I've got a BSII (basic stamp II) and a PicAXE 08M, and they are both pretty cool. The PicAXE is an awesome deal, $3 or something stupid for a 12F629 (or similar, can't remember, and I'm not in front of it right now) that is programmed via free software through the bootloader. Both run pseudo-basic from eprom and load serially. They're both pretty cool but the PicAXE is a hell of a lot less expensive, and just as easy to get up and running. Programming is a snap as compared to assy, but the interpreter slows you down and you don't get access to the programming space on either asics (i.e., programming space is limited, very much so in the picaxe). Regards, John. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist