[Simon Inns] is still hard at work making USB connectivity for PIC microcontrollers easier for the hobbiest. He’s released a framework for PIC based USB devices under Windows. It includes the firmware needed for USB compatible 18F PIC chips as well as a C# class library and example programs for the Windows side of things. This goes quite a bit further than his PIC-USB tutorial but with little added effort on your end of things.
We do our USB prototyping on a breadboard just like [Simon] did in this example. He’s got a nice little USB-B connector breakout that is easy to plug into the breadboard. If you prefer to have a more stable development area, check out the one he designed. It’s a single-sided PCB made for through-hole components with just a handful of jumper wires.
Nice Hack!
However, this is NOT an USB host but an USB-Client! The 18f4550ers are not host capable…
It’s spelled hobbyist!
They hacked their spellcheck to get it that way.
use the tqfp version of this chip, and make the world’s smallest pendrive? LOL
(only if you want to store like 8MB on it though)
45DB321D 16Mbit *4 would do it.
now that would be something to behold.
this chip might (just!) be able to decode an mp3 so you could build a basic player with direct USB connectivity.
this is not a usb client, but a usb device!
Nice, the C# code is ok for any usb device, pic or anything else if it is HID compliant
“It’s spelled hobbyist!” That’s what I was going to say, too. Or maybe it’s only easier for the more-hobby-than-anyone-else. :)
Microchip already announced the USB to UART Protocol solutions. I read about it in the news:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/usb-to-uart-protocol-converter-from-microchip-technology-makes-it-easy-to-add-usb-to-existing-systems-2010-03-16?reflink=MW_news_stmp
is usb doable on any smaller chips?
@km, what kind of smaller chips?
Atmega has the http://www.obdev.at/products/vusb/index.html
You can use an ATiny with it
http://www.raphnet.net/electronique/multiuse_pcb2/index_en.php
This one is new to me: http://www.xs4all.nl/~dicks/avr/usbtiny/
@km – You can use the PIC18F2550 (28 pin), or you could choose the surface-mount package versions.
You can look at the pic18f2550 SOIC or 18f4550 TQFP/QFN packages.. or look at atmel’s usb line too, like the ATmega[16/32]U4. For the Atmel stuff take a look at this gem of a site:
http://code.google.com/p/micropendous/