Basic Stamp and solderless breadboard

wozza

Hi all,

My first post here. I am a newbie to the electronics and I just bought the Boe-Bot. I got it up and running and am very happy with it.

I want to build some circuits using a solderless breadboard. The breadboard on the Boe-Bot is a little small for what I want to do, so I need a larger breadboard.

My question is, is it possible to program the Basic Stamp using a larger solderless breadboard and build and connect all circuitry ? ( similar to the propeller chip ) , and if so could someone point me to some resources for the schematics and diagrams.

Thanks.

Ken Gracey

Hey wozza,

Let me be the first to welcome you to the forums! The BASIC Stamp in a Boe-Bot is a great learning kit and you won't be disappointed. One easy solution to your problem is to add another breadboard about the size of the Board of Education, in a level above the BOE. Simply cut out a piece of material (acrylic, plastic, metal, etc) 3x4" and add M/F standoffs to the BOE. Mount a platform on top.

http://www.parallax.com/Store/Microcontrollers/PropellerKits/tabid/144/ProductID/421/List/0/Default.aspx?SortField=ProductName,ProductName is one example, though it's a group of three instead of one.

Run some wires from the BOE to this breadboard and you can keep the BS2 in the BOE's socket.

I'm sure other forum members will have a bunch of really good ideas.

Ken Gracey

wozza

Hi Ken,

Thanks for your reply, I will give that a try.

I want to understand the circuit building side of things, current flow, resistors and all the components used to make up some basic systems like an alarm for example.

I am pretty new to this, although I do understand the way the Boe Bot works and the way the sensors work and stuff, I am not completely confident in the circuitry.

I would to build some circuits from scratch to get a better understanding, what would be the best chip to start with if I want to make basic circuits using a solderless breadboard do you think?

Mike Green

If you really don't like Ken's idea (using a separate microcontroller board and a standard solderless breadboard connected with jumpers), how about using the Propeller Education Kit where you build a Propeller microcontroller on part of a solderless breadboard and do experiments there?

Another option might be to get the Basic Stamp OEM Kit and assemble that on a breadboard rather than on the supplied PCB. You don't get a nice guide to putting it together on a solderless breadboard, but the schematic is available on the above webpage. You could also get the "What's a Microcontroller?" parts kit and tutorial to actually learn about microcontrollers.

wozza

Hi Mike,

Thank you for the suggestions. I like both of those and think I will go with them both in the future sometime.

Thanks again for the help.

erco

@wozza: No limits on breadboard size. Even without a BoE, you could plug a Stamp directly into a giant breadboard and make all the right connections by plugging in power and programming lines. Review the info at http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/prod/schem/BS2revJSchematic.pdf and a previous post at http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?125692-BYO-Board-amp-Cable and you can get something going pretty quickly. Your main concern is getting 5.0V to the right pins!

ajward

Although this was set up to add a Propeller to my Boe Bot, maybe you can see how to use a larger breadboard on your bot. If I removed the prop boards, I could add a couple more sections of the board from the Prop Education Kit. There would plenty of room to lay out your Stamp chip and other goodies.

http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?141090-Low-end-Prop-BoeBot

HTH,

Amanda

wozza

Thanks for the ideas, lots of stuff to help me out. It will take bit of practice and time for me to get to know my way around.