Can I do this with BASIC Stamp?

insane_irish

Hello guys, I am a complete n00b in this field, and am trying to determine if I can utilize BASIC stamp for a project I want to attempt.· What I am trying to do is make a custom digital watch.· I am thinking I might be able to achieve what I am looking to do utilizing a BS2 module with a Pocket Watch B module and a LCD Terminal AppMod.· I am going to describe what I am looking to do and hopefully you guys can tell me if you think it is achievable using BASIC Stamp.

I am a yacht racer and thus my usage is heavily timer based.· I need a watch·that has two countdown/chronograph combination timers.· Both timers need to be capable of being set for Countdown-Repeat (CR), Countdown-Count-Up (CC), Countdown-Stop (CD), and simply Count-Up (aka Chrono, this may be easiest to accomplish by having it set to CC with no countdown time entered, but whatever).· I need each to be capable of counting up to 100 hours - 99hr:59min:59sec before looping and capable of taking & storing lap/split times separately.·

Both timers need to be on one screen for viewing at the same time, and it would be nice to be able to have the current time (and possibly date) displayed on that screen as well.

Some sort of (LOUD) progress tones during countdown would be necessary as well.· Preferably the progress tones would have the following format: Every 5 minutes with more than 5 minutes remaining, every minute from 5 minutes down to 1 minute, every 10 seconds from 30 seconds down to 10 seconds, and every second from 5 seconds down to 0 (getting progressively louder during the last 5 seconds if possible).

I need to be able to program each timer individually even while the other one is running.· This would also entail a need to be able to choose to start & stop the timers either simultaneously or separately even while they are running.

There also needs to be a minimum of 8 daily alarms.· Beyond that my needs are pretty much only a good backlight and normal time/date stuff.

So what do you guys think?· Is this something acheivable using BASIC Stamp or do I need to look elsewhere?· Any assistance anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your help.


Post Edited (insane_irish) : 11/8/2005 7:53:50 PM GMT

Jon Williams

I think an SX programed in SX/B would be better suited for your project -- with SX/B you can have "background" timing; with the BS2 you can't.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax

Chris Savage

Hello,

·· You could do this with a BASIC Stamp with some fancy programming.


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Chris Savage
Parallax Tech Support
csavage@parallax.com


Post Edited (Chris Savage (Parallax)) : 11/8/2005 9:48:57 PM GMT

metron9

Forgive my ignorance, I don't have a clue about sail boat racing, (weekend powerboater...)

I guess I have a question on how it is used, amount of time you have to diddle around setting it during the race, how much data is stored over how much time.

Do you race for 99 hours?

Those questions answered could hekp with the number of input buttons needed, size of display, I imagine it needs to be waterproof.

I don't understand really how it would be used, don't you just sail from marker to marker in the fastest time you can make? Perhaps press a log button that you made the marker that starts another timer? How is the timers countdown used during a race?

What do you use now for this?

insane_irish

metron9 said...
Forgive my ignorance, I don't have a clue about sail boat racing, (weekend powerboater...)

I guess I have a question on how it is used, amount of time you have to diddle around setting it during the race, how much data is stored over how much time.

Do you race for 99 hours?

Those questions answered could hekp with the number of input buttons needed, size of display, I imagine it needs to be waterproof.

I don't understand really how it would be used, don't you just sail from marker to marker in the fastest time you can make? Perhaps press a log button that you made the marker that starts another timer? How is the timers countdown used during a race?

What do you use now for this?

no problem.· Ther are two basic things every yacht-racer needs in regards to time.· 1) They need a countdown to start because all races are started on some form of a timed sequence, i.e. every 5 minutes from a marked time (gunshot) a new class starts it's race and 2) They need to count up from the moment they start the race until the moment they cross the finish line, this is particularly true for the kind of racing I do which can be likened to Handicap racing where just because you crossed the finish line first doesn't mean you won.

Those are the two basic needs, but it gets a little more complex because if it is a large event it is very helpful to have two count down timers running.· One is set to repeat what ever the starting sequence is (5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc) over and over·and the other is set to count down from the initial time mark (gunshot) until your class race is going to start, i.e.· If my class start is the 10th race of an event using 5 minute starting sequences I want two start two countdown timers when the first time mark gunshot is fired.· One timer (T1)·would be set to countdown from 5 minutes to 0 and then repeat over and over, while the second timer (T2)·was set to countdown from 50 minutes·which is when my particular·class start is and upon reaching 0 count up until·you cross the finish line and stop it to get your·total race time.

So, now we are through the start and in the race·with T1 still repeating the start sequence (5 minutes in my example) and T2 now counting up to get our elapsed time.··At somepoint during the race when there is a free moment·I want to be able to stop T1, and reset it to·essentially become a chronograph/count-up timer.· Why you ask?· Because the other piece of information that you·need to know if you·beat·the other·boats or not is the other boats elapsed times.· As boats in my class start to finish I·want to be able to take·essentially "Lap" times using·the T2.· This will allow me to know how far ahead of me they finished.· When I cross the finish line I need be able to stop T2 to get my elapsed time and start T1 to time how far behind me other boats are finishing taking "Split" times for each boat.

I only need to be able to store the lap/split times until I have a chance to calculate who won, so the most there should be is like 100, and I could then delete them.·

Do we race for 99 hours, well there are races that actually take weeks, but most of what I do takes 75 hours or less.

It has to be what I would call Water Resistant, it will be sprayed with water and exposed to shallow dive pressures if I get dumped.

We essentially don't have one thing to do these functions, we have multiple, 8 people with watches.· i.e. multiple watches, one person has the repeat countdown, a couple of others may have the countdown countup, then at the end others start timing finishing times.· It can be a real pain and not everybody always has their watch, etc.·

Hope that clears up any questions.· Any further help is appreciated.

Post Edited (insane_irish) : 11/8/2005 8:53:42 PM GMT