The Maximite

The Maximite is a small and versatile computer running a full featured BASIC interpreter with 128K of working memory.

It will work with a standard VGA monitor and PC compatible keyboard and because the Maximite has its own built in SD memory card and BASIC language you need nothing more to start writing and running BASIC programs.

The Maximite also has 20 input/output lines which can be independently configured as analog inputs, digital inputs or digital outputs. You can measure voltage, frequencies, detect switch closure, etc and respond by turning on lights, closing relays, etc - all under control of your BASIC program.

The design and the firmware including the BASIC interpreter is free to download and use. And all this is powered by a single chip which costs just US$8.44.

The Maximite was described in the March, April and May 2011 issues of Silicon Chip magazine.

The mini Maximite was described in the November 2011 issue of Silicon Chip magazine.

If you have not read the articles you can find out all you need to know by clicking on the links below:

If you are curious about the development of the Maximite you should read my web page The Maximite Story.

MMBasic has been modified to run on the UBW32 experimenter's board and this is described on the UBW32 page.

NEW MMBasic has moved beyond the Maximite and has been ported to other platforms. It now has its own website http://mmbasic.com. There you can download other versions of MMBasic including a version that runs in a DOS window on Windows XP/Vista/7.

The Maximite Collection

There are now a number of Maximites or clones of the Maximite that you can build or purchase:

You can build the original Maximite as described in the magazine by sourcing the parts yourself. The blank PCB is available from from Silicon Chip (order form), BudgeTronics or Dontronics. The pre programmed PIC32 chip is also available from Silicon Chip (order form) or you can purchase a blank PIC32 chip from Futurlec or Microchip and program it yourself (a programmer will be required). See the page Maximite Design and Construction for details.
An easier approach is to purchase a full kit of parts from Altronics (part number K9550). They can ship to anywhere in the world. You can also purchase the kit from MicroZed (model MAX001) or MAD Electronics in Australia. The kits include the magazine article, all parts including the case and the main processor chip (the PIC32) which is pre programmed and soldered to the PC board. In Europe you can purchase a kit of parts from BudgeTronics. They also offer a lasercut Maximite enclosure made from wood.
The mini Maximite was described in the November 2011 issue of Silicon Chip. It is a low cost miniature version of the full sized Maximite intended for use as an embedded controller. It is fully software and hardware compatible so you can develop your program on the full sized Maximite and transfer it to the mini version when you are ready. You can buy it as a kit from Jaycar or Altronics or you can purchase the PCB and pre-programmed PIC32 chip from Silicon Chip and source the rest of the parts yourself. More Details
The CGMMSTICK1 from CircuitGizmos is a great Maximite compatible board that costs just US$30. It is supplied fully assembled and has a micro-SD card connector for convenient program and data storage. It is the perfect plug in module for adding intelligence to your project or, with the addition of this $13 add on board, you can have something similar to the full sized Maximite. More Details
The UBW32 is a small experimenter's board based on the PIC32 microcontroller. A special version of MMBasic has been created for this board which has the capability of controlling 50 input/output pins from within MMBasic. From a software point of view the board is fully Maximite compatible. More Details
The DuinoMite from Olimex or Dontronics is a Maximite compatible range of boards that feature an Arduino compatible connector allowing you to use many of the plug in "shields" from that range. The DuinoMite is not fully compatible with the Maximite but it is still a good board. You can read the history of this on this page. MMBasic 3.2 now runs on these boards and can be downloaded from the bottom of this page.
If you are expert in electronics you could build your own version of the Maximite All you really need is the PIC32 microcontroller which costs US$8.44 in single quantities from Microchip. The page Maximite Design and Construction has an example of a simple assembly using a breakout board that costs 90 cents. You will also need a few other parts and a programmer but in essence the PIC32 chip programmed with MMBasic is the Maximite and you can construct a working computer with just that chip.

