My Basic Stamp Supercomputer!!!

[Private19872]

Darn! I was going to make a STAMP computer with 3 cores and you beat me too it with an 11 core one. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[0815521576]

believe me, an ARM would run WAYYYYYYY faster than this thingy.

[vtwinbreed]

Definitely will not be winning any boot-up competitions, but cool none the less..

[dendog21]

i'm new to the whole supercomputer thing so i gotta know whats the running joke with every supercomputer video i see someone is asking if it can run crysis

[misterpc23]

@dendog21 yes it is a joke. Crysis is a popular video game that is very hardware intensive. and no, not a single supercomputer can run crysis well.

[the1hero1of1time]

can it run crysis

[movlwjps]

your so-called supercomputer, won a single PIC18F microcontroller with a much lower price and lower consumption.

Is not to disappoint you, but you will not get far using toys

[TacoTormentor]

@movlwjps 1. no one cares about it's performance or if there's a better M.C. out there, it's experimental and fun.

2. Basic stamp 2's are not toys, they are sophisticated microcontrollers that are used by many industry's because of it's simplicity. Go to Parallax's industrial applications to see real life examples, LIKE BASIC STAMPS DRIVING A SUBMARINE!

[codfan77]

looks like the delorean from BTTF

[HAZMATclass7]

Is the parallel used for crunching calculations faster, or just for more I/O?

[ericfontainejazz]

impressive! And I noticed the massive fan that I assume you use for cooling.

[Diamantopulos]

это пиздец =\\\\

[ihavetoshutthewindow]

anoing music 

[JakeD7]

I just pooped a little.

[AdamsTeinz]

I need one. How much did it cost?

[ihavetoshutthewindow]

@AdamsTeinz 1100 bucks

[havanissa]

sweet zombie jesus!

does it make good coffee?

[LunaVorax]

Impressive but what is the purpose of this computer, what use can it have ?

[GRAFFITIKING52]

AT&T or WINDOWS?



[reaper00020]

AWSOME!

[OMGDESTROYED]

FIRE ONE CAPTAIN !!!!!!!!!!

[perseverance8]

I am currently working on a Z80 supercomputer, I have completed & tested three boards at this point, the next board will have a Z80 compatible Z180 CPU (64pin Dip Version) because it can address 512KB vs 64KB of the Z80. The purpose is essentially to better my programming skills and in doing so I would like to have an end product that can emulate an i486. I am also working on designing a commodore 64 clone using a 6502 CPU & TTL Logic.

[risheeboy]

wtf is that O.O

[KD0IDB]

awesome! Love it, I'm just learning how to use the basic stamp. awesome little thing it is.

[andyboy4707]

I would like to see you assholes build something nearly as complex as that, great job man.

[wa4aos]

why face reality when one can get lost indulging into silicon junction fantasy..

cool pile of total nothingness made most interesting. good job!

[ndshomebrew]

nice work.

But a little bit to expensive for me :D

I'm already happy with 1 basic stamp 2 (2.5)

Next school year maby the urdanio (or how they call it... never mind)

Besides al what I've said. Really nice work!

How much time did it take?

(im sorry for my bad English :))

[saint27573]

wow a super computer hahah i got one too mine is a hp from walmart duhh! you are stacking 256 processor chips dont make it a super computer you need faster processer speed to ultimate as a super pc duh ! i could use a simple hand held caculater as a pc dumb ass lol !!!!

[logistix111]

Wow you know how to press buttons? Good for you!

[JesusMovement]

the point is to build it on your own. bill gates and steve jobs started somewhere. why not start here yourself?

[rooftoptile04]

hahahaha it was a joke, but who knows, maybe one of those 'worker' cards is dedicated to graphics

[invalidtye]

you are a madman

[Captnuendo]

LMAO. Yea i agree.. This guy is a nutcase!

[ZOOLOO75]

Lets see if this can play crysis maxed out with 9999999999 frames per second!! LOL :P

Nice

[Mosfet510]

I think it's great! It's cool to see how this is set up to run in parallel. Haven't heard of a basic stamp used this way before, different.

[palmisano]

lol . . . but what does it actually compute?!

[6364gg2]

How many FLOPS can it do? I got a FREE BGA IC that poes 135 MFLOPS and a schmart board for 45$. And some misc harware it all cost me under 60 dollars. This is the first affordable pocket sized supercomputer!!!

[Farquarify]

waste of time.

[seanmillerr]

i recon my old zx spectrum 1k had a lot more balls than that..it looks like a rom read out on a loop me thinks.

[touchsmart0]

what the flip man how much did that cost you

and what is it doing?

[6364gg2]

550 US dollars plus S/H and tax

[breezebro]

OK, what's it doing?

