewhere in this forum about 4 months. The interesting thing is that although the dev board gets shipped to you basically the same day, chips on digikey and element14 ship in may at the earliest. Has anyone else perused the datasheets? Quite a lot of potential, such as 12 bit adc directly on board, plenty of uart and spi ports. I like the *idea* of Linux on a pic but it would be more of a 'just because we can' kind of thing. Personally I find projects like mmbasic (and my own baby, Wattmon) to be more appropriate for this type of processor. Not to mention the fact that a complete board like the raspi can be had for about 30 usd with plenty of ram and speed. Akash |
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| vasi Guru Joined: 23/03/2007 Location: RomaniaPosts: 1697 |
Or this baby with SATA connector! 
https://www.olimex.com/Products/OLinuXino/A10/A10-OLinuXino- LIME/open-source-hardware Android (recommended for an excellent power management compared to linux) and Debian, at your choice. Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton Elvish name: Mablung Miriel Beyound Arduino Lang |
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| isochronic Guru Joined: 21/01/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 689 |
It would be good to use the microchip 100-pin processor modules in future designs - they are reasonably cheap and it would allow the rst of the circuit to be built diy, and maybe (hope) swapover of mx or mz |
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