The Micromite Plus

The Micromite Plus is an advanced version of the standard Micromite. It has all the features and capabilities of the Micromite but is up to three times faster, has double the memory and supports more peripherals including a SD card for storing programs and data and a PS2 keyboard.

Its standout feature is support for large (up to 8 inch) LCD display panels and its advanced graphics which include on screen controls such as radio buttons, check boxes and alphanumeric keypads. This makes the Micromite Plus perfect for many control situations from a simple pump controller to a sophisticated industrial controller.

With the addition of a LCD display and PS2 keyboard the Micromite Plus can operate as a stand alone computer, something like a modern version of the Tandy and Apple computers of the 1980s.

The Micromite Plus was introduced in a series of articles in Silicon Chip magazine in August and September 2016. This web page provides a shorter description so, if you would like the full story, you are encouraged to read the magazine article. Back issues of the magazine can be purchased from Silicon Chip or electronic access can be purchased for about the cost of the printed issue.

Other pages related to the Micromite include:

Introduction

The Explore 64 and Explore 100 PC boards that featured in the video have their own web pages.

Micromite Plus Features

64-pin or 100-pin surface mount package. Both packages use a lead pitch of 0.5mm which is reasonably easy to solder and both are available as a module which can be purchased pre assembled - these are the Explore 64 and the Explore 100.
A fast 32 bit CPU running at up to 120MHz with 512K of flash and 128K RAM. The memory reserved for BASIC programs is 100KB and an additional 97KB of RAM for variables, arrays and buffers. This caters for very large programs up to 5,000 lines.
Support for ten different LCD panels ranging from 1.4 inch to 8 inch diagonal. The larger displays are driven with a fast parallel interface and have 800x600 pixels in true (24 bit) colour.
Full support for touch input on LCD panels that provide that capability. The touch location is reported in pixels.
Advanced graphics support including an screen keyboard, push buttons, latching switches, radio buttons, check boxes and more. Each on screen object is specified with a single line of BASIC code and then the interpreter will manage the full animation of each control in response to touch. All the BASIC program has to do is read the state of the controls.
Full SD card support for loading/saving programs and data. Cards up to 64GB and formatted in FAT16 or FAT32 are supported. Up to five files can be open simultaneously and they can be read from or written to using sequential or random file access. The files created are fully compatible with Windows, IOS or Linux.
Built in USB allows the Micromite Plus to connect to a host computer for the editing or downloading of programs.
PS2 keyboard support. With they keyboard and an LCD display the Micromite Plus can act as a fully self contained computer with its own editor for program development.
Seventy seven input/output pins on the 100-pin chip and forty five on the 64-pin chip. Of these twenty eight can be analogue inputs.
The Microsoft compatible BASIC interpreter is full featured with floating point, 64-bit integers and string variables, long variable names, arrays of numbers or strings with multiple dimensions, extensive string handling and user defined subroutines and functions.
A comprehensive range of communications protocols are implemented including I²C, asynchronous serial, RS232, IEEE 485, SPI and 1-Wire. These can be used to communicate with many sensors (temperature, humidity, acceleration, etc) as well as for sending data to test equipment.
Built in commands to directly interface to special devices such as infrared remote controls, the DS18B20 temperature sensor, LCD display modules, battery backed clock, distance sensors, numeric keypads and more.
Power requirements are 2.3 to 3.6 volts at 30 to 80mA.

All of the above features are internal to the Micromite Plus. The only extra component required is a 47µF capacitor.

Firmware and Documentation

The Micromite Plus is designed for hobbyists and the firmware and documentation is completely free, there are no licence fees or purchases required. Go to the download section at the bottom of the main Micromite web page to download the firmware and User Manuals.

The cost is zero, so why not give it a go?

Development Boards

The Micromite Plus comes in a 64 or 100-pin surface mount TQFP packages with a lead pitch of 0.5mm. That might sound daunting but it is relatively easy to solder (see this web page). There are many development boards that can be used to experiment or build projects around this device:

The Explore 64 is a small breadboard compatible PC board which includes a 64-pin Micromite Plus, a micro SD card socket, a USB socket and power supply and is designed to plug into a standard breadboard.
- It has its own web page at https://geoffg.net/Explore64.html
- It can be purchased from: http://www.rictech.nz/micromite-products
- and the Silicon Chip on line shop: http://www.siliconchip.com.au/Shop/
The Explore 100 is intended to fit on the back of a 5 inch LCD display panel. It includes a 100-pin Micromite Plus, "click boards" sockets, a USB socket and power supply.
   - It has its own web page at https://geoffg.net/Explore100.html
   - It can be purchased from: http://www.rictech.nz/micromite-products
- and the Silicon Chip on line shop: http://www.siliconchip.com.au/Shop/
The CGMICROBOARD2 module by CircuitGizmos features the 64-pin Micromite Plus, an Arduino compatible socket and supporting circuitry. It is fully assembled and tested and is designed for experimenting and developing projects using the Micromite Plus.
Also from CircuitGizmos is the TFT Backpack+ which is a PC board for building a multipurpose 64-pin Micromite Plus development board designed by Peter Mather.
The SnadPIC 100-pin PIC32 Module is perfect for experimenting with the 100-pin Micromite Plus. This is the company's standard fully assembled and tested PIC32 experimental board modified to suit the Micromite Plus firmware (it has a 20MHz crystal and does not include a RTC crystal). If you are purchasing this board make sure that you specify these two details and the words "For Micromite Plus" in the comments field. For more information follow this link.