Sooo, what am i getting myself into ? :)

K

kkeliswow

New Member
Hi all

I am new to all this picaxe programming and stuff :)

What drew my attention to picaxe was this amazing propeller clock i saw on youtube one night about 3 weeks ago . I was so amazed that i decided to into this with more detail . So , after some research i decided to purchase a few days the picaxe-28 starters pack for some experimenting and when i obtain enough knowledge, ill make the clock out of it.

My main concern now is the programming part. I dont know much about programming . Just some minor html mainly and thats it . But i was really wondering if anybody out there can show me the coding for making a simple propellar clock . I just want to read it and see if i can understand what its talking about and mostly to see the structure of it so i can understand how i can start experimenting on mine.
As for other things like spinning movement etc i will sort that out later when i understand everything else.

Can anyone give me some advice on this ? What am i up against here ? :)

Thanks a lot :)
 
K

kkeliswow

New Member
hahah wow .. i just went through the code. Thats ridiculous in my eyes but i guess for a lot of , it makes perfect sense .

Can someone show me the way to picaxe coding ? Its mostly for a hobby so i have plenty of time to waste on reading everyday :)

Thanks .
 
bfgstew

bfgstew

Senior Member
You're getting into a whole lotta fun.........................

Simply read all the manuals, learn from them as much as possible, start little and work up, if you need help ask, the members are extremely helpful, if you give them the info to help you! But most of all have fun and enjoy and welcome to the wonderful world of PICAXE and the forum.

Stewart
 
K

kkeliswow

New Member
already did that using the high and low i think . I dont have the chip yet but according to the simulation ... it should make a LED flash.
 
C

Captain Haddock

Senior Member
Start simple projects and work up, you'll learn as you go and pick up tricks along the way.
The propellor clock is quite a complex project to undertake but you'll get there if realy want to.
 
G

geoff07

Senior Member
A fantastic thing to aim at, but the one in the vid uses "C" on a PIC, not Basic on a Picaxe, so to get a Picaxe to work fast enough you will probably need a high clock rate. It won't be easy to do so as already suggested, start small and build the skills you need (leds, position sensing, etc). You will get plenty of help here. "C" is much more difficult to get going with than Picaxe Basic so don't even think about it.

http://www.elektroda.pl/rtvforum/topic944484.html
 
hippy

hippy

Ex-Staff (retired)
Looks like it's been done with a 14M2 so should be possible with an X2 ...

http://www.picaxeforum.co.uk/showthread.php?20933-Propeller-clock-(POV

( Just spotted raits999 posted that link earlier )

There are some propeller clock style quiz machine game thingies out there which would likely ease a lot of the mechanics. Seen a few in charity shops going cheap but never got round to doing anything with the ones I have yet ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/University-Games-U00173-See-It/dp/B000CQD5HW
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Challenge-20Q-Radica/dp/B004V2XEQU
 
K

kkeliswow

New Member
Thank you all for the tips :)

it seems that it is very complex but my expectations are always low:) so ill work step by step ..... i just need to find some simple projects to do to get me going . So ill search around the net and find something ...

Thank alot everybody .
 
K

kkeliswow

New Member
eclectic .. thanks , i just had a look at it and looks great :) i thought i had to make that board or make my own kind of spinning device in order to make it work :) is there additional motors or something similar to finish the design ?

Westaust55 ... thanks a lot ... will spend alot of time there :)
 
K

kkeliswow

New Member
I have another question ... somebody mentioned earlier that for the pov clock posted before was written in C . .... does picaxe support C ? or is that another microcontroller and software ? Is the basic language provided in the manuals enough to do any easy/complex projects ? or is a more advanced type of coding needed ?

Hope you understand what i mean :) thanks
 
W

westaust55

Moderator
kkeliswow said:
somebody mentioned earlier that for the pov clock posted before was written in C . .... does picaxe support C ? or is that another microcontroller and software ? Is the basic language provided in the manuals enough to do any easy/complex projects ? or is a more advanced type of coding needed ?
Click to expand...
The PICAXE chips can only be programmed using the text based BASIC language as covering the the PICAXE manual 2 or with flow charting through the Rev Ed Programming Editor or Logicator software.

PICAXE BASIC is capable of doing many things but is slower than compiled languages such as "C" nd some variates of BASIC as used with non Rev Ed microcontrollers.
There are some tasks that folks wish to perform from time to time that cannot be performed due to speed or program command limitation but they are generally in the minority.
 
