Interfacing PBASIC with Visual Basic

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 00:39

Hi!

Would anyone here happen to know if there is any way to make a Visual Basic mask for a PBASIC program?

I need it to make an everyday use program for dimming lights.· I only need the controls to be in Visual Basic or some other visual programming language.

Thanks!!!!!

Franklin · 2007-08-29 00:48

The basic stamps communicate to the outside world using serial protocols. If your program can send and receive serial you can communicate tot the stamp. The rest is programming.

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- Stephen

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 00:51

do you know of any way to directly interface PBASIC with a visual mask?

I have the PBASIC file if you want to look at it.

Franklin · 2007-08-29 00:54

What is a visual mask?

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- Stephen

cyplesma · 2007-08-29 00:55

I give, what's a "Visual Basic Mask"?

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 00:55

A mask of controls in VB or another visual language that controls another language...in this case PBASIC

cyplesma · 2007-08-29 00:57

oh, so you don't have the pbasic editor and you want Visual Basic to create a PBAsic file from something you make in Visual Basic?

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 00:57

no, I have both, I just want the program to look real

cyplesma · 2007-08-29 00:58

ok, define real

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 00:59

as in, what programs on everyday computers look like

cyplesma · 2007-08-29 01:00

so you want a vb program to show the stamp and l/o lines out of the stamp with pictures of you leds going on/off according to the pbasic program?

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 01:01

noooo....I want the program to be in PBASIC, but I want to control the program using a visual mask...in VB or another visual mask

cyplesma · 2007-08-29 01:02

oook.

hold on.

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 01:03

i can't stay on long...I may have to see it tomorrow!

pwillard · 2007-08-29 01:05

Pbasic is written on the PC and then (for lack of a better word)·compiled and then·"flashed" into the Basic Stamp. It doesn't run on the PC so VB would have no access to it if that's what you are thinking.· You need to set up an MSCOMM control in your VB program to talk with the Stamp.· Once programmed and running, the STAMP could care less if the PC is there... even with DEBUG statements... it would just print them to thin air.

http://www.users.on.net/~cit/html/visual_basic_mscomm_control.html

·It's likely any other mechanism you can come up with will use the same or more interface pins to talk with the PC while it's running. You then create a protocol so VB and the Stamp know what each is saying.· As it was said above... the rest is programming.

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There's nothing like a new idea and a warm soldering iron.

cyplesma · 2007-08-29 01:06

oh I should ask are you using vb 6 or vb.net (2005)

my test program (vb.net 2005 express) doesn't always like to connect to the rs232 port, something about vb.net.

then the next question is the stamp telling your vb program want to light up? or is your vb program have buttons on it and making something on your stamp light up? or both?

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 01:06

so, I can possibly make a program to completely replace PBASIC?

cyplesma · 2007-08-29 01:07

It's likely any other mechanism you can come up with will use the same or more interface pins to talk with the PC while it's running. said...

nope that's it

pwillard · 2007-08-29 01:07

darth said...
so, I can possibly make a program to completely replace PBASIC?

no, not likely

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There's nothing like a new idea and a warm soldering iron.

Post Edited (pwillard) : 8/29/2007 1:14:07 AM GMT

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 01:07

I want to have buttons on the screen to control the lights, I have Vis.net

Franklin · 2007-08-29 01:07

What you want can be done. You just need to have your controls send serial data to the stamp where the stamp will execute code depending on what was sent.

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- Stephen

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 01:08

so what I should do is send commands to the Stamp to execute PBASIC code prewritten in the EEPROM??

cyplesma · 2007-08-29 01:09

let me find my two programs (VB & pbasic) that I have, give me a couple of secs.

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 01:11

I'm not really looking for anything automatic, I just want to know a basic idea of what I need to do to make the stamp program actually look real on the PC

pwillard · 2007-08-29 01:13

Darth... Stamps are very real. Hardly fake even. I think we are stumbling on what you mean by real.

I have a feeling what you want has already been done.

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There's nothing like a new idea and a warm soldering iron.

Franklin · 2007-08-29 01:14

Sure, the vb would send an "F" to the stamp and the stamp would read the serial input, get the "F" and do the code associated with the "F". It could also send back data to the vb program the same way.

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- Stephen

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 01:14

i just want a screen to control the Stamp that looks more realistic than the Debug window

cyplesma · 2007-08-29 01:15

check these files, one of the pbasic ones work with the vb one.

the vb prgm has three options (red yellow green) you click on the one you want to light up on the stamp.

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 01:15

could you kind of show me a sample of code that would do that?

cyplesma · 2007-08-29 01:17

with those programs the vb one send a "R" "Y" "G" to the stamp the stamp uses that to light up one of five pins, you set one of the pins for red led one for yellow led and one for green led.

like I said the vb .net (2005 express) rscom control does seem to be a little flakey for me so if you can find a way to unflake it please let me know.

darth_mascurse · 2007-08-29 01:18

btw, I'm using the USB version

Interfacing PBASIC with Visual Basic

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