pi vs picaxe

Axel87

Senior Member
Looking for help from someone w more experience.
What's the differences between a raspberry pi and our picaxe?
From what I have read about pi, it seems to contain everything then some of picaxe capabilities.
The board is bigger, downside- but besides this?
Thanks!
 

westaust55

Moderator
In simple terms;
A PICAXE is a microcontroller (single chip device with IO devices inboard the chip) which has been programmed with firmware to download and interpret your BASIC programs.
A Raspberry Pi is a miniature single board computer comprising several chips to hold software, do processing and IO functions and contains various industry standard IO sockets akin to a PC.
 

craigcurtin

Senior Member
Different Target Market and different approach

Looking for help from someone w more experience.
What's the differences between a raspberry pi and our picaxe?
From what I have read about pi, it seems to contain everything then some of picaxe capabilities.
The board is bigger, downside- but besides this?
Thanks!
The Pi is essentially a full computer that runs an operating system (Debian Linux) and hence can adapted to perform almost any role. It is riding on the wave of embedded open source computing and packs a hell of a lot of punch into the product - especially for the price - you can get one delivered to your door for around $65 in Australia with Power supply, case and MicroSD OS already loaded.

I am in the midst of porting my home automation system from the picaxe across to the Arduino environment - i will be interfacing that to a Raspberry PI for more powerful control and graphics etc.

Craig
 
Last edited by a moderator:

jedynakiewicz

Senior Member
PICAXE is a system of PICs - Microcontrollers - that are normally used industrially for embedded control. PICs are the chips that control the motors/fans/valves/detergent flaps etc. on your dishwasher. They are generally devised to operate a fixed sequence of events in a pre-programmed order and to respond to inputs from sensors such as switches, thermostats etc. PICAXE is a superb implementation of microcontroller technology - it allow you to build and program a microcontroller system in the simplest way. The system is very easy to learn and the supporting documentation is outstanding.

The Raspberry Pi is a different animal - it is a Microcomputer. It is much more analogous to your desktop PC. Desktop PCs have mutated into other forms such as games consoles and media centres and the Rasberry Pi can do likewise. Correspondingly, the learning curve is much steeper and implementation is much more complex.

There is really not a question of one competing with the other; they are different beasts though clearly with some functional overlap. If you would like to work with a microcomputer then choose Raspberry Pi. If you would like to control devices at low cost but without much in the way of a graphic user interface then choose PICAXE.

If you are starting off with these technologies and do not have a lot of experience, then I would suggest that you start with a PICAXE chip and learn aspects of control, interfacing etc. Then move on to the Raspberry Pi. PICAXE is so low cost it is unbelievable; so, for what it is, is the Raspberry Pi, but that is at a higher starting level by an order of magnitude.

Hope this helps.
 
Very briefly, I would say that in my experience Picaxe offers an easier and cheaper way to get into the "world of electronics". Its quite easy to destroy a Raspberry Pi when using its GPIO - in which case $35 goes up in smoke. If using a Picaxe its perhaps $5!
 

MFB

Senior Member
Whilst in general agreement with jedynakiewicz comments, I think there are better upward paths, from the PICAXE microcontroller chip to a single-board microcomputer, than the Raspberry Pi. For example, $49 will buy you a Maximite Color Computer that runs an open source Basic and supports a keyboard, colour graphics, SPI, I2C, CAN and SD cards. All these features are fully documented (including example code) in a 550 page downloadable User Manual.
 

lbenson

Senior Member
In addition to the above-mentioned differences, there is also the matter of power. The R-Pi requires mains power, while the picaxe can, under appropriate conditions, run for a long time on batteries or solar (of course, hefty solar could also run the R-Pi).
 

craigcurtin

Senior Member
Hippy - sorry i did not realise that giving comparitive pricing counted as selling ?

The Pi is essentially a full computer that runs an operating system (Debian Linux) and hence can adapted to perform almost any role. It is riding on the wave of embedded open source computing and packs a hell of a lot of punch into the product - especially for the price - you can get one delivered to your door for around $65 in Australia with Power supply, case and MicroSD OS already loaded.

