MichaelZ writes:
While poking around SparkFun’s website I found USB Host Shield which is only marginally interesting unless you are an Arduino fan. But the USB host controller chip is interesting. The MAX3421E is a USB Peripheral/Host Controller with SPI Interface. This is an alternate to the FTDI VNC USB host controllers. It has only one USB port vs the FTDI two but for some applications it maybe the way to go. For example it could be used with a CPLD or FPGA as a USB Host. A SPI master is easy to implement in a CPLD/FPGA (similar to the dual ‘595’s example). In VHDL a simple state machine could do all of the register control.
Via the forum.
Some PIC24F have a dual-role USB port. THis can be used as client, host or On-The-Go.
For example the upcomming BPv4 has such a PIC.
Yeah, another difficult to find over-priced Maxim part. Jameco is supposed to carry then for – around $10 each, no stock. Digikey reports them for $13 each, no stock. The eval kit is MAX3421EVKIT-1+ and goes for $70 (eeeeouch).
My patience with Maxim is wearing thin. The have lots of great catalog parts but unless you order 2500 you have no chance of ever getting any.
That is why I like TI. They almost always give out samples or the distributors have them in stock.
Story, many years ago I bought a BigTrac for my son. After a couple of months it quit. I took it apart and the microcontroller was a TI TMS1000. Since I was working for TI, I called the internal product engineer and ask him about the part. He said how many do you want? Turns out he was right across the hall. Early parts were too static sensitive. New part fixed the BigTrac. Wish I still had it.
My team used this part when working on our senior design project a few years ago. Maxim is really good when it comes to free samples. Submit a request, and they’ll send you several.
Drone: you’re not kidding, I could get an AT90USB647 for that (which includes an integrated dual-mode host/peripheral USB controller in the microcontroller). Could probably get one of a number of similarly-featured ARM MCUs as well. Either of those is likely to be more widely stocked too!
Admittedly, the AT90USB647 and the ARM chips are fairly large TQFP surface mount chips, but you’ll probably end up soldering about the same number of pins in the end…