[marcin09091988]

Wow ...

[ogm20]

yea you have a problem, why do u need so much computer?

[3mustardMoNkEyS]

its just a hobby...

[3mustardMoNkEyS]

Nice! Whats the FLOPS on it?

[totalmandude]

That LCD response is very nice. How long did it take for you to make it?

[ocall1919]

nice calculator

[herzogsbuick]

lol

[tangnatalaga]

This would have cost a lot more than an actuall computer!! Why? because stamp chips are very expensive, thats why I never bought one. On most of my electronic projects, I just use analog design that way i can get the parts from old TV etc.

[herzogsbuick]

That's what I was thinking! I mean they've been $55 since they came out; humanoido, I reckon, had some laying around or something, and then...jesus just thinking about having enough doodads to get all those stamps to bolt safely onto the same apparatus my god! I'm lucky when there's some tupperware lying around no one wants anymore :-P

but no really I am!!!

[tangnatalaga]

I am pretty sure you had a hell of a time doing that project. Then again challenge is what drives you to do this stuff. I been wanting to do something with a stamp, but I just can't pay 80 bucks for a project set, when I can make almost anything a stamp does with a few transistors connected in analog circuits with sensors and stuff.

[sigmundur]

bunch of wiring. So what's it do?

[Probewitch]

Ho ho; very nice, educationally fun I bet.

[michaeljudge88]

What does this things actually do? besides look nice.

[Joxman2k]

I can do that, but I don't want to.

:P

[lightharp]

hellz yeah, dood! :D

now i need one. i especially love the fact that it's small, light and portable. :?p

[onthecuttingedge2005]

what! no demo of what it can do?

[philiptwood]

Man that's crazy... I love it. LOL

[buzov0s]

lol..

[cky182dude]

It's alive it's alive! hahaha nice comp! very impressive

[beeftim]

nice

[delfmeek]

That, my friend, is very impressive. Thanks for sharing.

[dibbuck]

futile but fun

[iJohnTV]

its naked. i have two of these things laying around...i wounder what i could do with em:)

[chaydgb]

Nice work, a good way to learn parallel programming without having to beg, borrow or steal twelve PCs. Plus It's greener too, owing to significantly lower power usage compared to PCs. Personally I've just started with Parallax's Propeller which I definitely recommend having a play with.

[Mel88li]

Really great work! Make it twelve!

[heiismail]

What is this? Anyone can help ? I am only seeing in my language crap!!

[e9d9w9a9r9d9]

if im rich ill make something better! :-)

[gurpinator]

uve created a monster

[humanoido]

Speech is with the Emic TTS board programmed in two languages using PBASIC. The gender is female. The supercomputer boards are interfaced as described in the Parallax Forum posts, linked at above right (more info).

[awsutherland]

Did you use a Speakjet chip to make it talk? How did you get the botboards to communicate with each other? What kind of linkage did you use?

[unHolySamuraiXevil]

u need to build a 'case' 4 dat thing bro...

[humanoido]

SOFTWARE UPGRADE: Added another upgrade to the project. New software can now automatically adjust to the number of computers added to the collective. This simple program is written in Parallax PBASIC. So you can use 2 or 20 processors. The choice is now yours. :)

[humanoido]

1FredR, I see it like the invention of the world's first car. The inventor did not hold your hand and drive it for you. :)

There's lots of applications for those who wish to read the comments, info, and links.

Basic Stamps were already on hand/collected since the 1990's. Besides, full scale SC's cost millions of dollars. This model is a bargain considering the ease at which it can be programmed/setup, due to the excellent support for the Parallax Basic Stamp and its well designed board.

[1FredR]

I am kind of like you guys. No obvious real purpose. Basic II stamps run $49 each and he has at least 10+ which is $500 plus all the extras. I would have do something different with that much money. But you got to give the guy a hand.... for what ever it is.

[humanoido]

jiko12 - gaming: good idea. :)

Crysis: science fiction shooter computer game developed by German video game developer Crytek and published by Electronic Arts - the first game of a planned trilogy.

[jiko12]

And Crysis? :D

[humanoido]

Neuroelectronic, apps include artificial intelligence 12-computer brain for robots, power eye vision for robots and the blind, super security system, see links listed "more info."

[Neuroelectronic]

So what the hell does it do, besides blink lights and look like a rats nest?

[humanoido]

Good idea. Highest speed fastest clocked chips generate more heat. By using mid-range chips, actual chip draw is only a few milliamps and remains cool without the need for fans or special cooling. It all depends on how fast you want to drive it.

