BASIC Stamp OEM replacements
desulfator
Posts: 5
Post Edited (desulfator) : 10/31/2008 8:05:54 PM GMT
desulfator
Posts: 5
Comments
-Phil
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- Stephen
2) There are all kinds of competitors. None of them are exact drop-ins. None of them have the same level of support as Parallax does for the Stamps. Ya get what ya pay for ... T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!) You'll have to do your own evaluation to see what will fill your needs at a price and level of convenience that makes sense for you.
3) This is a Parallax support forum for goodness sakes. If you want to find out about the competition, do some web searching and ask in their forums about their products.
If you already have your product done and all your code is written and working does it really make sense to switch now to an entirely different processor just because the OEM modules listed for sale require soldering? Those are pretty simple kits and would be easily assembled by anyone with decent soldering experience. I bet if you asked there are members on this forum that you could get to assemble a batch for a reasonable price. As I recall there are a couple people who can do this.
There are a lot of helpful people on these groups but if someone can't do the soldering I would check with your local high schools to see if they have an electronics class. It would be a good learning opportunity for one of their students in real world electronics projects and put a few bucks in a their pocket for gas money.
Robert
(Perhaps someone from Parallax can confirm or deny this?)
As an aside: this forum is a free-for-all. As much as they might want to be, the person who starts a thread is not in charge of it: the users are, although courtesy implies that responses stay on-topic. As such, you may have to accept that the solution to your problem may not be a direct answer to the question posed. We're here to help, but not to have our responses dictated.
-Phil
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www.madlabs.info - Home of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Robot
In regards to 'other' manufacturers I am aware of several other variants on the BASIC stamp type chips but none that I know of offer them in a SIP format like the original Parallax OEM Stamp kits. So, if you must switch to something else you'll probably have to migrate to a DIP form factor and that being the case there should be no trouble getting pre-soldered modules from Parallax or anyone else.
I can understand how you might have become alarmed at the disappearance of the assembled OEM modules and that your mind may be reeling with imagined possibilities regarding the kits. Heck, anyone would be a little apprehensive under similar circumstances. But since, as you said, you almost always purchase the kits anyway, and since there's not yet any actual evidence that these will disappear anytime soon, might you be tilting at a phantom problem?
It's not that we're unwilling to help if there's a real emergency, but I doubt that anyone wants to research a replacement for you if this is nothing more than a tempest in a teapot. So, please, take a deep breath, and first determine if a problem exists. Then, if so, perhaps someone can suggest a replacement.
-Phil
I think you have already gotten several real answers but just didn't like them. I've looked at a lot of different processors and modules over the years and something in a SIP format just isn't that common. It's an odd duck for a microcontroller. Most of the other vendors just avoided that and instead, just adopted (or rather copied), the 24-pin DIP form factor and pinout from the Parallax Stamp modules. That is the common standard. Like it or not there may not be any other alternatives other than assembling the OEM kits or rolling your own if you have to stick with the SIP format.
There are plenty of shops around that can assemble PCBs for you, if you don't have the time or inclination to do it yourself. And the OEM modules look like they'd be a piece of cake for dip- or wave-soldering. One of the forum regulars, Brian Carpenter, does small-lot assembly, if I'm not mistaken. Assuming the kits continue in good supply, contracting out the assembly would be much less disruptive than starting over with something new.
It's worth considering...
-Phil
Although using the surface mount parts may seem tricky at first they aren't too bad once you get used to them. I've had to replace some of them before and have had good results. It's all in the technique. I use a sharp utility blade and very carefully score the leads on the dead chip. On the SX48 (as used on the BS2p40) you can usually sever the leads right at the chip package. Just be careful not to nick the PCB or traces. Once there just use some fresh solder with the iron and the little blob ends up taking up the old leads from the chip. After that a little solder wick cleans the pads right up. With that a new chip can be soldered in place. I tack down one lead and check orientation. After that solder an opposing pin and check alignment again. Next, just solder the leads and don't worry about bridges. Let it cool then go back over with solder wick and it usually leaves a perfect amount of solder. It may be a bit intimidating at first but after a few it isn't as bad as you might think.
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Chris Savage
Parallax Engineering
·hey chris you fast!!
-Phil
Take some time to study any other thread in any forum to see how smooth, polite, and engaging an interchange can be between people who mutually respect each other's time, opinion, and feelings. Then go back and compare to this thread from the very beginning.·If you don't see·the difference and adjust accordingly,·don't be surprised if·people boycott·your posts in the future.
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·"If you build it, they will come."
This is his norm. The last time he was on the Stamp Forum he lodged what I would view as a personal attack on one of the long term forum members. That member left, fully embarrased by the attack, never to return.
That forum member who left taught me one very important lesson he said "Never feed the trolls"! 'Nuf said.
Regards,
Bruce Bates
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When all else fails, try inserting a new battery.
Bruce, if memory serves me correct, that forum member, initiated a personal attack against me and a process that works. I merely returned the favor. You also have to ask yourself why he was so embarassed. Perhaps the truth was not what he expected when he initiated his attack.
Post Edited (desulfator) : 10/31/2008 3:03:25 PM GMT
I believe your question was answered. Please re-read my previous reply. I don’t know what additional information you require. The assembled units were never a practical product considering their intended purpose and it took a long time to discontinue them. There is no reason to discontinue the kit form as it does exactly what it was intended to. If this answer will not suffice then I would say you will have to base your decisions on that. In the mean time I see tensions brewing and would like to squash that before it escalates. I hope you have your answer.
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Chris Savage
Parallax Engineering
Please delete this thread, it serves no purpose.