If you want basic BASIC, there is freeBasic @ (www.freebasic.net)
It has built-in serial support using the call to "Open Com":
(http://www.freebasic.net/wiki/wikka.php?wakka=KeyPgOpenCom)
Then you can use the standard I/O read/write calls to communicate.

Another option is Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition which is free:
(http://www.microsoft.com/express/vb/default.aspx)

The .net 2.0 framework has the SerialPort control which has the
functionality of MSComm.

There is an article that gets you started using the serial port with source:
http://www.devx.com/dotnet/Article/31001?type=kbArticle&trk=MSCP 

Although the source is for vb2005, it'll work under 2008.


-----Original Message-----
From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf Of
John Ferrell
Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 11:39 AM
To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public.
Subject: [PIC]PIC to PC interface

There was a time when it was easy to interface external circuits to a PC and
process the data. What I am looking for is a simple, low cost (free is
better, consider my work as hobby-grade, one offs) recipe kind of solution
to read/write into a Visual Basic (free version lease) or similar low budget
programming language.  I have Jan Axelson's Serial Port book, have read much
of her writing in Nuts & Volts and read her web site. Interfacing to any of
the Visual Basic Explorer programs still eludes me. I feel that if I could
really implement the addition of the MSCOMM module to any of the VB's I have
downloaded or purchased I could take a leap forward. If the MSCOMM menus
appeared in my VB IDE the problem would be solved.

I have been partial to Microsoft products since the Delphi folks dumped the
casual users. C or its derivatives are OK, but we hobby types are leery of
spending over $100 without KNOWING it will really meet our expectations. 

My current solution is to simply do it all with the PICs. The larger graphic
displays make it possible but add to the clutter with an additional keyboard
and display. 

I might add that Usart communications via any of the terminal programs work
fine with my PIC projects.

Now the questions:
What level of Visual Basic would I have to buy to make the serial interface
(or USB or Parallel) available to the programming process?

Is there an add-on product (free or Pay) that serves this purpose? 

Is there a better way than what I seeking to interface the PIC code to the
PC code?


John Ferrell    W8CCW
 
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing." -- Edmund Burke http://DixieNC.US
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