BOE-USB manual v1.4

ManualsBrandsParallax ManualsMicrocontroller KitsBoard of Education (USB) - Full Kit

Software and Hardware Installation:

1. Place the 4 rubber feet on the back of the board. in the spaces provided near each corner, but do not

cover the mounting holes. The feet will protect the back of the board from shorts and damage.

2. Insert the BASIC Stamp module into the socket.

Be sure to orient it properly, matching the small and

large chips on the module with the graphics on the board. Press down gently but firmly, being careful

not to bend any pins under the board.

3. Connect Power to your Board.

Place the 3-position switch to Off (position 0). Attach a 9V battery to

the battery clip, or plug in a 6-9V 300 mA wall-mount supply. (If you will use your board with a 4-cell

AA battery pack, you must use 1.5V alkaline batteries - 1.2V rechargeable batteries supply a total of

4.8 V - not enough voltage for this 5 V device.) Move the switch to position 1(power to board only)

and verify that the power light comes on. Do not connect your board to your PC yet.

4. Install the BASIC Stamp Editor Software

v2.2 or higher - it is available as a free download from

http://www.parallax.com/downloads.

5. Install the Virtual Com Port Drivers

Browse to http://www.parallax.com, and click on the USB Drivers

button on the home page. Follow the instructions on the Installing

USB Drivers page.1

Step 1

: Download the Parallax USB Driver Installer

Step 2

: Run the Installer, following the steps provided by the

Wizard prompts.

Step 3

: Connect your Hardware.

Verifying your BASIC Stamp Programming Connection

In the BASIC Stamp Editor, from the toolbar menu

select Run → Identify. The Identification Window will

open, showing the status of the COM ports detected by

the BASIC Stamp Editor. Communication is confirmed

by a “Yes” in both the Loopback and Echo columns.

However, when using USB-based communication such

as with the BOE-USB, the Loopback column does not

always give reliable results, and a “YES” in the Echo

column is usually sufficient confirmation of

communication, and the Loopback status can be ignored.

CAUTION: Connecting and Disconnecting your USB Board Safely

Your PC is communicating with the BASIC Stamp through a virtual COM port that will open and close

each time you connect and disconnect your Board of Education USB. To avoid hanging up your

operating system, take these precautions:

y Close the Debug Terminal before reprogramming, disconnecting, or reconnecting your board to

the USB port. If you forget to do this, you may receive and error message and/or freeze the BASIC

Stamp Editor when you next try to download a program. If this happens, close the BASIC Stamp

Editor with the Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete). If you do this repeatedly, you may need to reboot

your computer and/or reinstall the USB VCP drivers.

y If your BASIC Stamp is actively transmitting data via its port (using the DEBUG or SEROUT 16

commands) and you disconnect and reconnect your board, the BASIC Stamp Editor may

misidentify it. To avoid this, turn off power to your board before reconnecting it to your PC.