BASIC on Raspberry Pi Pico
  • BASIC Interpreter
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  • Maximite Family
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  • Micromite Family
  • Micromite Summary
  • Standard Micromite
  • Micromite Plus
  • The Microbridge

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  • Air Quality Monitor
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    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

    The Micromite

     

    The Micromite is a Microchip PIC32 microcontroller programmed with the free MMBasic firmware. These chips cost from $4 to $10 and are available in packages from 28 pins to 100 pins. When programmed with the Micromite firmware they make a powerful and easy to program microcontroller that is ideal for most hobby projects.

    MMBasic is a Microsoft BASIC compatible implementation of the BASIC language with floating point, integer and string variables, arrays, long variable names, a built in program editor and many other features.

    Using MMBasic you can use communications protocols, measure voltages, detect digital inputs and drive output pins.  Special features include the ability to use touch sensitive LCD displays, temperature sensors, distance sensors and more.

    You can use the Micromite as the intelligence inside any project that requires a medium speed microcontroller but without the hassle of programming in a complex language.


    There are a two varients of the Micromite and many PCB boards and projects based on it.  This page serves as a summary page for all of them, from here you can branch off to subsiduary web pages that describe each in detail. 

    At the bottom of this page you can download the manuals and firmware for all versions.

    Micromite Microcontroller Chips

    The Micromite is available in two versions: 

    Micromite Explore 28, 64 and 100

    These are small PCB modules that package the Micromite with the supporting components (power supply, serial to USB bridge for the console, etc) normally required in a project.  Using these you can quickly test out an idea using a solderless breadboard and jumper wires without being concerned with mounting the Micromite itself onto a PCB.

    Micromite LCD Backpack

    This is a printed circuit board designed to piggyback on a standard 2.4" or 2.8" touch sensitive LCD panel.  It has less than a dozen components and can be built in half an hour.

    The combination of the Micromite with the colour LCD panel provides an amazing amount of power for less than US$25.  The 320x240 pixel LCD can display colourful text and graphics and the touch sensitive input means that many manual knobs and switches can be replaced with on screen graphics.  The eleven I/O pins can be used to measure temperature, distance, voltages, etc and under control of your BASIC program turn on lights, relays and other output devices. 

    Jump to the Micromite LCD Backpack page.

    Micromite Based Projects

    This website hosts five projects based on the Micromite LCD Backpack.   They are:

    Interesting Web Sites

    A video review of the original Micromite (almost everything applies to the Micromite MkII):
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Ym758Unmw

    An up to date overview of the Micromite Mkll, the Micromite Plus and the Micromite Explore 100:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8ElrH1oq6k

    The Back Shed forum is a great place to hang out and discuss the Micromite and microcontrollers:
      http://www.thebackshed.com/forum/Microcontrollers

    Getting Started with the Micromite

    The Micromite is quite a sophisticated device, it is an almost complete computer with its own programming language and for newcomers there is a lot to learn. 

    The book Getting Started with the Micromite is a tutorial that assumes that the reader has had minimal exposure to microcontrollers and the BASIC programming language in particular.  It starts with choosing the microcontroller, how to program the Micromite firmware into it and how to connect to the console.  It then presents a beginners course in BASIC programming and moves onto some of the more specialised aspects of the Micromite including input/output, embedded features and communications protocols.

    It is recommended reading for anyone who is new to the Micromite and can be downloaded from the download section at the bottom of this web page.

    Micromite and MMBasic Support

    The first thing that you should read is the Micromite Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list as this covers hints related to usage and programming.  The list is rather short at this time but as more questions arise it will be expanded.

    Also, you should check the list of current bugs found in the Micromite version of MMBasic as it lists any faults found in the current version and provides workarounds if applicable.

    The Back Shed has an active forum where many knowledgeable users are happy to help newcomers to the Micromite and MMBasic: http://www.thebackshed.com/forum/Microcontrollers

    Online Manual

    The user manual and a tutorial are available for download at the bottom of this page but another option for programmers is to use an online manual created by Jim Hiley of Tasmania.  This covers all variants of MMBasic in one integrated online lookup tool.  Go to: https://www.c-com.com.au/mmhelp/

    Source Code to MMBasic

    The complete source code for the Micromite version of MMBasic is available for personal use at the main MMBasic website at http://mmbasic.com.

    Firmware Updates

    A new versions of MMBasic (ver 5.05.05) for the Micromite, Micromite Plus and Windows/DOS is available and can be downloaded from the download area at bottom of this page. This is a minor update which fixes some obscure bugs (check the Change Log included in the zip file).

    To load the new version you will need a PIC32 programmer.  The best (and cheapest) programmer is the PICKit 3 by Microchip.   Prices range from US$20 for a clone and it is easy to update the firmware - see this page for a tutorial. You can also build the Microbridge which is a very low cost PIC32 programmer - see this page for the details.

    To save you from having to check this web page for firmware updates I can also send you an email.  To enable this please enter your email address in the box below and click on Submit.  Your address will be held confidential and will only be used when an update is available.

                                          

    Downloads

    Getting Started with the Micromite
    A tutorial introducing the reader to the Micromite and programming in the BASIC language.
    DOWNLOAD
    Micromite User Manual DOWNLOAD
    Micromite Plus Manual DOWNLOAD
    Micromite Firmware V5.05.05
    This includes both the standard Micromite (28 or 44 pins) and the advanced Micromite Plus (64 or 100 pins) firmware and all user manuals.
    DOWNLOAD

    Previous versions of the Micromite firmware can be found in the archive.

    Other Downloads

    Micromite Lite Firmware V5.05.05
    This is a cut down version of the standard firmware for the 28 or 44 pin Micromites with 25% more free program memory. The readme file lists the features that have been removed.
    DOWNLOAD
    MMBasic Windows/DOS Version V5.05.05
    This version is generally compatible with the Micromite version of MMBasic and runs on Windows (incl Windows 10). It includes file and serial I/O and is useful for programming in the Windows environment or for testing Micromite programs
    DOWNLOAD
    Micromite eXtreme V5.04.08 for the PIC32MZ series (ported to the MZ by Peter Mather) WEB SITE
    Original Micromite Firmware 4.5E for the PIC32MX150F128 chip DOWNLOAD
    MMEdit, a full featured editor for MMBasic (it runs on your PC).  By Jim Hiley WEB SITE