K

kkeliswow

New Member
I decided to start off with the POV clock as mentioned at the start . Now, Eclectic linked me this earlier http://www.techsupplies.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Store.TechSupplies/Products/AXE135S which seems very interesting . The board has a picaxe-20M on it already, so im assuming that i will be able to program that and just keep my picaxe-28 starters for practise.

What other parts will I need ? im guessing some kind of motor device i can purchase (but i cant find on that site) that spins that connects perfect to that board . Other then that .... is their anything else i might need ? cant think of something else .

Thanks
 
E

eclectic

Moderator
kkeliswow said:
I decided to start off with the POV clock as mentioned at the start . Now, Eclectic linked me this earlier http://www.techsupplies.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Store.TechSupplies/Products/AXE135S which seems very interesting . The board has a picaxe-20M on it already, so im assuming that i will be able to program that and just keep my picaxe-28 starters for practise.

What other parts will I need ? im guessing some kind of motor device i can purchase (but i cant find on that site) that spins that connects perfect to that board . Other then that .... is their anything else i might need ? cant think of something else .

Thanks
Click to expand...
Just so we all know where we are:

1. What Picaxe kit do you own already?

For the POV kit, you'll need a programming cable.

2. Do you already own / have access to
Soldering kit / Multimeter ......... etc.

3. Looks like a Stepper motor might fit the bill for the
"waver", but wait for other opinions.



e
 
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K

kkeliswow

New Member
Tomorrow or Tuesday i will have the picaxe-28 starters kit ( http://www.techsupplies.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Store.TechSupplies/Products/AXE001U ) which has the usb cable inside.

I have a soldering kit and i do have access to a multimeter but i never used it before :s (because i dont know how to use it :) ) I was just looking at the stepper motor in techsupplies ( http://www.techsupplies.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Store.TechSupplies/Products/GBX008 ) it looks exactly like what i need ,,, but the base is a bit to small .. might have to make a border of some sort or a frame to keep it steady so it wouldnt tip over. The looks of the motor seem right but i dont know how it will be attached to the board. Their isnt a picture of the other side of the board in the site.
 
E

eclectic

Moderator
kkeliswow said:
Tomorrow or Tuesday i will have the picaxe-28 starters kit ( http://www.techsupplies.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Store.TechSupplies/Products/AXE001U ) which has the usb cable inside.

I have a soldering kit and i do have access to a multimeter but i never used it before :s (because i dont know how to use it :) ) I was just looking at the stepper motor in techsupplies ( http://www.techsupplies.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Store.TechSupplies/Products/GBX008 ) it looks exactly like what i need ,,, but the base is a bit to small .. might have to make a border of some sort or a frame to keep it steady so it wouldnt tip over. The looks of the motor seem right but i dont know how it will be attached to the board. Their isnt a picture of the other side of the board in the site.
Click to expand...
Thanks.

Now, small steps. :)

1. Wait until the kit arrives. (That's the really difficult part:- Patience. :)

2. Get the 28 board up and running.

a. SLOWLY and carefully go through the datasheet.
Ask here if you need help.

3. Read the instructions for the multimeter.

4. Remember, this is NOT a "propellor" clock.
It is an "upside down" pendulum clock.

e
 
K

kkeliswow

New Member
Ok Eclectic ... thanks alot for all the help ... Ill forget everything and just get this kit up and running and i will make a new post for the datashee ..... gonna need some help on that for sure :)
 
E

eclectic

Moderator
While you're there, order a 20M2.

It's a much more "powerful" chip than the 20M.

It can hold many more "letters".

Sorry if this sounds like I'm spending your money. :)

e
 
K

kkeliswow

New Member
This one right ? http://www.techsupplies.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Store.TechSupplies/Products/AXE012M2SM

Is there anything else i need from this site ? cuz this is only the chip ... have in mind i have nothing else then a couple of tools ... multimeter ... and a soldering kit . So if this needs another board.. i will need to get that too .

And dont worry about the money thing.. im use to it ... im living with my girlfriend.... she doesnt work ... nuff said :)

Good point about the more letters thing ... i was meant to ask about that because i read it in the manual for the chip that the wand provides you with ..that the chip is not strong enough for the whole alphabet.
 
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