Newbie question –
Is Gadgeteer essentially just an API layer that sits on top of NETMF?
Could I, for example, use a FEZ Hydra as a faster version of the PandaII and program it in NETMF, ignoring the Gadgeteer-specific classes? Or do I have to load it with different firmware as well?
And if I can program a Gadgeteer device solely via NETMF, what do I lose (other than ease of integration)?
You can use Hydra to run regular NETMF; just create it as a NETMF program instead of a Gadgeteer application.
Yes, the Gadgeteer API sits on top of NETMF.
The device firmware (NETMF) is loaded on the device. Spider (EMX) uses a closed source but feature rich firmware and Hydra uses a open source firmware. The OSH version has a variety of features to support processor and most peripheral devices supported by the processor.
If you choose not to use the Gadgeteer API you will lose the ‘ease of use’ and some of the error checking performed by the API. Further you may have to refactor the module(s) code to remove the Gadgeteer references and call the methods directly.
HTH.
Thanks!