On 2025-03-20 10:34, Greg KF5N via groups.io wrote:
What I don't like about the T41 is the minimalistic documentation.
Perhaps with SparkFun taking over, Paul will have some time to finish
that up.
And the worst part is the lack of a debugger!
*** Amen! The raspberry pi Pico has become my go-to for little projects because it supports
SWD ( single wire debug ). Breakpoints. Source level single step. Etc. Shortens development
time by an order of magnitude.
The iMXRT1062 chip DOES have a JTAG port, but PJRC took that over for their boot processor -
to make it more "Arduino-like".
If we were to do another Main Board, it might make sense to just put an iMXRT1062 & flash chip on it.
Less pins, less connectors. JTAG debug! The schematic of the Teensy could be a guide for our intrepid
hardware folks.
On the software side, serious rework would be necessary. What about the PJRC audio library? Well - I suspect
that PJRC didn't write it. The graphic design tool was ported from a project called "Node-Red".
I personally would ditch the Arduino IDE in a heartbeat. I've never liked it. It hides too much from the programmer.
There are better IDEs out there. Other IDEs do have more of a learning curve to get to the "hello world" stage. Right now,
everybody needs to use the IDE if they want a complete working T41. Why? Because the user's callsign and grid square are
include-file compile time options. If those things were EEPROM/SD-card data, that requirement would disappear, and people
with no interest in software could just download a hex file.
- Jerry, KF6VB
