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Parallax BOEBOT (Stamp II Kit)

The BOE-Bot is one of the two main robotics kits that Parallax produces to help learn the STAMP II (see right) and robotics. "BOE" stands for "Board of Education" because the main electronics area is all pre-soldered with an area to plug the STAMP II chip into.

The neat thing about the BOE Bot is that the manual is split into several lessons - the first being how to assemble the robot, then others improve on the basic design. The BOE-Bot includes all the necessary electrical components to add features like IR object detection, and other high-level functions.

Note: This review also covers the STAMP II manual, software, and other features universal to the other kits.

Assembly

Assembly was a little awkward at first. A weird feature of the kit was that the motors required adjustment because they didn't allow for a full 360-degree rotation. The main steps then involve a rather tricky disassembly procedure, that need a tiny Phillips screwdriver - something I didn't have handy but had to buy. The assembly of the chassis is relatively easy - with parts simply requiring screwing and the electronics fit into sockets. Below you can see the BOE with the STAMP II chip installed.

BOE with STAMP installed

Another problem I did have was that most of the wiring instructions are as electronic diagrams. I am not used to this, since I haven't had much background in electronics. I would have thought that a kit that didn't require any soldering would take more effort to explain how to set up the electronic behind it - not mere diagrams. Nevertheless, I do agree that most people interested in robotics will have electronics background, and the kit also assumes a teacher will be helping the students with the project - hopefully they understand the diagrams. I still managed to get the kit together despite my lack of knowledge, I was just scared I was going to fry something! Anyway, below are two pictures of the robot - one after the BOE has been installed, and another after everything else has been installed (from the first project).

As you can see, the chassis and construction is of decent quality, so you won't lose the robot after a drop or bump. The robot also has the capability to take any of Parallax's AppMods - allowing you to add an LED, sound capabilities and numerous other modifications. Parallax does say though that if an AppMod will jut out over the main chassis when installed.

Operation

The operation of the BOE-Bot is pretty cool. You use the software and STAMP chip from the very beginning. After modifying the servos, you then test them using the STAMP chip. This slowly introduces you to the language and environment really well. I'm not too sure how practical that would be in a crowded classroom, but for myself this worked great.

The STAMP II environment is an excellent Win95 program. The program is really simple to use, allows for multiple windows, has a syntax checker, and debugger. Another really neat function is the memory map function which shows disassembly for the code, a RAM map, and other functions really useful in chip programming. One thing I felt the editor lacked was syntax colouring - although the background and the foreground colours can be set.

Programming the STAMP II is also very easy, since the kit comes with a huge 500-page manual (granted, the manual covers both STAMP I and STAMP II chips). The manual is excellent, starting with a simple summary of the commands, to schematic diagram of the hardware, along with detailed explanations of the chips and memory areas. After that, there are some detailed explanations of the various commands and instructions that can be used. Remember that the chip doesn't operator on assembly, but on BASIC - so programming the chip is something in between high-level and low-level.

Anyway, off the manual and back on to the BOE-Bot. After you build the robot, you then look at programming the movement, then following light, then IR object detection. Each chapter covers the fundamentals that the chapter briefs, has electronic diagrams for the necessary circuits, source code for the programs, and even exercises at the end of the chapter to further your knowledge.

Conclusion

The BOE-Bot is an excellent kit for the classroom, with excellent instructions and an intuitive programming environment. The slightly lengthy assembly procedure due to the servo modifications seemed to be pointless - but they didn't hinder assembly too much.

In my experience, the programming and operation of the STAMP II is simple and easy, while keeping powerful functions available. I had a lot of fun with the BOE-Bot, and I'm looking forward to playing with the language and pieces even further.

Cover 8.8

Price: $199

Liked: Great instruction manual, easy assembly, fun to use, educational.

Disliked: Servo modifications, no syntax colouring.

Website: http://www.parallaxinc.com/

Submitted: 14/06/2000

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