Chipaxe?
- Thread starter rgooge
- Start date
Looks like a lot of Chipaxe bashing going on here. Who was it that said it even has "Made in U.S.A." on it? How many years has rev-ed bought THOUSANDS, or Hunderds of Thousands, of microchips, (Made in the U.S.A.) then had a simple boot loader installed by Microchip (USA again), and called it Picaxe. Rev-ed has managed to contract enough chips, to have their name put on the chips. This, while boasting about their "US" made chip, with a bootloader as Their Great Invention. Not too bad, when you have a USA company make your product, give you all the specifications, and take credit for ALL of the USA produced chips1
Looks like a lot of Chipaxe bashing going on here. Who was it that said it even has "Made in U.S.A." on it? How many years has rev-ed bought THOUSANDS, or Hunderds of Thousands, of microchips, (Made in the U.S.A.) then had a simple boot loader installed by Microchip (USA again), and called it Picaxe. Rev-ed has managed to contract enough chips, to have their name put on the chips. This, while boasting about their "US" made chip, with a bootloader as Their Great Invention. Not too bad, when you have a USA company make your product, give you all the specifications, and take credit for ALL of the USA produced chips1
westaust55
Moderator
@jpyle,
steady on there . . .
Lets see, your first post in a couple of years and you jump onto a thread where to last post was over 2 years ago!
Revolution Education (Rev Ed) has always clearly promoted that the core element of the PICAXE has been PIC chips from Microchip in the US.
"PICAXE" as a name, although produced by Rev Ed in the UK, is registered with Microchip if my memory serves me correctly.
The Rev Ed documentation includes such statements as:
and from this webpage:
Rev Ed in fact PRODUCE a firmware package that is pre-installed in the PIC chips as a bootloader and BASIC interpreter. That is where their technology, patents and finance is tied up. They provide the programming software for free including future updates.
Looking at some Chipaxe history:
In 2009 those breadboard modules were combined with a new microcontroller breadboard module design called the Chipaxe module.
In December, 2011 Howtronics.com was launched.
Considering the conicidence of the December 2011 timing with your post, one could ask the question whether in bringing this thread to the fore are you in fact trying to promote the "Chipaxe" in its latest incarnation on the Rev Ed website - which is run primarily for helping folks interested in the PICAXE product range and associated projects using such PICAXE chips.
Is the name "Chipaxe" registered with Microchip.
How exactly does Chipaxe / Howtronics enhance a project for hobby or educational purposes,
They seemingly just bundle PIC chips, Pickit2/3 programmers and Microchip compilers (all these from Microchip) plus a small carrier PCB - all items that can be procured elsewhere.
There are plenty of PICAXE forum members here who reside in the US including at least one author of a PICAXE orientated book and professors/lecturers at US tertiary education insitutions. This forum may be UK based, but provides assitance worldwide without "knocking" any community or group.
Well there is my 2 cents work on New Years Eve.
Since I will be out dining and dancing (not "jiggling") from soon until after midnight I will wish all
a Happy and Prosperous New year.
Note Samoa has had the international date line moved relative to their island (and skipped the 30th Dec this year) so they are now the first community on earth to see in each new year. Good luck top them.
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First, you do notice that the thread was 2 years old with now recent posts before yours?
Second, as to who is blatantly copying other people and hyping minor developments, have a look at the website that Westaust refers to (if you are not connected to them anyway). Chipaxe - of course the allusion to Picaxe is purely at coincidental. Chipino - I guess just another lucky concidence that it reminds me of Arduino, as is the fact they are also offering "shields". Hey, good idea for their next product, how about "Chip Stamp", would fit right in
All this may not be illegal but it does give me the impression someone if trying to profit from other people's work and name recognition while contributing very little of his own (mounting DIP packaged chips on carrier boards that contain nothing but the chip and a couple of 0.1" SIP headers does not strike me as engineering genius...). While your charge that "all that Rev-Ed does is providing a bootloader" just shows that you either have no idea what you are talking about or are just about bashing them without regard for facts; as a matter of fact the bootloader is the smallest part of their IP, the main components being the Basic interpreter and the Programming Editor (compiler). Not even counting numerous development boards, kits, modules and so on.