Site Player
The battle over who has the smallest Web Server is one which rages in Anorak
County and looks set to continue indefinately.
The Site Player from NetMedia may not be the smallest web server ever, although
it isn't large, however, it is an incredible beast having both Ethernet and
Serial connections available on a very small footprint board.
Unless you are planning to use Site Player in a product, its effective size is
increased by the daughter board which provides RJ45 10/100 ethernet connection,
a 9-pin Cannon-D serial port plus power input connector.
This development board plugs straight into the PC serial port for programming
and connects straight to an ethernet network for use. The in-built TCP/IP and
HTTP server allows the device to be controlled from a Web Browser - anywhere
on the network or even from anywhere in the world - and other microcontrollers
can interact with it through the serial port. In this respect the Site
Player is a bolt-on web interface for any microprocessor controlled system.
With 48K of Flash memory for its own web pages, you can be running your very
own "Smallest Web Server" in minutes. Maybe a bit longer. The software is
freely available for download without registration and allows a Site Player
application or interface to be developed even without the hardware.
Using the software alone is great fun, and for around 80 GBP
you can have the complete development hardware sitting on your desk.
www.siteplayer.com
www.totalrobots.com/siteplayer.htm
TINI
The TINI, or Tiny InterNet Interface, from Dallas Semiconductor is another
ethernet based development system, on a 72-pin SIMM, which like the Site Player
plugs into a daughterboard. Again, the motherboard provides an RJ45 ethernet
connector, dual Serial Ports, CAN and iButton interfaces plus power supply
connector. It connects straight to the ethernet and is another contender in
the "Smallest Web Server" category.
What makes the TINI unique, is that it is entirely Java based; if you know how
to code in Java, you can probably have your application running standalone in
minutes. The TINI comes with its own JVM, operating sytem and Command Shell,
and is practically an entire computer system on a chip.
The TINI and daughterboard are available in a number of forms, with the cheapest
combination starting at $70 USD ( plus $35 shipping ), which provides 512K of
SRAM and 512K of Flash ROM and requires a 5 volt power supply.
www.ibutton.com/TINI
www.taylec.co.uk
What to buy ?
If you are looking for a cheap development system, which is easy to use, is
value for money, and you aren't worried about ethernet connectivity; then the
ICEbreaker is for you. Its in-built LCD and bread-board means you can start
development almost as soon as you've unpacked. For those who are interested
in connecting the ICEbreaker to the ethernet; it isn't simple, but it
can be done.
The OOPic is a good alternative to the ICEbreaker if you are more interested in
developing software than hardware; its use of object-oriented concepts makes
it easy to develop for. You will have to add all your own external hardware
though, and ethernet connectivity does not look simple to achieve.
If you want something that's simple to use, easy to program, and starts at a
ridiculously low-price, there's not much better than the PICAXE range of
processors. The fact that they connect easily to a serial port is one of their
major advantages; it's excellent for PC to hardware interfacing. It's not as
powerful as the ICEbreaker or OOPic, and ethernet connectivity will remain
only as a dream, but, in its own field, it holds it own.
If you want easy access to an ethernet network ( and it is cool to have ! ),
the Site Player offers a simple and quick route to get up and running, but is a
little limited in its capabilities. As a web server for another controller, it
is a brilliant concept, and that is its intended use, as a controller though, it
doesn't ( as far as I could tell ) have much scope.
Combined though with the ICEbreaker or OOPic, you can have the benefits of a
purpose built controller, plus ethernet connectivity. Indeed, this is exactly
the reason the Site Player was developed.
The TINI is much more powerful than the Site Player and comes with an incredible
amount of memory. It should be possible to create the same functionality as the
Site Player has, and some more, and it's closely matched in price. It will
require extra work, and it's not necessarily an out-of-the-box solution.
It's not clear exactly how one would interface digital I/O to the TINI but it
appears possible that this can be done. It is probably more complex than with
the ICEbreaker but does deliver a lot of extra "oomph".
But don't forget the humble PC. A second-hand 80286, 80386, 80486 or
even a Pentium or clone can be picked up just as cheaply as most of these
products, and has the advantage that it will run a standard operating system,
can have hard and floppy disks fitted, along with a video card and ethernet.
Serial and parallel ports come as standard and there's plenty of development
software around. Adding LCD's and other I/O isn't that difficult ( especially
when using the parallel port ); and none of the other platforms will interface
to add-on cards quite so easily.
Of course, 'Yet Another PC', doesn't have the same Geek Appeal as
something the size of a cigarette packet does, and it's not something anyone's
going to be overly impressed with when you show it off.
In truth, a cheap PC is probably the best development platform anyone could ask
for, but, if you want something a little different, then spend your money and
enjoy yourself.
