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New BoeBot works great! Can gcc be used to stamp the chip? — Parallax Forums

New BoeBot works great! Can gcc be used to stamp the chip?

18851885 Posts: 11
edited 2012-01-10 21:25 in BASIC Stamp
I got a new BoeBot and am using PBasic. I'd like to know if gcc can be used to stamp the eprom?
I am currently trying to get things to work using gentoo and ubuntu linux.
I'm really enjoying programming the BoeBot.

I noticed Catalina C but I'd prefer gcc.

Can Catalina C be used to stamp the BoeBot chip?

Thanks,
1885

Comments

  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,399
    edited 2012-01-10 06:58
    1885 wrote: »
    I got a new BoeBot and am using PBasic. I'd like to know if gcc can be used to stamp the eprom?
    I am currently trying to get things to work using gentoo and ubuntu linux.
    I'm really enjoying programming the BoeBot.

    I noticed Catalina C but I'd prefer gcc.

    Can Catalina C be used to stamp the BoeBot chip?

    Thanks,
    1885

    If you want to program the Boe-Bot in PropBASIC, Spin or C (using PropGCC) then I would recommend the Propeller BOE. We will be accepting pre-orders momentarily for this product. It has a 64 KB EEPROM for Large Memory Model (LMM) programs and an external Micro SD Card socket for very large External Memory Model (XMM) programs with PropGCC. With the XBee socket you can program wirelessly and control the PropBot from a distance, too. It'll compile under Linux, Mac or Windows. Take a look in the Propeller PropGCC forum for some more information - we're in alpha stage at the moment.

    You'll be a little bit on your own until we catch up with some code examples.

    Ken Gracey
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2012-01-10 08:05
    To add to Ken's comments ... You can't really reprogram the BoeBot's Stamp chip. Theoretically you could since it's a PIC16F57 (or something like that), but you'd replace the existing PBasic interpreter in the chip with your program and then you wouldn't be able to restore the PBasic interpreter. In addition, the connections for reprogramming it are not readily accessible. The compiled code in the EEPROM is not native PIC code. It's a tightly compressed interpretive code that's only produced by the Stamp Editor or its "tokenizer"s.

    With the eminent release of the Propeller BOE, that would be the best way to go.
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2012-01-10 08:40
    The PropBOE sounds great and will be available soon, but I can think of two cheaper alternatives that can be done now:

    * The SpinStamp is $29.99 (http://www.parallax.com/Store/Microcontrollers/PropellerTools/tabid/143/ProductID/448/List/1/Default.aspx) could be used as long as you are careful about the 3.3 to 5 volt interface issues. Carefully read the caveats on the product page to avoid burning out pins and limitations for this product.

    * Build a daughter board to plug an alternate MCU into the app mod socket. The AppMod socket has Gnd, Power, 5v, and access to all pin traces, so the BasicStamp could either be removed or loaded with a program that puts all pins into input mode it. With a little bit of sweat equity and $20 you could have complete MCU flexibility. I've thought about creating a daughter board that uses either the Solarbotics Ardweeny or DorkBoard to allow C++ programming.
  • 18851885 Posts: 11
    edited 2012-01-10 18:16
    Thank you so much. I'll just stick to what comes in the box. I really appreciate the help. I'm having a blast!
  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2012-01-10 21:25
    These things http://www.parallax.com/Store/Microcontrollers/PropellerAccessories/tabid/786/ProductID/423/List/0/Default.aspx?SortField=ProductName,ProductName bolt right on in place of the BOE.
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