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PICAXE
Apr 3, 2006 20:03:19 GMT -5
Post by Jeff Ledger on Apr 3, 2006 20:03:19 GMT -5
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path0s
Junior Member
Posts: 52
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PICAXE
Apr 3, 2006 21:08:43 GMT -5
Post by path0s on Apr 3, 2006 21:08:43 GMT -5
This appears to just be a basic stamp type of package. You can do the same thing with a pic chip and a basic language IDE for pic (or avr) and wire up a pinheader for ICSP programming (in circuit programming). You can get a programmer with ICSP for $20 or so. Or build your own for cheap too. There's a few nice IDE's out there for pic and AVR. I've used PIC Simulator IDE, Mikrobasic, and Bascom AVR before. They all have libraries for various addon chips and so forth. Compact flash, IDE, tcpip, SPI controlled devices, RTCs, LCD's etc etc.. One of my latest creations is a LCD and a couple of buttons, and an AVR to control various addons inside my 128D. You navigate through the menus on the LCD with the buttons, and it will switch between kernel banks, the 1571's device number, function rom banks, and a few other things. I haven't yet made up a PCB for it yet, but it works in the AVR emulator in bascom, so it's just a matter of getting the parts on a board and going freaknasty on my 128D case -P
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PICAXE
Apr 3, 2006 22:24:16 GMT -5
Post by David Murray on Apr 3, 2006 22:24:16 GMT -5
Wow.. I've never heard of these. I just got through reading some of the datasheets on these. I might buy some of these to experiment with on my shuttlecraft. The analog inputs are of particular interest to me because I wanted to be able to sample temperature from several sources (inside, outside, hull, ground, etc.) and show them all side by side on a screen. The ADCs I looked at for interfacing to the DTV were a little too complicated for me. Pitty I haven't seen if there are built-in routines for operating a hitachi character LCD (or any kind of LCD, for that matter) I am disappointed at the amount of RAM they have, though. Whatever functions they do would have to be pretty limited. I wonder how hard it would be to interface one to the DTV's userport. So it could do all the sensing and report the information to the DTV.
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PICAXE
Apr 3, 2006 22:36:35 GMT -5
Post by Jeff Ledger on Apr 3, 2006 22:36:35 GMT -5
Actually, I turned up some PICAXE LCD information in some of my searches. With the digital I/O I don't see any reason why these couldn't be adapted to almost anything. I agree that the memory is lacking a bit, but with the price I just paid for an 18X ($5.95) I don't see any reason why these couldn't be used in pairs. (or more) Here's some more of the PICAXE links that caught my eye. www.laureanno.com/RC/picaxe-serialLCD.htmlAn LCD solution for PICAXE www.phanderson.com/picaxe/picaxe.htmlVarious projects, including some temp sensors Jeff
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PICAXE
Apr 4, 2006 12:54:56 GMT -5
Post by David Murray on Apr 4, 2006 12:54:56 GMT -5
Any good place to buy these in the US, or do I have to order them from the U.K.?
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PICAXE
Apr 4, 2006 15:18:36 GMT -5
Post by Jeff Ledger on Apr 4, 2006 15:18:36 GMT -5
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PICAXE
Apr 7, 2006 11:11:02 GMT -5
Post by Jeff Ledger on Apr 7, 2006 11:11:02 GMT -5
Just got my kit from P. Anderson.. I'm completely impressed! The breadboard was assembled and documentation was included! I'd highly recommend this seller!
Jeff
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PICAXE
Apr 10, 2006 8:22:28 GMT -5
Post by Jeff Ledger on Apr 10, 2006 8:22:28 GMT -5
I'm onto my second chip, doing some of the basics with the 08M then building up a board for the 18X. This is the way I would recommend someone getting started with the PICAXE. If you blow the simple 08M, then you've lost only a couple dollars.
So far, I've build several LED projects, played some music with the 08M (It will play nokia cell tunes) and done some basic input with some switches.
I'm looking forward to some 64/PICAXE projects.
Jeff
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PICAXE
Apr 10, 2006 13:22:34 GMT -5
Post by David Murray on Apr 10, 2006 13:22:34 GMT -5
I haven't gotten around to ordering any yet. One of my first projects will be testing various methods of interfacing a picaxe to the DTV user port.
One thing I was wondering.. Isn't regular RS-232 serial on a PC a 12V signal? Aren't PIC I/O ports 5V? I didn't notice any mention of having to convert the signal.
