Jason, I suggest you take a look at using NetMedia's BX-24 for your development work in place of the BS-2. It has 32K of program memory (without bank switching), 400 bytes of RAM, multi-tasking, 8 10-bit A/D converters, floating point math, an on board real time clock/calendar, SPI and Dallas 1-wire and X-10 and std. serial communications ... plus three additional I/O pins and two LEDs on board. The SPI com doesn't use any of the std. pins so there are 19 I/O pins plus SPI. It's pin compatible with the BS-2, doesn't require a special programming board, and the software is available at the NetMedia site ... and the price is $10 less than that of the BS-2. I just pulled the BS-2 out of its breadboard and plugged in the BX-24, installed the software and was ready to go! The "chip" has only been available for a couple of weeks, but so far I'm really impressed. If you send in your old BS-2 plus $20, they'll send you a BX-24 ... can't beat that! http://www.basicx.com/ - Nick - Jason Muhammad wrote: > > I bought a Pic Proto board (but you can go to Radio Shack and buy a PCB > board for $1.19) and put a socket for a 16F84, crystal, caps, regulator > and reset button and Presto! you almost have a Basic Stamp :) A > suggestion is to get some index cards and write down basic routines. > For example, to make a pin high/low, to check if one file is > greater/less/equal than another file. You can make macros that can > duplicate Basic Stamp instructions. > > But I do use the BasicStampII in some of my development work. For > example, I used a 12CE674-04/JW which is a windowed part. MPLAB > simulation does not cover the 8-bit A/D register (ADRES). So I used a > BSII, an external 8-bit A/D, and constructed a BSII-A/D harness > terminated with an 8-pin header to fit into my project. I wrote the > code in PBASIC and used BSII's most valuable feature: the DEBUG > Terminal. I could display the A/D register, pin I/0, on the monitor, to > prove out both my circuits hardware and the Program Algorithm. With the > BSII, I discovered a harware issue using the DEBUG terminal. The BSII > language and DEBUG is faster to develop than PIC, albeit more limited. > You can change code and reload in just a few seconds. I then just > bounced the PBASIC code routine by routine into PIC assembly. > > I just agree with Mike that PIC is not so hard to learn, plus it offers > a lot more features like A/D, more memory for program and data. You can > always add a DTMF chip if you like. The thing I hate most about PIC is > Bank switching. But at $3-4 dollars per chip versus $34.00, I will deal > with the Bank switching. Expecially if you keep the suggested Cheat > Sheet nearby... > > Mike M wrote: > > > > actually as much as im against the basic stamp and the whole mark up your pr oduct 95% coorporate world...i would have to say the answer is YES. their langu age is real simple, the entire device is a nice small size with basically all on board hardware. However i just rather take my time and learn the PIC instructio n set (which isnt that hard to get goin) and prog chips at around $4.00 a peice instead of a $70 stamp (or however much they are) > > > > mIkE > > > > On Sat, 6 Nov 1999 17:39:13 -0800 Darren King wro te: > > >So would basic stamps be more useful to people who don't know how to progra m > > >in the assembly or are the just more convient cause they have the on board > > >power regulator and what not? what is STI-64. Some roll you own PIC Code? > > > > > >Darren King > > > > > > > > >----- Original Message ----- > > >From: John Mullan > > >To: > > >Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 7:47 PM > > >Subject: Re: BASIC STAMPS? > > > > > > > > >> Well Don this sounds promising. I may get around to trying it. However, > > >> at the moment I have a 4 dozen 16C84 chips that I would like to put to > > >good > > >> use and was hoping for source that works in it (utilizing the serial > > >EEPROM > > >> of course). > > >> > > >> I'll keep my eyes open for the updated STI-64 though. > > >> > > >> Reguards, > > >> > > >> John Mullan > > >> > > >> > > >> -----Original Message----- > > >> From: Don McKenzie [SMTP:don@DONTRONICS.COM] > > >> Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 10:09 PM > > >> To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU > > >> Subject: Re: BASIC STAMPS? > > >> > > >> John Mullan wrote: > > >> > > > >> > I like the idea of rolling my own "basic stamp". I've been meaning to > > >> give > > >> > STI-64 a try. But I would like to see it use external SEEPROM. > > >> > > > >> > Has anyone modified the code to do this yet?? > > >> > > >> It will be done some time in the future along with a few other > > >> enhancements, however in the meantime perhaps you would like to look at: > > >> http://www.dontronics.com/tiny51.html > > >> as an alternative. > > >> > > >> Again this is a future product, but this one I would imagine will be > > >> available Jan-00 or before. Should that be "2000". I guess I better > > >> start using four digits before my keyboard falls out of the sky, or I > > >> fall off my rocking chair. :-) > > >> > > >> Don McKenzie mailto:don@dontronics.com http://www.dontronics.com > > >> > > >> Don's Download Dungeon: http://www.dontronics.com/download.html > > >> World's Largest Range of Atmel and PICmicro Hardware and Software > > >> > > > > > > > Send someone a cool Dynamitemail flashcard greeting!! And get rewarded. > > GO AHEAD! http://cards.dynamitemail.com/index.php3?rid=fc-41 > > -- > Jason > ======================================== > Website: http://www.execpc.com/~milsumai > E-Mail: milsumai@execpc.com > ICQ # : 12978762 > ======================================== > .:::. > ,,, > _(- -)_ > / ( ) \ > \_/ : \_/ > |_/ \_| > | | | > -TRY PRAYER-