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complete beginner!

heppyheppy Posts: 3
edited 2005-06-23 18:43 in BASIC Stamp
I am in posession of what i believe to be a BASIC stamp.

It is connected to a set of 9 sensors, and at the other end a serial connector.

I have manged to work out what it is sending over the serial:

sensor 0: 10 0
sensor 1: 11 1
sensor 2: 12 2
sensor 3: 13 3
etc....

the first is sent on touch, the second number is sent whan the hand is removed from the sensor.

I downloaded the STAMP editor software. but he can't find my stamp. Is it possible to edit the STAMP once it has been assembled on to a board?

I want to edit the stamp so it sends different numbers.

HELP!jumpin.gif

Comments

  • Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
    edited 2005-06-22 17:36
    Can you post a picture of what you believe is a BASIC Stamp?· Mabye it isn't....

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    Jon Williams
    Applications Engineer, Parallax
  • allanlane5allanlane5 Posts: 3,815
    edited 2005-06-22 19:21
    Well, if you had the original source, you could edit that source, and download to the Stamp. That assumes that pins 1,2,3, and 4 of the BS2 are brought out to pins 2,3,4, and 5 of a DB-9 serial port connector.

    However, you cannot read the code out of a Stamp, edit it, recompile it, and download the new version to the Stamp. It's a very write-only kind of device. This is how people protect their intellectual property.

    Now, if you can 'reverse engineer' what the current Stamp does, you could write an equivalent source code program, compile that, and download that into the Stamp (as long as there's a programming connector). That can be difficult, however.
  • heppyheppy Posts: 3
    edited 2005-06-23 11:59
    I had this photo already from a previous project of the chip. You can't see it very well, if it's not enough i can take another.


    breadboard.jpg
  • allanlane5allanlane5 Posts: 3,815
    edited 2005-06-23 12:43
    Well, that's a BS2 alright -- the PIC16C57 and the other components give it away.

    The 4-pin header I would assume is the programming interface.
    You need a DB-9 Female to 4-pin 'molex' connector for this. If you call the 'top' (closest to the edge) conductor #1, then the pin out is:

    DB-9 Pin 2 -- Header pin 1
    DB-9 Pin 3 -- Header pin 2
    DB-9 Pin 4 -- Header Pin 3 -- ATN aka DTR
    DB-9 Pin 5 -- Header Pin 4 -- Ground aka Vss

    DB-9 Pin 6 tied to DB-9 Pin 7 -- "Loopback" connection for IDE to know cable is connected.

    But again, you can't read out the code already put into the BS2, all you can do is erase it and program it with your code. If your code doesn't match the pin-outs etc. of the existing code, you may ruin the BS2.

    If you can get the original code from the original vendor, then you should be good to go.
  • Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
    edited 2005-06-23 12:59
    The good news is that the BASIC Stamp is socketed so if you don't need that other hardware, you can pull the Stamp and put it into one of our standard programming boards.· If you'd like to build a "proper" programming cable for that board, though, I've attached a schematic.·

    As Allan pointed out, you cannot pull the code from that module.· The only way for you to reverse engineer what it's doing is to stimulate the inputs and watch how the outputs behave.

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    Jon Williams
    Applications Engineer, Parallax
    BS2_Prog_Conn.gif
    772 x 583 - 8K
  • Bruce BatesBruce Bates Posts: 3,045
    edited 2005-06-23 13:35
    heppy -

    If it's at all helpful, I'd guess by the parts shown that the board is an RF transmitter or RF receiver that transmits or receives a user specified code. The code it set by the DIP switches. My additional guess is that the upright board is the actual RF transmitter or RF receiver.

    Regards,

    Bruce Bates
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2005-06-23 14:35
    Hello,

    ·· Bruce may be correct...I looked up the data for that chip above the DIP Switches.· The link is below.

    http://www.holtek.com.tw/english/docum/consumer/3_12d.htm

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
    csavage@parallax.com
  • heppyheppy Posts: 3
    edited 2005-06-23 18:26
    Thanks everyone for your replies! Most helpful!

    I'm not sure what an RF transmitter would be doing there.

    The sensors are electrostatic with a cable connected to this stamp box.

    I can probably get the source code as it was written by a friend. The thing is i need this box the way it is.

    Is there a way to program it in this configuration? Or would i have to take the chip out?

    thanks!
  • ForrestForrest Posts: 1,341
    edited 2005-06-23 18:43
    You can reprogram the BS2 IC where it sits - if you build the serial interface cable that Jon Williams posted. You'll just need a DB9 serial cable and download/install the Parallax BASIC Stamp Windows editor version 2.2 here www.parallax.com/html_pages/downloads/software/software_basic_stamp.asp
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