Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems.

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Mr. Phil
 
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Default Domino 2 BASIC microcontroller

I just obtained a Domino 2 Microcontroller with built in BASIC. I learned
that the company that manufactured these things (Micromint) has some
documentation on their website showing schematics for interfacing a MAX232,
LCD display, and matrix keyboard, but the programming examples for setting
up the I/O are sparce and confusing. Has anyone had experience working with
these modules before?

How can I program the I/O pins from BASIC. There are some that say they
have to be accessed through machine code. Can I just poke the values to a
certain memory location? I also want to wire up an 8255A to expand the I/O.
What would be the best way to accomplish this?

Any information anyone can provide would be appreciated. Thanks!

-Phil


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Bob M.
 
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Default Domino 2 BASIC microcontroller

Micromint was the product line of neat stuff designed and built by Steve
Ciarcia, who used to have a monthly column in BYTE magazine called
"Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar". He wasn't happy with the way BYTE was heading,
and when he was able to split off, he did so and started his own magazine
"Circuit Cellar". In the beginning, a lot of Micromint products came out of
reader feedback and ideas. He sold Micromint a few years ago and the local
engineering staff became magazine editors and writers.

I have one of these Domino 2 units myself but haven't done anything with it
in quite a number of years and I don't remember how to do anything with it
now. I'd need to search high and low to find the manual. As I recall, there
was a substantial manual that came with the Domino, as well as some
application notes and EPROM entry points for firmware that was added just to
handle specific I/O devices. I would hope/expect that some or all of this is
still available on the Micromint web site.

While Steve and his magazine staff don't support the Micromint products, I
bet they still know an awful lot about them. The person I'd recommend trying
to talk to would be Jeff Bachiochi. He's listed as a contributing editor in
the Circuit Cellar magazine and has a monthly column in it, so you should be
able to contact him through the magazine at www.circuitcellar.com. He used
to work there, and may still, but by now he could have retired or moved on
to another engineering job.

There's also a private-run news group primarily for Circuit Cellar magazine
but I think it still supports Micromint products; you can find out how to
access the news group on the web site above. There might even be people more
familiar with the current line of Domino products than Jeff is/was.

Bob M.
======

"Mr. Phil" wrote in message
. ..
I just obtained a Domino 2 Microcontroller with built in BASIC. I learned
that the company that manufactured these things (Micromint) has some
documentation on their website showing schematics for interfacing a

MAX232,
LCD display, and matrix keyboard, but the programming examples for setting
up the I/O are sparce and confusing. Has anyone had experience working

with
these modules before?

How can I program the I/O pins from BASIC. There are some that say they
have to be accessed through machine code. Can I just poke the values to a
certain memory location? I also want to wire up an 8255A to expand the

I/O.
What would be the best way to accomplish this?

Any information anyone can provide would be appreciated. Thanks!

-Phil




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Mr. Phil
 
Posts: n/a
Default Domino 2 BASIC microcontroller

Thanks for the tips. I just wired up a MAX232 and hooked the Domino module
up to an old Pentium 90 laptop I had kicking around. I was able to access
the module and program some simple things in BASIC, but I have not yet
interfaced the Domino to control any real-world applications. It's really
neat. I was thinking of possibly installing the entire Domino module inside
the chasis of a dumb terminal and effectively make a whole BASIC computer
that way. I could have a DB-25 on the back of the terminal with whatever
I/O I need so I can interface it to other things that way.

-Phil



"Bob M." wrote in message
...
Micromint was the product line of neat stuff designed and built by Steve
Ciarcia, who used to have a monthly column in BYTE magazine called
"Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar". He wasn't happy with the way BYTE was heading,
and when he was able to split off, he did so and started his own magazine
"Circuit Cellar". In the beginning, a lot of Micromint products came out

of
reader feedback and ideas. He sold Micromint a few years ago and the local
engineering staff became magazine editors and writers.

I have one of these Domino 2 units myself but haven't done anything with

it
in quite a number of years and I don't remember how to do anything with it
now. I'd need to search high and low to find the manual. As I recall,

there
was a substantial manual that came with the Domino, as well as some
application notes and EPROM entry points for firmware that was added just

to
handle specific I/O devices. I would hope/expect that some or all of this

is
still available on the Micromint web site.

While Steve and his magazine staff don't support the Micromint products, I
bet they still know an awful lot about them. The person I'd recommend

trying
to talk to would be Jeff Bachiochi. He's listed as a contributing editor

in
the Circuit Cellar magazine and has a monthly column in it, so you should

be
able to contact him through the magazine at www.circuitcellar.com. He used
to work there, and may still, but by now he could have retired or moved on
to another engineering job.

There's also a private-run news group primarily for Circuit Cellar

magazine
but I think it still supports Micromint products; you can find out how to
access the news group on the web site above. There might even be people

more
familiar with the current line of Domino products than Jeff is/was.

Bob M.
======



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