Making the jump from LEGO.....
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Posts: 46,084
My 13 y/o son and I have been contemplating moving up from the GUI
interface of Mindstorms to the STAMP and PBASIC system. My question
is: what combination of boards/modules would y'all recommend, keeping
in mind that we are ultra newbies to circuits (resistors, capacitors,
servos, etc) and PBASIC. Ultimately, we'd like to get up to the
level of the BOE-BOT, but I'd like to avoid the expense for now, just
in case we can't grasp the material and concepts. Is there a good
cheap hardware combo that we could use to help us learn the concepts
before we make the >$200 plunge? How about a good cheap way to learn
about wiring, and circuits? This STAMP stuff seems to be on a higher
level, and I'd like to be sure it's something that we could enjoy and
understand before I spend the big bucks. Any ideas are appreciated!
interface of Mindstorms to the STAMP and PBASIC system. My question
is: what combination of boards/modules would y'all recommend, keeping
in mind that we are ultra newbies to circuits (resistors, capacitors,
servos, etc) and PBASIC. Ultimately, we'd like to get up to the
level of the BOE-BOT, but I'd like to avoid the expense for now, just
in case we can't grasp the material and concepts. Is there a good
cheap hardware combo that we could use to help us learn the concepts
before we make the >$200 plunge? How about a good cheap way to learn
about wiring, and circuits? This STAMP stuff seems to be on a higher
level, and I'd like to be sure it's something that we could enjoy and
understand before I spend the big bucks. Any ideas are appreciated!
Comments
reasonably priced starter kit. It in cludes a board (our HomeWork
board), parts, and our "What's a Microcontroller" book. If you can't
wait that long, we've got lots of kits to start with on our web site.
Note that not all RadioShack stores will carry this kit in the
beginning. If you live in a larger market, there is a good chance your
store will.
-- Jon Williams
-- Applications Engineer, Parallax
-- Dallas Office
Original Message
From: pstmose [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=xzj60tgDXQZcZ30__elTApL8pa1wJVMI_etitJcYN9PUHoAhHqKuV6sBp4apeRUAI4C5_ptWo2MA]dmoser@c...[/url
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 9:13 AM
To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Making the jump from LEGO.....
My 13 y/o son and I have been contemplating moving up from the GUI
interface of Mindstorms to the STAMP and PBASIC system. My question
is: what combination of boards/modules would y'all recommend, keeping
in mind that we are ultra newbies to circuits (resistors, capacitors,
servos, etc) and PBASIC. Ultimately, we'd like to get up to the
level of the BOE-BOT, but I'd like to avoid the expense for now, just
in case we can't grasp the material and concepts. Is there a good
cheap hardware combo that we could use to help us learn the concepts
before we make the >$200 plunge? How about a good cheap way to learn
about wiring, and circuits? This STAMP stuff seems to be on a higher
level, and I'd like to be sure it's something that we could enjoy and
understand before I spend the big bucks. Any ideas are appreciated!
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Thanks for the heads up.
Will the kit provide a tutorial or curriculum on basic circuitry?
In other words, will it delve into the "why and how" of resistors,
capacitors, and other parts of building a circuit. It appears to me
that in order to use your microcontrollers, one must first have a
basic understanding of electronic circuitry and the parts that go
into them. This is what my son and I are lacking. I have no idea
what a resistor does and when to use one and how to size it. Same
goes for all the other stuff in a circuit. I need to find a good kit
(book and breadboard) that will teach me this stuff, otherwise we
won't understand what we're doing when we go to attaching sensors,
LED's, and the like. Seems to me I should learn this stuff before I
jump in with both feet...or am i worrying too much.
Thanks in advance for your comments!
Doug
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Williams" <jwilliams@p...>
wrote:
> Watch your local RadioShack store in the coming weeks for a nice,
> reasonably priced starter kit. It in cludes a board (our HomeWork
> board), parts, and our "What's a Microcontroller" book. If you
can't
> wait that long, we've got lots of kits to start with on our web
site.
>
> Note that not all RadioShack stores will carry this kit in the
> beginning. If you live in a larger market, there is a good chance
your
> store will.
>
> -- Jon Williams
> -- Applications Engineer, Parallax
> -- Dallas Office
>
>
>
Original Message
> From: pstmose [noparse][[/noparse]mailto:dmoser@c...]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 9:13 AM
> To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Making the jump from LEGO.....
