LCD Instrumentation for Cougar Controller

[sawickm]

Originally Posted by DJBecker

I hope you understand that the real point of this was so that I could write a CAN bus extension for you. To do that I needed to get a better understanding of your code so that I could make minimal changes. If you look at the CAN add-on I did for the Cougar code, I managed to hook into it with only two lines added to the main source file.

I hope that you share the CAN bus "hardware" changes you made for the Cougar LCD & Controller too.

It would be nice to have a simple CAN bus interface for the LCD & Controller.

[DJBecker]

Originally Posted by sawickm

I hope that you share the CAN bus "hardware" changes you made for the Cougar LCD & Controller too.

It would be nice to have a simple CAN bus interface for the LCD & Controller.

The hardware is already there -- the default PIC chip has a built-in CAN controller, and the board has spots for a CAN transceiver and the few minor extra parts.

I doubt anyone saved the $3 in parts by using a lower-spec PIC chip without eCAN and omitting the transceiver, so the capability is just sitting there waiting to be enabled with a firmware add-on.

[Brose]

I for one have sit back and read about all you guys have discussed. I understand a good bit of it but really need the help and encouragement to get my lcd instrumentation and cougar Ver C controller talking. Most everyone is great and really patient with us that know less about these things. I really appreciate all the knowledge that you are willing to share and know that everyone like me also appreciates each of you. There may be disagreements but that is how things get done. A disagreement always makes me dig in just a little deeper and make sure of what I am trying to accomplish. Please any of you that can and will stay with this project just know this! You really are appreciated even when things may be said that kind of stir us up. The only way we or should I say you will make this thing work, (and it will) is the exchange of ideas. Well, I have said enough but all I want is to gain some of your know how to make my project the best it can be. And I can't do it without help. I will contribute all I can but mostly I am here to reap the knowledge that is handed out.

Thanks For A Great Job

Bill

[sawickm]

Originally Posted by DJBecker

The hardware is already there -- the default PIC chip has a built-in CAN controller, and the board has spots for a CAN transceiver and the few minor extra parts.

I doubt anyone saved the $3 in parts by using a lower-spec P
IC chip without eCAN and omitting the transceiver, so the capability is just sitting there waiting to be enabled with a firmware add-on.

DJB,

I did not realize that the some PICs had an optional built-in CAN controller (eCAN). What Cougar interface hardware are you using on the ATmega168 for CAN bus? schematic? I know you discussed this issue on another thread, but progress info on it died out.

A CAN bus version of the new "series 1000" Cougar controller that interfaced to a PIC eCAN version of the LCD Display would be nice!

-Mark

[DJBecker]

Originally Posted by sawickm

DJB,

I did not realize that the some PICs had an optional built-in CAN controller (eCAN). What Cougar interface hardware are you using on the ATmega168 for CAN bus? schematic? I know you discussed this issue on another thread, but progress info on it died out.

There is pretty much only one choice for an add-on CAN controller chip. The MCP2515. It connects to a 4 wire SPI bus. The Cougar board has almost every signal needed on the ISP programming header (GND, +5V, the three high speed SPI lines) . Only the chip select line needs to be picked up from one of the unused pins on the PIC (PD2, PD3, or PD4).

[Freyguy]

DJ,
Just stopped back to finally read your reply. Glad I did.

Originally Posted by DJBecker

Actually, I thought that you would be a little miffed at a pointless conversion from carefully written, tight ASM into C code that inevitably takes more code and data space.

For the record I was not “miffed” by you converting my code to C. Once posted I consider it public. Anyone can do with it what they like! In fact, it has value for me since the comparison to my assembled version may help me understand code construction under C a little better. Anyone else interested in modifying the LCD firmware who has programmed PIC’s in C but not PIC assembler would find it invaluable as well. Sure it’ll take up more code space but I’m only using 2K of the available 8K so there should be plenty to spare.
What miffed me were the unnecessary negative comments directed at me in your posted source code. However, since you pointed out you routinely review the code of coworkers, it might simply be habit to add such frank criticism

hope you understand that the real point of this was so that I could write a CAN bus extension for you. To do that I needed to get a better understanding of your code so that I could make minimal changes. If you look at the CAN add-on I did for the Cougar code, I managed to hook into it with only two lines added to the main source file

I am aware of your desire to have all the open source components talk to each other over CAN bus (i.e. bms, controller, display) which I agree 100% is the way to go. I was unaware however that you were using the conversion of my code back to C as a way to better understand it. Then perhaps the negative comments where more akin to you making observations to yourself??
Maybe you should have made two versions- One “as is” for personal reference, and one with the negative comments about the author’s code removed for public viewing. Particularly if you plan to share it on the thread of said author!

In closing let me say that after reviewing several of your posts I find you very knowledgable in both software and hardware arenas and consider your contributions to ecomodder enlightening. I also appreciate your reassessment of the code construction once you realized this was my second attempt at coding (well, excluding some limited assembly I wrote some 25 years ago on the Intel 8088).
Carry on Mr Becker!

[MPaulHolmes]

I miss my 8088. It loaded 100 times faster than this piece of crap I use today.

[DJBecker]

Originally Posted by Freyguy

DJ,

What miffed me were the unnecessary negative comments directed at me in your posted source code. However, since you pointed out you routinely review the code of coworkers, it might simply be habit to add such frank criticism

Some of the code that I'm known for is Linux networking -- I wrote essentially all of the network device drivers until about 2000. You aren't calibrated to feedback if you think thought anything there was a harsh comment. A real review would be much harsher. The early Linux mailing lists would leave you shaking in the corner.

And to put it in perspective, 100x more people will read this comment than will read the source code. I'm guessing that exactly three people have read the code to this point.

[Freyguy]

Originally Posted by DJBecker

You aren't calibrated to feedback if you think thought anything there was a harsh comment. A real review would be much harsher. The early Linux mailing lists would leave you shaking in the corner.

I’m certainly “calibrated to feedback,” but not feedback presented in that manner. I’ve stumbled on some software developer’s mailing lists in the past and have seen how ugly it can get.
I’ve sat through countless hardware design reviews throughout my career as a design engineer and received plenty of negative feedback, but it was always handled professionally and typically accompanied by alternate ideas. Granted, the majority of that time (16years) was spent at one company among a tight nit group of 8 hardware engineers. We thought of each other as family and kept things civil. Maybe I lead a sheltered life and was not as desensitized as my counterparts in the industry.
And of course within this thread I received a good deal of feedback resulting in changes to the code, support documents & schematic.
Now, can we move on?

[Brose]

Well I finally got back to this. Had to go out of town on a family emergency. I am almost ready to connect my LCD (which I finally got to work) to my Cougar Rev. C controller. I am still working on the controller but wanted to find out if you have created the software for the connection. By the way I did install a 2480 Pic chip in the LCD. So I guess my question is where do I go from here? I really appreciate all of you and your hard work on this project.

Thanks Again

Bill