I am in the midst of porting my home automation system from the picaxe across to the Arduino environment - i will be interfacing that to a Raspberry PI for more powerful control and graphics etc.

Craig

Hippy - not sure why you edited my post and removed some comparative pricing that i put in there for Arduino and RpI ?

I did not think i was breaking any forum rules by providing some ideas for a newbie in terms of Arduino ?

Craig
 

Axel87

Senior Member
This is all great information guys!
Thanks for the input.
Especially like the breakdown of steps towards the pi. I'll look into the other.

Still foggy as to control differences.
If the pi has more capabilities, such as graphic display ease, keyboard, wouldn't this be easier for beginners(such as me;))
If it has a operating system, it could bypass the coding step?

I should mention, I have another post that could be tied together with this- Remedy for Basic Allergy.

Thanks again guys!
 

srnet

Senior Member
Still foggy as to control differences.
If the pi has more capabilities, such as graphic display ease, keyboard, wouldn't this be easier for beginners(such as me;))
If it has a operating system, it could bypass the coding step?
You have not yet said what you actually want to do, so its difficult to advise as to what would be easier for you.
 

Axel87

Senior Member
A lot of my projects revolve around control of relays or solenoids. 12v automotive applications, Rf/ir control, 24v steppers.
I would like to add a display, and keypad.
Been doing reading on coding for a display, but have a hard time following the code.
On top of that, when u read into displays, I find a lot of jargon that's over my head at this point. Oled, serial display, parallel, memory capabilities and font charts ect.
Sorry for the detail, at work right now. But I appreciate any help you can offer.
Please check out my other post.
These two should be tied togethetr.
I will answer any questions in more detail later.
Thank you
 

g6ejd

Senior Member
Very briefly, I would say that in my experience Picaxe offers an easier and cheaper way to get into the "world of electronics". Its quite easy to destroy a Raspberry Pi when using its GPIO - in which case $35 goes up in smoke. If using a Picaxe its perhaps $5!
I fully agree. I can get a test/experiment running in a very short time with a PICAXE, but my RPi takes ages to do the same activity.
 

BeanieBots

Moderator
Based on your other thread, you clearly have little experience and I would strongly suggest that you get some help from somebody who can sit with face to face and explain a few things.
Once you've had your first play with either a RPi or PICAXE things will come quickly but until then it will all seem daunting.
If you have to start on your own without somebody to 'hold your hand' then PICAXE will be much easier to start off with and the help you will get here will much more sympathetic to your situation than you will find on any other forum.
It's not so much about the software but the basic of how and where to get started that can frighten off newbies.
For the sake of a few £'s, get a small PICAXE project board, a download cable, maybe a few LEDs and resistors and start to play.
 

Axel87

Senior Member
Last post was a little harsh.
I've tried my best to search for reference materials, coding, interfacing and data sheets.
I am a lone gun on this, live in ND, not a lot of techys around these boonies;)
But the "just f with it" attitude doesn't really work- you can't put the smoke back in. Can I damage the chip by wrong programming? Doubtful, but I want to try and be productive with the part of the coding. If that makes any sense?
 

Axel87

Senior Member
I should add I have 3 14m2s and have done the led project, have a large supply of parts and supplies on hand. But am scared off by my lack if understanding more advanced programming/ interfacing. Displays are a big hurdle for me right now.
 

craigcurtin

Senior Member
No you will still end up doing more work

This is all great information guys!
Thanks for the input.
Especially like the breakdown of steps towards the pi. I'll look into the other.

Still foggy as to control differences.
If the pi has more capabilities, such as graphic display ease, keyboard, wouldn't this be easier for beginners(such as me;))
If it has a operating system, it could bypass the coding step?

I should mention, I have another post that could be tied together with this- Remedy for Basic Allergy.

