Homebrew Microcontroller Laptop, Made of Wood

Pretty fast! by CannonballHead · 2009-03-17 04:36 · Score: 4, Insightful

CPU: Picaxe 28X-1 Microcontrollers. The main CPU runs at a blistering 16 Mhz, and has a whopping 4 kilobytes of onboard storage for the processorâ(TM)s firmware/OS.

That's faster than my 11 or 12 MHz 286... of course, that was 17 years ago.

Re:Pretty fast! by evanbd · 2009-03-17 04:58 · Score: 4, Informative

Actually, it probably isn't. It's probably not even close. The site is slashdotted badly, but I'm guessing this is an 8-bit CPU. Most microcontrollers of this sort take several clocks per instruction. And the instruction set is probably more limited in capability than x86.
Also, I have to wonder why use an obscure part rather than the Atmel chips that are wildly popular with open source enthusiasts, or even the Microchip PICs (not quite as popular as the Atmels, but still has a strong hobbyist following). Having a development community and existing software base is useful.
Re:Pretty fast! by MightyYar · 2009-03-17 05:13 · Score: 4, Informative

If you check out the Coral Cached version of the site, you can see that the guy is not after something with an existing development community or software base. He's written his own everything, and seems to have a sense of humor about it. He even implemented Pong, and says that he someday hopes to achieve parity with an early 80s computer :)

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W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Re:Pretty fast! by frieko · 2009-03-17 05:14 · Score: 3, Informative

Agreed, you can get a 16 bit, 40 MIPS PIC in a through hole package.
Re:Pretty fast! by blind+biker · 2009-03-17 05:22 · Score: 1

Actually, it probably isn't. It's probably not even close. The site is slashdotted badly, but I'm guessing this is an 8-bit CPU. Most microcontrollers of this sort take several clocks per instruction. And the instruction set is probably more limited in capability than x86.
Well, the site is woefully uninformative, and this "manufacturer" looks just as a repackager who has burnt a specific microcode on a PIC microcontroller .... OR an Atmel AVR. Now, what you said above is true for PIC microcontrollers, as well as the older Intel 8051 and Motorola 68HC11. But it's not true for Atmel's AVR, which are 8 bit, but with a RISC core, so each instruction is executed in one cpu clock. And AVRs are indeed pretty fast beasts. The PICs are more popular among some hobbists, but not in the industry.

--
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
Re:Pretty fast! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:23 · Score: 0

Actually, PICAXE's are anything BUT obscure, and have been popular in all sorts of beginner microcontroller courses.
They were the Arduino you had before there even was an Arduino - just for PIC instead of Atmel, programmed in BASIC instead of Processing, and loaded over serial instead of USB.
Re:Pretty fast! by MightyYar · 2009-03-17 05:41 · Score: 4, Informative

Again, read the link:

Well, after a far-too-long hiatus, I'm back with a new Picaxe-based laptop! This project was born of a desire to see how far I can push the lowly Picaxe microcontroller. A friend of mine likened it to "spending over a year to reinvent the square wheel."
He's doing it as a hobby, and he's not pretending that it is useful. He compares it to a "square wheel"!

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W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Re:Pretty fast! by Curtman · 2009-03-17 05:47 · Score: 2, Interesting

I don't know why these mini2440 boards aren't more popular with hobbyists.. You can get one with a 7" touch screen for about $150. They're even cheaper on ebay.

There seems to be a very helpful community willing to help, and it seems to be a fantastic product to learn with.
Re:Pretty fast! by kkwst2 · 2009-03-17 06:32 · Score: 3, Interesting

OK. So you're criticizing someone for not being as lazy as you? Way to go. This is a new level to revelling in laziness.
I remember fondly one of my udergrad design classes in which we built an 8088 system from scratch by wire-wrapping the crystal, interrupt controller, memory controller, etc. and then programmed it to make some kind of control system. I made an infusion pump controller.
The professor was a surly drunk, but I learned a lot in the class.
It may be a "waste of time" but I'm sure he'll benefit.
Re:Pretty fast! by commodore64_love · 2009-03-17 06:34 · Score: 0

>>>So you're criticizing someone
Strawman argument.
I'm not criticizing anybody.
(Nice try though.)

--
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Re:Pretty fast! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 06:55 · Score: 0

I've noticed you trolling in a LOT of stories recently.

If you're not TRYING to troll, maybe you should try thinking before you post. Re-read what you've written, because you come off as a real asshole.
Re:Pretty fast! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 07:07 · Score: 0

4 clocks / cycle. And not obscure. It is a PIC with a BASIC Interpret built in. Quite popular among some hobbyists.
Re:Pretty fast! by commodore64_love · 2009-03-17 07:13 · Score: 0

>>>read the link:
I tried to read the link, but the website gave me a "CPU overload" error. i.e. It was slashdotted. If he's just doing this for fun, that's cool. It's like those people who build tiny airplanes for remote-control flying. It's not meant to be practical.

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"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Re:Pretty fast! by ClosedSource · 2009-03-17 07:19 · Score: 1

"Most microcontrollers of this sort take several clocks per instruction."
Isn't that the most common scenario on modern processors as well? The difference is that with an 8 bit microcontroller you can easily determine the number of clock cycles per instruction, on most of today's microprocessors you usually can't.
Re:Pretty fast! by agent420 · 2009-03-17 07:28 · Score: 0

Actually, the PicAxe _is_ a 're-packaged' Microchip PIC that has been pre-programmed with onboard boot code, token based interpreter and other resources to make use of the proprietary PicAxe programming environment. They are fairly popular among the beginner uc crowd, especially as a cheaper alternative to Basic Stamps.
Re:Pretty fast! by Hognoxious · 2009-03-17 07:37 · Score: 1

OK. So you're criticizing someone for not being as lazy as you?

heck, that sounds like too much effort!

