Chameleon™ PIC 16-Bit System

The Chameleon™ PIC 16-Bit is the evolution of the high performance, small footprint, application development board. Similar to the BASIC Stamp™ and Arduino™ in concept, the Chameleon PIC takes these products to the next level with a huge leap in computational performance as well as I/O interfaces. Simply put, the Chameleon is a credit card sized computer with (2) processors, (9)processing cores, 1 MByte of on board FLASH, 64K of EEPROM, and over 200 MIPS of processing power! If that wasn't enough, the numerous I/O interfaces include composite video for NTSC/PAL generation, VGA, audio out, PS/2 for keyboards and mice. Additionally, the Chameleon has a number of digital I/Os and Analog inputs making the Chameleon perfect for industrial controllers, experimentation, education, wearable computing, or hobbyist use. 

The real power of the Chameleon is based on its dual processor design. The Chameleon PIC uses the Microchip PIC24 16-bit as the main master processor (client) and Parallax multicore Propeller chip as the media processor (server). Thus, instead of taxing a single processor system to do everything, the Chameleon offloads all the heavy lifting to the multicore Propeller chip which has 8 processing cores to perform tasks such as generate video, audio, read keyboards and mice, etc. The PIC simply sends commands to the Propeller chip over a high speed SPI interface to command the Propeller to execute various operations all with a simple API that usually consists of a few lines of code to perform any task. Thus, the PIC programming is very simple and with simple APIs, you can develop very complex and rich media applications that leverage the incredibly powerful Propeller chip's media rendering abilities and huge software library. For example, you can generate TV signals, VGA, read keyboards and mice with a few lines of code. 

Arduino I/O Compatibility

The Chameleon PIC 16-Bit was designed to be Arduino I/O compatible as much as possible, so programs written for the Arduino (or Chameleon AVR) in C/C++ could be easily ported to the Chameleon PIC as supported by the I/O headers. However, the Chameleon PIC 16-bit is over 200% faster than the Arduino and double the bandwidth since its a 16-bit processor. Additionally, the Chameleon PIC comes pre-programmed with a custom Microchip bootloader, so you can develop directly with a very simple text editor and set of batch files we have created that give the Chameleon PIC an "Arduino-like" development experience if you don't want to use the more complex MPLab. So right out of the box, all you need to program the Chameleon PIC is a USB cable and a PC.

Two Systems in One

The Chameleon is both a complete Microchip PIC24 16-bit application development board as well as Propeller development board. Both processors can be independently programmed and used. Additionally, the PIC and Propeller both have their own digital I/Os, so you theoretically you can run two applications on the Chameleon and use it that way or use the processors together over the SPI link. Also, the PIC system is 95% I/O compatible with the Arduino (headers are simply in different mechanical locations), so you can port Arduino software to the Chameleon PIC with a HUGE boost in performance! Moreover, the Propeller sub-system is compatible with most Propeller development boards and the HYDRA system, so the Chameleon will run most of those applications very little or no modification. Thus, the Chameleon is true to its name and truly is a "many in one" application system.

Chameleon Open-Source BASIC Language Support

We have written a complete BASIC programming language for the Chameleon, so you can code on the PC with a simple editor, compile and download to the Chameleon. Thus, you can choose from C/C++,Assembly Language or BASIC to program the Chameleon in. The BASIC is a work in progress with source code available, so you can use the source to write your own variants or complete new languages as well. 

Last, but not least the Chameleon has a "break away" experimentation protoboard built into the PCB. You can solder directly onto it, or place the mini solderless breadboard that comes with the Chameleon onto the area with 2-sided tape. If you don't want the experimenter board, you simply "break" it away and snap it off. 

Package Includes

• Chameleon PIC 16-Bit system (pre-loaded with Microchip bootloader, so you can program using the USB serial port and included tools).
• Mini solderless breadboard 1.25 x 2" (affixes to right hand side of Chameleon).
• 150+ page electronic manual covering hardware, software, and numerous programming tutorials.
• DVD-ROM including all tools, and numerous examples with complete driver library lncluding; Graphics, Sound, Keyboard, Mouse, Serial Comms, and lots more.
   

Bonus materials on DVD-ROM include electronic copies of:

• "Design Your Own Video Game Console", LaMothe.
• "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus", LaMothe.
• "The Black Art of 3D Game Programming", LaMothe.
• "How to Design and Build Your Own Custom TV Games", Heisermam.

NOTES: If you want to use MPLab to program and debug the Chameleon you must purchase a Microchip PicKit2 or similar ISP programmer. However, the Chameleon is pre-loaded with the Microchip bootloader, so with only a PC and a USB port you can program the Chameleon.