Lost all my software?
Taipan
Posts: 16
Hi,
It has been a long time since I used my Basic Stamp and I have lost all my software and forgotten how I wrote the code for a project I want to start up again. I am hoping someone can help me. I am guessing there would no way to decompile the code on it now so I am going to have to figure it all out again.
I built a digital compass that I was going to put into a waterproof housing and use when I go diving. The idea is that you can click a button which sets way points and then it counts how long to the next way point. So as you go for your dive it records the direction and how long you swam in that direction. You can then tell it to reverse and it will give you the directions back and count each leg for you. I had it working excellent, but that was ages ago and I can't remember any of it. I am not even sure if it as parallax stamp on it. I have made a picture of some of the gear.
. The main board on the right is the compass, can anyone recognise what sort of stamp is on it? I need to know what type the compass is and how I interface with it. And the LCD screen, is that one supplied by parallax?
The other stamp to the left of the compass is a Basic Stamp 2 I think, is that right? And the other device is a sonar device I think but I have no idea how to use it anymore. Can anyone recognise it and know how I use it?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
It has been a long time since I used my Basic Stamp and I have lost all my software and forgotten how I wrote the code for a project I want to start up again. I am hoping someone can help me. I am guessing there would no way to decompile the code on it now so I am going to have to figure it all out again.
I built a digital compass that I was going to put into a waterproof housing and use when I go diving. The idea is that you can click a button which sets way points and then it counts how long to the next way point. So as you go for your dive it records the direction and how long you swam in that direction. You can then tell it to reverse and it will give you the directions back and count each leg for you. I had it working excellent, but that was ages ago and I can't remember any of it. I am not even sure if it as parallax stamp on it. I have made a picture of some of the gear.
. The main board on the right is the compass, can anyone recognise what sort of stamp is on it? I need to know what type the compass is and how I interface with it. And the LCD screen, is that one supplied by parallax?The other stamp to the left of the compass is a Basic Stamp 2 I think, is that right? And the other device is a sonar device I think but I have no idea how to use it anymore. Can anyone recognise it and know how I use it?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Comments
I suppose you should accept the loss and consider the fact that software is often better the second time around.
The programing book has diagrams and pictures that will help you identify your Stamps.
I can assure you that the 'Stamp' on the larger is NOT a Parallax product.
The one that is not hooked up, might be.
Seems to me that if you are the owner and programed it to function well, you would know more about what you have.
Are you sure you didn't get all this at a garage sale or somewhere else?
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"When all think alike, no one is thinking very much.' - Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)
······································································ Warm regards,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
Post Edited (Taipan) : 12/30/2005 9:52:13 AM GMT
That should make it easy to check which, but your photo is a bit unclear about the color. Stamps are either a PIC [noparse][[/noparse]for the Basic2] or an SX-Ubicom for the other generations.
All theBasicStamp documentation is here, but the compass and the LCD are interfaced to a product that has an Amtel Processor which supports quite different I/O features and may have been chosen for those paticular features. You can get·their your software from that vendor by just telling them who you are and when you bought it.
Again, it seems you would know all that.
Since you bought it from another vendor I think you might even recall which vendor it is and how the program language is differenet from PBasic.
Several of us here have both. Do you program in C, Forth, or Assembly?
It seems to me that if it works fine, you don't need to know the code anyway. Just use it.
I have never seen a sonar unit like the one you have, but that means very little.
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"When all think alike, no one is thinking very much.' - Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)
······································································ Warm regards,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
Post Edited (Kramer) : 12/30/2005 2:08:04 PM GMT
The Stamp (unconnected) is a BS-2. You can download all of the software to program it from:
http://www.parallax.com/html_pages/downloads/software/software_basic_stamp.asp
The other single board computer (the 24 PDIP with the yellow dot connected on the board) is a BX-24 from NetMedia. You can get the programming software from:
http://www.basicx.com/
You will, of course, have to re-write all of your code.
peter
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Peter C. Charles
Director, Research and Technology
CyberBiota, Incorporated
Peter.charles@cyberbiota.com
http://www.cyberbiota.com
That fact that he asserts that he did seems to indicate these are some 'ill-gotten' gains.
It you have gone to as many swap meets, flea markets, and auctions as I have - you begin to get a feel for when someone is trying to sound out the value and identity of stuff which they have never owned.
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"When all think alike, no one is thinking very much.' - Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)
······································································ Warm regards,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
Post Edited (Kramer) : 12/30/2005 2:31:53 PM GMT
I suspect the compass module is a 2-axis Vector 2X by Precision Navigation. Here is a picture of that unit:
http://www.pnicorp.com/productDetail?nodeId=c39
Note the relationship of the two magnetometer coils (rear and right), when the side pins are (arbitrarily) used for orientation.
That orientation appears to be the same as the one on your device. It's a bit difficult to see any greater details, but you may find PNI somewhere on that PCB.
I'll see if I can dig out my Vector 2X to perhaps offer more details.
Just for the record, I care less where you got it, and hope you are able to get your dive project going again.
Regards,
Bruce Bates
These Basic Micro Forum messages seem to indicate problems using the PNI Vector 2X with their product. It also indicates that users have had NO problems interfacing it with a Parallax PBASIC Stamp BS-2:
http://forums.basicmicro.net/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=10687
That may be at least one of the reasons the Basic Stamp BS-2 is there in your group of parts, even though there is a Basic Micro processor on that board.
Regards,
Bruce Bates
Here is a PDF, thanks to Arrick Robotics, which describes how to interface a PNI Vector 2X with a PBASIC Stamp BS-2. There is a sample program in the PDF as well. This should get you started on that portion of·your project.
Regards,
Bruce Bates
I am totally offended by your accusations, why in heck would I need to make up a story about this. If I bought it from a flea moarket I would say "I bought it from a flea market". I will stick to the forum rules and not tell you what I think of you and your accusations. Please don't bother even attempting to help me. BTW, I don't go to swap meets or flea markets and I am in Australia, you don't find this stuff just lying around here, I imported it and spent a lot of money doing so. If I could be bothered to convince you I could ask the Parallax people to look me up on their records, but I don't care what you think, just don't voice accusations like that publically unless you have some facts to back it up.
The other members of the forum have been a great help. Why don't I remember much about the stuff I have? Because, like I said I have not used it for quite a few years. I lost interest in the project and packed it all away. Since then I have been doing web development writing in php/mysql and I do a lot of programming in VB6 and over the years I have lost all the code I had for these devices. Now my interest is renewed and I am not happy that I lost all the code because I can't remember much at all about who I bought the stuff from etc. I know I bought a Basic Stamp 2 Starter Kit from parallax, and I am pretty sure I bought the LCD from them too. The rest, I don't remember. Now that some nice forum members have posted, ie jpyle, cyberbiota and Bruce Bates, who have been a great help, I am starting to remember. BX-24 from NetMedia sounds familiar and so does Vector 2X. Thanks everyone for you help.
Post Edited By Moderator (Chris Savage (Parallax)) : 12/31/2005 6:45:53 AM GMT
I did get the Vector 2X working well with the BX-24, can't remember how. I am pretty sure I changed the stamps around as, if I remember right, the BX-24 has more memory than the BS-2 and I needed a lot of code to get the whole device working. Thanks for all your help.
Thank you for the kind acknowledgement. Since kindness should always be rewarded, please find attached an applications note for the Polaroid Sonar unit, thanks to Arrick Robotics.
Regards,
Bruce Bates
Having a bad memory is indeed no crime.
And I do apologize to the Forum for being so judgemental [noparse][[/noparse]including Taipan].
I certainly agree that kindness is quite important, but a certain amount of caution is part of this world.
Sincethe BasicX product has two and only two serial ports to interface with the Compass and the LCD,
And it programs in a entirely different kind of Basic [noparse][[/noparse]a subset/spin off of Visual Basic]
It would seem you would made a conscious descision to go with their product rather than the BasicStamp [noparse][[/noparse]which can have several more serial ports]
Usually, construction of a sucessful complete project has a way of aiding the memory.
It looks as though both will work with the compass.
Happily you are up [noparse][[/noparse]with both] and running and can verify your ownership of either with the on-board EEPROM serial number.
I don't represent Parallax. I am just a customer like yourself.
Personally, I·find Netmedia's Basic language and documentation more difficult.
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"When all think alike, no one is thinking very much.' - Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)
······································································ Warm regards,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan
Post Edited (Kramer) : 12/31/2005 10:23:42 AM GMT