31-03-2014, 04:07 PM
What’s a Microcontroller?
HOW MANY MICROCONTROLLERS DID YOU USE TODAY?
A microcontroller is a kind of miniature computer that you can find in all kinds of
gizmos. Some examples of common, every-day products that have microcontrollers
built-in are shown in Figure 1-1. If it has buttons and a digital display, chances are it also
has a programmable microcontroller brain.
Try making a list and counting how many devices with microcontrollers you use in a
typical day. Here are some examples: if your clock radio goes off, and you hit the snooze
button a few times in the morning, the first thing you do in your day is interact with a
microcontroller. Heating up some food in the microwave oven and making a call on a
cell phone also involve operating microcontrollers. That’s just the beginning. Here are a
few more examples: turning on the television with a handheld remote, playing a handheld
game, using a calculator, and checking your digital wristwatch. All those devices have
microcontrollers inside them that interact with you.
THE BASIC STAMP 2 - YOUR NEW MICROCONTROLLER
Parallax, Inc.’s BASIC Stamp® 2 module shown in Figure 1-2 has a microcontroller built
onto it. It’s the black chip with lettering on it that reads “PIC16C57”. The rest of the
components on the BASIC Stamp module are also found in consumer appliances you use
every day. All together, they are correctly called an embedded computer system. This
name is almost always shortened to just “embedded system”. Frequently, such modules
are commonly just called “microcontrollers.”
The activities in this text will guide you through building circuits similar to the ones
found in consumer appliances and high-tech gizmos. You will also write computer
programs that the BASIC Stamp module will run. These programs will make the BASIC
Stamp module monitor and control these circuits so that they perform useful functions.
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
Getting started with BASIC Stamp microcontroller modules is similar to getting started
with a brand-new PC or laptop. The first things that most people have to do when they
get a new PC or laptop is take it out of the box, plug it in, install and test some software,
and maybe even write some software of their own using a programming language. If this
is your first time using a BASIC Stamp module, you will be doing all these same
activities. If you are in a class, your hardware may already be all set up for you. If this is
the case, your teacher may have other instructions. If not, this chapter will take you
through all the steps of getting your new BASIC Stamp microcontroller up and running.
ACTIVITY #1: GETTING THE SOFTWARE
The BASIC Stamp Editor (version 2.0 or higher) is the software you will use in most of
the activities and projects in this text. You will use this software to write programs that
the BASIC Stamp module will run. You can also use this software to display messages
sent by the BASIC Stamp that help you understand what it senses.
Connecting the Hardware
Both the Board of Education and the BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board come with a strip
that has four adhesive rubber feet. These rubber feet are shown in Figure 1-24, and they
should be affixed to the underside of your Board of Education or BASIC Stamp
HomeWork Board.
HOW MANY MICROCONTROLLERS DID YOU USE TODAY?
A microcontroller is a kind of miniature computer that you can find in all kinds of
gizmos. Some examples of common, every-day products that have microcontrollers
built-in are shown in Figure 1-1. If it has buttons and a digital display, chances are it also
has a programmable microcontroller brain.
Try making a list and counting how many devices with microcontrollers you use in a
typical day. Here are some examples: if your clock radio goes off, and you hit the snooze
button a few times in the morning, the first thing you do in your day is interact with a
microcontroller. Heating up some food in the microwave oven and making a call on a
cell phone also involve operating microcontrollers. That’s just the beginning. Here are a
few more examples: turning on the television with a handheld remote, playing a handheld
game, using a calculator, and checking your digital wristwatch. All those devices have
microcontrollers inside them that interact with you.
THE BASIC STAMP 2 - YOUR NEW MICROCONTROLLER
Parallax, Inc.’s BASIC Stamp® 2 module shown in Figure 1-2 has a microcontroller built
onto it. It’s the black chip with lettering on it that reads “PIC16C57”. The rest of the
components on the BASIC Stamp module are also found in consumer appliances you use
every day. All together, they are correctly called an embedded computer system. This
name is almost always shortened to just “embedded system”. Frequently, such modules
are commonly just called “microcontrollers.”
The activities in this text will guide you through building circuits similar to the ones
found in consumer appliances and high-tech gizmos. You will also write computer
programs that the BASIC Stamp module will run. These programs will make the BASIC
Stamp module monitor and control these circuits so that they perform useful functions.
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
Getting started with BASIC Stamp microcontroller modules is similar to getting started
with a brand-new PC or laptop. The first things that most people have to do when they
get a new PC or laptop is take it out of the box, plug it in, install and test some software,
and maybe even write some software of their own using a programming language. If this
is your first time using a BASIC Stamp module, you will be doing all these same
activities. If you are in a class, your hardware may already be all set up for you. If this is
the case, your teacher may have other instructions. If not, this chapter will take you
through all the steps of getting your new BASIC Stamp microcontroller up and running.
ACTIVITY #1: GETTING THE SOFTWARE
The BASIC Stamp Editor (version 2.0 or higher) is the software you will use in most of
the activities and projects in this text. You will use this software to write programs that
the BASIC Stamp module will run. You can also use this software to display messages
sent by the BASIC Stamp that help you understand what it senses.
Connecting the Hardware
Both the Board of Education and the BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board come with a strip
that has four adhesive rubber feet. These rubber feet are shown in Figure 1-24, and they
should be affixed to the underside of your Board of Education or BASIC Stamp
HomeWork Board.