Running anything (Basic Stamp) on a MAC G4
Dr. Chuck
Posts: 7
Hi: I am just joining the Forum and know very little, so excuse my ignorant status. I want to run the PBasic on some Mac G4' & G5's. Is it possible? Can Labview software act as the editor? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Chuck
Chuck
Comments
PBasic is a proprietary programming language that is used for programming the Parallax Basic Stamp microcontrollers.
You can use a Mac (G3+) to program a Basic Stamp in PBasic, using the BASIC Stamp Macintosh Editor - Version 2.0b7, available from Parallax.
You cannot, however, use PBasic to create a program that will run on a Mac. PBasic programs only run on Basic Stamp microcontrollers.
Labview can't be used to write a PBasic program. If it can be programmed for serial communications, it can interact with a Basic Stamp microcontroller running a PBasic program.
So for example, you could create a "button" instrument in Labview that would send a command to a Basic Stamp, telling it to take some form of action, such as blink an LED. You could also have a "display" instrument that shows some numerical data from a sensor attached to a Basic Stamp.
In both these examples, you would need to create several components:
1. A Basic Stamp hardware circuit (inputs/outputs/sensors. etc.)
2. A Basic Stamp program in PBasic that does a couple of things: 1)monitors the sensors, and 2)communicates with Labview
3. A Labview program that communicates with the Basic Stamp
As mentioned, you can use a Mac to program the Basic Stamp. You would need to contact national Instruments for Labview - Mac compatibility questions.
If you need more specific advice, post a more detailed description of your project, along with the problem you're having.
Thanks,
Chuck
Any suggestions?
Is there a dropdown window on the top right hand corner of the Macbs2 that says something like usbserialxxxxxx?
From Stamp button, did you select the right stamp?
Reboot the Mac, sometimes I have to do that if it gets stuck and can't find the Stamp.
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I wouldn't connect that if I were you...
Vive Le Tour!
July 1 - July 23
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OS-X: because making Unix user-friendly was easier than debugging Windows
links:
My band's website
Our album on the iTunes Music Store
If you have a Intel Mac you don't have much choice...you have to use the latest drivers if you want to use Universal drivers. I've been using the Universal drivers for a few weeks now. MacBS2 does throw up a warning about the driver which I just click through. I haven't crashed MacBS2 but I have noticed that after downloading code to a Stamp that the Stamp won't start executing until I change the serial port choice via the pop-up (I have three available ports, two developmet boards via USB and a BS2 OEM via a Keyspan USB-to-Serial). I can also disconnect the USB cable to the Stamp involved and it will start executing the new program. This seems to only affect things after program download. If I reconnect the USB cable or change the pop-up select back to the original USB port selection, the Stamp continues to execute the current program.
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I wouldn't connect that if I were you...
Vive Le Tour!
July 1 - July 23
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
OS-X: because making Unix user-friendly was easier than debugging Windows
links:
My band's website
Our album on the iTunes Music Store
What version FTDI driver are you using? You need to run 1.09 on a G4, not the new 2.x. There is a problem with that driver. if you have the new driver MacBS2 will object to it and tell you how to get the 1.09 driver (Murat has a copy of it stashed on his website somewhere and the warning message tells you how to get it).
The new FTDI Intel-Mac driver doesn't work either.
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cheers ... brian riley, n1bq, underhill center, vermont
See the K107 Serial LCD Controller at
www.wulfden.org/k107/
Orig 99: The light on the USB/serial board lights up. The Stamp board lights up. The Serial window shows no serial port and the window has no choices to select. I have chosen the correct BS2 in the STAMNP file;
Sorry not much help here
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something smells like it's on fire
My MacBookPro worked fine with the brand new KeySpan Universal Binary driver version 2.1. MacBS2 IDs chips and loads prgrams. Before today I had been unable to get the Parallax FTDI driver for Intel version 2.2.0 to work. Now, I don't know if Murat did something in MacBS2 version 2.0b16, but now it works. MacBS2 IDs chips and loads programs just fine.
All of these adapters work fine with every single Parallax program under Winders when I boot to WinXP
What this all says to me is ... you stated the little window had no choice of serial ports ... you either have a defective unit or you need to uninstall the drivers and get fresh copies and reinstall. This is easier said than done, most of tese don't come with an uninstall, you have to burrow into the library and find the correct KEXT files and dump them. Not for the feint of heart! Mistakes here can have ghastly consequences!
MacBS2 is very specific about serial ports. This is not the fault of the author, but the requirements of the Basic Stamp. Too many, particularly the cheap ones, USB-serial adapters are only partial implementations aimed at PDAs, they just won't do. Ya gets what's ya pays fer ... get a Keyspan or a Parallax FTDI adapter and you shouldn't have a problem, if the hardware is working correctly.
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cheers ... brian riley, n1bq, underhill center, vermont
See the K107 Serial LCD Controller at
www.wulfden.org/k107/
Thanks to you all for your advice!!!
Chuck
I have been in touch with Murat on this. I too found that the FTDI 2.2.0 (Intel) driver now works with 2.0b16 and had so informed him. I will forward your comments to him about 2.1 (PPC) and 2.0b16.
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cheers ... brian riley, n1bq, underhill center, vermont
See the K107 Serial LCD Controller at
www.wulfden.org/k107/