F21 in a Mouse
A project replaced a mouse's microcontroller with an F21d board, enabling GUI control and outperforming a 120MHz Pentium in performance tests, highlighting efficient low-power hardware programming potential.
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A demonstration project involved replacing the microcontroller in an old computer mouse with a small F21d test board, allowing the mouse to control a tiny graphical user interface (GUI). The project utilized a cable to connect the mouse's wheel encoder and buttons to the F21's parallel port. The video coprocessor was programmed to generate 768x482 RGB images, enabling the display of data as the mouse was moved. A simple GUI was created, featuring an icon that launched a simulated oscilloscope demo program. The total code for the system was minimal, around a few hundred words, and included basic graphics functions and event handling. The project also explored performance comparisons between the F21 and a 120MHz Pentium PC, revealing that the F21 could outperform the PC significantly when utilizing the video coprocessor for window functions. The F21d prototype, despite some limitations due to a thermal bug, showed promising performance metrics, with projections indicating it could operate at speeds much faster than the Pentium when optimized. The project highlights the potential for efficient GUI implementations on low-power hardware using innovative programming techniques.
- The F21d test board replaced the original microcontroller in a mouse to create a tiny GUI.
- The project demonstrated the ability to control a simulated oscilloscope through the mouse interface.
- Performance tests indicated that the F21d could outperform a 120MHz Pentium when using the video coprocessor for window functions.
- The total code for the GUI was minimal, suggesting efficient programming practices.
- Future projections for the F21 chip indicate potential speeds significantly exceeding those of traditional PCs.
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