Thanks again guys!
Remember with the Rpi you will be having to learn an operating system (Debian Linux) as well as whatever programming language you choose to use on the platform - probably python. To have "stuff" displayed on the screen you are then going to have to get into the GPIO (how the Rpi talks to the external world for sensor input) and start getting info fed into the Pi.

Most Linux Forums are less forgiving of these types of basic/newbie questions as well so you will find that you will be doing a lot more searching in forums. Lastly whilst the RpI has the GPIO interfaces it has really been designed as a single board computer "ready to go" whilst the PICAXE is designed as the heart of a DIY system.

Craig
 

srnet

Senior Member
you can't put the smoke back in. Can I damage the chip by wrong programming?
Unlikely yes, although a combination of bad circuits (inappropriate use of I\O pins) and a program that does not recognize the bad circuit, can damage the chip.

Cant say I would like to damage to many Pies in that way ............
 

BeanieBots

Moderator
Sorry if my post came over as harsh but to be fair, you still have a lot to learn and I really think (based on your questions) that a RPi is NOT for you for the reasons outlined by Craigcurtin.
If you cannot get help locally then you will need to rely on forums like this one and they don't come any friendlier than this.
There are many great minds here that will help you along every step of the way but you will need to take their advice. Start off simple and work your way up.
Maybe show some example you have already done.
Do not be shy to ask questions but try to be precise and DO have a good read of the manuals.
Above all, enjoy the experience.
 

geoff07

Senior Member
I use Linux all the time. I'm typing this on a linux box. But I have been using linux for over ten years. And I wouldn't consider an RPi for the kind of things I use Picaxe for. Reasons: major learning curve vs hardly any learning curve; hardly any documentation aimed at beginners (or in many cases, at anyone) vs excellent documentation; limited forum access to people who really understand (many that don't) vs this forum; cost

Start with Picaxe.

If you want to use Linux, install Ubuntu 12.10 on a desktop or a laptop and use it instead of Windows.

I have no doubt that the RPi has great potential, but it isn't in the Picaxe space in my opinion.
 

MFB

Senior Member
It is unfortunate that the Pi hype may give the impression that the only route up from a microcontroller requires getting to grips with a multitasking operating system and object oriented programming language. Lets hope we can go some way on this forum to getting things a bit more into prospective by mentioning alternative options.
 

lbenson

Senior Member
In addition to all of the above good advice, there is the question of your needs. If you want to play music or video from a large library, R-Pi, no doubt, and there are canned and well-documented ways to do it. If you want to control little tiddly bits, the picaxe will probably get you there with less pain.

There is also the question of display. If you need 640x480 or better video, you're going to be better off with the R-Pi. If you want a couple of lines of display, the a picaxe with LCD will do well. If you want to control things using a web page for a display, the R-Pi offers an all-in-one solution, but I personally prefer some other tiny linux box (e.g., HAME A5) running openWrt and a usb/serial connection to a picaxe. Then your display can be as complex as a web page allows, and you view it and flip your bits using your laptop. There are also other picaxe-to-net solutions, wired and wireless.

Talk about rural--I'm in rural Nova Scotia. I get my electronics from UK (Rev-ed), Hong Kong (ebay) and digikey.ca. The support you get on this forum is unbeatable.
 

DirtBiker

New Member
Just getting into PICAXE myself coming from Arduino and RPi. They are all different animals if you ask me. The RPi is far more computationally oriented. I've used it as an embedded data acquisition system with in-line raw data processing and graphic display for many physics experiments that required some amount of speed. Not something I would want to try to attack with an Arduino or a PICAXE. I used the Arduino for a lot a control projects. Sensing the operational environment and taking action. While it overlaps the PICAXE territory quite a bit, I've found in a few short days that simple (and I mean that in a not requiring a lot of computation or speed sense) control projects are much easier to implement with a PICAXE than the Arduino. I got my start back in the late 70's with 6502s and Z80's. What a lot of work they were. If only I had a PICAXE back then. I have them now though, so I'm happy.
 

