Mind Control USB programmer

The Mind Control product comes with a code stick and USB programmer. The USB programmer is an electronics board 1 x 2 1/4 inches (24 x 56mm) in size with a USB connector on one end and a mini-DIN connector on the other. The USB connector plugs into your computer's USB port and the min-DIN connector connects to the Mind Control code stick.



To use the Mind Control, first connect the USB programmer to your computer using the provided USB cable. Next, insert the code stick into the USB programmer. Then, compile and download your program into the code stick as described on the Starting a Project page.

The Programmer performs two functions. The first function is to supply power to the code stick during programming. The programmer has an onboard DC to DC converter which steps up the 5.0VDC power supplied by the USB Bus to the 7.5VDC input required by the code stick. The programmer additionally provides a USB interface for the code stick's software boot loader?. The boot loader communicates through a standard asynchronous serial connection. The programmer has an USB to Serial converter IC built into it which performs the protocol and signal level conversion. During installation, a Virtual COM Port (VCP) driver is installed on the host commuter. The driver works with the USB to Serial converter IC to simulate a standard PC RS232 serial port.