Device Solutions is on the move. We are re-locating from Auckland (in the North Island) to Christchurch (in the South Island, also known as the mainland 
, of New Zealand).
What does this mean for you? Not much we trust, except that we may be a little slow to respond over the next week while we are moving and getting setup again.
Our email, web and phone contact details will remain the same.
Steve Maillet has just released a new version of this very useful library of classes and tools. This new release supports v3.0 and we recommend you go download it now from CodePlex and save yourself some time when developing Micro Framework applications!
Our downloads page has standard, and Ethernet enabled builds for the Tahoe Dev Kit.
To use this firmware, you will need the latest Microsoft SDK.
Some requested fetures have not made it into this release, and we are looking to finish these off and include them in a new release in the next few weeks. We rely on your feedback to schedule what goes into the release, so please let us know what you would like to see.
We are also working on a Board Support Package (BSP) so that (as long as you buy the porting kit) you can create your own build of firmware and use features such as interop. We will post more about this in the coming weeks.
Microsoft have announced the Dare to Dream Different Challenge with some fantasitc prizes. Now is your chance to build that gadget you have been dreaming about!
In the first round of the contest, you submit your design idea online. The top 100 ideas will progress to the next round and get a developer kit from Microsoft to complete the task. We are very excited to announce that the kit wil include a Tahoe-II board!
So what are you waiting for? Get to it!
Our new support fourms are online!
This is a great place to search for solutions, ask (and answer) questions, or just tell the world about your latest .NET Micro Framework project!
The forums are open for anyone to view, but you need to register on the Device Solutions web site to be able to post. You can do this with your Windows Live ID so you don’t need to worry about remembering yet another password
My third child (boy #2) arrived yesterday!
Jasper (3.96kg) and his mother are doing well - he has a very proud big sister and brother (and Dad!).
To make life easier for you we have changed the way we deal with firmware signatures on Meridian/Tahoe. All 3.0 releases (including beta releases) will NOT be signed. Keep reading for an explanation, but first lets look at how you prepare a Tahoe board with existing firmware for updating.
1. Download MeridianFirmwareKeys.zip and unzip this file
2. Start MFDeploy (provided as part of the tools with the Microsoft SDK) and connect to your Tahoe board using USB
3. Select Target->Manage Device Keys->Update Device Keys from the main menu
4. Select Firmware Key from the Public Key Index list
5. Enter the path for the MeridianFirmware.key file as the Old Key
6. Enter the path for the Empty.key file as the New Key
7. Click OK. The Tahoe will reboot. Close MFDeploy and run the update application.
If you need to put an old version of firmware back onto the board, you use the same procedure as above, but set MeridianFirmware.key as the new key. (When you do this, you don’t need to specify an old key)
And now for the reason why we are doing this… It turns out that signatures in the .NET Micro Framework don’t work quite as you would expect!
There are two signatures that you can set in a Micro Framework device:
1. Firmware signature
2. Application signature
With a firmware signature in place, you cannot update any of the firmware files unless they are signed by a matching key. Previous releases were signed with a the MeridianFirmware key.
Application signatures work in a similar way, and protect application code. HOwever this is a catch… Because Visual Studio does not support signatures during application download/debug, the type of build we do for Tahoe does not actually check an application signature that you put into your board. You need to get an RTM build from us in order to enable this protection.
Having to change between the development build and RTM build becomes a problem when you don’t have control over the signatures, which is why we have decided to remove them from the firmware we release. It will be up to you to set both the firmware and application signatures. We hope this will give you the best of both worlds – flexibility during development and security once your product has been released!
Microsoft has just released the first beta of the V3.0 SDK to the Microsoft Connect website. They are also giving away a very cool univeral remote control that runs the .NET Micro Framework that you could win if you sign up and download the beta!
The key features in this release are:
Check out Jan Kucera’s web site for a detailed list of new features and changes to existing features.
We are busy working with the firmware beta, and expect to have a release for the Tahoe board available within 2 weeks. Subscribe to this blog to keep up-to-date with announcements!
It’s official – the .NET Micro Framework Team Blog has the list of the new features in V3.0 of the .NET Micro Framework.
There will be a public beta later in the “Summer” (or Winter for those of you who live in the same half of the world as I do!).
We will be working to get as many of these feaures working on Tahoe as we can, and you can help! Let us know which features are important to you and why! Leave a comment below, or sign up to beta test new features when they are released.
A few people have had some troubles communicating with the Tahoe over USB. The culprit in every case to date as been power. The short story is that you need to make sure you connect directly to your PC, and not through a hub.
When we orignally designed the Tahoe, we intended to power it from a plug-pack. Later, we found that it ran fine off the USB power, and was well within the spec while doing so. Using USB made the product a whole lot nicer to use, as well as build and ship.
The catch is that you need to plug directly into your PC (or laptop), and NOT through an unpowered hub. We have also found that some laptops do not supply power according to the USB standard, but this seems to be a rare occurance.
So, if you are having trouble with USB comms – make sure you don’t have a hub connected, or try a desktop PC.
