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Linking Basic Stamps — Parallax Forums

Linking Basic Stamps

TheFallenTheFallen Posts: 3
edited 2007-09-07 13:20 in BASIC Stamp
I dont have a BASIC Stamp 2. But Ive been doing an incredible amount of research on them, reading alot of PDFS on how to do this and how to do that, just to see what the limits of it are. In one PDF I found a picture and it was of a millipede or centipede created at some University (I cant quite remember the name but I know it starts with an H :S). Anyway, it stated that they had linked multiple Basic Stamp 2 microcontrollers together and Ive been looking up for 2 days now and cant find anything and I was wondering if anyone knew how to do this, what the advantges and disadvantages are, and the limits of doing so.

Thanks for any info you can give.

Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2007-08-01 03:03
    The Basic Stamp manual discusses this in the sections on the SEROUT and SERIN commands. There's a two-part column in Nuts and Volts about networking Stamps. Have a look through the Nuts and Volts columns downloadable from Parallax's main webpage.

    A bit of advice ... There's only so much you can learn by doing research. At some point, you have to actually try something. You'll find that you make a lot of assumptions from just reading about something like the Stamps and, when you actually try to use them, you find that they are both easier and harder to use than you thought and that you can both do more than you thought and less than you thought.

    Regarding linking Stamps ... What do you already know about networking? If you don't know about networking in general (and I don't mean expert knowledge), an explanation specific to the Stamps won't be that useful. Tell us something about your existing experience and knowledge and what you'd like to accomplish.
  • TheFallenTheFallen Posts: 3
    edited 2007-08-07 23:10
    I know that there is only so much you can do with research, but it gives you a heads up as to whether it is something you want to spend time with or not. I would be using the basic stamp more or less for research for more complex things. I have no previous experience with networking at all, though I do have extended programming experience with QBASIC, C++, HTML, and G, though only the QBASIC would help me with the Basic Stamp.

    Basically I want to be able to make a robot capable of reacting and integrating in real time with its environment. The Basic Stamp, I was hoping would be a stepping stone fundamental to help me get into higher levels of robotics.
  • Bryan K.Bryan K. Posts: 47
    edited 2007-09-06 19:32
    Try looking into I2C. I am currently trying to link a Propeller and a PIC over an I2C data link. This, if configured right, will allow multiple BS2's on the same 2 wire interface.
  • TheFallenTheFallen Posts: 3
    edited 2007-09-07 00:41
    Hi Bryan K.
    What exactly would I2C do? I have just started in robotics, and circuitry as well. Ive done a fair amount of research, but there is ALOT I still dont understand with components, networking, ect. Could you kinda give me some info on how this could be done? I would love any information, even links that could·help me better comprehend this kind of stuff. For example, I havent a clue how PIC works or how to integrate it into anything. Once again, any help would be nice.

    Thanks
  • allanlane5allanlane5 Posts: 3,815
    edited 2007-09-07 13:20
    The Basic Stamp (BS2) is an ideal 'first processor' for doing this sort of thing. It's pretty simple to program, it's pretty robust, it's extremely reliable. It can drive R/C 'Servo' motors for positioning, or 'modified' R/C Servo's for 'wheel' motors with direction control.

    Basically, a BS2 gives you 16 I/O pins, plus an RS-232 port for programming and interactive control. The 'module' consists of a PIC 16C57 programmed with Parallax's proprietary run-time PBasic environment, a 2K byte eeprom for permanent on-module program storage and execution, a resonator 'clock', a linear voltage regulator (so you can power it with any 6 to 20 volts DC source), and a couple of transistors to make an RS-232 port.

    This approach relieves you of having to create a reliable clock generator, power management, buying a separate language IDE, or learning PIC assembly code.

    The only drawback that I can see is that it runs rather slowly (2000 Basic Instructions Per Second) and only has 26 bytes of memory. However, for 'beginning' real-time projects, and for simple robots, it's ideal. Especially at the price -- the BOE-Bot kit (http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28132) for $150 provides you with the processor, the Board Of Education (BOE) for programming and interface prototyping, and the BOE-Bot chassis with servo's and collision avoidance electronics.

    This lets you 'try out' your concepts "in the small" and prove out what works. And if it turns out you need or want more speed, Parallax has more 'flavors' of BS2 with better speed (at slightly higher cost) as well as the extremely capable SX or Propellor platforms. Note the 'faster' platforms can also have a longer learning curve if you're starting from scratch, so starting with a BS2 'prototype' is still a good idea.
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