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Javelin Stamp

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  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-05-27 21:08
    No. The Javelin is a much more sophisticated beast. There is a reward in
    learning Java though: lots of cool resources (memory, background processes,
    etc.) with the Javelin and it will plug in where a BASIC Stamp II (series)
    was if you want to do that.

    It comes with a good manual. And after that, there are about 2000 books on
    Java for you to choose from.

    -- Jon Williams
    -- Parallax

    In a message dated 5/26/02 2:27:01 PM Central Daylight Time, azeasi@a...
    writes:


    > Does one need to know Java to be able to use the Javelin Stamp? I would hope
    > that it would be as intuitive as the Basic Stamp IDE. In other words, one
    > does not really need to "know" Basic to use the Basic Stamp. Is this the
    > same
    >




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  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-05-27 21:19
    Thanks! I guess I will sign up for a Java class at my local community college
    and place my order for the Javelin!
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-05-27 22:52
    Don't forget that as a Parallax product, the Javelin manual assumes you know
    nothing about Java and will get you going. I'm sorry if I didn't make that
    clear earlier. My point was that the Javelin programs in Java, and Java is a
    strict language -- and, perhaps, not quite as easy to learn on-the-fly as
    PBASIC.

    -- Jon Williams
    -- Parallax

    In a message dated 5/27/02 3:20:20 PM Central Daylight Time, azeasi@a...
    writes:


    > Thanks! I guess I will sign up for a Java class at my local community
    > college
    >




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  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-05-29 07:11
    I'm going to pipe in on this one too.

    The Javelin programs in Java. Just as in PBASIC with the BASIC
    Stamps, the great thing is you can do a lot with very little.

    The Javelin is the same way. You need to read and input and take
    action? Well, you find an example and work from that. You need
    something else, you look for an example and work from that modifying
    it to your needs and understanding it the same way. AS your needs
    grow, so do your skills with it.

    Java is a vey powerful programming tool, but also I think it is much
    simplier than PBASIC in many ways. There are specific basic
    structures. The roots of the language are very simple and it grows
    from there.

    There are great reasons beyond the Javelin itself to program in
    Java. Java, C, C++, JavaScript, and several other languages share
    very similar syntax.

    The biggest difficulty people have moving from a BASIC to something
    like Java is that BASIC is a very unstructured language, and as such,
    it allow programmers to be very sloppy in coding (me included!).
    Java on the other hand is a very structured language. BASIC
    programmers need to find a way around GOTOs.

    PBASIC to display that a button is pressed until released, the clear
    P5:

    Main:
    OUT5 = 1
    Button_Test:
    IF IN8 = 1 THEN SkipThis
    DEBUG "The button is down",CR
    Goto Butoon_Test
    SkipThis:
    OUT5 = 0
    GOTO Main

    Java to display that a button is pressed until released:


    //While a state is true, perform the action in braces

    while(true) //loop forever true = true
    {
    CPU.writePin(CPU.pin5,true); // set P5 to 1 or true
    while (CPU.readPin(CPU.pin8)) // loop while P8 = 1 or true
    {
    System.out.println("The button is down");
    }
    CPU.writePin(CPU.pin5,false); // set P5 to 0 or false
    }


    Which is easier, to follow all the GOTOs, or to 'see' the block
    structure?

    One of the greatest benefits of Java is the use of objects. The I/O
    pins are objects, serial ports are objects, etc, etc. As more object-
    classes are developed, it will be far easier for programmers to
    address additional devices as objects.

    Which is easier to code to read a serial A/D, the numerous code to
    control pins and perform bit-banging to accumulate the digital value,
    or a single line of code such as:

    temp = ADC0831.read() * conversion_factor;

    The ADC0831 object does all the hard work for us, no more copying and
    pasting 10 lines of code which need to be decifered and modified to
    fit our code.

    Or how about:
    robot.foward(10); // moves robot forward for 10 seconds

    Now, wouldn't these be nice when implemented? [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    The 3 most common goofs in programming with Java and its like:
    - Braces to group statements not equally paired
    - Case sensitive code
    - Missing semi-colons at the end of statements (think of them like
    periods. One 'line' of code can be on mulitple screen lines until
    ended with a ;

    Having taught both C and BASIC, I think BASIC is actually harder to
    learn the essentials because there isn't a common 'core' for
    learning BASIC.... the language is all over the place when it comes
    to structures of code.

    I think the Javelin is great, and I'm excited at the prospect of
    being able to teach my students a structured widely used language,
    and still have all the fun of a Stamp [noparse]:)[/noparse] When I teach C, the
    students perform endless hours of coding 'calculator' programs to
    give a reason for Input and Output. I'd much rather be using
    switches and LEDs [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Last word... the Debugger in the Javelin IDE allows run-time
    debugging allowing you to follow your code execution, view contents
    of variables, set breakpoints... really cuts down on the debug time.

    Just my 2.5 cents...

