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BS2 vs. PICAXE — Parallax Forums

BS2 vs. PICAXE

greengluegreenglue Posts: 22
edited 2011-11-09 03:10 in BASIC Stamp
Hello all!
I was wondering, from your point of view, which do you think is better for a beginner or someone with not a lot of microcontroller experience: a Basic Stamp 2 or a PICAXE?
From what I know, the PICAXE is a PIC programmed with a certain bootloader to let it run off BASIC language like the BS2.
I am a teenager who has a good amount of electronic knowledge and have a good amount of time on my hands. Also, the PICAXEs are really cheap so therefore, if I want to make a bunch of something I could buy a lot of PICAXEs for the price of 1 BS2.
So, what do you think?
Thanks!
Michael

Comments

  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2011-11-08 18:02
    Michael,

    I'm glad you came to the Parallax Forum to ask this question! When you buy a product like the BS2 or PICAXE, you're purchasing more than a hardware gizmo, but the support and goodwill of the company that produces and sells it. Since you're a beginner, this is even more important than it might be for a more experienced user. So I would urge you to compare not only the hardware capabilities of the two products, but also the educational materials, technical support, and (of course) the help available from this forum. (Hint: We don't offer help for the PICAXE here. :) )

    -Phil
  • greengluegreenglue Posts: 22
    edited 2011-11-08 18:09
    Hi Phil!
    Thanks for such a fast reply! I asked this same question on the PICAXE forums and got a faster and better response here! From what I've seen, the tech support is pretty good, I have called in a couple times to tech support about tech support for other Parallax products and they were very friendly. I know, the only place I can get PICAXE support is on their forum!!

    Thanks Again!
    Michael
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2011-11-08 19:58
    Both good chips, I use 'em both. BS2 is more beginner-friendly through this forum, free educational material downloads, and sheer volume of reference material available.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,400
    edited 2011-11-08 23:24
    I think the BS2 is great because of the extensive collection of PDFs available as part of our educational program. The BS2 has a big following around the world so you're investing in a well-known and very stable design, too.

    Ken Gracey
  • Peter KG6LSEPeter KG6LSE Posts: 1,383
    edited 2011-11-09 01:00
    Iam on a limb here .......to lean to make a chip work .. BS2 any day ...
    the lang is close enough to make that a moot point . but as others have said .. support .

    I have a soft spot for the puney 8 pin PicAxe as it makes a darn good " enhanced Software defined LM555" . cheap too ..
    but really besides that smal nugget . the BS2 has the goods ..... And the BS2 Puts Out .
    It and a WAM is going to teach you somthing .. ( unless you never open it up ) .

    Peter
  • greengluegreenglue Posts: 22
    edited 2011-11-09 03:10
    Thank you all for the replies!
    It looks like I'll be sticking with the BS2 for a while. But when I need to make a lot of something, I guess I will use the PICAXE.

    Michael
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