Getting a PC ready for stamp.exe and a BS1
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Hi all, I just bought a Hexapod 1 kit from Lynxmotion as a first
robot project to build with my son for Christmas. This uses a First
Step with a Basic Stamp 1.
From looking around on the web, I understand that programs to control
the BS1 are downloaded via the parallel port of a PC, and that
there's a problem with doing this in a DOS window under Windows
NT/Me/XP because of the way they control parallel ports. After
considering options (scrounging an old DOS computer; figuring out how
to tinker with the port setup under Windows XP; using a DOS boot
disk) I decided to make a DOS 6.22 boot disk.
I've done so and tested it on the PC, and it seems to boot fine, and
stamp.exe runs as well. A system info utility run under DOS reports
that DOS 6.22 can see LPT1 and that it's reported as bidirectional
with DMA off. I can't, however, test it with a real BS1 until we
build the kit, and I don't want to do that until Christmas.
When we do, however, I'm hoping that problems with the PC interface
won't hold us up. Based on the setup I describe above, are there any
other issues I might need to worry about? Any way of testing the
port without connecting an assembled BS1 to it? Thanks for any
suggestions.
robot project to build with my son for Christmas. This uses a First
Step with a Basic Stamp 1.
From looking around on the web, I understand that programs to control
the BS1 are downloaded via the parallel port of a PC, and that
there's a problem with doing this in a DOS window under Windows
NT/Me/XP because of the way they control parallel ports. After
considering options (scrounging an old DOS computer; figuring out how
to tinker with the port setup under Windows XP; using a DOS boot
disk) I decided to make a DOS 6.22 boot disk.
I've done so and tested it on the PC, and it seems to boot fine, and
stamp.exe runs as well. A system info utility run under DOS reports
that DOS 6.22 can see LPT1 and that it's reported as bidirectional
with DMA off. I can't, however, test it with a real BS1 until we
build the kit, and I don't want to do that until Christmas.
When we do, however, I'm hoping that problems with the PC interface
won't hold us up. Based on the setup I describe above, are there any
other issues I might need to worry about? Any way of testing the
port without connecting an assembled BS1 to it? Thanks for any
suggestions.