--
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Re:Pretty fast! by MightyYar · 2009-03-17 07:41 · Score: 1

I linked a coral cached copy in the message that you originally replied to :)

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W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Re:Pretty fast! by evanbd · 2009-03-17 07:46 · Score: 1

Most modern CPUs have a lot of instructions in flight, though; the result is an average of more than one instruction per clock (unless it's stalling badly on cache misses). The PICs, for example, execute one instruction every four clocks, with very little variation (branches and a couple other instructions take 8 clocks, but there's never any variation).
Anyway, some Wikipedia reading says I was wrong in part -- the 286 averaged about 0.21 instructions per clock. But it's still faster than a comparably clocked 8-bit PIC, thanks to being 16 bit, having more registers, and having a handful of more powerful instructions.
Re:Pretty fast! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 08:13 · Score: 0

Thats pretty good, considering that it was able to serve all the requests from slashdot! Oh, what? You mean the server wasnt running on this laptop? errr, never mind.
Re:Pretty fast! by BikeHelmet · 2009-03-17 08:34 · Score: 1

I got a kick out of reading his blog. Seems like a really neat project to learn how computers work at the lowest level.
I agree with you about the choice of microcontroller, though. Atmel AVRs are very popular, and are available in significantly more powerful varieties. Check out this one; it has 16KiB of S-RAM on the CPU, so you can save yourself the 2x8KiB chips he used, which means reduced cost.
Another one to consider is the Parallax Propeller. They aren't too popular, but have impressive capabilities, ignoring the price. It's basically an ultra-low-power 8-core microcontroller. The design is... fascinating. They created it with the same philosophy as older CPUs; rather than stamping big blocks together, every transistor was charted out by hand. (well, for the most part :P ) Apparently it has no interrupt handling, which introduces some different programming philosophies as well.
And failing that... a Cortex m3. That's a powerful one. Although it uses a standard un-interesting architecture, it's also quite fast. With enough RAM you could do SNES-level stuff quite easily.
Re:Pretty fast! by eh2o · 2009-03-17 08:53 · Score: 1

The new Microchip PIC32 series has a 32-bit RISC core, single instruction per cycle at 80 Mhz and its nominally the same price as the older 8-bit micros (i.e. within a dollar or two). Moore's law applies to microprocessors, and 8-bit is on the way out.
Re:Pretty fast! by commodore64_love · 2009-03-17 12:21 · Score: 1

>>>you come off as a real asshole.
Right. And you're name-calling is not "assholish"??? I don't think someone like you should be lecturing me on manners.

--
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Re:Pretty fast! by greenarrow7 · 2009-03-17 14:13 · Score: 1

It is a PIC, with a BASIC cross compiler and a bootloader
Re:Pretty fast! by inflex · 2009-03-18 00:05 · Score: 1

8 bit will never be on the 'way out'. It's just too convenient for most tasks and all that happens is that the price just keeps getting pushed down. If there's spare die space due to process shrinkage (hah!) they can always cram in another timer or such to make the whole device more appealing.
Re:Pretty fast! by freespac3 · 2009-03-18 01:11 · Score: 1

Also, I have to wonder why use an obscure part rather than the Atmel chips that are wildly popular with open source enthusiasts, or even the Microchip PICs (not quite as popular as the Atmels, but still has a strong hobbyist following). Having a development community and existing software base is useful.
PICAXEs are just PICs with custom firmware that makes development and such easier. It approaches arduino level of ease in that programming a PICAXE requires only a serial connection, as opposed to a dedicated programmer or ICSP setup.
Though you are right. AVR IMO is superior to PIC because it has a freely available C compiler (gcc-avr). It might not be pretty, but damn it its free! Arduino is my current electronics platform of choice and I got more done with it over the summer break then I did in the years leading up to know with PICs simply due to the ease of programming and interfacing which blew away all the obstacles that previously turned me away.

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Better to regret something you have done, then something you haven't.
Re:Pretty fast! by commodore64_love · 2009-03-18 05:17 · Score: 1

If I were him, I'd create a laptop based on the C=64, or an Amiga 500 laptop. Something that has existing software and can be semi-productive.

--
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall

This is cool but... by XPeter · 2009-03-17 04:36 · Score: 3, Funny

Does it run Lin-...You know what? It's time to start a new meme. How about "Does it run Vista?"

--
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits" - Albert Einstein

Re:This is cool but... by AlterRNow · 2009-03-17 04:49 · Score: 2, Funny

Which version?

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The disappearing pencil trick. Let me show you it.
Re:This is cool but... by CrazyBusError · 2009-03-17 05:23 · Score: 1

Could be a while before anybody says 'yes'...

--
-Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience-
Re:This is cool but... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 21:01 · Score: 0

does it run Crysis?

Oh...Homebrew electronics. by jtownatpunk.net · 2009-03-17 04:38 · Score: 3, Funny

I thought it was a beer thing.

Nobody needs more than 16k... by guruevi · 2009-03-17 04:39 · Score: 0, Redundant

This is basically a rework of a TRS-80 but in another packaging and different chip. Not very useful these days.

--
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com

Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by pete-classic · 2009-03-17 04:49 · Score: 3, Insightful

I saw a video of Joe Rogan doing standup. The guy is a total loon, but he made a really interesting point about our technological society, and how smart we tend to think we are.
He posed the question, if you were in the woods with nothing but a hatchet, how long before you could send an email?
This device may not compare favorably with commercially available computing platforms, but having people in our society with curious minds and an ability to make things is invaluable.
I'd rather be a Morlock than an Eloi. I'd rather be a rancher than a steer.
-Peter
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:17 · Score: 5, Funny

...if you were in the woods with nothing but a hatchet, how long before you could send an email?

Depends, how many people do I have to kill to get to the PC?
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by Panaflex · 2009-03-17 05:22 · Score: 2, Informative

if you were in the woods with nothing but a hatchet, how long before you could send an email?
Even if you knew everything - it would literally take decades to do it "right." It took the entire human race with practically unlimited resources about 132 years once we had the most basic understanding of electronics (telephone). Even knowing every concept doesn't put you ahead by much without an existing manufacturing base.

--
I said no... but I missed and it came out yes.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by LandDolphin · 2009-03-17 05:27 · Score: 2, Funny

Apparently you never watch Gilligan's Island. The Prof. would have had email within a week.

Unfortunately, it would have only been able to send messages to Princes in Nigeria, thus not being able to render them help in getting of the island.

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Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by hal2814 · 2009-03-17 05:33 · Score: 2, Funny

"Unfortunately, it would have only been able to send messages to Princes in Nigeria, thus not being able to render them help in getting of the island."
Give the guy a break! He was already to the point of sending to SOMEONE. In a few days he probably could've sent an email to anyone. Too bad that idiot Gilligan knocked over and broke the Professor's coconut e-mailer. Funny how the idea was workable expect for one flaw not associated with the actual plan and instead of trying again they just abandoned it entirely.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by zap345 · 2009-03-17 05:37 · Score: 1

Gee! this ones 4 times better than my TRS-80! Mine is a 4MHz 64KB, (48KB addressable.) I did put a lowercase kit in it though, for word processing. Sigh, those were the days.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:39 · Score: 0

Not very useful these days.

Huh? What makes you think anything about this is even trying to be useful?
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by maxume · 2009-03-17 05:45 · Score: 1

What if you are in the woods without even a hatchet? How long until you have a simple hatchet?
Probably not all that long until most people have some sort of edge to work with (find 2 stones, smash, presto!). But how long until you come up with something that is reasonably light and has a handle?

--
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by mmontour · 2009-03-17 06:13 · Score: 1

He posed the question, if you were in the woods with nothing but a hatchet, how long before you could send an email?
As long as it takes for some hiker with a smartphone to come by, plus a few minutes to clean the blood off the hatchet.

This device may not compare favorably with commercially available computing platforms, but having people in our society with curious minds and an ability to make things is invaluable.
Agreed - this is a very cool project.
I have recently been working with amateur packet radio, which is somewhere in between the linked project and modern technology. In addition to a computer you only need a radio transceiver and some simple circuitry connecting it to the audio in/out ports, and you can send email to a similarly-equipped station within the range of your radio (at speeds between 300 and 9600 baud). There are people who build their own radios and adapters but I'm doing it the easy way with commercial units.
As a more serious answer to your "alone in the woods" question, someone with the right skills could actually get a morse code transmitter running with some surprisingly low-tech materials. Look here for example - you don't even need a transistor or vacuum tube.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 06:20 · Score: 0

Not really.
If you really knew everything, you'd know how to make it quicker, and even more efficient than we have ever been able to.
You'd know what materials you'd need to get, how to find metals very easily, know how to create fire the easiest ways possible, etc.
Everything is a lot of knowledge.
And the simple fact is humans took over a century in doing this because they had no idea what they were screwing around with in the first place.
It was, and still is, trial and error.
Now we are testing multi-core designs instead of faster speeds and crazy cooling systems.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by vadim_t · 2009-03-17 06:25 · Score: 5, Funny

Oh, that would be doable fairly quickly.
First, you need to find some pigeons or some other suitable birds. You will also figure out how to make something resembling paper (shouldn't be too difficult with all the wood in the woods), and some means to write (something suitable should be available as well)
Once you managed to train some of them to deliver messages, you send one asking for RFC791 and RFC793, unless you're a networking expert and know them from memory. RFC 792 would be also recommended. You will also need RFC 1149, but that one is short and is best memorized before you get lost in the woods. Optionally, RFC 2549 could provide better service.
The next thing to do is to implement RFC 1149, and use that to talk to a mail server. Anybody with some mail experience should know how to use mail over a telnet session. Just make sure to memorize the IP addresses of a SMTP and a POP3 server (no problem if you run your own server and remember the address). Then just connect and send something like:

HELO thewoods.org MAIL FROM: vadimt@thewoods.org RCPT TO: somebody@gmail.com DATA Subject: I'm the woods What's up? .

Then to read email:

USER vadimt PASS bears34 LIST RETR 1 QUIT

Latency could be a bit annoying with having to send all those pigeons back and forth, and a good spam filter would be needed server-side if you don't want to spend weeks getting rid of it before you get anything useful, but in a couple of weeks it could be done.
Once this is going, the next step would be starting an open source project to implement IP over smoke signals, or optical telegraph, in case something happens to the pigeons, and to reduce latency. Also implementing DNS would help with talking to the rest of the net.
Once all this is working you can start really improving your tech, by requesting pages from wikipedia on anything you don't know enough about.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by kkwst2 · 2009-03-17 06:37 · Score: 1

Yes, well persistence would have made for a very short series. Didn't they actually get off the island once and then somehow wrecked right back onto the same island?
I think you pretty much had to suspend your reality-meter to enjoy the show.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by escherblacksmith · 2009-03-17 07:01 · Score: 1

Agreed, it basically blows by our old Vic-20 -- 1.02MHz, 5KB (3.5KB user memory). Hmm, I bet that could be installed with this Linaxe .. .
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by Molochi · 2009-03-17 07:01 · Score: 2, Funny

Step by step.
The hatchet would make constructing the iron smelting furnace easier. I could use heel of the hatchet as a hammer at first.
Then I could build a waterwheel powered sawmill and lathe.
With the sawmill and lathe I could fashion a crude, steam engine powered, carriage.
With the carriage I could drive to Fry's and buy a laptop.

--
"The Adobe Updater must update itself before it can check for updates. Would you like to update the Adobe Updater now?"
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by antispam_ben · 2009-03-17 08:34 · Score: 1

It is well known that the fastest way to bootstrap both technology and the economy is with multi-level marketing.

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Tag lost or not installed.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 09:22 · Score: 0

Um...I may have found a bug. I think pigeons (e.g. carrier, messenger, homing) are trained to return to a certain place. I guess you'd first (before getting lost in the woods) have to train two sets of pigeons, having first determined where you're going to get lost in the woods and...well, I've leave the troubleshooting to the experts.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by Panaflex · 2009-03-17 10:02 · Score: 1

It's the materials & it's the tools. Clean rooms, pure materials, testing equipment, chemicals. Even if we went for the lowest tech possible (60's era transistors, resistors, caps, core mem) you're still talking a couple of decades to identify material sources and refine techniques.

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I said no... but I missed and it came out yes.
Re:Nobody needs more than 16k... by Hatta · 2009-03-17 14:47 · Score: 1

And if you find sulfur, salt peter, and charcoal while you're out there in the woods, you can use it with a piece of bamboo to fire crystals at the lizard man trying to kill you.

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Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!

Already down. by oahazmatt · 2009-03-17 04:41 · Score: 1

Anyone got a mirror?

--
Those who believe the Internet is private,
find their privates are on the Internet.

Re:Already down. by Emb3rz · 2009-03-17 04:52 · Score: 3, Informative

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:chrisfenton.com+laptop
Click the 'cached' link on the first result
Re:Already down. by EnergySmithe · 2009-03-17 05:00 · Score: 2, Interesting

I guess even Chris# was not able to handle the /. effect?
Re:Already down. by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 06:55 · Score: 0

Yes, but how does a reflection of yourself be of any help for a slashdotted website?

slashdotted already? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 04:41 · Score: 0

Maybe the CPU quota was for the laptop itself?

So... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 04:42 · Score: 3, Funny

So...it weighs less than a duck?

Catching fire by Mishotaki · 2009-03-17 04:42 · Score: 4, Funny

At least, if this laptop catches fire, it won't burn black, toxic, smoke like most laptops do.

Re:Catching fire by sgt+scrub · 2009-03-17 04:45 · Score: 5, Funny

I for one welcome cleaner burning laptops.

--
Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
Re:Catching fire by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:28 · Score: 0

Now the "Powered by Vista" sticker on my fireplace doesn't seem so out of place...
Re:Catching fire by shicaca · 2009-03-17 05:32 · Score: 0

What's even better yet is if it happens during the winter months, you'll have free heating for a few hours! *and* have that fresh campfire smell!

I kind of like the case.. by Heather+D · 2009-03-17 04:42 · Score: 1

A nicely finished wooden case for a laptop would be nice. I f we could get around the microwave radiation issues and the heat issue.

He says he's going to get it up to roughly the same power that an early 80's home computer had. It looks like he's not far off.

Re:I kind of like the case.. by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:14 · Score: 0

Microwave radiation? You don't have a clue what you are talking about, do you?
Re:I kind of like the case.. by MightyYar · 2009-03-17 05:27 · Score: 2, Insightful

I f we could get around the microwave radiation issues and the heat issue.
I may be way off, but aren't most cheap laptops made of plastic? Plastic is a terrible conductor of heat or electricity.

--
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Re:I kind of like the case.. by Heather+D · 2009-03-17 06:06 · Score: 1

True. Blah. I should have done more thinking before I posted that.
Re:I kind of like the case.. by MightyYar · 2009-03-17 06:26 · Score: 1

You have ME thinking. Some of that really thin wood veneer might look classy on an aluminum laptop, like a MacBook. You know, classy in a 1980s Jeep Wagoneer kind of way :)

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W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Re:I kind of like the case.. by internettoughguy · 2009-03-17 11:32 · Score: 1

well microwave might be the wrong word, but electromagnetic radiation is definitely a problem for a wood encased pc and its unlikely this would be fcc approved if it were a commercial product. then again my desktop currently resides in a plywood box, and i have to say heat dissipation is more of a problem.
Re:I kind of like the case.. by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-18 05:51 · Score: 0

"[1] Both IEC standard 60050 and IEEE standard 100 define "microwave" frequencies starting at 1 GHz (30 cm wavelength).
Want to inform the IEEE that they don't know what they're talking about?

slashdotted by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 04:42 · Score: 0

In only 7 minutes.

This Account Has Exceeded Its CPU Quota

Whoops! by SkOink · 2009-03-17 04:43 · Score: 4, Funny

It looks like he tried to host the link from his laptop :(

--
---- I'll take you in a Hunt deathmatch any day.

Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 04:48 · Score: 2, Funny

His server is petrefied.
Re:Whoops! by ciaohound · 2009-03-17 04:54 · Score: 2, Funny

I've seen smaller systems stand up to a slashdotting. Perhaps he overclocked the Picaxe and the wood caught on fire.

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Oh, yeah, it's not easy to pad these out to 120 characters.
Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:02 · Score: 0

He posted the source for others that want to build one...
I don't know what worries me more, the fact that he posted it, or the fact that there might be someone out there that wants to continue this madness.
Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:12 · Score: 0

Google cache result
Re:Whoops! by kiehlster · 2009-03-17 05:53 · Score: 1

I'm sure it was running on Apaxe with mod_bwaxed.
Re:Whoops! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 06:36 · Score: 0

mov A, B
add
hcf
Re:Whoops! by glenstar · 2009-03-17 10:13 · Score: 1

Let me fix that for you:
.loop
TG
jmp loop

why i started to read slashdot in 1997 by fsiefken · 2009-03-17 04:43 · Score: 1

This kind of articles, really really cool. But why the laptop casing, why not make it into a wearable? LED display mounted on left lower arm, chorded keypad on the right lower arm.

yeah whatever!! by veeren76 · 2009-03-17 04:47 · Score: 1

Good for kids... but nothing serious...

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Common sense is not common

Re:yeah whatever!! by cnlohfin3109 · 2009-03-17 05:07 · Score: 3, Informative

Good for adults, who build it. I don't think you get the idea behind doing most projects like this. It isn't to have some amazingly practical tool or to make money but to learn, explore, and prove you can do it yourself. This is the same type of comments people posted when the article about the non-von1 was on here. Give credit to the DIYers for doing these amazing things themselves with limited budgets.
Re:yeah whatever!! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 06:04 · Score: 0

It's actually the same guy that did both projects!

TG by blueg3 · 2009-03-17 04:52 · Score: 3, Funny

I should switch to Chris# solely for the TG instruction: play "Eye of the Tiger".

Re:TG by Applekid · 2009-03-17 05:53 · Score: 1

I should switch to Chris# solely for the TG instruction: play "Eye of the Tiger".
I agree in that it's the "best ... opcode ... ever."

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More Twoson than Cupertino

Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by Mr+Z · 2009-03-17 04:53 · Score: 5, Interesting

I don't know much about the PICaxe, but for $8 (single unit qtys) you can buy an 80MHz MIPS microcontroller with a lot going for it. This one has 32KB of onboard RAM and 512K of flash.

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Program Intellivision!

Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by vu2lid · 2009-03-17 05:02 · Score: 2, Informative

Probably because PICAXE Microcontrollers can be programmed in a simple subset of BASIC.
It is very easy to write code, program and debug (they don't require a special programming interface). They are **really simple** to use, very powerful and versatile.
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by Mr+Z · 2009-03-17 05:14 · Score: 1

Ah, I see. I guess I'm accustomed to writing for microcontrollers, so I never saw that as a barrier. I've even done a design with a related PIC part (PIC16 instead of PIC32), which is why I wondered about the specs on this PICaxe.
If it were me making this sort of laptop, I'd just write my "OS" in C and compile with GCC and be on my merry way. :-) I guess to get to the "self-hosting development" level, though, I'd be wise to get some sort of interpreted language on there, a'la the old BASIC computers of the 80s. It sounds like the PICaxe BASIC is what this has going for it?
--Joe

--
Program Intellivision!
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by adolf · 2009-03-17 05:16 · Score: 1

Are you to tell me that it's impossible to run a BASIC interpreter on an 80MHz MIPS core with 32k of RAM?
I mean, honestly: I remember the VIC-20 and the TRS-80 model 1. This whole modern concept of "it can't run BASIC" seems positively absurd on so many levels. But if that's really how things are...

