Chapter 1
Introducing the BASIC Stamp
IN THIS CHAPTER
Examining the BASIC Stamp microcontroller
Learning how to download a program to a BASIC Stamp microcontroller
Building some simple BASIC Stamp projects
This chapter introduces you to the BASIC Stamp microcontroller, one of several popular microcontrollers available today. In subsequent chapters in this minibook, you learn the details of using the BASIC Stamp microcontroller, including how to write the programs that control the BASIC Stamp’s operation.
Introducing the BASIC Stamp
The BASIC Stamp is a microcontroller made by Parallax, a company started by two kids fresh out of high school in 1986. A BASIC Stamp is an essentially complete, self-contained computer system. Depending on the model, the Stamp (as it’s usually called) is either a single chip or a small circuit board.
The key feature that sets BASIC Stamp microcontrollers apart from other microcontrollers is that BASIC Stamps include a built-in programming language called PBASIC (Parallax’s modified version of BASIC). This programming language makes it easy to create programs that run on the BASIC Stamp. With most other microcontrollers, programming is much more difficult ...
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