I thought it was worth sharing an approach I have been using to communicate between a host computer and a microcontroller.
I have been using Microsoft Small BASIC to create small and fast programs – this a lot easier that using a number of the more complex IDE alternatives.
Microsoft Small Basic 'is a programming language created specially to help students transition from block-based coding to text-based coding. By teaching the fundamental elements of syntax-based languages in an approachable manner' to quote Microsoft.
So, the little video shows how to create a simple application to communicate between a host computer and an UNO.
Thanks for sharing this. I never even heard of small basic before. This is a great resource for us basic users to interface to a PC. I am assuming we can use a typical USB to serial for use on a PIC project. I will have to try this out for sure. There have been many times where this would have come in handy in the past as I was always a bit reluctant to try and write any code for a PC to communicate with a PIC other than using serial term, etc.
Last edit: Moto Geek 2019-02-05
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Thanks for bringing small basic to my attention. It looks very useful. I've downloaded it already and managed 3 "unrecognised statements" in 3 lines! (do loops are not supported).
Is there a tutorial that covers serial communication (It does not feature in the introductory guide).
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It's never as easy as it looks. The comport commands are "extensions" contained in the LITDEV files and need to be placed in the ...smallbasic\lib folder. There is suitable documentation in the LITDEV...rtf files (avoid the ones in German) to explain the COM options.
Anyway it looks interesting I have been using QB64 for serial communication and sadly newer versions of QB64 do not work reliably for serial communication (older versions are ok). The problems started when they switched from SDL to openGL. The whole QB64 project has become abandonware.
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I've now tried it on serial communication. Yes it works, but it is limited (it is making a virtue out of this). Maybe I prefer a "bigger" version of basic (I don't have to use all the features after all). I've found the limitation on data types (single bytes or strings) and output formatting (none) is the drawback.
I also tried freebasic but it was not quick enough to capture the data stream from a FT201X.
So I've gone back to QB64 (which has a new version out) and this works nicely (the data is coming in at about 200kbaud) and I can read it in as an unsigned integer and format the output with the PRINT USING.
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Small basic is new to me. I must understand serial. I looked up using freebasic to open a usb uno port.
The comport handling of FreeBasic expects a high signal on DSR line by default after opening a comport.
You can suppress that by adding DS0 as extendet option.
comrtn=Open Com("COM4:9600,N,8,1,DS0" AS #a)
should do the job.
I recommend to use:
comrtn=Open Com("COM4:9600,N,8,1,CS0,DS0,CD0" AS #a)
all very complicated for me. I'm suprised freebasic is never mentioned.
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I didn't want to detract from small basic.
fb is the only tool I can use to write a rpi app... and win, not that I use it often.
I find rpi python too difficult.
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The real >small< Basic for me is "Libert Basic Booster" (LBB). The download of 516 kB (kB - not MB, not GB!) comes with an editor incl. debugger. The syntax is compatible to Liberty Basic. LBB can easily generate windows GUIs. Support for the serial port is built in. Generated EXEs run without dependencies on special DLLs with a size from 114 kB.
'- SendToCom.BAS ------------------------------------------------ >>fst'19<< -
' - Send text to a serial port.
' - Operation via a GUI (window) with buttons.
' - Searches all available ComPorts.
' - Programming language = LB Booster http://www.lbbooster.com
'- V 20190211 -------------------------------- https://www.FrankSteinberg.de -
NoMainWin 'don't show console window
'*** Search all available ports and put to ComboBox:
Global Selected$ 'make values available in Subs
Dim ComboPort$(257) 'create array for ComboBox
For i = 1 to 256 'Windows allows COM1 - COM256
Try 'try to open all possible ports
'ATTENTION: The code for open a serial port is different from Liberty-Basic:
Open "COM"+Str$(i)+": baud=9600 parity=n data=8 stop=1 odsr=off octs=off idsr=off" For Random As #ComPort
ComboPort$(i) = "COM"+Str$(i)
Close #ComPort
End Try
Next
'*** Build GUI:
WindowWidth = 230 : WindowHeight = 220 'dimensions of GUI
StaticText #main.staticInfo, "Choose ComPort:", 15, 20, 180, 20
ComboBox #main.comboPort, ComboPort$(), ComboSelect, 15, 40, 180, 300
Button #main, "Send Hello", BtnHello, UL, 15, 80, 180, 25
Button #main, "Send line-break", BtnLineBreak, UL, 15, 120, 180, 25
Open " SendToCom" for Window as #main 'show mainwindow
#main "trapclose [quit]" '"gosub" to [quit] if user closes mainwindow
Wait 'wait for events
'*** Event-handling:
Sub ComboSelect 'Selection from Combobox done:
Try : Close #ComPort : End Try 'if necessary, close previously opened port
#main.comboPort "selection? Selected$" 'put selection to string
'Open comport; do not check statuslines:
'ATENTION! Syntax is different from Liberty-Basic!