[3mustardMoNkEyS]

perhaps you should add a twelve BS2 to monitor temperature and control cooling fans(or even watercooling) but it probably doesnt generate that much heat but its would be a good idea.

[dunesandworm]

nice.

[humanoido]

You can do this project too! This is a Basic Stamp Supercomputer model at the hobby level, so anyone can build it, and learn from it. It takes one Basic Stamp (computer) and amplifies its power to make it super. It's very low cost using Parallax parts. You can start with 2 computers, then add more. However, to do Tera-Flops you'll need millions of dollars.

[humanoido]

The video is a proof of concept with Master communicating with 10 computers. The point is take one Basic Stamp, add more, make it super, and model a supercomputer, intelligent eye, robot with 12 brains, AI, super security, brain modeling, etc. More info above right

[cyther39]

impresive!! is it really a supercomputer how much Tflops?

[marcial357]

what is the point of it? what does it do? im curious because it looks pretty cool. im not trying to be meansorry

[humanoido]

Normally this type of code is quite complicated. However, I worked many hours making it simple and created template programs to follow. "Multiple" stamp computers can multitask and use their peripheral timers. I used Parallax parts collected since the 1990s. The model began with only 2 stamps, overall very low cost. Without stamps, the project would cost much more in development time.

[JRproducts]

I don't think AVR are much harder to use then stamps. If you use the internal 8MHz clock then they are pretty much the same. Otherwise you just add a 16 or 20MHz crystal. You could put it on a protoboard and it would not take longer then a hour or two.

[JRproducts]

True but process like controlling a LCD does not take much time. Coding for multiple microcontrolles to work efficiently together is very hard. Also you can multi-task with an AVR using the timers and interrupts.

This must of cost a fortune to make. Parallax stuff is expensive.

[humanoido]

I wish to upgrade some information again. There are now stamps in the supercomputer that can run at 50mhz ea., and perhaps you read my thread posted about a way to turbocharge these stamps to amplify their power and speed even greater. The power is so great, you cannot imagine the fast performance. I really cannot handle more - it's already a blindingly fast.

[humanoido]

I should add a comment about the memory. I added a memory board to one of the stamps, and with the 2px EEPROM it can do 4,000 instructions each stamp. That would be a total of 48,000 instructions. You think I can write a program with 48,000 lines of code? :) I now have data logging and these stamps have turbo mode to play with too. Sooo many goodies. :)

[humanoido]

With this comes 12x18 i/o ports = 216. The programs (12) run in parallel at the same time. The master computer talks to all the others. Each computer can process data at the same time. Many of the sensor run at the same time. Very powerful. About grid computing, it is not a single computer because it is a grid.

[3mustardMoNkEyS]

well 12 PIC microcontrollers, 12 Core computer. so its a 12(dont know the 12 prefix, like dual and quad) Core Processor fully

[charleswolfman]

I wanna know, how fast is it?

How many megaflops/gigaflops is this thing reaching?

Can it do grid computing?

Number cruching?

How fast is it?

[geolej]

Ill say, .0003 flops.

[charleswolfman]

im pretty sure ONE basic stamp is faster than that.

[3mustardMoNkEyS]

well judging on how many bs2's he's got and since every bs2 runs at a top speed of 20MHz, times about 5 bs2's.....

100MHz total proccessing speed... but thats pretty good for a few basic stamps.

Good Job 5/5

[JRproducts]

basic stamps use PIC which do one instruction per 4 clock cycles and the bs2 is an interpreter so it is even slow making total processing probably less than 15MIPS.

Parallax says the bs2 gets ~4000 instructions so that is way less, even if you had 10 bs2 it would be slower then an AVR running at 20MHz (20MIPS). Also each bs2 has only 2K or eeprom so you end up with maybe 20K total of space. Not that much to work with.

Other than those limitations, great job! It looks really cool.

[3mustardMoNkEyS]

still with all those BS2's he's got a multi-core computer. so the proccessing speed isnt nesscesarily needed. each BS2 could preform a task at a time, like one runs the lcd routines, and another monitors keyboard(he could add one in)

[humanoido]

Thanks, great comments! Parallax is the company that makes the Basic Stamp microcontrollers. This is a great company - treats everyone with honesty and fairness.

[humanoido]

If you have some friends with Basic Stamps, you can hold a Stamp Supercomputer Party. Each person brings their Basic Stamp board and it goes into the supercomputer! At the end of the day, they can take their stamp home.

[pitchbend]

Wow that thing looks like one of the evil machines of the movie Virus with Jamie Lee Curtis...

[jeremytarbush]

Excellent job. I wish I had the BASIC Stamps lying around to build my own.

[flex080808]

Wow... Bravo, masterpiece.

I hope that Parallax gives you huge discounts:)