--
Kid-proof tablet..
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by Bio)-(azard · 2009-03-17 05:21 · Score: 1

Yea, I am a long time customer of MicroChip. I have had nothing but great experiences with them. And for what it's worth, you can get C, Pascal, and Basic compiler IDEs from mikroe.com optimized for all their microcontrollers.
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by nametaken · 2009-03-17 05:21 · Score: 1

Picaxe chips are good fun. I didnt know a damned thing about electronics until i started playing with these, which get you impressive results for CHEAP.
basic stamp kit is ridiculously expensive next to these.
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by Mr+Z · 2009-03-17 05:31 · Score: 1

I think it's more of an "end-to-end simplicity" thing vs. raw power.
If you buy the PIC32 I mentioned, it's a powerful low-cost machine, but it's a bit like buying a crate engine, tranny and chassis to build a race car. You better be, or have access to, a competent mechanic to put it together, and you'll have your purpose-built race car.
It sounds like the PICaxe is more like buying a Camry off the lot. It's got all the accoutrements and is ready to go. Turn the key, put it in gear, and you're on the road. Good gas mileage, comfy seats, stereo, etc. But, you won't win any races with it.

--
Program Intellivision!
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by Mr+Z · 2009-03-17 05:35 · Score: 1

I have one of MikroElektronika's boards. It hasn't been a perfect experience, but it got me started quickly. You can see some of my Mad Scientist stuff here. I used the dsPIC33 to emulate video game cartridges in software. :-)

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Program Intellivision!
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by Mr+Z · 2009-03-17 06:04 · Score: 1

Errr, I misspoke. My recent PIC projects have been PIC24 (a 16-bit PIC) and the related dsPIC33 (also a 16-bit PIC that happens to have some add'l instructions), not PIC16. Urgl.

--
Program Intellivision!
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by quarterbuck · 2009-03-17 06:22 · Score: 1

Of course you can buy a 486 at comparable prices. But I don't think that was the point. He built the circuits, the laptop case, OS, interpreter and applications all from scratch. I think the point is to be a hardhack similar to ones from the Homebrew computer clubs of the past.

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http://slashdot.org/submission/1062723/Cheap-mobile-data-plan?art_pos=2
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by Mr+Z · 2009-03-17 06:39 · Score: 1

You missed my point. If you're going to do all this stuff from scratch, it's sometimes easier to work with a higher spec part. I write homebrew video games and make homebrew cartridges for an 80s video game system, so the point of the project wasn't lost on me. :-)
And, without seeing the original website, it's hard to say how much of the software stack he did himself. From what others have said, the PICaxe comes with BASIC built in, and so it's a much more turn-key thing. The "Linaxe" link is to "linaxe.bas", so it seems likely that the OS is just the PICaxe BASIC.
Am I saying the project is pointless? No! I'm a CPU focused guy, so that's what I zeroed in on, since that's all I had to go on. (Website's slashdotted.) If it were me picking a CPU, I'd've gone with a higher spec part because it's still cheap, and I'd write all the software anyway. I've never used a PICaxe before or even heard of them. I didn't know it was set up to be programmed in BASIC by default and be a quick and easy "drop in a CPU and make it go without sweating the programming much" sort of device. If this person is content to code in BASIC, their focus is likely on something else, such as the overall case and presentation. Fine by me.

--
Program Intellivision!
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 07:03 · Score: 0

But I thought the whole point of this project was to build it all himself? So why is he using the PICaxe thing?
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 07:55 · Score: 0

An Atmel or Microchip PIC programmed in C is much better all around than PICAXE because of the performance limits of BASIC. It doesn't need to be 16 or 32 bit. That's mostly for addressing memory, aside from 8 bit chips needing twice as many cycles to add 16 bit integers (assuming the 16 bit chip has 16 bit registers and the instructions to take advantage of them).
What I'd drool over, is if somebody made a serious open hardware PDA with a color graphics display and touchscreen.
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by Mr+Z · 2009-03-17 08:12 · Score: 2, Informative

Hmmm... Maybe tweak this?

--
Program Intellivision!
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by rts008 · 2009-03-17 10:44 · Score: 1

TFA(minus cool pics and their captions):

DIY Laptop v2
Well, after a far-too-long hiatus, I'm back with a new Picaxe-based laptop! This project was born of a desire to see how far I can push the lowly Picaxe microcontroller. A friend of mine likened it to "spending over a year to reinvent the square wheel." The specs, you ask? This bad boy is decked out to the max:
Hardware specs:
* Storage: 256 kilobytes total, in a 4 x 64 kilobyte configuration. It uses 4 24FC512 i2c EEPROM chips formatted with the ChrisFS file system.
* RAM: 16 kilobytes of i2c FRAM, in a 2 x 8 kilobyte configuration. Fully accessible from within programs through the use of pointers.
* CPU: Picaxe 28X-1 Microcontrollers. The main CPU runs at a blistering 16 Mhz, and has a whopping 4 kilobytes of onboard storage for the processor's firmware/OS.
* I/O Controller: Another Picaxe 28X-1 Microcontroller serves as an i2c slave and I/O controller for the main CPU. It primarily provides a keyboard FIFO interface to support asynchronous keypresses during programs (can you say PONG?!).
* Sound: Dual-mono sound is driven by the main CPU and supports a wide range of tones, beeps, bops and bloops. It drives 2 x 1-inch, 8-ohm speakers mounted on either side of the display. Volume knob or headphone jack, you ask? I say, play it loud and play it proud!
* Display: A giant 24 x 8 serial character display provides a much-needed upgrade over the previous 20 x 4 display. It also takes in data at a blistering 19200 bits-per-second, drastically improving update speeds.
* Case: Beautiful, hand/laser crafted wooden case, with a touch of steampunk. My friend Pat showed me how to build a simple box, and I finally learned how to use the CNC laser! Tip: Never try to use real laptop hinges when working with wood. Way too much hassle!
* Battery pack: 4 x AAA batteries keep this humming for hours. Think your pathetic EEE will make it on that flight to Japan? Pack this bad boy and keep hacking while your neighbors are stuck watching the third showing of "You've Got Mail."
Now that I've explained about the hardware, you're thinking to yourself, "Great, a microcontroller, it's been done...but what can it *do*?" Well, the answer is a resounding "more than the last version!" My goal is to eventually reach parity with an early 1980's home computer, and this one is getting pretty darned close. And now, the software specs of the "Linaxe" OS (all crammed into 4 kilobytes!):
Software Specs:
linaxe
* Full Command-Line interface: I'm done with the silly numbered "menus." This baby's got a CLI your bearded sys-admin could be proud of. Built-in commands, you ask?
* -> "ls": List all of the files currently on the drive. Includes automatic pausing when the file list takes up more than one screen.
* -> "rm": Delete files like it's nobody's business.
* -> "wipe": Reformats the storage area. Think "rm -rf."
* -> "mk": Create an empty file
* "EMX": The EMAXE text editor: This baby's got it all. 8 beautiful lines of text, *automatic line numbering* (!?!?), drastically improved load/save times. The days of slots and menus from v1 are gone, this one has full file-system support!
* "CC": The Chris# Compiler. It takes in a text file as an input, and spits out tokenized code for the Chris# interpreter. Now supports limited compiler directives!
* "PONG": Why not? I had ~150 bytes of free space left over, and who doesn't love a little entertainment after a long night of coding? Try an

--
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by quarterbuck · 2009-03-17 11:40 · Score: 1

Sorry then.
But I thinking picking a Microcontroller meant for non-CPU purposes and then re-speccing it as a CPU has its own joys.