Open Selected$ + ": baud=9600 parity=n data=8 stop=1 to=off xon=off odsr=off octs=off dtr=off rts=off idsr=off" For Random As #ComPort
Print #main.staticInfo, Selected$ + " opened; 9600 8N1" 'show info on mainwindow
End Sub
Sub BtnHello 'First Button pressed:
If Len(Selected$) Then Print #ComPort, "Hello World!"; 'Send text to port; check if port selected before
End Sub
Sub BtnLineBreak 'Second Button pressed:
If Len(Selected$) Then Print #ComPort, CHR$(13)+CHR$(10); 'Send two bytes "line break" to port; check if port selected before
End Sub
[quit] 'User closes mainwindow:
Try : Close #ComPort : End Try 'close ComPort; no error if none was open
Close #main 'close mainwindow
End 'end program
Last edit: Frank Steinberg 2019-02-10
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LBB is interesting in that I don't need liberty basic.
Using LBB.exe I get an IDE window and I can type a simple prog to display text and it can run it or make a exe file.
Lots to learn. references to bbc basic, just basic, qbasic.
I wouldn't have known about LBB if not for your link. cheers
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The download works..the ide appeared. bit late to try. The homepage running program looks like "gorilla bas"...I got that on my phone. remember it from win 98
nice one, will try.
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The program enumates the serial ports, creates a nice drop down menu to enable selection of the serial port, then, opens the serial port. The code then sends the entered strings to the LED Matrix (happens to be a UNO).
Hi Hanspeter, I think your comment got lost in the translation. I only ask because if SmallBasic has some obvious advantage over PB then I will switch.
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I thought it was worth sharing an approach I have been using to communicate between a host computer and a microcontroller.
I have been using Microsoft Small BASIC to create small and fast programs – this a lot easier that using a number of the more complex IDE alternatives.
Microsoft Small Basic 'is a programming language created specially to help students transition from block-based coding to text-based coding. By teaching the fundamental elements of syntax-based languages in an approachable manner' to quote Microsoft.
So, the little video shows how to create a simple application to communicate between a host computer and an UNO.
Sharing: Source code and the tools are here: https://github.com/Anobium/Great-Cow-BASIC-Library-Development/tree/master/MicrosoftSmallBASIC
Enjoy
Last edit: Anobium 2019-02-05
Thanks for sharing this. I never even heard of small basic before. This is a great resource for us basic users to interface to a PC. I am assuming we can use a typical USB to serial for use on a PIC project. I will have to try this out for sure. There have been many times where this would have come in handy in the past as I was always a bit reluctant to try and write any code for a PC to communicate with a PIC other than using serial term, etc.
Last edit: Moto Geek 2019-02-05
Thanks for bringing small basic to my attention. It looks very useful. I've downloaded it already and managed 3 "unrecognised statements" in 3 lines! (do loops are not supported).
Is there a tutorial that covers serial communication (It does not feature in the introductory guide).
Masses on the web. Google is your friend.
But, I have already put the Serial library up in GitHub. See https://github.com/Anobium/Great-Cow-BASIC-Library-Development/tree/master/MicrosoftSmallBASIC/Program_binaries
It's never as easy as it looks. The comport commands are "extensions" contained in the LITDEV files and need to be placed in the ...smallbasic\lib folder. There is suitable documentation in the LITDEV...rtf files (avoid the ones in German) to explain the COM options.
Anyway it looks interesting I have been using QB64 for serial communication and sadly newer versions of QB64 do not work reliably for serial communication (older versions are ok). The problems started when they switched from SDL to openGL. The whole QB64 project has become abandonware.
The LitDEV is very cool. When create an exe the lib and the dlls are created/moved into your project folder - very cool.
I am glad this has helped. The whole Small BASIC project is very intereting.
:-)
I've now tried it on serial communication. Yes it works, but it is limited (it is making a virtue out of this). Maybe I prefer a "bigger" version of basic (I don't have to use all the features after all). I've found the limitation on data types (single bytes or strings) and output formatting (none) is the drawback.
I also tried freebasic but it was not quick enough to capture the data stream from a FT201X.
So I've gone back to QB64 (which has a new version out) and this works nicely (the data is coming in at about 200kbaud) and I can read it in as an unsigned integer and format the output with the PRINT USING.
Small basic is new to me. I must understand serial. I looked up using freebasic to open a usb uno port.
The comport handling of FreeBasic expects a high signal on DSR line by default after opening a comport.
You can suppress that by adding DS0 as extendet option.
comrtn=Open Com("COM4:9600,N,8,1,DS0" AS #a)
should do the job.
I recommend to use:
comrtn=Open Com("COM4:9600,N,8,1,CS0,DS0,CD0" AS #a)
all very complicated for me. I'm suprised freebasic is never mentioned.
I use FreeBASIC when appropiate. Many of the Great Cow BASIC converters are written and compiled using FreeBASIC.
And, of course. Great Cow BASIC is compiled using FreeBASIC.
The IDE manager is FreeBASIC.
Oh the list is long.
Microsoft Small BASIC will have its use cases.