    -Martin Hebel
    Electronic Systems Technologies
    Southern Illinois University
    http://www.siu.edu/~imsasa/est
    -- AND --
    SelmaWare Solutions
    Graphics Data Acquisition and Control for your BASIC Stamp
    AND Javelin Stamp!
    http://www.selmaware.com/stampPlot/samples/javelin/stampplot1.htm



    --- In basicstamps@y..., azeasi@a... wrote:
    > Does one need to know Java to be able to use the Javelin Stamp? I
    would hope
    > that it would be as intuitive as the Basic Stamp IDE. In other
    words, one
    > does not really need to "know" Basic to use the Basic Stamp. Is
    this the same
    > for the Javelin?
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-05-29 15:06
    Thanks for your input...I am already convinced and have placed my order for
    the Javelin. Also have read the article in Nuts and Volts on Java and Javelin
    and pulled the Java and J++ books off the shelf. I am especially interested
    in using the Virtual Peripherals that can run in the background!
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-05-29 19:05
    Dear al,

    Ever give any thought to writing some 'javelin of the month articles'?
    A comparison between programs statements written in pbasic as opposed to
    how this same logic might be implemented in Java might be interesting..

    Leroy

    Al Williams wrote:
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-05-29 19:59
    Yes, we will be talking about the Javelin. I don't think it is a big
    secret that I wrote some of the documentation for it, so I've been
    playing with them for awhile and I'm a big fan.

    Al Williams
    AWC
    * Floating point math for the Stamp, PIC, SX, or any microcontroller
    http://www.al-williams.com/awce/pak1.htm



    >
    Original Message
    > From: Leroy Hall [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=gInBzrBW1fS0ZYnM5gwJuUjhM-riG-cdXM6wvhTjhdKPsQVcOafpn_T7dhshS-qlL8wdc-hc]leroy@f...[/url
    > Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 1:05 PM
    > To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com; alw@a...
    > Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: Javelin Stamp
    >
    >
    > Dear al,
    >
    > Ever give any thought to writing some 'javelin of the month
    > articles'?
    > A comparison between programs statements written in pbasic as
    > opposed to how this same logic might be implemented in Java
    > might be interesting..
    >
    > Leroy
    >
    > Al Williams wrote:
    >
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    > Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-06-12 08:49
    Greetings Everyone!
    I was wondering what everyone has to say about the javelin stamp. Any neat
    projects attempted? I am very interested in hearing about it because I would
    like to determine if it is worth the money!
    Take Care,
    -=Randy Knutson



    Do You Yahoo!?
    Sign-up for Video Highlights of 2002 FIFA World Cup

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  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-08-08 15:19
    Has anyone used the javelin stamp? I am new to microcontrollers and
    have some project that I want to do. I know java and thought that
    the javelin would be an easy way to break into all this.

    Also, can anyone tell me the big differences between the BS2 stamp
    and Javelin?

    Thanks for your help,

    Jeff Richley
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-01-27 14:44
    I am interested in moving on from BASIC to another language.

    I am thinking that the Javelin stamp might be a logical next step,
    and would like to learn what are the advantages of using it?

    Is it faster, is the language more dynamic??

    I have not outgrown the BS2E yet, for it's price and performance,
    but am wondering if I should be spending my time on something more
    betterrer.......

    Regards,

    Dwain.
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-01-27 15:02
    Well the idea of background tasking is really attractive to me, and
    their website claims it's a lot faster. I'm just getting started on
    the BASIC stamp, so I'm probably not going to get a Javelin anytime
    soon, but maybe you might want to look into it...

    Bill


    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "dwainsworld2000
    <dwainsworld@e...>" <dwainsworld@e...> wrote:
    > I am interested in moving on from BASIC to another language.
    >
    > I am thinking that the Javelin stamp might be a logical next step,
    > and would like to learn what are the advantages of using it?
    >
    > Is it faster, is the language more dynamic??
    >
    > I have not outgrown the BS2E yet, for it's price and performance,
    > but am wondering if I should be spending my time on something more
    > betterrer.......
    >
    > Regards,
    >
    > Dwain.
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-01-27 16:07
    You can get the details from our web site, but in a nutshell, the Javeln:

    * Uses a subset of Java
    * Is single-threaded
    * Can run up to six background process (serial, pwm, etc.)
    * Has most BASIC Stamp features duplicated in class libraries
    * Runs about the same speed as a BS2p (~3x BASIC Stamp 2e)
    * 32K program/variable space

    -- Jon Williams
    -- Parallax


    In a message dated 1/27/2003 8:45:28 AM Central Standard Time,
    dwainsworld@e... writes:

    > I am interested in moving on from BASIC to another language.
    >
    > I am thinking that the Javelin stamp might be a logical next step,
    > and would like to learn what are the advantages of using it?
    >
    > Is it faster, is the language more dynamic??
    >
    > I have not outgrown the BS2E yet, for it's price and performance,
    > but am wondering if I should be spending my time on something more
    > betterrer.......
    >
    > Regards,
    >
    > Dwain.



    [noparse][[/noparse]Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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