Programming and Customizing the BASIC Stamp Computer [With Enclosed]

Fun, easy to read and understand, with loads of hand-on very well written instructions and a big bonus- excellent photos to help build your stamp projects. You won't be disappointed!

Extremely clear and well written. Fills in areas where the Stamp manuals are weak. The included CD is as useful as the book. The CD includes Stamp 1 & 2 programming software, the Basic program code for the original Stamp manuals, and the excellent series on Stamps that Scott wrote for Nuts & Volts Magazine.

Scott Edward's book is targetted for the beginner that wants to get into electronics and has heard that the Stamp is a pretty neat thing. The book starts out with an introduction to the Stamp and Electronics in general. Included is a pretty good primer on prototyping circuits. From this, the user is give more detail on the Stamp (including how to build programmer cables) followed by "Boot Camp": an introduction to programming the Stamp and basic I/O. Scott spends equal time on the BS1 and BS2 and notes differences between the two. My only disappointment with the book is while he introduces the more advanced I/O functions ("DEBUG", "SERIN", "SEROUT" and "BUTTON") in the example projects and appendices, he doesn't explicity explain them or give hints based on his experience. The majority of the book is dedicated to the twelve projects presented in the book and this is where the reader will learn the most abo! ! ut the Stamp. The projects focus on interfacing to other devices and this is where the book really shines. LCD (not surprisingly), RS-232 Serial, Keypad, Servo, temperature probe and an Ultrasonic (!) interfaces caught my eye.

Well-known from his BASIC Stamp column in Nuts & Volts Magazine Scott Edwards summarizes most of the aspects of dealing with Parallax's BASIC Stamp Single-Chip Microcontrollers. The beginner can get help in understanding electronic fundamentals as components and building electronics circuits before starting with BASIC Stamp experiments. Scott imparts the first knowledge about the BASIC Stamp in two didactic well-guided chapters before some interesting applications follow. The appendix gives a BASIC Stamp Quick Reference Guide and some fundamentals needed in the practical work always again. The added CD contains the development environment for both types of BASIC Stamp and a lot of source text completed with information from Parallax and Nuts & Volts magazine. I am sure, Scott's book will help people with different background to understand the small but fascinating BASIC Stamp and will be widely read therefore.