A possible way to improve manual2?

I wonder if others think this would be a useful improvement to the usefulness of manual2...

Instead of just showing images of the various picaxe chips at the left of each Basic Command, place a (port.)number next to each pin that can be used with the command that corresponds with the pin part of that command.
For example, if the count command can use an input pin, those pins would have numbers and the others would be blank; if the command assumes the use of a particular pin or pins (e.g. hi2cout) put some label (e.g. a tick or "sda") next to those pins.

This would help in several ways: it save time looking up another manual to see which pin is which, it avoids silly mistakes due to the 2-stage lookup process because those pins are clearly marked next to the command, and it may reduce problems of ambiguity (pin number/leg number/ADC channel can be all different, and X2 conventions are different to the rest), and in some cases the command might say it works with "an input pin" but some people might wonder if that includes (say) a serial input pin.

One possible problem I can see with this is that the largest two chips, the 28 and 40 pin picaxes, would either need to be shown separately (taking more vertical space on the page) or have multiple columns of labels beside the pins, taking extra space horizontally... although even for one of the more complicated examples of combining 28x and 40x parts in one diagram (example picture attached, perhaps fancier than it needs to be) it isn't too bad, I think. I used different colours for X2, X1, etc types in my test example, but colour is not essential ... a B&W copy is still okay.

Without trying to combine different sized chips, the diagrams can be simpler, and about as small as they are now, of course.

Another approach would be to take one chip, say a 20M2 and make a big, clear poster with columns beside each pin for each type of main command (e.g. readadc10, input/pulsin, pwmout, etc)... not sure if I saw something a bit like that already somewhere.

What do others think?

IMHO, the suggested data on each command page in Manual 2 will occupy a lot of the available page area and likely be more confusing for some folks.

If you do not want to have Manual 1 open at pages 9, 10 or 11
Then consider the PICAXE online chip pin-out diagrams. See: http://www.picaxe.com/What-is-PICAXE/PICAXE-Pinouts/

If the pin has IN against it on the diagram then it can be an input,
if the pin has OUT against it, then it can be an output.

Consider the M2 parts such as the 14M2, the SerialIn pin can be a digital input (but only after the DISCONNECT command is executed)
Where do Rev Ed stop in putting more and more information against each little diagram on the Manual2 pages.

I keep a laminated hard copy of Manual 1 page 10 handy on my desk.
Generally, I only use 08M2, 14M2 & 20M2's.

Neil.

The existing practice of having chip outlines at the left of the page takes more space than is needed to convey the information it currently does (e.g. showing that the 08,08M,08M2,14M2,18M2 20X2,28X2 and 40X2 can be used with the pwm command). Having all those pins shown on the diagram and not even a tick beside them to show they could relate to the command on this page seems a bit of a waste.

But! Trying to show all information that could be needed for using any chip is, I admit, going too far because of space constraints... I wish my previous posting had concentrated on the good, helpful information (yet still not everything) that could be shown without taking up much or any more space. I have included a quick little diagram to show what can be done in the existing space that I think will help. Another option would simply to use ticks beside relevant pins.

I also think that some particular commands are especially difficult to understand without a diagram of what pins relate to it (with what names) on each chip... the main ones being: pwmout and readadc10 in my opinion. I think making the effort to provide a diagram (or perhaps table) to remove ambiguities in the wording of manual2 for these commands (apart from the benefit in avoiding the two-step lookup process) could help the less experienced users quite a lot.

Note that there used to be a table under the READADC command (the latest copy of manual2 refers to the table in the text of the READADC10 command, but it isn't there). I think that information is even more worthwhile with the complication in channel naming conventions with X2 parts, and I think a table of columns beside the pins is the best way to show it.

Also, although the convention for naming pins has moved from integers like 1 to port names like C.1 (with the ADC channels in X2 parts being an exception), it is still good to make clear what you access if you do put a variable in the "pin" or "channel" position of commands, and so select the pin numerically.