>
>
> My 13 y/o son and I have been contemplating moving up from the GUI
> interface of Mindstorms to the STAMP and PBASIC system. My
question
> is: what combination of boards/modules would y'all recommend,
keeping
> in mind that we are ultra newbies to circuits (resistors,
capacitors,
> servos, etc) and PBASIC. Ultimately, we'd like to get up to the
> level of the BOE-BOT, but I'd like to avoid the expense for now,
just
> in case we can't grasp the material and concepts. Is there a good
> cheap hardware combo that we could use to help us learn the
concepts
> before we make the >$200 plunge? How about a good cheap way to
learn
> about wiring, and circuits? This STAMP stuff seems to be on a
higher
> level, and I'd like to be sure it's something that we could enjoy
and
> understand before I spend the big bucks. Any ideas are appreciated!
>
>
>
> 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/
>
>
>
>
> This message has been scanned by WebShield. Please report SPAM to
> abuse@p...
(thanks to our staff engineer, Andy Lindsay). You can download it as a
PDF and see for yourself.
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28123
-- Jon Williams
-- Applications Engineer, Parallax
-- Dallas Office
Original Message
From: pstmose [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=xi21aC0QdDbqihE8Qxj4KW0QoUDFatp-1-ty9tvAwfELaatMHf4CcitC1aRYkZ3Dd0xuw_pIBw]dmoser@c...[/url
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 1:41 PM
To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: Making the jump from LEGO.....
Jon:
Thanks for the heads up.
Will the kit provide a tutorial or curriculum on basic circuitry? In
other words, will it delve into the "why and how" of resistors,
capacitors, and other parts of building a circuit. It appears to me
that in order to use your microcontrollers, one must first have a
basic understanding of electronic circuitry and the parts that go
into them. This is what my son and I are lacking. I have no idea
what a resistor does and when to use one and how to size it. Same
goes for all the other stuff in a circuit. I need to find a good kit
(book and breadboard) that will teach me this stuff, otherwise we
won't understand what we're doing when we go to attaching sensors,
LED's, and the like. Seems to me I should learn this stuff before I
jump in with both feet...or am i worrying too much.
Thanks in advance for your comments!
Doug
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Williams" <jwilliams@p...>
wrote:
> Watch your local RadioShack store in the coming weeks for a nice,
> reasonably priced starter kit. It in cludes a board (our HomeWork
> board), parts, and our "What's a Microcontroller" book. If you
can't
> wait that long, we've got lots of kits to start with on our web
site.
>
> Note that not all RadioShack stores will carry this kit in the
> beginning. If you live in a larger market, there is a good chance
your
> store will.
>
> -- Jon Williams
> -- Applications Engineer, Parallax
> -- Dallas Office
>
>
>
Original Message
> From: pstmose [noparse][[/noparse]mailto:dmoser@c...]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 9:13 AM
> To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Making the jump from LEGO.....
>
>
> My 13 y/o son and I have been contemplating moving up from the GUI
> interface of Mindstorms to the STAMP and PBASIC system. My
question
> is: what combination of boards/modules would y'all recommend,
keeping
> in mind that we are ultra newbies to circuits (resistors,
capacitors,
> servos, etc) and PBASIC. Ultimately, we'd like to get up to the
> level of the BOE-BOT, but I'd like to avoid the expense for now,
just
> in case we can't grasp the material and concepts. Is there a good
> cheap hardware combo that we could use to help us learn the
concepts
> before we make the >$200 plunge? How about a good cheap way to
learn
> about wiring, and circuits? This STAMP stuff seems to be on a
higher
> level, and I'd like to be sure it's something that we could enjoy
and
> understand before I spend the big bucks. Any ideas are appreciated!
>
>
>
> 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/
>
>
>
>
> This message has been scanned by WebShield. Please report SPAM to
> abuse@p...
To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
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the American Radio Relay League www.arrl.net
to help you learn the practical logistics of using resistors, caps, ic's,
transistors, etc.
jim
http://www.geocities.com/jimforkin2003/
Original Message
From: pstmose [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=iIzjtHz0VhhlKAzwUykR9ZN3VUhc_yoYOM79N7W49WxbD6eeBRfezugo_UJ5vQcszfB1pAaC82Zg]dmoser@c...[/url
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 2:41 PM
To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: Making the jump from LEGO.....
Jon:
Thanks for the heads up.
Will the kit provide a tutorial or curriculum on basic circuitry?
In other words, will it delve into the "why and how" of resistors,
capacitors, and other parts of building a circuit. It appears to me
that in order to use your microcontrollers, one must first have a
basic understanding of electronic circuitry and the parts that go
into them. This is what my son and I are lacking. I have no idea
what a resistor does and when to use one and how to size it. Same
goes for all the other stuff in a circuit. I need to find a good kit
(book and breadboard) that will teach me this stuff, otherwise we
won't understand what we're doing when we go to attaching sensors,
LED's, and the like. Seems to me I should learn this stuff before I
jump in with both feet...or am i worrying too much.
Thanks in advance for your comments!
