BasicMicro - Forums

I just purchased and recieved the Atom lab board. Looking it over I have a few questions.

Is there a schematic available? The LCD screen interfaces to the I/O with what pins or is it set to the hardware serial port? Servos interface to the I/O pins how?

Yeesh, these guys are short on schematics on their website. This is not surprising as they're not giving away proprietary info for free.

Still, look at this LCD enclosure sheet:
http://basicmicro.com/downloads/docs/Atomlcdenclosure.pdf

They give the connections from the LCD connector to the signals and power pins. R2 is the 20K pot used to set the LCD's contrast. Pin 1 of the connector is shown as a square pad. The board labeling pretty much tells you where everything goes by pin position. It's safe to say they use the same LCD device and pinouts between all their designs. Take a DMM set to continuity (resistance, low Ohms setting, some sounder enabled for low readings) and buzz out the connections from the LCD connector back to the module socket WITHOUT THE MODULE OR LCD INSTALLED. This will confirm that the data sheet I provided matches the board you have. If you have 14 to 16 pins at the connector, that's probably what you have. If it's 3 or 4 pins, it's the serial version. Considering that it takes another processor mounted on the board with the LCD display to do serial, thus greatly increasing the cost of the display, this is unlikely.

As for servos, they usually are 5V, GND and a signal pin. Which I/O this is is your choice. Atom BASIC lets you pick the control pin. Using the board's GND is OK, but as a rule of thumb, you'll want to power the motor off another power supply. If you run a motor off the board's supply and the processor goes nuts, that's probably an indication you need another supply. Just be sure to hook the two supply's grounds together if you go with a separate supply. Hopefully the motor manufacturer or supplier tells how to identify which wire is which, usually by color coding. You'd better go to the Lynxmotion(.com) site from here to get more and better info about motor usage.

This looks a very capable development board. Enjoy.
kenjj

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kenjj
http://blog.basicmicro.com/
http://kjennejohn.wordpress.com/

I think there is a differance between privlaged info and product documentation.

I understand how servos work and how they need to be connected. There are male servo headers with no indication of attachment to any pin. All the other featers utalize a header so the circut ie pushbutton, led and pezo can be connected to a pin with a jumper wire.

I can figure it all out by dorking around for a little while. Now if this was documented in a 2 page PDF i could move on with my project right away.

I am not trying to complain because I am very happy with my atom and the board I just beleive a little documentation would make a good product better.

Mike, what these guys haven't put in their documentation filled two books: Jack Smith's guide to Micro Basic Pro, which contained the beta for version 5.3, and Chuck Huylebeck's (spelling?) guide for the Basic Atom. If you go over to Lynxmotion.com's forum for the Atom/Pro, you'll find a lot more useful information than in Basic Micro's site. If you visit BM's details site for their Micro Basic Pro, you see a commands and functions list that includes a lot of macros and inline assembly goodies that have yet to be discussed or detailed properly in any one place, let alone the manual. They are alluded to in the old forums, and probably better covered at Lynxmotion.

Sorry you have to reverse engineer the board. Why not call BM at 1-800-535-5131 and drop a bug in the ears at Sales? They may actually be working on this even as we speak and may release it sooner.

And enjoy the board.
kenjj

_________________
kenjj
http://blog.basicmicro.com/
http://kjennejohn.wordpress.com/

Ummm you ever tried an email? Docs aren't 100% complete but schematics are always available.

I did try email First thing I did It was sent 09-10-08 and still have not got a reply.

I have figured out all the things I needed to know, still time wasted that could have been put to better use

Don't know what happen to your email but we check them about 10 times a day. Sorry. Next time have a little more faith. Send a second email or call. Docs will be complete soon.

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Servo Controller - ARC32!

I have now been able to use the lab board for while. This along with Chuck Hellebuyck's book has really made learning how to use the Atom easy.

Are the interpeter chips still avalable?

Hi, Mike.
Yes, interpreter chips are still available, in both the 28 pin DIP and 40 pin DIP version. Both are $20 each. I just ordered two of each. There are other bootloading chips with their own BASICS out there, for less cost, but the Atom BASIC hammers them every time.

Did you ever try to get the schematic for this from them?
What are doing with the board now?

Happy holidays!
kenjj

_________________
kenjj
http://blog.basicmicro.com/
http://kjennejohn.wordpress.com/

I build amature rockets. These rockets are between 8 to 12 ft long 6in in dia. and reach altitudes of 30,000 ft.

To bring these rockets down 2 different parchtes are deployed. The first is a small drouge chute that comes out at the peak and the main is deployed at a lower altitude (say 1000ft). The parachutes are deployed using a small black powder charge to pressureise the chamber and seperate the rocket bringing the parachute out into the airstream.

To do this an accelrometer is monitered for launch detection and peak of flight. At this point an e-match is ignited seting off the first BP charge. Then a baro sensor is monitered to ignite the second e-match at altitude.

I am also logging all sensor plus GPS information to a sd card. The GPS information is sent to the base station using the Maxstream 9xtend radio modem.

The lab board has made prototyping ith these devices quick and easy.

Hey! That's impressive! I put together a small Estes kit as a teenager. It shed the fins as it launched, turned 90 degrees, and raced across a meadow reeeal quick! Never did find the carcass.

I take it you install components in the bread board? How do you keep all these in place under high gees? What's the battery you're using?

Happy Holidays!
kenjj

_________________
kenjj
http://blog.basicmicro.com/
http://kjennejohn.wordpress.com/

No I don't use the breadboard on board the rocket it just makes prototyping easier.

I don't have this project completed but a good share of it done. I started with a Stamp but I hit its limit quick. It is not fast enough for the sd module but I have flown with accelertion , baro and RTC all stored in an external eeprom.

I have not flown the Atom yet but have it working the way I want minus the maxstream here on the ground.(Santa will drop it off) I will have multiple test flights this spring using a smaller airframe.

I usually solder everything to perf board I do eventully want toget a custom board made.

Well, here's hoping Santa reads these forums occasionally.
kenjj

_________________
kenjj
http://blog.basicmicro.com/
http://kjennejohn.wordpress.com/