what is interpreter chip

papu

hello everybody
················· i am new to this forum and basic stamp.my question is why
pic16c57 microcontroller is called interpreter chip and how it is communicates with onboard eeprom in the basic stamp 2 module.
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···· waiting for·reply·

Franklin

www.parallax.com/dl/docs/prod/schem/BS2SchematicRevH.pdf is the schematic for the rev H. It's called an interpreter chip because it has the code for the basic interpreter burned on it at parallax so it works with the pbasic program you load.

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- Stephen

papu

thank you for the reply

allanlane5

Note also a 16C57 burned as an "interpreter chip" has the Parallax proprietary run-time engine programmed into it. A 'stock', off the shelf 16C57 can NOT be used in a BS2 'clone' or "OEM" design, because it does NOT have the Parallax proprietary code programmed into it.

And no, before you ask, Parallax will not release that proprietary code to you so you can burn your own, 'cheap' BS2 clone. That's Parallax's bread and butter, and they guard it very closely. Rightly so, in my opinion.

Now, having said that, there ARE other products that will let you use off-the-shelf PIC parts. A quick search on PIC should get you some sources. If you do this, it might be a good idea to spend the $150 or so for a BOE with BS2, so you can try stuff. The BS2 architecture and Parallax support are some of the best in this industry. And I say this as a 3 year veteran of the small processor industry.