Piecax the Poltergeist. A Troublesome Spirit in a Box.

Step 5 The PicAxe and Code

The code is here as a PicAxe .BAS file and as a Word document.  There are loads of comments throughout to explain what's going on in the program.  It uses 252 memory bytes of the 256 available.

20 knocks will give a 30 second sleep and then a series of 50 rapid random knocks; Long enough to put the box down in front of someone and tell them the spooky story of what it contains before it bursts into life.
13 knocks will play a tune which strikes fear and horror into the hearts of many - the 'Adams Family' theme tune.

I've used a PicAxe 08M microcontroller which comes as a blank chip and needs to be programmed. To do this, you will need a programming lead and the free programming editor software. Both the PicAxe chip and the lead are available from Tech Supplies in the UK or see HERE for other countries.
Once you have the lead, you only need a PicAxe, two resistors and whatever sensors and output devices you choose to have a full PicAxe development kit which can program any of the PicAxe range, so you can design your own projects.

The PicAxe was initially developed for the educational market in UK schools but is being widely used by hobbyists. The PicAxe is based on various PICs but with bootstrap code to interpret the downloaded programs and handle the programming side. They come in all flavours from this suprisingly powerful 8 pin package up to full blown 40 pin.
Look at the manuals and datasheets on the PicAxe site to see the full capabilities. Programming of the chip is via a serial link and done in-circuit. It takes about 20 seconds and you don't even have to unplug the lead to run the program.
I've been in electronics since the early eighties and I've never found a programming environment where the coding / simulation / proving cycle is so simple. Documentation and support from the forum is excellent and there are many robotics enthusiasts using the chips. Control for servos, steppers, ADCs etc are built in to the BASIC-like programming language as well as a host of other goodies. You can also simulate the circuit before you build, and do real-time debugging on a running controller. Look out for more PicAxe based projects from me.

Comments

[plokko]

want one of this BADLY!!!