DirtBiker

New Member
Talk about rural--I'm in rural Nova Scotia. I get my electronics from UK (Rev-ed), Hong Kong (ebay) and digikey.ca. The support you get on this forum is unbeatable.
Really? You do know there is an authorized Rev-ed distributor in Ontario, right? I mean a real Canadian outfit, not just a US shop with a .ca website. I live in the north central US and use them.
 

lbenson

Senior Member
>You do know there is an authorized Rev-ed distributor in Ontario

No, I did not know that. I'll check them out. But shipping from the UK is quick, and only about $6 for an order of about $18 (big jump if you buy more).

>I got my start back in the late 70's with 6502s and Z80's

I'm with you there--at least for the Z80s. Ah, CP/M. But shhh--we don't want to arouse the fogey-averse.
 

Axel87

Senior Member
I apologize for my absence, been busy with work and the other end of these projects in the shop.
While I do not understand all of the facts you guys are presenting ie-"RPi is far more computationally oriented. I've used it as an embedded data acquisition system with in-line raw data processing and graphic display"
I will take the hint and continue to learn more using the Picaxe, and maybe along the way someone will boot me over to the pi realm, someday!
Another option I am looking into is a Parralax, as this uses Basic- most of what I learn should be able to transfer correct?
Or would you think that I would be wasting time stepping backwards with the Parralax? Just suck it up and dive in more with the picaxe and practice writing Basic commands?
Appreciate all the input everyone provided, hope to work with you again in the future.
 

Axel87

Senior Member
One more thing I have been meaning to ask but keeps getting pushed aside, I blaim my add. ;)

Alot of kits that are available for PICAXE, Ardunio, and PI- seem to be just a pricy "convenience."
Would you agree?
Take for example- http://www.techsupplies.co.uk/epages/Store.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Store.TechSupplies/Products/AXE023
Now while the price on this one is not so extreme, still. I could buy a regulator, 20 contacts, caps and resistors and have extras for this price!
And learn more building it myself, murphy loves to prode and poke in these times.
I can see purchasing these if your in a bigger build and just need THIS or THAT. But in general?
Just wondering how others thoughts on these kits? Is it just me being uber cheap?
 

srnet

Senior Member
Just wondering how others thoughts on these kits? Is it just me being uber cheap?
For what it is, I would not describe the AXE023 as 'pricy' at all.

Could you build one slightly cheaper yourself from bare components, possibly, would you learn more by DIY, certainly.
 

JBrookes

Member
Axel87,
Please allow me to weigh in here. I am not a "my sports team is better than yours" person. I think your choice of technology "should" depend partly on how long its been around, and of course what you want to do. The former is important because any new technology has glitches, gotchas, and work-arounds that get ironed out by advocates over time. These advocates are the talented hackers that put the hours in for no pay because they are nuts, er, I mean, dedicated. :) So that argues for using the picaxe or the arduino uno. Both have good documentation. The picaxe is great for rapid development of simple to medium complex systems. The arduino is a little bit more powerful programming interface at the cost of having to learn a somewhat more complex language. (C). For example, the picaxe 32 bit math is limited, but more powerful in the arduino.
Recently, I prototyped a stepper motor program on the picaxe in 1 hour. The $3 chip runs two steppers easily. The picaxe good for rapid proto work.

So - a pro microprocessor engineer will use ALL of these tools, and more:
picaxe
various board systems like arduino
direct assembler on the chip for production, depending.
direct C on the chip

So I (if I were you) would learn three (3) systems at once: picaxe, arduino, and Pi. chip, board, and OS system.
Don't be stuck in 1 vs. 2 vs. 3.
AND - a danger in your case is you will get discouraged, so start with a picaxe!!!!

GO PICAXE! RAH RAH RAH!

:) Hey Hippy, where's that free chip you promised me for this endorsement?
 

DirtBiker

New Member
Cannot say which meet your ("real Canadian") criteria.
All except RobotShop. Not that they are alone in this, but sometimes it irks me a little when a company presents themselves to be one nationality but are in fact another. Like if I were to say I m Australian, just because I get myself an Australian phone number and forwarding address. A personal thing from my pespective.
 
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