Datasheet

BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board Features

1. 9V Battery Clip: You can use alkaline or rechargeable 9-volt batteries. Disconnect the battery to

turn off power to your board.

2. USB Programming Connector: This is a USB Mini B socket and USB to serial (RS-232) circuitry

for programming and for two-way serial communication between the BASIC Stamp and your

computer. The required USB drivers for Windows were included in the BASIC Stamp Editor

software installer; see the USB Drivers page at www.paralllax.com/usbdrivers for more

information.

3. Voltage regulator: Supplies regulated 5 V, up to 500 milliamps with a 9 V battery. This supplies

the BASIC Stamp and sockets labeled Vdd for circuits you will build on the breadboard area

4. Power header (X3): The sockets labeled (+5)Vdd connect to +5 VDC, (+)Vin connects directly

to the power supplied to the board by the battery clip (+9 VDC typical), and (-)Vss connects to 0

V (ground).

5. Breadboard: The breadboard has metal clips that run underneath the white plastic board in a

horizontal fashion. Each strip connects a 5-socket group, with two groups to each row, separated

by a center trench. Wires or legs of components plugged into the same 5-socket group will be

electrically connected. Components with many legs (such as pushbuttons or ICs), are placed in

the middle of the board so that half of the legs are on the left side and half are on the right side

of the trench. Note: Always disconnect power before building or modifying circuits!

6. I/O Pin Access Header (X4): The BASIC Stamp module's 16 I/O pins, labeled 0 to 15, are

connected to this header, so you can conveniently connect to your breadboard circuits. On this

board, there are 220-ohm resistors placed between the header and the BASIC Stamp I/O pins to

help prevent damage in case of a wiring mistake.

7. Reset Button: The reset button can be used to restart your BASIC Stamp without having to

cycle the power. This saves wear-and-tear on the battery clip for simple program restarts. Some

advanced programming techniques use the reset button and the BASIC Stamp EEPROM as a way

to toggle between different program functions.