ZBasic Forum

I am interested in the zx 24a. In searching I cannot find any board the controller uses.

Would like to know the best all around board for the zx 24a :.
programming board and carrier board. There doesn't seem to be a ZX-24 a development kit

scoll down this recent thread...

viewtopic.php?t=602

Since the ZX-24 and the ZX-24a are both pin-compatible with the BX-24, you can use any of the BX boards. I think it's been decided that there's no reason to re-invent the wheel.

There are several different BX boards available. I've used this one for years with no problems. I can't speak for the other versions though.

There's also the opinion that you don't really need a commercial programming board. Get yourself a decent sized breadboard, and make your own carrier/programming board. It's much more versitile than the premade versions.

-Don

bozooka wrote:I would like to know [what to use for a] programming board and carrier board. There doesn't seem to be a ZX-24 a development kit

The ZX series doesn't need a special programming board since they are programmed via the serial port. As for a development board, virtually any board that is designed for the Basic Stamp II or the BX-24 should work fine since the ZX-24a is pin-compatible with those processors. We have run a ZX in the Parallax Serial BOE; I expect that it would also work in the USB BOE. We have also run them in the the NetMedia BXDS-1 and Prof. Anderson's BX24 Protoboard.

My preference and recommendation is to use a solderless breadboard since they are more general purpose and can be used for many different projects. They are available in powered or unpowered form. An example of a powered breadboard can be found at Circuit Specialists. For an unpowered breadboard, to which you'll add your own power supply, see the examples at Jameco, JDR and other places.

Ha, beat you by mere seconds...


-Don

Thanks Don_Kirby, stevech and dkinzer for your speedy response. I have emailed phanderson on ebay about his board. Thanks again..

Here are several images showing the proto-board option. One larger board, with it's front panel, and a second smaller board.
Not fancy, but very functional!
JC

If the Zx 24a works with the boe usb board I have one of them. I guess I can give it a try.. I'll get one on order...

dkinzer wrote:

bozooka wrote:I would like to know [what to use for a] programming board and carrier board. There doesn't seem to be a ZX-24 a development kit

The ZX series doesn't need a special programming board since they are programmed via the serial port. As for a development board, virtually any board that is designed for the Basic Stamp II or the BX-24 should work fine since the ZX-24a is pin-compatible with those processors. We have run a ZX in the Parallax Serial BOE; I expect that it would also work in the USB BOE. We have also run them in the the NetMedia BXDS-1 and Prof. Anderson's BX24 Protoboard.

My preference and recommendation is to use a solderless breadboard since they are more general purpose and can be used for many different projects. They are available in powered or unpowered form. An example of a powered breadboard can be found at Circuit Specialists. For an unpowered breadboard, to which you'll add your own power supply, see the examples at Jameco, JDR and other places.

bozooka wrote:If the ZX-24a works with the boe usb board I have one of them. I guess I can give it a try.

I can't say for certain that it does. As I mentioned, I have personally used a ZX-24 in a serial BOE. I see nothing in the schematic for the USB BOE that suggests that it won't work.

We'd like to hear about the results either way.

O.k. I will let the forum know what my results are when using the usb boe board. Oh by the way phanderson emailed back to me and he said "


Yes, it is compatible."

To my question on his boad will it work with the ZX24A.


Peter H Anderson, pha@phanderson.com, http://www.phanderson.com

-----Original Message-----

dkinzer wrote:

bozooka wrote:If the ZX-24a works with the boe usb board I have one of them. I guess I can give it a try.

I can't say for certain that it does. As I mentioned, I have personally used a ZX-24 in a serial BOE. I see nothing in the schematic for the USB BOE that suggests that it won't work.

We'd like to hear about the results either way.

I have one of Anderson's protoboards - works fine. As I recall it has a socket larger than needed. Just plug the ZX into the topmost pins. Or, unlike me, install the smaller socket vs. what came with the kit.

In addition to the many boards available, I submit an easy way to get to see Hello World and you can go from there.

The connector is a DB9M (a male, opposite of the usual DB9F), with a F-F gender changer on it to make it a female. The combination of the two makes a reverse-pinout female whose pins 2 to 5 line up with processor pins 1 to 4. A reset switch (this uses a jumper) and power is all you need to talk to the machine.


Tom

I have one of those 2 minute wonders too!

GTBecker wrote:The connector is a DB9M (a male, opposite of the usual DB9F), with a F-F gender changer on it to make it a female.

You can do something similar with a DB-9F flipped over with right angle square pins soldered to pins 2-5 (I saw this somewhere, perhaps on Prof. Anderson's site). An example is shown in the first photo below.

My preference, due to its versatility, is to solder short lengths of small gauge wire (e.g. telephone hookup wire) to pins 2-5 of the DB-9F as shown in the second photo below. It's nice to have several of these made up and ready for when the need arises.

I've made a bracket for several solderless breadboards that holds the DB-9F, a jack for the wall wart power, a power switch and a reset switch. On the early versions, I put the 7805 regulator on the plate of the breadboard or plugged into the breadboard itself. Lately, I've been putting the regulator on the bracket. An example of the later configuration is shown in the third photo.

more pix