Java Module Delivers Flexibility And Power

The TStik2 implements a standard Java virtual machine (JVM), so it can be used with almost any Java development tool. In fact, Systronix recommends the standard Sun JDK (Java development kit). JavaKit is the key though. It checks the Java and TINI installations and connects to the TINI loader on the JStik2 via the serial port. This gets you to plateau 1 once you know the hardware is working. It is a command line interface, so I was able to view various status information and settings. Of course, the default root password is “tini”. You can also check out the TiniInstaller instead of JavaKit. It is supposed to be easier to use, but I did not get a chance to try it yet.

Systronix provides an Ant XML build file that can be handy if you use Ant. Ant is used by Eclipse and a number of users prefer the Eclipse/TStik2 combination over an editor and command line work. This is eventually what I will do since I use Eclipse already, but for now I finished running through the standard installation process. Make sure your Eclipse settings are correct to access the TINI jar file.

Systronix includes a number of sample programs to test out the TStik2. I started with the standard Hello World, so I hit plateau 2 in minutes, not including the time to download and install the software and documentation. That actually took longer.

Once the Ethernet link to the system was up and running and the Java tools were installed it was programming heaven. The download and debugging process is streamlined, making cross development comparable to any other good cross-development platform. There are no Java restrictions and all the appropriate class libraries could be used. Of course, there is not a display on the system (unless you add one or provide a remote connection to one) so the graphical classes are not appropriate, but just about anything else is.

I did not get a chance to exercise the CAN interface. The serial and Ethernet interfaces were easy to contend with. The built-in support handle DHCP for obtaining an IP address and Java’s standard networking classes work just fine for connecting to a server-based application. Of course, 1.5 Mbytes is not a lot of memory for Java, so don’t go overboard like I did.

The TStik2 is no speed demon so don’t put it up against a 32-bit Ethernet-based microcontroller. However, the TStik2 shines in flexibility and ease of use. Using Java in control applications can help avoid many of the programming pitfalls that C or assembler would incur, and you have the added ability to easily download applets to the TStik2 over the Ethernet connection.