I didn't want to detract from small basic.
fb is the only tool I can use to write a rpi app... and win, not that I use it often.
I find rpi python too difficult.
The real >small< Basic for me is "Libert Basic Booster" (LBB). The download of 516 kB (kB - not MB, not GB!) comes with an editor incl. debugger. The syntax is compatible to Liberty Basic. LBB can easily generate windows GUIs. Support for the serial port is built in. Generated EXEs run without dependencies on special DLLs with a size from 114 kB.
Free download :
http://www.bbcbasic.co.uk/lbb/index.html
Project, I've realised with LBB (german - but useful links for LBB at the bottom of the page):
https://www.franksteinberg.de/BLHeliTV.html
Sample code:
'- SendToCom.BAS ------------------------------------------------ >>fst'19<< - ' - Send text to a serial port. ' - Operation via a GUI (window) with buttons. ' - Searches all available ComPorts. ' - Programming language = LB Booster http://www.lbbooster.com '- V 20190211 -------------------------------- https://www.FrankSteinberg.de - NoMainWin 'don't show console window '*** Search all available ports and put to ComboBox: Global Selected$ 'make values available in Subs Dim ComboPort$(257) 'create array for ComboBox For i = 1 to 256 'Windows allows COM1 - COM256 Try 'try to open all possible ports 'ATTENTION: The code for open a serial port is different from Liberty-Basic: Open "COM"+Str$(i)+": baud=9600 parity=n data=8 stop=1 odsr=off octs=off idsr=off" For Random As #ComPort ComboPort$(i) = "COM"+Str$(i) Close #ComPort End Try Next '*** Build GUI: WindowWidth = 230 : WindowHeight = 220 'dimensions of GUI StaticText #main.staticInfo, "Choose ComPort:", 15, 20, 180, 20 ComboBox #main.comboPort, ComboPort$(), ComboSelect, 15, 40, 180, 300 Button #main, "Send Hello", BtnHello, UL, 15, 80, 180, 25 Button #main, "Send line-break", BtnLineBreak, UL, 15, 120, 180, 25 Open " SendToCom" for Window as #main 'show mainwindow #main "trapclose [quit]" '"gosub" to [quit] if user closes mainwindow Wait 'wait for events '*** Event-handling: Sub ComboSelect 'Selection from Combobox done: Try : Close #ComPort : End Try 'if necessary, close previously opened port #main.comboPort "selection? Selected$" 'put selection to string 'Open comport; do not check statuslines: 'ATENTION! Syntax is different from Liberty-Basic! Open Selected$ + ": baud=9600 parity=n data=8 stop=1 to=off xon=off odsr=off octs=off dtr=off rts=off idsr=off" For Random As #ComPort Print #main.staticInfo, Selected$ + " opened; 9600 8N1" 'show info on mainwindow End Sub Sub BtnHello 'First Button pressed: If Len(Selected$) Then Print #ComPort, "Hello World!"; 'Send text to port; check if port selected before End Sub Sub BtnLineBreak 'Second Button pressed: If Len(Selected$) Then Print #ComPort, CHR$(13)+CHR$(10); 'Send two bytes "line break" to port; check if port selected before End Sub [quit] 'User closes mainwindow: Try : Close #ComPort : End Try 'close ComPort; no error if none was open Close #main 'close mainwindow End 'end programLast edit: Frank Steinberg 2019-02-10
LBB is interesting in that I don't need liberty basic.
Using LBB.exe I get an IDE window and I can type a simple prog to display text and it can run it or make a exe file.
Lots to learn. references to bbc basic, just basic, qbasic.
I wouldn't have known about LBB if not for your link. cheers
The download works..the ide appeared. bit late to try. The homepage running program looks like "gorilla bas"...I got that on my phone. remember it from win 98
nice one, will try.
I just posted a new Small BASIC program.
The program enumates the serial ports, creates a nice drop down menu to enable selection of the serial port, then, opens the serial port. The code then sends the entered strings to the LED Matrix (happens to be a UNO).
See https://github.com/Anobium/Great-Cow-BASIC-Library-Development/tree/master/MicrosoftSmallBASIC/Remote_control_of_UNO_LED_Matrix this URL has all the pieces you need - Small BASIC source (and the DLLs) and Great Cow BASIC user program I am using.
Enjoy
Many thanks for opening my parachute as I'm stuck with PowerBasic10, Bob Zale's death was a real drawback.
What a relief for sore eyes!
Don't get me wrong, PB10 will work for sometime to come till almighty MS pulls the plug on Win32.
Kind regards,
Hanspeter.
Hi Hanspeter, I also use PB10 so I'm curious to know it what way you feel that Small Basic is superior to PB?
Good day George, isn't your question rather colourful?
Regards,
Hanspeter.
Hi Hanspeter, I think your comment got lost in the translation. I only ask because if SmallBasic has some obvious advantage over PB then I will switch.
I think M$ SmallBaic is a perfect complement to the efficiency and economy of GCB programing. "Birds of a feather" I think...
Thank you Randall, need I say more?