Decade Engineering BOB-4 Quick Start Manual

D E
E C A D E N G I N E E R I N G
BOB-4 Quick-Start Guide
21 June 2012
See www.decadenet.com for the latest revision of this document.
BOB-4H (2x20 header format) BOB-4S (30-pin SIMM 'legacy' format)
Introduction
BOB-4 lets your microcontroller or PC display text and vector graphics on standard TV monitors. This Quick-Start
Guide provides instructions to get new BOB-4 users up and running with minimum fuss. The approach taken here
is to quickly establish BOB-4 communication with a PC, so the user can type text onto the TV screen and begin
experimenting with commands described in the BOB-4 Application Guide. Skills acquired in this way should transfer
readily to the development of embedded applications, where most BOB-4 modules are eventually used.

Requirements

To follow these instructions precisely, you will need a Windows PC with available serial COM port or USB/Serial
adapter, and HyperTerminal software. I/O Gear adapters are recommended, but most adapter brands are
acceptable for this exercise. HyperTerminal usually comes pre-installed on Windows PCs, and is often found under
Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications. Bray's Terminal is a free download, and is more reliable
than HyperTerminal, but the instructions in this document require interpretation to work with it (or any other terminal
emulation program).
In addition to the BOB-4H or BOB-4S module, you will need a breadboard or proto board capable of mounting a
connector for BOB-4 along with the RS-232 interface circuit in one of the drawings below. Decade Engineering sells
9-pin male/female serial data cables, RS-232 interface ICs, and 30-pin SIMM sockets (for BOB-4S). All other
necessary components must be procured elsewhere. Order extra BOB-4 connectors if you plan to modify one for
SIS developer board is a convenient alternative to breadboard
breadboard use. For BOB-4H customers, the
construction.
A video signal source is not required, because BOB-4 can generate video on-board, but you should have one if you
wish to investigate video overlay performance. Cameras and DVD players with composite video output (yellow RCA
jack) generally work well. A TV with video input or TV monitor is required in any case. It's best to have access to
more than one TV monitor, because some of the newer flat-screen models can be quirky.
Finally, you will need a quality 5VDC power supply rated at 150mA or greater, with over-current protection. Don't
take this requirement lightly. Modern high-density ICs, as used in BOB-4, are made on deep submicron fabrication
processes that exhibit precious little tolerance for electrical abuse. These are NOT your father's 5V logic chips.
Power supply over-voltage or spikes have damaged most of the BOB-4 modules returned to Decade Engineering
for repair. Please read the Cautions! section of this document before proceeding.
BOB-4 Quick-Start Guide ~ Copyright © 2012 by Decade Engineering ~ Page 1