After years of relying on the Basic Stamp modules for my personal and business projects, I decided to try something new. I have written many microcontroller programs in machine code, all the way back to the Intel 8048, but in the last few years I have used controller chips that program in basic. It’s easier and faster for me to develop a simple program to do a specific task using basic. I started with the Z8 by Zillog, and then the BS1 Basic Stamp.
Now I’m giving the Picaxe 08M2 a try. I ordered a proto board and programming cable from the U.S. Supplier picaxe.com and of course some 08M2 chips.
The proto board can also be used as a programmer with the AXE027 USB cable. When building the board, I decided to install a zero insertion force ZIF socket I robbed from a hamfest PCB to make life easier.
My next step is to build a test fixture with LED’s and switches to make a rapid prototyping system.