NETMF

Wow, a great evening: an attentive and interested audience. Here are some links that were discussed during the evening:

• tinyclr.com
• robotshop.ca
• cosm.com
• netmf.com and netmf.com/gadgeteer

You can download the files and the presentation in zip format here and on the .Net Montreal group website.

I forgot Gadgeteer stickers at home, so if you want some, let me know and we’ll arrange to send them to you!

Thank you, if you have any questions feel free to contact me and I look forward to seeing your projects!

On February 25th, I will be giving a presentation titled .NET Micro Framework and .NET Gadgeteer: Embedded Computing for Everyone at the Alt.Net Montreal meeting. I will go over the Framework and Gadgeteer with examples: things that blink, move, and provide useful information ;)

If you have projects you would like to show to the group, feel free to bring them along, we will be happy to discuss them.

Looking forward to meeting you there!

At the end of last year, I had published that Microsoft Research was working on a prototype electronic platform running on NETMF named Gadgeteer. Well, it now seems that it has moved out of the research phase to “commercialize” this platform: Microsoft .NET Gadgeteer.

GHI Electronics has released the first Gadgeteer kit named GHI FEZ Spider Starter Kit. This kit allows you to code your own electronic module using your favorite language (and I am talking about C# ;) ) without knowing the basics of electronics. In fact, it is a hardware abstraction to allow budding hobbyists to start without learning how to solder or connect various electronic components.

I just came across the Microsoft Gadgeteer website while doing some research for La Machine.

Gadgeteer allows you to quickly create prototypes without necessarily knowing electronics, just plug in, write a few lines (in NETMF of course) and you’re done. You can see a full demonstration on the Channel 9 website (Included below).

<object data="data:application/x-silverlight-2," type="application/x-silverlight-2" width="512" height="288"> <param name="source" value="http://channel9.msdn.com/scripts/VideoPlayer.xap?v=3.2"> <param name="initParams" value="deferredLoad=true,duration=0,m=http://ecn.channel9.msdn.com/o9/ch9/6d32/4015d252-f215-4945-9d48-9e0901306d32/dotNetGadgeteer_ch9.wmv,autostart=false,autohide=true,showembed=true, thumbnail=http://ecn.channel9.msdn.com/o9/ch9/6d32/4015d252-f215-4945-9d48-9e0901306d32/dotNetGadgeteer_512_ch9.jpg, postid=0"> <param name="background" value="#00FFFFFF"> <a href="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=124807" style="text-decoration: none;"> <img src="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108181" alt="Get Microsoft Silverlight" style="border-style: none"> </a> </object>

For now, this product is still within Microsoft Research, but we could hope to see it commercialized by spring or summer 2011.

After a few weeks of waiting, I received my Fez Domino ordered via RobotShop!

This microcontroller running on the .Net Micro Framework (NETMF) is designed in the same format as the Arduino, allowing the use of its “shields”.

While waiting to play with it and give you my feedback, you can check out the following sites:

• TinyCLR.com: Community around Fez and GHI Electronics products (managed by the manufacturer GHI Electronics)
• Fezzer.com: Drivers and mini-applications developed by the community
• microframeworkprojects.com: Contains projects/documentation created by the community.

Pyxis 2 is an OS running on the .Net Micro Framework (NETMF). It can theoretically run on any NETMF platform, but it is currently configured only for GHI Electronics (Tinyclr.com) products.

To learn more, read the NETMF team blog or visit the official site. The code is available as open source at pyxis2.codeplex.com. Here is a video to whet your appetite:

Pyxis 2 Beta Released!