Basic Stamp or SX (or both)?

Ryan Finley

I've noticed somthing...

The Basic Stamp 2SX OEM is quite a neat board (easy to program, fast, ect). Still, if im not wrong, it's based on the SX28AC/DP.
This is the same chip used in many of the SX-Key devices. Does this mean that the SX28AC/DP is accually a PBASIC "command
interpiter"? Can I buy a SX chip and an EEPROM and have a Basic Stamp? Can the SX devices run PBASIC code?

Post Edited (Ryan Finley) : 8/31/2005 12:06:10 AM GMT

Paul Baker

While quite a few stamps use the SX series of microcontrollers, they are not one in the same. The difference is the SX chip on stamps comes preprogrammed with Parallax's PBASIC interpretor. They do however sell SX chips that have the interpretor programmed in them that you can purchase individually for not much more than buying an unprogrammed SX chip. They do this to protect the code so people cannot clone them and sell cheap knock offs. I hope this clarifies the issue.

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·1+1=10

Jon Williams

We also have a free compiler for the SX (called SX/B) that is very close to PBASIC. It produces assembly output that runs at full-speed on the SX.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax

Electronegativity

The SX platform is cheaper, but requires a lot more work on your part.
I started with the basic stamp and easily got a few small projects going but then I heard the siren song of SX calling.

Like you I thought "hey, I can do the same thing cheaper with SX chips!"

It's true you can, but the time commitment on your part will be manyfold higher, especially in the beginning.

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I wonder if this wire is hot...

Ryan Finley

Thank you, that's pretty much what I expected. Still, it's pretty cool that the accual microcontroller chip is the same.

Electronegativity

It also depends what you want to use it for.
If I were teaching a class, or just wanted to build something and have it work, I would go with the Stamp.

Mostly I switched to SX because the stamp is too easy; you buy components, assemble them, and they work as expected.

The SX is more challenging, and gives me things to think about on my long commute to work.

Also I think that the difference in price is pretty irrelevant.
I am going to spend as much on toys as I can possibly get away with, so I won't really be saving any money either way.

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I wonder if this wire is hot...