Hi sarossell,
Thanks a lot for the very detailed exploanation and review of the topic I have mentioned - Future of Liberty Basic. Your comparison of Liberty BASIC with an extra long Phillips screwdriver, ...let me say,is brilliant one.
I am sure, You definitely are very experienced in programming. From my point of view, you are the right person to advice me in my dilemma.
I am HW oriented guy, working on conditioning electronics (equipment) for different type of sensors for harsh environment (High Reliable Electronics). I like this part of electronics a lot. I like to take information from real word and translate mentioned analog data to the computer-readable form. So generally speaking, I am mainly responsible for a precise design of the analog part of the sensors (e.g. Temperature, Pressure, Proximity,..).
However there are new fenomens called IoT, IIoT and Industry 4.0 (I4.0), so I have to "synchronize" existing sensors technology with them. So, on the other words, the bassic requirements for the "new" sensors technology compatible with I4.0 are:
- wearable technology - wireless technology
- battery powered - Extremely low power consumption (NanoPower Technology)
- harsh working environmet e.g. operating temperature = -20°C ... +85°C (industrial Range),
- Connectivity to the "world" - Cloud or so...
Base on mentioned requirements, my current design looks like:
A: Sensor-RF part:
1. preparing an accurate, stable and amplified analog signal from sensors (e.g. platinum RTD temperature sensor = Pt100) = S1 analog signal [ANALOG PART]
2. S1 signal is connected to A/D converter in microcontroller and recalculated to digital form = S2 digital signal [DIGITAL PART]
3. S2 signal is connected to RF module (e.g. WiFi, LoRa,...)and transmitted to the RF Base Station = S3 RF signal [ RF PART]
B: RF-Network part
1. S3 signal is transformed in Base Station and connected via LAN/WLAN to the "world" e.g to Corporate network/Cloud/WinControl/...
I am working as a developer in a project team and I am responsible mainly for analog part and RF part of the above mentioned design structure.
As far as i am concerned, I would like to make a design for Digital part too in the near future.
I like BASIC a lot. At the present time there are already effective BASIC compilers for microcontrollers. But if I have a discussion with C/C++ oriented guys, there is still the same problem: they still force me to do it in language C/C++. Why?
? There is still no an another option, even if full Basic compilers are already exists?
Be honest, i'm sick of it! It looks like C/C++ epidemy. I am not going to do embedded system for rocket science or so. Do I really need to learn C language, be able to measure for example temperature with a microcontroller?
The real world parameters I will measure are slow-running, ... 1 sample per 1 second or so. So there are no High Speed aplications at all.
Microcontrollers technology: 8/16-bit microcontroller based on the AVR® enhanced RISC architecture or similar
In my "sensor world" the digital part will do mostly the same operations as following:
- A/D conversion
- recalculation of digitized signal based on formulas
- communicates with the RF modules (Serial Peripheral Interface)
- controls of the RF modules
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My microcontrollers programming experience - PBASIC/BASIC Stamp 2 (BS2):
As I mentioned I am not a software guy at all, so in order to make some simple applications (Digital sensor part), I have been using PIC microcontrollers (e.g. PIC16C57)and microcontroller-based version of BASIC called PBASIC
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBASICActually, latest version I have been using is an interpreter called: BASIC Stamp 2 (BS2)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASIC_Stamp -----------------------------------------
So, as You can see according to all I mentioned above I am skilled in Analog/Digital hardware but not in real software. Even in Firmware I ma skilled "only" with microcontroller-based version of BASIC.
Now, I would like to continue with the Embedded Systems BASIC compilers, provided by MCS Electronics:
www.mcselec.com/For example, Version: BASCOM-AVR© is the original Windows BASIC COMPILER for the AVR microcontrolers family, where Key Benefits is fast machine code instead of interpreted code - e.g. BASIC Stamp 2, which I have been using in the past.
MCS Electronics Main entry
wiki.mcselec.com/MCS_Wiki_Main_entryBASCOM-AVR©
wiki.mcselec.com/BASCOM-AVR_Overviewe.g. BASCOM-AVR manual is done very well:
wiki.mcselec.com/bavr/BASCOM-AVR_Help-----------------------------------------------------
MY QUESTION:
According to description of my applications above - my/our wireless sensors should be able work in industry environment.
What is your opinion?
- In general, is the BASIC platform (Embedded Systems BASIC compilers) that fits for mentioned applications compare with intended use of BASIC language?
- Are there any significant weaknesses compare with C/C++ platform ( e.g. code efficiency/memory requirements or so...)
- Are there any formal restriction from standartization point of view? e.g. ANSI, ISO, ECMA
- OR Do you know where I can get information about if Embedded Systems BASIC compilers are standardized or not?
I do apologize, for so long message, however I need to make a decision shortly for my "internal" standard in mentioned topic.
I grew up on BASIC, and it make sense that I would like to avoid learning of another language. Exactly as you wrote: "Now is exciting time for BASIC"
Thank you very, very much for your answer in advance.
I really appreciate it very much!