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http://slashdot.org/submission/1062723/Cheap-mobile-data-plan?art_pos=2
Re:Seems kinda low-spec as a starting point by hey! · 2009-03-18 01:17 · Score: 1

Well, ease of integration would be the dominant concern for most hardware hackers. Provided that the software CAN do what is needed, you'd look at part count and complexity.
The PICAxe is available assembled to a board with motor drivers on it, which would be a big plus for some. The iButton interface is intriguing as well.
The Microchip controller's power management and A/D capabilities make it an interesting choice for field instruments.
I bet this guy chose the PICAxe because kits were available to connect it to the keyboard and LCD easily.

--
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.

Linaxe + Pong by InvisibleClergy · 2009-03-17 04:55 · Score: 1

Haha, oh man. Linaxe carries with it an implementation of Pong at the bottom of the source code. So this wooden laptop runs pong.

I think we're somehow coming full-circle, here.

People use microcontrollers in homebrewing? by wiredog · 2009-03-17 04:55 · Score: 1

Damn. Kinda goes against the ethos, doesn't it? Or are they trying to replicate Budweiser?

--

Best Slashdot Co

Re:People use microcontrollers in homebrewing? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 09:35 · Score: 1, Interesting

There are some college/university students (equivalent, depending of the country) who have build computer controlled distillers. These projects work well as self teaching tools for process engineering ;).

The next version by Nerdfest · 2009-03-17 04:56 · Score: 1

will be made of stone, and use a small bird with a stone tablet as a processor.

what's all this then by Eil · 2009-03-17 05:01 · Score: 2, Interesting

Is Slashdot turning into Hack a Day today, or what?

Crashed by desinc · 2009-03-17 05:04 · Score: 1

Too bad he also tried to run his server off of it.

Made of wood by ProteusQ · 2009-03-17 05:05 · Score: 2, Funny

So, it weighs the same as a duck?

Re:Made of wood by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:14 · Score: 0

So, it weighs the same as a duck?
Burn it!
Re:Made of wood by ddusza · 2009-03-17 05:16 · Score: 0

It turned me into a newt.

--
Don't fear the penguins
Re:Made of wood by m.ducharme · 2009-03-17 05:17 · Score: 1

Burn it! Burn it!

--
Rule of Slashdot #0: You and people like you are not representative of the larger population. - A.C.
Re:Made of wood by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:44 · Score: 0

Churches, churches!
Very small rocks!
Re:Made of wood by OneSmartFellow · 2009-03-17 05:51 · Score: 1

I spit my wine out when I read that. Damn You !
Re:Made of wood by diqmay · 2009-03-17 07:38 · Score: 1

Gravy

Re:Now for something totally different... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:09 · Score: 5, Insightful

What a total waste of time. Don't they have better things to do?

He built a laptop with his time. All you've done is post a whiney comment on slashdot. On the whole, I think it's you who needs some better things to do with their time.

Re:Now for something totally different... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:09 · Score: 0

As was your comment.

Bad idea... by sardaukar_siet · 2009-03-17 05:12 · Score: 1

... running the site on the laptop - with this much load now, it's a fire hazard.

Seriously.. by szorg · 2009-03-17 05:17 · Score: 1

That's awesome. That's all I really have to say. A portable pong and text editing machine.

Chris this, Chris that by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:23 · Score: 0

This bad boy is a real narcissist!

Slashdot is completely ironic. by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:32 · Score: 0

There are editors who don't edit.

Geeks who don't know as much as their name implies.

"Journalism" with a blatant slant.

Way to go, Rob!

If you wonder WHAT is a Picaxe microcontroller... by blind+biker · 2009-03-17 05:32 · Score: 3, Informative

I just found out that, as the name clearly suggests, it's a preprogrammed PIC microcontroller.

See for yourself at http://www.rev-ed.co.uk/picaxe/ in the Technical Frequently Asked Questions PDF file:

What is a PICAXE microcontroller?

A PICAXE microcontroller is a Microchip PIC microcontroller that has been pre-
programmed with the PICAXE bootstrap code. The bootstrap code enables the
microcontroller to be reprogrammed without the need for an (expensive)
conventional programmer, making the whole download system a very low-cost
simple serial cable!
The bootstrap code also contains common routines (such as how to generate a
pause delay or a sound output), so that each download does not have to waste time
downloading this commonly required data. This makes the download time much
quicker.

I'm sure this "laptop" would have been much faster if based around an AVR. But that would have required more work.

--
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.

Uhoh... by PhasmatisApparatus · 2009-03-17 05:38 · Score: 1

The idea of running Linux on a PicAxe microcontroller must excite a lot of people... Every link to a project or explanation of "linaxe" results in 404 errors and more 404 errors.

Dupe? by pklinken · 2009-03-17 05:39 · Score: 1

I can't read the article because it's slashdotted, but this 2-year old slashdot story links to the same site.
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/05/1220220

Re:Dupe? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:47 · Score: 0

This is "version 2" of the project that got posted like 2 years ago.

It's made of wood. And therefore.... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 05:55 · Score: 0

A witch!!!!!!

Burn it!!!!

slashdotted by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 06:00 · Score: 0

Slashdotted....

http://box170.bluehost.com/highload.html
This Account Has Exceeded Its CPU Quota

Second the Atmel by jmorris42 · 2009-03-17 06:02 · Score: 1

Except for the built in BASIC on the Picaxe the AVRs have a lot going for em. I have also pondered the idea of building a low tech computer just to see how much could be done on something that would bring the term 'low power' back down to Model 100 levels and perhaps even finally surpass 1980's tech.

You can get MRAM in the same package as the old school SRAM and some of the AVRs have an external memory interface that appears compatible. So that would allow some really deep sleeping, just push everything out of the on chip RAM and kill all power, with none of the bother associated with flash like write count limits or worrying about the time/power to copy everything in/out. If you totally kill power you couldn't use the onboard RTC but that could go on the i2c bus with a self contained button cell like on a real laptop.

