BASIC Stamp FAQ

STAMP FAQS TABLE OF CONTENTS
Last Revised On: 7/21/00 Page: ii
GENERAL INFORMATION 4
WHAT IS THE BASIC STAMP? 4
DOES THE BASIC STAMP LOSE ITS PROGRAM WHEN I REMOVE THE BATTERY OR POWER SUPPLY? 4
DOES THE BASIC STAMP COME IN DIFFERENT VERSIONS? 5
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BASIC STAMP REV. D (SOMETIMES JUST CALLED “BASIC STAMP”) AND
THE BASIC STAMP I? 5
HOW BIG IS THE BASIC STAMP? 6
HOW BIG ARE THE BASIC STAMP I AND BASIC STAMP II CARRIER BOARDS? 6
HOW DO I POWER THE BASIC STAMP? 6
HOW MUCH CURRENT DOES THE BASIC STAMP CONSUME? 6
IS THE BASIC STAMP SENSITIVE TO STATIC ELECTRICITY? 6
ARE THERE ANY PRODUCTION POSSIBILITIES WITH THE BASIC STAMP? 7
WHAT ITEMS DO I NEED TO GET STARTED WITH THE BASIC STAMP? 7
HOW CAN I MAKE MY OWN BASIC STAMP CIRCUIT? 7
WHAT KIND OF MICROCHIPS ARE USED IN THE BASIC STAMP? 7
FUNCTIONAL INFORMATION 7
WHAT KIND OF OPERATING ENVIRONMENT DOES THE BASIC STAMP REQUIRE? 7
WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BASIC STAMPS ? 8
IS THE BASIC STAMP II BETTER THAN THE BASIC STAMP I? 8
IS THE BASIC STAMP IISX BETTER THAN THE BASIC STAMP II? 8
HOW MANY I/O PINS DOES THE BASIC STAMP HAVE? 9
WHAT CAN I USE THE I/O PINS FOR? 9
CAN THE I/O PINS BE USED TO CONTROL RELAYS , SOLENOIDS AND OTHER SIMILAR DEVICES ? 9
CAN I CONTROL LEDS WITH THE I/O PINS? 9
HOW MUCH CURRENT CAN THE I/O PINS HANDLE? 9
WHAT IS THE INPUT IMPEDANCE OF THE BASIC STAMP’S I/O PINS? 9
HOW FAST DOES THE BASIC STAMP EXECUTE ITS PBASIC CODE? 9
WHAT IS THE VIN PIN USED FOR? 10
HOW DOES THE VDD PIN WORK? 10
HOW DOES THE RESET PIN (RES) WORK? 10
HOW DOES THE ATN (ATTENTION) PIN WORK (BASIC STAMP II, BASIC STAMP IIE AND BASIC STAMP
IISX)? 10
HOW MUCH CURRENT CAN THE BASIC STAMP’S ON-BOARD REGULATOR PROVIDE? 11
CAN THE BASIC STAMP GENERATE A SINE WAVE? 11
CAN THE BASIC STAMP GENERATE A SINE WAVE ON TWO PINS AT ONCE? 11
CAN THE BASIC STAMP GENERATE MORE THAN ONE SINE WAVE ON A PIN AT THE SAME TIME? 11
CAN THE BASIC STAMP GENERATE SQUARE WAVES ? 11
DOES THE BASIC STAMP INCLUDE A REAL TIME CLOCK FUNCTION? 11
DOES THE BASIC STAMP HAVE A BUILT-IN TIMER? 11
DOES THE BASIC STAMP SUPPORT INTERRUPTS? 12
DOES THE BASIC STAMP II, BASIC STAMP IIE OR BASIC STAMP IISX HAVE THE SAME BSAVE/BSLOAD
FEATURE AVAILABLE IN THE BASIC STAMP I? 12