SparkFun Forums

[mtuxpe]

Hi Olimex and Spakfun,
I would like to test this chip.
Regards,
Marcio

http://www.luminarymicro.com

[OLIMEX]

you will have to wait some time when the C compilers and so on start support it first
according to IAR web site they will add support for M3 around May-June this year.
also this chip is not on sale yet
Tsvetan

[mtuxpe]

you will have to wait some time when the C compilers and so on start support it first
according to IAR web site they will add support for M3 around May-June this year.
also this chip is not on sale yet
Tsvetan

Hi Tsvetan,
I need to wait for the compiler but mouser has this chip for sale
http://www.mouser.com/luminarymicro/

[SOI_Sentinel]

And Microchip is suing them over patent infringement for halt of sale and damages (quick glance at the patents listed appear that they're being sued over pin multiplexing! Talk about stupid...)

http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcpl ... m=en026532

[NleahciM]

I have yet to understand any excitement over this chip. I mean - it's in a SOIC package. What were they thinking? Hobbyists won't want to use it because it's surface mount, and professionals won't want to use it because it's flipping huge.

[leon_heller]

I have yet to understand any excitement over this chip. I mean - it's in a SOIC package. What were they thinking? Hobbyists won't want to use it because it's surface mount, and professionals won't want to use it because it's flipping huge.

They'll probably bring out a tiny QFN version.

Leon

[SOI_Sentinel]

Heck, I use this format, SOIC is a hobbyist-friendly surface mount package.

Now, as for the chip...

The excitement over it is probably two-fold. One, it's a new generation of ARM with new thumb instructions that promise some performance improvement over the ARM7TDMI. Second, this chip is aimed squarely at the 8 bit low resource market. Lots of stuff needs low pin count, low program space, low speed controllers that even the smallest of common ARM7TDMI chips are overkill (I bet I'll get proven wrong on this one...).

[Philba]

I have yet to understand any excitement over this chip. I mean - it's in a SOIC package. What were they thinking? Hobbyists won't want to use it because it's surface mount, and professionals won't want to use it because it's flipping huge.

huh? soics are very hobbiest friendly. You don't even need magnification (though it doesn't hurt). solder by hand with any cheapo soldering iron. you can make toner transfer boards for them and you don't even have to drill holes. what's not to like??? I'd be in heaven if I could get away with an SOIC-only board. any hobbiest that can't do soics is just not trying.

phil

[LMI Dan]

Hello all,
Hardware and software tools for the Luminary Micro devices have been available since the initial launch of their products (March 27th). Parts, development boards, and development tools are available from Mouser Electronics (http://www.mouser.com).

Rowley Associates also has an inexpensive evaluation board and software tools available for the Luminary Micro devices (http://www.rowley.co.uk).

IAR Systems has support for the luminary Micro devices in their latest release of their IAR Embedded Workbench (http://www.iar.com/pnewarm).

Regards,
LMI Dan

[NleahciM]

I have yet to understand any excitement over this chip. I mean - it's in a SOIC package. What were they thinking? Hobbyists won't want to use it because it's surface mount, and professionals won't want to use it because it's flipping huge.

huh? soics are very hobbiest friendly. You don't even need magnification (though it doesn't hurt). solder by hand with any cheapo soldering iron. you can make toner transfer boards for them and you don't even have to drill holes. what's not to like??? I'd be in heaven if I could get away with an SOIC-only board. any hobbiest that can't do soics is just not trying.

phil

To anybody that has never done smt before - all surface mount packages look the same. Certainly a soic is easy to solder by hand - but anybody that hasn't done smt before won't realize that.

[LMI_Jim]

FYI - last month Luminary Micro introduced the LM3S3xx family in 48 lead LQFP. See http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/l ... oller.html for more information.

Regards.

[Philba]

I have yet to understand any excitement over this chip. I mean - it's in a SOIC package. What were they thinking? Hobbyists won't want to use it because it's surface mount, and professionals won't want to use it because it's flipping huge.

huh? soics are very hobbiest friendly. You don't even need magnification (though it doesn't hurt). solder by hand with any cheapo soldering iron. you can make toner transfer boards for them and you don't even have to drill holes. what's not to like??? I'd be in heaven if I could get away with an SOIC-only board. any hobbiest that can't do soics is just not trying.

phil

To anybody that has never done smt before - all surface mount packages look the same. Certainly a soic is easy to solder by hand - but anybody that hasn't done smt before won't realize that.

sigh. so some people are affraid of trying new things? that's their problem. It seems to me that lots of hobbiests have no problem using SMDs. any hobbiest that doesn't make the move to SMD has pretty well cut themselves out of much, if not most, of all the cool new chips. But I sure don't see that as a reason to condem a packaging choice.

[beebop]

I agree with Philba,
After all the young (and perhaps not so) guys on this board have given good examples and encouragement, this didn't seem so daunting. I went ahead and tried, with very good results the first time. If my old eyes can do this, then it must be easy! There is a kind of magic which seems to happen when you do it, too.
I see this as a great way to make your own PCBs, which avoid the problem of drilling holes. Using SMT a one off proto board could be produced very quickly at home.
Regards,
Robert