Doug
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Williams" <jwilliams@p...>
wrote:
> Watch your local RadioShack store in the coming weeks for a nice,
> reasonably priced starter kit. It in cludes a board (our HomeWork
> board), parts, and our "What's a Microcontroller" book. If you
can't
> wait that long, we've got lots of kits to start with on our web
site.
>
> Note that not all RadioShack stores will carry this kit in the
> beginning. If you live in a larger market, there is a good chance
your
> store will.
>
> -- Jon Williams
> -- Applications Engineer, Parallax
> -- Dallas Office
>
>
>
Original Message
> From: pstmose [noparse][[/noparse]mailto:dmoser@c...]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 9:13 AM
> To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Making the jump from LEGO.....
>
>
> My 13 y/o son and I have been contemplating moving up from the GUI
> interface of Mindstorms to the STAMP and PBASIC system. My
question
> is: what combination of boards/modules would y'all recommend,
keeping
> in mind that we are ultra newbies to circuits (resistors,
capacitors,
> servos, etc) and PBASIC. Ultimately, we'd like to get up to the
> level of the BOE-BOT, but I'd like to avoid the expense for now,
just
> in case we can't grasp the material and concepts. Is there a good
> cheap hardware combo that we could use to help us learn the
concepts
> before we make the >$200 plunge? How about a good cheap way to
learn
> about wiring, and circuits? This STAMP stuff seems to be on a
higher
> level, and I'd like to be sure it's something that we could enjoy
and
> understand before I spend the big bucks. Any ideas are appreciated!
>
>
>
> 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/
>
>
>
>
> This message has been scanned by WebShield. Please report SPAM to
> abuse@p...
To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
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Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
We'll give it a go!<EOM>
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Williams" <jwilliams@p...>
wrote:
> Yes, our "What's a Microcontroller?" text is excellent in that
regard
> (thanks to our staff engineer, Andy Lindsay). You can download it
as a
> PDF and see for yourself.
>
> http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28123
>
> -- Jon Williams
> -- Applications Engineer, Parallax
> -- Dallas Office
>
>
>
>
Original Message
> From: pstmose [noparse][[/noparse]mailto:dmoser@c...]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 1:41 PM
> To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: Making the jump from LEGO.....
>
>
> Jon:
> Thanks for the heads up.
> Will the kit provide a tutorial or curriculum on basic circuitry? In
> other words, will it delve into the "why and how" of resistors,
> capacitors, and other parts of building a circuit. It appears to
me
> that in order to use your microcontrollers, one must first have a
> basic understanding of electronic circuitry and the parts that go
> into them. This is what my son and I are lacking. I have no idea
> what a resistor does and when to use one and how to size it. Same
> goes for all the other stuff in a circuit. I need to find a good
kit
> (book and breadboard) that will teach me this stuff, otherwise we
> won't understand what we're doing when we go to attaching sensors,
> LED's, and the like. Seems to me I should learn this stuff before
I
> jump in with both feet...or am i worrying too much.
> Thanks in advance for your comments!
> Doug
>
> --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Williams" <jwilliams@p...>
> wrote:
> > Watch your local RadioShack store in the coming weeks for a nice,
> > reasonably priced starter kit. It in cludes a board (our
HomeWork
> > board), parts, and our "What's a Microcontroller" book. If you
> can't
> > wait that long, we've got lots of kits to start with on our web
> site.
> >
> > Note that not all RadioShack stores will carry this kit in the
> > beginning. If you live in a larger market, there is a good chance
> your
> > store will.
> >
> > -- Jon Williams
> > -- Applications Engineer, Parallax
> > -- Dallas Office
> >
> >
> >
Original Message
> > From: pstmose [noparse][[/noparse]mailto:dmoser@c...]
> > Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 9:13 AM
> > To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Making the jump from LEGO.....
> >
> >
> > My 13 y/o son and I have been contemplating moving up from the GUI
> > interface of Mindstorms to the STAMP and PBASIC system. My
> question
> > is: what combination of boards/modules would y'all recommend,
> keeping
> > in mind that we are ultra newbies to circuits (resistors,
> capacitors,
> > servos, etc) and PBASIC. Ultimately, we'd like to get up to the
> > level of the BOE-BOT, but I'd like to avoid the expense for now,
> just
> > in case we can't grasp the material and concepts. Is there a good
> > cheap hardware combo that we could use to help us learn the
> concepts
> > before we make the >$200 plunge? How about a good cheap way to
> learn
> > about wiring, and circuits? This STAMP stuff seems to be on a
> higher
> > level, and I'd like to be sure it's something that we could enjoy
> and
> > understand before I spend the big bucks. Any ideas are
appreciated!
> >
> >
> >
> > 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/
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > This message has been scanned by WebShield. Please report SPAM to
> > abuse@p...
>
>
> 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/
>
>
>
>
> This message has been scanned by WebShield. Please report SPAM to
> abuse@p...