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PICAXE
Apr 10, 2006 14:08:30 GMT -5
Post by Jeff Ledger on Apr 10, 2006 14:08:30 GMT -5
David,
I don't know about the PC serial port being 12V, but I have successfully used the PIC serial in/out pins to send data back to the PC and of course download data(programs) to the PICAXE itself.
There's a little terminal program built into the PC programming software which will allow you to monitor/debug the data to and from the pic using it's serial I/O pins.
It also looks like (at least on the 18x) that you can use more than one pin for serial data.
Jeff
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PICAXE
Apr 11, 2006 20:52:49 GMT -5
Post by retrobits on Apr 11, 2006 20:52:49 GMT -5
OK, so I ordered my "Solderless Development Package for the PICAXE-08M" today. Comes with a solderless breadboard, the 8-pin PICAXE, some LEDs, some hookup wire (presumably solid light gauge), a power regulator, and a DB9 for connecting to the PC. Good package for $22 (US) shipped.
I have some basic ideas (ha ha ha, no pun intended), but what experiments would you folks suggest?
This is getting back to my roots, TTL chips and 7-segment LED displays, back in the mid 70s. Fun stuff! Built my own power supplies back then, too. 120 to 12 volt transformer, bridge rectifier, big smoothing cap, and an LM309K 5V regulator. Amazing I still remember that stuff, no wonder I don't know what I had for breakfast :-)
- Earl
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PICAXE
Apr 11, 2006 21:02:45 GMT -5
Post by Jeff Ledger on Apr 11, 2006 21:02:45 GMT -5
Here's some good starter projects...
1) Use SERTXD to send a "Hello World" back to the Programming Editor Terminal Emulator. Make it print on a new line each time.
2) Use SOUND and TUNE to make a Piezo Sounder make noises.
3) Turn a LED on and off and make it flash. Use HIGH and LOW, then use TOGGLE. Then use 'LET pins ='.
4) Try some maths and print the results using SERTXD. Try printing the squares of the numbers 1 to 20 using only byte variables ( LET b1=b0*b0 ), then replace the byte variable 'b1' which stores the result with a word variable 'w1' and see it work properly. Understand why.
Jeff
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PICAXE
Apr 13, 2006 14:26:40 GMT -5
Post by thurstan on Apr 13, 2006 14:26:40 GMT -5
well thanks to Mr Evans mentioning his order, I couldnt resist the cheap price of the solderless kit so placed my order yesterday!
So much cool stuff around these days. Glad sites like these draw your attention to them
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PICAXE
Apr 15, 2006 23:47:55 GMT -5
Post by retrobits on Apr 15, 2006 23:47:55 GMT -5
Got the PICAXE 08M solderless kit today. It's excellent :-)
The seller shipped the kit with a sample LED flashing program in place, so I checked all the connections, and then plugged in a 9V battery. (The kit contains a 5V regulator to provide the right voltage to the PICAXE.) Success! Blink blink blink...
After that, I started out with simple stuff, like making sure that the PC to PICAXE communications was working. The PICAXE software is essentially an integrated development environment with tools to write the programs, test the syntax, then download and run. Also, it's free ;D
Solid again, right on the first try. So, I wrote a modified LED flasher, sent it down, and it worked as expected.
From there, I got more creative - went to Radio Shack and picked up a piezo unit for sound. At first I just did some simple sounds (just bleep bloop), then got more complicated by finding, importing and downloading some RTTTL ringtones. My son Joshua was pleased to hear Star Wars music coming out of our new little toy!
You do need to use some pullup resistors on the digital inputs in order to keep the signal line from randomly floating when disconnected, so I also picked up some of the required resistors (10K and 22K). They are clearly packaged, but I still exercised some old brain cells and remembered my resistor color codes.
This is uncanny stuff for a $2 brain. I can tell this is going to be hours of fun and tinkering.
I agree with Thurstan, it's great to have forums where you can find out about stuff like this.
- Earl
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PICAXE
Apr 20, 2006 15:42:13 GMT -5
Post by thurstan on Apr 20, 2006 15:42:13 GMT -5
Mine arrived today and lo the LED blinked away happily! Time to get it hooked up to the PC, although I pulled out the serial connector by accident so will have to work out where to plug it back in ! This stuff is all new to me, but will be fun learning
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