what should i use

Superworms

not shure if this is the right area but here it is.
in your opinion which is better, the PIC, Basic Stamp,SX.or you could list your favorites

Chris Savage

This thread is being moved from the BASIC Stamp Forum to the Sandbox Forum.

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Chris Savage
Parallax Tech Support
csavage@parallax.com

Jon Williams

"Better" is in the eye of the beholder -- all are good parts. If you decide to use the BASIC Stamp, the Javelin, the SX, or the Propeller you'll be able to get lots of support in these forums.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax

Superworms

two things, my bad i posted in the wrone are. second thing, this was going to be like a little surery

Jon Williams

Asking for opinions like that is just asking for trouble and could start a big flame war -- please don't. You might ask why a person would use one Parallax product versus another Parallax product, but to compare Parallax to other vendors is not what we're here for. We support our products without comparing ourselves the the other guys; they (all of the theys) do the same thing -- it's just professional courtesy.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax

Gadgetman

I've TRIED to program the PICs and the SX in assembly language...
(I a couple of secondhand programmers and a ton of printouts of datasheets to prove it)

THAT ended up as a hair-pulling exercise(luckily, I have enough hair...)

Then I stumbled upon the Basic Stamps.
*Does the Happy Beagle dance*

Until recently the BS2p was my favorite, with the BS1 as a firm second.
(You just got to love the BS1. So small, versatile, and runs forever on a simgle button-type battery if you just cut the right wire)

Now?
Definitely the Propeller, even though mine hasn't arrived yet.

Note, I also considered the BasicAtom and a couple of others instead of the BasicStamps, but what won me over wasn't processing speed, available memory, or price, but the incredible support of not just Parallax but the entire community.
(That was back when Parallax had a mailinglist. Now with this forum its even better)

In short, to find out what is the best mcu, you need to consider a lot of factors:
Price, processing power, memory space, number of I/O-pins, built-in functions(like AD/DA converters, Real-time clock), power-requirements, useability, support, fitness for purpose and probably a few others...

Now, the problem is that very few people considers all the same factors as important as you may?
Some look at price first( and goes for the PIC), others wants good support and so on.

And there's the 'fitness for purpose' factor. If you just need it to blink a few LEDs at intervals, the BS1 may be a bit more costly than the PIC, but it does the job admirably, and so very, very easily.

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Don't visit my new website...

Superworms

so it would depend on what am i trying to do

Gadgetman

In short, yes...

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Don't visit my new website...

Keith M

This question comes up regularly... If you searching past posts you should find more information.

PIC:

Although their starter kit is cheap, they limit you to programming small 8-pin or 14-pin parts.· You can modify it, buy other unsupported programmers, but it's a pain.· Better programmers, debuggers, and software·are expensive, especially for a hobbyist.· PICs are SLOW unless you get into higher end models.

SX:

By far my product of choice.

SPEED

SUPPORT (!!!)

LOW-COST (affordable eval boards, plenty of cheap accessories, etc)

EASY TO PROGRAM (INCLUDING FREE SX/B)

HTH,

Keith