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Question about BASIC Stamp? — Parallax Forums

Question about BASIC Stamp?

sirknight115sirknight115 Posts: 4
edited 2008-01-07 03:17 in BASIC Stamp
Hello,
·I am very new to this and thinking about using this product but I have a question before I buy a kit. What· I am trying to do is run a program that will sent Keystrokes to another computer though a USB port, can I do this with BASIC Stamp? The program will have to logon to another computer using a windows login prompt or a linux prompt.· I think I seen a BASIC Stamp that was a USB but I am not to sure about this? Could someone answer my question?
Thank You

Comments

  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2008-01-06 03:03
    What you want to do you can not do with the stamp. That does not mean you can not use a stamp in your final project.

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    - Stephen
  • sirknight115sirknight115 Posts: 4
    edited 2008-01-06 03:07
    Hello,
    Thank You for your reply! I just wanted to make sure about this! before I brought a kit. I though you can load the program up in BASIC Stamp and it will run off the Stamp and will not need any external power source and all the coding will run off the Stamp? Well I guess I have to look into something else?
    Thank You
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2008-01-06 03:13
    A Stamp cannot "pretend to be" a USB keyboard. Some of the Stamp development boards come with a USB to serial port adapter for programming purposes and a Stamp can send serial data through it to a host computer. Windows doesn't really have the ability to use a serial port for a console, but Linux does and a Stamp could logon to a Linux system via a USB serial port and a USB to serial adapter. If you use the programming port, you'll have to deal with the Stamp's echoing of information sent by the PC. An alternative would be to use a separate USB to serial adapter connected to a pair of I/O pins (other than the programming interface). That wouldn't have the echo issue.

    Both the SX and the Propeller are theoretically capable of acting as a USB slave / keyboard, but I'm not sure if anyone has actually done it yet. I remember someone mentioning on the Propeller forum about working on something like this, but I don't remember how far they got.

    Regarding your comment about the Stamp running independently... That's how it works. You use a serial connection to download compiled programs and you can use the same connection for debugging. Once your program works, you can disconnect the Stamp from the PC and all it needs is a power source. If your project doesn't require much power (< 50mA total), you can use the regulator on the Stamp module. In that case, you can use any DC power source from 6 to 9V. If your power requirements are low enough, you could actually run the Stamp off 12V. The built-in regulator doesn't have a heatsink and it's limited by power dissipation above 9V.

    Post Edited (Mike Green) : 1/6/2008 3:20:00 AM GMT
  • sirknight115sirknight115 Posts: 4
    edited 2008-01-06 03:22
    Good to hear this! I have a network running at home! running at least 10 computers but when I don't used some of them I shut them down until the next time I need them. So what I was think of doing was find a program or something that would act like I am in front of the computer and do all the work for me. Sound like I am cheating but this will help me out with my job! I just though if I build a device that will sent keystokes to the computer I would be able to free some of my time, but thanks for your help! I will keep on looking for something!! I like what I see around here! I do some electronic work and was thinking of different ways I can used the BASIC Stamp and this was one way but I guess I can't! Well I will think of something else.
    Thank You
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2008-01-06 03:46
    Hmmm. This reminds of the episode on the Simpsons in which Homer works from a computer at home and employs one of those perpetual-motion drinking birds to tap the keyboard for him. For your nefarious scheme, you might consider the MoBoStamp-pe. It can be powered entirely from the USB port, and you can turn off the echo that Mike was referring to. But please tell me you don't work for a nuclear power plant! smile.gif

    -Phil
  • sirknight115sirknight115 Posts: 4
    edited 2008-01-06 03:50
    I remeber that episode of the Simpsons!! Maybe I can get one of those birds to work for me! all they have to do is tap on the Keyboard all day! Thank's Phil I will look into this also! I just want to save some time and work, but the birds sound like a GREAT idea! I should contact FOX's and asked them about the birds.
    Thank You
  • Dave-WDave-W Posts: 94
    edited 2008-01-07 02:56
    All,
    I think the Stamp,BS2P, and espically the Propeller would be more than enough power to send a few characters to the server to get it to boot. After all a keyboard emulator is noting more than sending some ASCII characters to the host. The only problem would be the USB interface that he would have to use the FTDI chip or pre made Serial to USB converter. As far a power, he could borrow some power from the host CPU USB port with a little wireing and a LV regulator. That does not to seem to be a big chore, just a little time. If sirknight115 is typing the same keys every time to boot the computer I do not see any reason a Stamp won't work.
    Dave

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    D. A. Wreski
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2008-01-07 03:17
    The Basic Stamp Motherboard (www.parallax.com/Store/Microcontrollers/BASICStampModules/tabid/134/CategoryID/9/List/0/SortField/0/Level/a/ProductID/451/Default.aspx) can be powered by its USB serial port and could certainly do the job.

    Hitt Consulting's Prop Dongle (www.hittconsulting.com/products/propdongle/) can do the same sort of thing using a Propeller.
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