Making technology with embedded things

I must admit that, being an old timer, I had considered that software tool with loads of suspicion.

“No coding necessary” probably triggered some nerdish response of mine, a shrug full of contempt, close to “I very much doubt a thing can write code better than I” …

Well, I eventually found out what Express is all about.

Cypress Express is an excellent tool when it comes to blazingly fast prototyping.

It is true that it cannot beat me or any pro in generating optimised and finely hand optimised, tuned code.

However where this exceptional application really shines is testing hardware, with proven projects, in less time you can say 1 2 3 (wait, no, just a little bit longer than that).

I have a friend who, a few weeks ago, kept complaining that he was late, had to work during week ends because of a problem with a I2C bus interface, having forgotten that some bit had changed address from one release of a datasheet and another belonging to newer silicon.

Well, sure as hell he is not using, contrary to my suggestions, Cypress! He is using another vendor which does not provide a confortable and practical API, and tools which make programming I2C a dependable and quick activity.

He has been toiling with that thing for about a month, and my friend ended up becoming even less amiable than he usually is. I had to double check whether a system I am designing talks on I2C bus properly, and I wrote and tested both sides of the communication in less than one hour, and it took me so long because I like to keep a relaxed approach and proceed methodically, with order.

I had prepared a logiscope, ready at hand, and I found out I was not going to need it to debug anything, because everything worked, just fine, at first attempt. I was almost disappointed: gee, this thing is keeping me from getting all the fun! Anyway, I don’t know if it is even worth posting this small, but useful I2C bus monitor on this blog, as the application is so easy that it is trivial:

In Express you just need to place on the canvas the icons of I2C slave interface, a valuator, the icon of a LCD panel. You then fill in properties (I2C address being the most important), edit the transfer function (which is something like “if 1 then Display=I2C_value). You assign pins, and program the unit.

That’s all, finished, presto! Building a radio remote control with PSOC wUSB is not nearly more complex than that: a working prototype is something you can assemble on Cypress evaluation boards in less than 15 minutes, from scratch.