Getting USB would take another board. And then it would be super slow. Serial is better. I can do serial out the wazoo. I think each chip has two or three serial ports (maybe four?.) Plus I have a WRT linksys router with 8mb flash and linux! It'll run any c++ program you throw at it (provided it will run in 16mb of memory) and it has duel serial ports to control the two chips I have.
There are tones of things you can do. Controlling flash cards over serial is relatively simple (or so I hear) People usually use that for storing route info or data logging. Video processing is kinda out of the question. Takes lots more CPU and ram then I have. And the boards to do the processing cost more. But getting a GPS chip could cost as little as about $30, or as much as several hundred. Those can be got in a serial variety so the chips can have access to the location information. If we need more memory, there are other chips that could provide a couple of megs (running at fast serial speeds, but memory all the same.) But it would be better to get faster, bigger chips then to do all that complicated work. ATmega makes some that look pretty cool. They have a rather big chip (cost the outrageous price of $7!) that will do everything one could want. And MicroChip has some 32bit chips with built in USB host controllers. Oh the possibilities. Currently I only have a programmer for a range of MicroChip chips.
I also have everything thing I need to make a pair of motor controllers. And some motors. And a WIFI linux router box. And a strange obsession with putting cameras on things. And an age old desire to make a mars rover-type thing.
I have been thinking about starting up the soldering iron and stripping some wire again with my free afternoons. I will post something if I don anything noteworthy. Or maybe just post if I do anything at all.
