BASIC Stamp

The BASIC Stamp is actually member of a large family of controllers from Parallax.

A Stamp contains:

a Central Processing Unit (CPU)
a connection to install (download) programs into the Stamp
memory where a program may be stored for execution - even with the power off
input and output connections

Programs are edited and compiled on a personal computer, then downloaded into the Stamp for storage and execution. Most stamps are programmed in a version of the BASIC computer language.

Parallax, Good And Bad

The good thing about the BASIC Stamp family of controllers from Parallax is that there are so many to choose from.

The bad thing about Parallax BASIC Stamps is that there are so many to choose from. Really! The number of choices is literally bewildering!

Let's browse the assortment as of May 2005....

There are many different versions of the Stamp itself:

9 "regular" BASIC Stamp versions
plus the Javalin Stamp
plus versions embedded in development boards (e.g. "BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board")
plus industrial versions

The industrial versions are not a big deal, because they are concerned with operating environment factors. Basically, it's a "suffix". But the numerous other versions make for a complex feature selection matrix!

There are many different form factors:

24-pin DIP
40-pin DIP
14-pin SIP
attached to boards (e.g. BASIC Stamp Rev. D)
embedded on development boards (e.g. "BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board")
OEM versions

Most Stamps are developed and/or used while mounted on carrier boards. There are many carrier boards, too:

9 versions (without embeds)
plus 2 versions embedded in development boards (e.g. "BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board")
plus the Javelin Stamp Demo Board

Some haunters claim that BASIC Stamps are too expensive, because you can program a bare PIC or Atmel CPU for a fraction of the price. This isn't really a fair comparison, because working with a bare MCU is arguably more difficult.

There are two main programming interfaces, BS1-style and BS2-style. But PC interfaces come in three types (parallel, serial, and USB). So there are numerous permutations: