PDB and SX28.. whats needed to get started

verobel

Hi SX programmers;

I have the PDB (professional develpment board) from parallax and have run some experiments with the BS2pe and Javalin Stamp. I also saw the slot for the 20 pin dip SX28 and was impressed with the low price ~$4 and capabilities. So I was wondering what I would need to try running some programs on the SX28 and the PDB.·I would like to start by redoing some of the experiments like I/O to leds/pushbuttons, I/O expansion, ADC0838, DS1602 temp chip and eventually do some motor control (still haven't done that on other stamps)

··There seems to be alot of stuff you can download (and I have) including books on assembly language programming: Beginning Assembly Language for the SX Microcontroller·, Programming the SX Microcontroller and SX-Key IDE. Are there any books on programming this with Basic or PBasic or Java?

··In scanning some of the downloads and information sheets, I also got the impression that you could program in Basic (SX/B? where to find) or C.. but no indication on C+ or Java. For speed and global interupt usage you probably need assembler or perhaps a mixture of assembler and Basic. I am not averse to learning the assembler,·especially where it may be needed for speed or interupts but to start,·it would be nice if I could take an existing PBASIC program and (with minor modifications) send it down to the SX28. Is this possible?

·Do I have to have the SX-Key® Rev. F module·in order to program this chip or will the SX-Key® Software v. 3.1 (R2) (7.3MB) - includes SX/B v1.42 (when installed) work through my PDB to an on board chip.

· What is the future of the SX28 chips? The site says "All Ubicom SX chips are being discontinued as Parallax takes over wafer packaging and testing"· also : Ubicom SX28AC/DP (Discontinued) what does this mean?

· So, in summary, I would like to know if I just have to buy a couple SX28 chips and plug them in to my PDB and then install the SX-Key software (or perhaps SX/B?) to get started programming.

·Thanks, John

Jon Williams

You can use the SX-Key (simplest in my opinion) or the low-cost SX-Blitz (student preferred). The difference? The SX-Key has a clock generator on it so running and debugging programs is a breeze. With the SX-Blitz you can only do programming; but this is not a big deal if you drop an appropriate resonator into the socket (yes, they will tolerate the programming cycle). Many users find Guenther Daubach's SX-Sim and suitable tool for debugging errant code.

The BASIC for the SX, SX/B, is deliberately PBASIC-like, and you'll find an online help file with examples in the SX-Key IDE. Be sure to download the latest IDE and check the sticky post at the top of this forum for the latest SX/B updates. We are currently working on SX/B 1.5 which will make porting BS2 programs a bit easier.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax

verobel

Thanks for the reply Jon, still need some clarification.. on using the SX-Key with PDB

If I purchase the SX-Key REvF in one of the tool kits I will get the SX tech board and a serial cable. Will I also be able to use the PDB with it's existing serial cable? I can see that the chip plugs into the PDB and there is a 4 pin connector next to it for the Sx-Key.. is that where I would plug it in? Do I have to use a separate ( the new ) serial cable thru the Sx-Key? or does the original serial cable do the job.

Jon Williams

Yes; the PDB has the same SX-Key header as on our other boards. Any standard serial cable will work fine, there is nothing special about it.

If you have enough ports on your PC you can program a BASIC Stamp through one port, the SX through another.· We do this when developing our EFX products that use the SX, that way we can develop and test in the same cycle.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax