[Arm-netbook] Micropython boards

[Justin Cormack]

On Mon, Dec 9, 2013 at 9:03 AM, joem <joem at martindale-electric.co.uk> wrote:
> On Sun, 2013-12-08 at 16:46 +0000, Justin Cormack wrote:
>> On Sun, Dec 8, 2013 at 2:10 PM, luke.leighton <luke.leighton at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > On Sun, Dec 8, 2013 at 12:16 PM, joem <joem at martindale-electric.co.uk> wrote:
>> >> This guy seems to be doing interesting stuff:
>> >> http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/214379695/micro-python-python-for-microcontrollers
>> >>
>> >> One way to use his board is to connect via USB
>> >> and drag and drop a python file and suddenly
>> >> you are doing embedded controller stuff :)
>> >
>> >  interesting.  looks similar to what the leaflab guys were doing a
>> > couple of years ago [1].  i know that definitely required a PC:
>> > byte-code interpretation is done on the PC, and the byte-code (only)
>> > is uploaded to the STM32F.
>>
>> eLua [1] can run the interpreter directly on the microcontroller for
>> anything that is not really tiny (eg these STM32F boards). Also there
>> is mruby though I havent used it yet.
>>
>> I really don;t like these kickstarter projects where they promise to
>> open source already written code after the project is funded, rather
>> than doing development openly. I might support it if I could see if
>> the software was nicely written. There probably is no real point in
>> making yet another board, after all the boards are not specific to the
>> language you run, its either a useful board for other uses or its not.
>>
>> [1] http://www.eluaproject.net/
>
>
> eLua looks nice. Could eLua go on an alwinner A10?
>
> My single observation of micropython project
> is that cost wise, putting micropython on A10 CPU would turn it
> into an astronomical embedded CPU beast - and BOM of USD 15 to make the
> board!! The mind really really REALLY BOGGLES!!!!!!!!!
> The guy want about USD1600 as a kick starter option to make it happen.
> Only 4 days left to raise it :(

You can run a normal Lua on the A10, so no real need to run eLua. You
can buy off the shelf STM32F boards for around that price anyway, the
STM32F4DISCOVERY is very cheap and runs eLua. I think the BOM is much
less in volume for these boards, depending what you want on them.

Justin