These articles, originally published in Nuts & Volts magazine, will help familiarize you with the BASIC Stamp 1 microcontroller -- the "brain" of the Prop-1.  Read them and study the listings; even if you don't find particular article relevant to your project, exposure to different BS1 code will be helpful in the long run.

Note: Some columns have BS2 code as well.


Written by Scott Edwards:

-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv1.pdf   (Intro)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv2.pdf   (Digital Thermometer)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv3.pdf   (Keypad Add-on)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv4.pdf   (12-bit ADC)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv5.pdf   (Battery checking / Multiplexing IO)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv6.pdf   (Switching big loads)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv7.pdf   (DTMF)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv8.pdf   (Rotary Encoder / Making Connections)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv9.pdf   (Debugging Tricks)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv10.pdf  (MAX7219)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv11.pdf  (60-Hour Timer)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv12.pdf  (Model Rocketry Use)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv13.pdf  (Watchdogs)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv14.pdf  (POV Display)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv17.pdf  (Exploring EEPROM)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv18.pdf  (Digital Potentiometer)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv19.pdf  (Phone Lines / LED Display)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv20.pdf  (BS1 Debug for PC Serial Comms)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv21.pdf  (Light Sensor)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv22.pdf  (Simple Pinewood Derby Timer)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv23.pdf  (Control DC Motors)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv24.pdf  (Upgraded Pinewood Timer)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv25.pdf  (ADC)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv26.pdf  (Traffic Light Program)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv27.pdf  (Measure Water Level)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv28.pdf  (RS-485 Comms)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv29.pdf  (More Temp Sensing)

Written by yours truly:

-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv30.pdf   (Programming With Style)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv31.pdf   (Character LCDs)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv32.pdf   (More LCD Stuff)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv34.pdf   (BS1 Alarm Clock)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv35.pdf   (Roulette Game)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv38.pdf   (BS1 Techniques)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv39.pdf   (Custom Thermometer)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol1/col/nv40.pdf   (Speech Synthesis)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol2/col/nv61.pdf   (Exercise Timer)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol4/col/nv104.pdf  (Serial Slave with the BS1)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol5/col/nv110.pdf  (Drum Sequencer)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol6/col/nv126.pdf  (Electronic Candles)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol7/col/NV131.pdf  (BS1 DEBUG to PC)
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol7/col/NV135.pdf  (Advanced BS1 Programming)

These are extremely interesting, i use the "Talk to yourself — out loud —" tip you mentioned in Programming with style with everything i do. these alone can teach someone the complete basic language.

-Eric 

These links seem to be dead.  I get bounced to a Parallax "Can't Find the File" type page.  Is there any place else we can get these files at.  I do a lot of copy and pasting my programs on stuff I know that works.  I just don't always know why it works.  I'd like to do some reading and understand what it means when the line says stuff like "rate = flicker & $0F + FlickBase".

And if not the Nuts and Volts files is there something else you'd suggest?

One tip is to search for Scott Edwards book "Programming and Customizing the Basic Stamp Computer" on the internet, since what Jon has mentioned is in this book.

Those documents don't seem to be posted as individual files anymore -- but they are still available (ZIPped based on the compilation books Parallax published):

-- https://www.parallax.com/downloads/nuts-and-volts-basic-stamps-volume-1
-- https://www.parallax.com/downloads/nuts-and-volts-basic-stamps-volume-2
-- https://www.parallax.com/downloads/nuts-and-volts-basic-stamps-volume-3
-- https://www.parallax.com/downloads/nuts-and-volts-basic-stamps-volume-4
-- https://www.parallax.com/downloads/nuts-and-volts-basic-stamps-volume-5
-- https://www.parallax.com/downloads/nuts-and-volts-basic-stamps-volume-6
-- https://www.parallax.com/downloads/nuts-and-volts-basic-stamps-volume-7
-- https://www.parallax.com/downloads/nuts-and-volts-basic-stamps-volume-8

Thank you, I found a used copy of the book on Amazon.  I also subscribed to Nuts and Volts.  I didn't realize it was still around, (but I guess I didn't look either).  I love the geek stuff.  Thanks Jon for the new links!

It it still around -- I have a column in the odd-numbered months. It's on Propeller programming, though.

I notice none of the downloads in the top post actually work? Did they all get moved?

Scroll up to JonnyMac's links from October 13, 2017 - those are to zip files of the collected columns.