If you could keep the display and input device power onsumption low enough alternative power could really be useful. Think solar powered information kiosks for example. You could run them off power harvested from street lights. No backup battery to replace, totally sealed agsinst the elements and abuse. But nobody thinks low tech like this, any proposed project has to be x86, run Windows etc. Or if somebody is really thinking outside the box they would propose an ARM running Linux or WinCE and again be consuming ten or more times the power than an AVR and a mono LCD just to run the backlight on a color TFT lcd display.

--
Democrat delenda est

Re:Second the Atmel by vlm · 2009-03-17 07:04 · Score: 1

I have also pondered the idea of building a low tech computer just to see how much could be done on something that would bring the term 'low power' back down to Model 100 levels and perhaps even finally surpass 1980's tech.
Check out TI's MSP430 series... About a quarter milliamp per MIP... the fastest one they sell should then draw about 6 mA, probably less than the power indicator will draw.
http://focus.ti.com/mcu/docs/mcuprodoverview.tsp?sectionId=95&tabId=140&familyId=342
There are PICs and others that are about as good.

--
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Re:Second the Atmel by atrus · 2009-03-17 07:45 · Score: 2, Informative

Second the msp430 suggestion. Well worth looking into for micropower embedded applications. The GCC port (based on 3.2.3) isn't all that great, but it does do the job.
Re:Second the Atmel by evanbd · 2009-03-17 07:55 · Score: 1

I use PICs rather than AVRs myself, so I can only speak to the PICs. Many of the PICs have a deep sleep mode that keeps the RTCC running. The main clock can use one high speed crystal and the RTCC a secondary 32.768kHz crystal. In this mode it draws about 1uA. I assume there are Atmel parts available with a similar feature. A dedicated chip will be noticeably lower power -- about 250nA -- but that adds an extra part. 1 uA is a low enough draw that a CR2032 won't run down before its shelf life expires. If you're using a supercap for backup power you might care somewhat (0.33F will last a bit less than two weeks).
Re:Second the Atmel by mrmeval · 2009-03-17 11:10 · Score: 1

I have one of there 20 dollar dev kits. It fits on a USB stick. The processor is insanely small.
http://focus.ti.com/docs/toolsw/folders/print/ez430-f2013.html
Unfortunately the tiny add on boards that you can buy extra have a dumbed down version of the one included with the stick.
Unfortunately it does not play at all well with linux.

--
I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty

I had one of these wooden laptops by Timberwolf0122 · 2009-03-17 06:03 · Score: 2, Funny

I tried to install Vista on it and what do you know it wooden go.

I'll just be going then <shame>

--
In the not too distant future, next Sunday A.D.

Battery life by jeepee · 2009-03-17 06:08 · Score: 1

I almost cried when I saw that thist thing
is powered by 4 AA batteries. Dell should sit
back and learn ! lol

--
Overuse of the Pumping Lemma causes blindness

science fair project by icebones · 2009-03-17 06:17 · Score: 1

People need to realise this is more like the an adult getting to do their version of a science fair project like some of us did in HS. Writting a binary/hex/octal/decimal conversion program or connecting a mobile armatron to a PC are just some of my examples. it wasn't becuase we had to (well we didn't have to go to that level) or would make money, it was because it was something challenging and a way to get to work on things we normally never would have. I wish I had the time to work on things like this.

--
Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

I wonder... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 06:29 · Score: 0

...if it's faster than my Commodore SX64.

Speaking of Destroying It... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 06:55 · Score: 0

Something tells me that it will blend.

Battery time? by Qbertino · 2009-03-17 06:56 · Score: 1

My Sharp PC 1403H has 200+ hrs uptime on two buttoncells under full load. It's predecessor (my very first computer, bought back in 1986) has the same specs but only 4KB RAM instead of 32. I have yet to find a portable computer that can beat it's uptime off the grid. The Palm m105 with folding keyboard came the closest, but still was 160+ hrs short with it's mere 40 hrs battery time under load.

Does this baby have that potential? That would actually make it interesting, even today.

--
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca

Re:Now for something totally different... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 06:58 · Score: 0

And you pointed out that someone on the internet was WRONG!

I think we have all learned something today.

I keep forgetting that the new /. is uber elite by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 07:30 · Score: 0

I kills me that the ethos, lifestyle, and mind frame of the people that built /. and made it popular have replaced by mindless techno-jerks that piss on anyone's attempt to do something off the grid. This type of thinking would have crushed the Gates, Jobs and Linus's and everyone that built something in their own time and space just because they could. Linus never needed to create Linux, he could have just used whatever was available, but he didn't.

This wooden laptop may not be useful by today's standards, but the knowledge he gained, however trivial, will always be useful if he apply those concepts some where else in life.

TSA anyone? by Chees0rz · 2009-03-17 07:30 · Score: 1

I want to see him try and bring this on a plane- if it doesn't scream "DIY bomb" to a TSA employee, I don't know what does (aside from the conventional belled alarm clock, ticking watch, or vibrating automatic razor)

they wouldn't even let that guy and his macbook air through without giving him the run-around...

you mean it runs LINAXE ... by porky_pig_jr · 2009-03-17 07:31 · Score: 1

as a virtual machine under EMAXE?

As much as I don't like dreamhost... by aceofspades1217 · 2009-03-17 07:41 · Score: 1

It is still better than bluehost. At least dreamhost is more upfront about what you can and cannot do and they specifically say that your if your website is just a normal website such as a blog that it will not be taken down due to being slashdotted, dugg, etc.

But on another note....I want that laptop. Its so awesome. That one of those things that you do just to say you did it and to show off your 1337ness.

Christ I must say..you have done quite a good job proving your 1337ness and I commend you ^_^

laminate and veneer by zogger · 2009-03-17 07:43 · Score: 1

If you are good with a router-a woodworking router I mean-you could take the case from your laptop and laminate the outside with some sort of pretty wood veneer, and that leaves whatever RF shielding it has intact. Thinking about it, it is such a small area to laminate you could do it with just hand tools if you are careful, say a razor knife. Make a nice construction paper pattern then lay it out on the veneer and cut away what you need, then glue it on. Anyway, I imagine it has already been done it seems so possible...I will look... here's a link to an example. This guy uses a laser cutter but I don't think that is necessary either if you are just careful enough. In the replies there they make a point of bringing up the heating option, I guess that wouldn't matter a whole lot if your lappy had fans though.

They make custom skins for cellphones, seems a little biz niche there to do it with laptops or perhaps the new netbooks....

Chris# by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 07:43 · Score: 0

My favorite comment about his new language, "Chris#":

It's so advanced, it nearly qualifies as an awful variant of BASIC (and it's written entirely in the Picaxe's awful variant of BASIC...how 'meta'!).

