Rationale for BasicX

BasicX does a good job in meeting the criteria listed above. It provides a high-level language that supports multi-tasking, iterative development and has a low cost in terms of learning curve and dollars. However the debugging environment is fairly simple and as I found out the watch window is not that useful – I want to see when watched data changes – not every second.

Dr. Peter Anderson’s website gave me quite a bit of inspiration about BasicX from a functional, programming and cost point of view. The prices of BasicX chips from his site given the function provided are very reasonable and actually cheaper than from NetMedia. Dr Anderson’s BasicX website is now no longer completely open and his BasicX example code is only available to people who purchase a BasicX chip from him.

Which BX Variant?

BasicX has three variants, BX-01, BX-24, BX-35. The BX-24 is compelling as it is an all-in-one package but some of the more advanced features of the underlying microprocessor are either not available or are only available through the extra port connector at the top of the chip. On the other hand the BX-35 has everything available via a 40-pin dual in line (DIP) package but requires a few support chips that are already integrated into a BX-24. The BX-35 even with the support chips is also $15 cheaper than the BX-24. The BX-01 has a different function set to the BX-24/BX-35 in that it supports extra RAM and networking but does not have ADCs.

Ultimately I chose the BX-35 because in my opinion it offered the most flexible function and best compromise. I am very happy with the BX-35 and have now started a number of experiments and completed some "full-size" projects. I also have developed and prototyped a full-featured development board that in my view is much better than anything available commercially for about $100 including the BX-35.

Summary

I hope that this discussion was useful and it may have helped you with your decision. In the end everyone has different criteria for what they are doing and therefore BasicX may not be for you. But I hope this discussion has helped with some selection criteria and may also lead you to choose the BasicX platform. If you are already using BasicX, then congratulations, and I hope this article confirms some of the reasons why you choose it.

Addendum

Although  it seems that NetMedia is no longer updating BasicX hardware and software, there are now much improved versions from another company called Elba Corporation. This new version called ZBasic is described in  another article.