I want a CodeBug

Hi Sagar,

strange question It seems there are a lot in stock (394 in this moment).

Instead me too want one and I have done a mistake so I can't buy From Spain there is a limit of 50 Euro min for buying. Just yesterday I have ordered two Raspi PI and another stuff... I was SURE I was forgetting something and it was. I forgot to order a codebug ! Result I can't buy it until the next big order.

Enrico

I bought one because it's just pocket money and I wanted to see which Microchip PIC it uses and if you actually got access to a schematic if you bought one (you don't unless things have changed since the weekend). This is weird (to put it kindly) since on the Kickstarter campaign they promised it would be open hardware. If I ever get round to it (it's not a priority) I'll trace out the circuit and work out how to gaol break the PIC. It has some test points that look as if they might give access to a PIC debug port - if so you could use usual Microchip tools to write some proper code.

I can't help thinking how much better the whole thing would be if they had used an ARM Cortex based micro with a decent amount of RAM (it has 2k) - it might have cost a tiny bit more but would have been so much more useful.

MK

To be honest, this sentence smells bad

Hi Andrew

Firstly, I am glad that uptake was enough to make it worthwhile for you (I hope).

As the posting and packaging is done by hand, I can quite understand how much work it would be. Be glad the envelopes and stamps are self-adhesive and you don't have to lick them all

My son will be one of the lucky ones to receive the BBC micro:bit, whenever (if ever!) the government follows through with the project. In the meantime he is going to be learning on the CodeBug and other hardware that I have in my stack of boxes of boards.

I'd rather him be able to understand how he has got something working than be able to drag and drop like every other slightly trained drone the micro:bit craze will produce.

As I stated above I don't doubt your veracity about opening the board and code in the slightest, there is just an undercurrent of frustration that we have boards that we can't do much with at the moment. They have massive potential, please don't kill the momentum while everybody is desperate to get to know them. Once they end up in a drawer I fear they will stay there, twinkling away with only odd socks for company which would be a crying shame.

Stick everything on github now(!!) and watch these things take off

Greg

Thanks for responding - please just shove the stuff on to Github (or wherever) - the format and gloss don't matter at all but you have the chance to claim the moral high ground over the BBC - take it !!

MK

The "There is no attempt not to publish" bit? It is why I rarely support kickstarter campaigns - so many crowdfunding examples of

deadlines with no firm date, or vague promises that are not binding (or even if they are, in practice are not easily enforceable).

There is another thread here Codebug partial teardown where someone has taken a not-insignificant attempt to reverse-engineer the board in the absence of schematics.

I don't like you guys any more .....

After your postings I decided it would remiss of me not to have one to show the kids when we do the Arduino courses so I ordered one.

Mark

Element 14 addicted !

Enrico

Early on in really innovative projects there are many uncertainties, and Kickstarter is suited for these products. Kickstarter is about backers for a project -- people that want to support it's aims, and for CodeBug we're very grateful to these people for helping us;  it's not a contractual arrangement. I think it's important people realise this, and if people are uncomfortable with this it they can wait until the commercial version of products come out and not back Kickstarters.

If we'd done it as a commercial project, the offering would be very different and probably not ultimately creative commons. And although the project has been delayed (though not as much as micro:bit The BBC micro:bit will, predictably, be delayed until 2016 (Wired UK)) we're really pleased through the help of our backers we've got Code Bugs out into the hands of people and they're learning to code with them, which is what the project was really about.

codebug wrote:

 

  it's not a contractual arrangement.

I think this is the point I was making. You're under no obligation (legally) to release the  schematics, although morally you should do so having made the promise.

The unpredictability of Kickstarter project timelines, and promises unmet, and (often) poor excuses for delays, is why it is wise to wait for the commercial offering for at least the non-innovative projects, or to purchase a close-alternative product that is already available.

I think a major difference between micro:bit and codebug is that the micro:bit project has not taken any funding from consumers expecting hardware and software to be supplied to them, whereas codebug has.

I was wondering why the comparison of project delay with the micro:bit was brought up.

This explains the relationship between the two projects a bit: How the BBC micro:bit will kick-start a coding revolution (Wired UK)

About half-way down is a comment about the University of Manchester team's role (and the role of Andrew Robinson - creator

of the Piface series of boards as I understand, which Problemchild had to reverse-engineer in order for effective support).

I was wondering why the comparison of project delay with the micro:bit was brought up.

This explains the relationship between the two projects a bit: How the BBC micro:bit will kick-start a coding revolution (Wired UK)

About half-way down is a comment about the University of Manchester team's role (and the role of Andrew Robinson - creator

of the Piface series of boards as I understand, which Problemchild had to reverse-engineer in order for effective support).

Yeah every one said they couldnt get the schematic for it and it was  supposedly open source so I took it apart and drew it out.

Thankfully it was only a simple circuit so no problems there

JohnnyCAD to the rescue