Only wood? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 08:17 · Score: 0

I'm confused.. This is made of only wooden parts? Cogs and wheels? How does he make the display work?
I think someone is being untruthful.

Re:Only wood? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-18 01:11 · Score: 0

You're an idiot

ChrisFS? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-03-17 08:28 · Score: 0

This guy invented a filesystem and named it after himself.

His wife should be worried.

Meh. by DerekLyons · 2009-03-17 08:44 · Score: 1, Funny

From a woodworking point of view, it's not all that impressive. It's not well finished, and if you look at the picture of it closed you can plainly see the marks from running through a planer.

Atmel is SO much better than any PIC by Simonetta · 2009-03-17 08:48 · Score: 2, Informative

Atmel is SO much better than any PIC. Atmel AVR microcontrollers are individually cheaper. They run at least four times faster for the same clock speed (one instruction per clock cycle instead of one instruction per four clocks for the PIC). They have a vastly more versatile and flexible instruction set. The AVRs are designed to be used with high level languages like Open Source GCC, not kluged BASIC for high school kids that the PICs use in their absurdly overpriced 'training' packages. Most AVRs now have the same boot-loader capacities that this PICAXE package is offering.

I use AVRs for sound programmer/editors based on hardware MIDI synthesizers like the Yamaha TX81Z. It's nearly impossible to do any MIDI work in Windows. The MIDI APIs in Windows are difficult, incomprehensible, and nearly undocumented. It's a real mess and will never get any better. The hell with it. I do all my MIDI development now for $3 AVR processors and $5 graphic and character LCD screens. Developing for the AVR is like being back the 1980s writing assembler for the Commodore 64 and Turbo C for DOS. But everything is 1/10th to 1/100th of the cost that it was then. And there are no !@#$%^& ultra-violet EPROM erasers needed. Check out my open source hardware synth editors on the Yahoo! Yamaha DX group(s).

Airport Security.... by droopycom · 2009-03-17 08:52 · Score: 1

Oh please, try to bring this laptop on your next flight and tell us what happen at airport security... That should be fun.

Re:If you wonder WHAT is a Picaxe microcontroller. by theheadlessrabbit · 2009-03-17 09:10 · Score: 1

yes, building a board to program a picaxe chip requires little more than a 7805 and a single 2.2K resistor.

it runs a lot slower than a conventional pic chip, (but how often do you really need full speed for a microcontroller?)
Best of all, you can write your code entirely in BASIC, no need for messy assembly. (my sig should make it clear why this is a plus for me)

and, if you do need the extra speed, and you are all out of pic chips, you can put a picaxe chip in a standard pic programmer, and it will over-write everything (permanently).

I don't do too much electronics work these days, so simple is good. for the micro-controller stuff i do, the picaxe system is the best I've come across. I got rid of all my basic-stamp stuff after finding this system.

note: i do NOT work for picaxe, or any company that deals with them, i am just a very satisfied customer who has used this system for 3 years.

--
-I only code in BASIC.-

Hmmm, reminds me of... by joedoc · 2009-03-17 09:16 · Score: 1

...a cigar humidor, except for the cheesy brass bits on the corners. In fact, if it ever goes balls up, rip out the guts and give it to me. I've got a handful of La Gloria Cubanas and a few Camacho El-Legendarios that would fit in there very nicely.

--
Joe Dougherty, Florida, USA
The words I thought I brought, I left behind. So, never mind.

Hack-a-day? Nope.. by Well-Fed+Troll · 2009-03-17 09:18 · Score: 1

More like returning to its roots.

the picaxe IS a microchip PIC by BeaverCleaver · 2009-03-17 09:51 · Score: 1

A picaxe *is* a popular Microchip PIC, running a nifty bootstrap program developed by Revolution Education in the UK. It's intended to make microcontroller accessible to everyone, using a 3-wire in-circuit programming system so schools don't have to pay for a programmer, and so that kids can't break said programmer.

The development environment uses an intuitive BASIC compiler so people with no programming experience (pre-teen kids, or just biology graduates like myself) can be writing working programs in hours.

The IDE is free-as-in-beer and the picaxe chips are cheap (under five bucks for the smaller ones) and widely available.

Yes this is a plug, I'm not affiliated with Revolution Education but I probably wouldn't have had the stamina to get into microcontrollers without them.

There's a link to the manufacturer in the summary. http://www.rev-ed.co.uk/picaxe/

Kudos to the guy who built this laptop - building your own custom filesystem using only basic is pretty badass!

PS. If you really *must* use an Atmel CPU, a nice implementation is the Arduino. http://arduino.cc/en/Main/HomePage

--
sustainable living

Yeah? by Anachragnome · 2009-03-17 10:08 · Score: 1

"Think your pathetic EEE will make it on that flight to Japan? "

Good luck getting that thing on a plane.

While it may be possible, the lingering taste of latex gloves at the back of your throat will get tiresome.

Personally, if you opened that thing next to me on an international flight, I'd be inclined to smash your head in with it. ...but pretty cool, though!

Just kidding...really! by rts008 · 2009-03-17 10:17 · Score: 1

How about "Does it run Vista?

I'll have to get back with you on that...in a few years.

I started the Vista Ultimate install on one of these in November of '08, so far the install has made it up to 6%.
The biggest problem is deleting most of the so far installed files to make room for the other 94% of the remaining install; damn all of those 'out of memory' and 'out of drive space' error messages.
Plus, Vista throws a major hissy fit when you do try to delete some of the install files!

Ask me about it in, oh...maybe 4 1/2 years or so.(and in a side by side shootout, an identical kit installing Kubuntu 8.10 has made it to 9%. But it throws an even bigger fit about deleting files during the install-had to pause the install and ssh in from my desktop and do a 'rm -rf' on the bugger)

--
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti

Re:If you wonder WHAT is a Picaxe microcontroller. by blind+biker · 2009-03-17 10:57 · Score: 1

it runs a lot slower than a conventional pic chip, (but how often do you really need full speed for a microcontroller?)
Best of all, you can write your code entirely in BASIC, no need for messy assembly. (my sig should make it clear why this is a plus for me)

Since you don't even have a .sig, I am confused whether you're trying to be hilarious or are actually even more forgetful than I am - which is not good.

--
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.

Article Title by danparks · 2009-03-17 16:49 · Score: 1

I hate these "Homebrew Xxxx" /. article titles. My initial, reactionary thought is always that the article has something to do with the more interesting topic of brewing beer from home. Then a second later my excitement fades when I realize it's just another tech article ...

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Homebrew Microcontroller Laptop, Made of Wood

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