Reading the Status Register
After playing around with the idea of getting an SD card running in order to get enough storage for the data structures described in my last post, I decided that it would be better, if not neccessarily easier, to get an RF link up and running and prototype the learning algorithm on the PC. So I pulled out the Mirf-V2 that I have bought from Spark Fun for just such an occasion. After perusing the forums for a while I realized that this is a tricky beast to get running, but it should be worth the effort. I also came to the decision that I am not going to hurry, but instead I am going to enjoy the process.
Knowing all of this, I began programming the base unit that will connect to the PC and convert serial to SPI for the Mirf. I built this board almost a year ago, and it has an ATMega8, a MAX233, a 7805 and a Mirf. I had a little trouble getting the SPI working, but using the scope, I managed to figure out the problem.
Finally knowing that I would need two to tan.. er send data, I wired the Mirf up to an ATMega128 breakout board that I also got from sparkfun. Tomorrow I can start writing code that will make the ’128 board send a packet continuously, and receive it with the Mega8 board.