Hamfield (www.hamfield.com.au) have a number of expansion board that plug into the Maximite's I/O connector. These provide protection for the I/O pins and drivers for relays and heavier loads. There are further products in development and all are compatible with the Maximite and future firmware upgrades.

Errata

These are the current errata for the magazine articles:

In the March 2011 issue of Silicon Chip. Fig 1 shows the H-SYNC signal going to the wrong pin on the VGA connector. It should connect to pin 13. Fig 2a, the PCB artwork and the schematics on this website are all correct.
In the schematic (Fig 1) the IDC pin numbers of the 26 pin I/O connector are incorrect. The correct schematic can be found here (this diagram also contains a number of other minor corrections). If you are connecting an external circuit to this connector the best approach is to refer to the image of the I/O connector in the April 2011 issue of Silicon Chip (Fig 5) or the Maximite User Manual as they are correct.
The PIC32 article in the March 2011 issue of Silicon Chip used the wrong photograph for Fig 4. The correct photo can be found here. Also, line 2 of the program listing on page 21 was incorrect, it should be:
#pragma config FNOSC=FRCPLL, FPLLIDIV=DIV_2, FPLLMUL=MUL_20, FPLLODIV=DIV_4
The mini Maximite article in the November 2011 issue has an error in Fig 9. It should show a IK pullup resistor connecting pins 11 of the MAX232 chip to 5V. In MMBasic the serial port should be opened with open collector output.
Note that while the mini Maximite can operate on voltages down to 2.3V it needs at least 2.9V if it is writing to the internal flash drive A:

New Firmware - V3.2A (UPDATED)

A new version of MMBasic is available for download at the bottom of this page. This version corrects a few minor bugs. Version 3.2 itself introduced four significant new features:

User defined functions that operate the same as built in functions within MMBasic.
Support for a DOS version of MMBasic that runs in a DOS window on Windows XP/Vista/7.
Dynamic memory management which dramatically increases the amount of useful memory available for programs and arrays.
Additional features for the Duinomite version including support for the hardware UARTs, measuring the battery voltage and other minor improvements.

The change log (included in the download) provides full details of all changes. The update can be applied via USB from a Windows computer and all software and instructions are included in the download.

When a new version of MMBasic is available I will post it on this web page. To save you from having to check this web page all the time I can also send you an email. To enable this please enter your email address in the box below and click on Submit. You have my word that your address will be held confidential and will only be used when an update is available.

Maximite and MMBasic Support

If you have a hardware problem with the Maximite the first thing you should do is read The Top Six Hardware Issues as that covers at least 99% of the hardware related issues that constructors have experienced.

For general problems including issues related to MMBasic you should read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list as this covers most of the other problems that users encounter.

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

The Back Shed has an active forum where a many knowledgeable users are happy to help newcomers to the Maximite and MMBasic: http://www.thebackshed.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=16

A database of MMBasic questions and answers can also be found at http://www.maximite.com.au/support

MMBasic Library

The MMBasic library is a collection of programs specifically written for MMBasic. These include games like Space Invaders and Pacman, demonstration snippets of code and programs to do interesting things like generate morse code. Because the programs are so small they are all bundled together into a single downloadable file available in the download section below.

The library is managed by Hugh Buckle and is a great resource for beginners and experts alike. If you have written a program for MMBasic and you believe that it is worth sharing, please send it to Hugh at and he will add it in. You should also include a description of what the program does for the library index.

Interesting Web Sites

Two good reviews of the Altronics kit and what you can do with the Maximite:
http://http://demin.ws/blog/english/2012/01/19/maximite-kit
http://www.thebackshed.com/windmill/articles/Maximite.asp

A benchmark showing the speed of the Maximite compared to the 80's style computers (it is fast):
http://www.thebackshed.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4685&PN=1&TPN=1

Glenn from Melbourne built his Maximite from scratch (including the PCB):
http://www.carnut.info/maximite/index.htm

A video clip showing the world's smallest Maximite in action:
http://www.youtube.com/user/JukuJaJuhan#p/a/u/1/LUMnO5p-fjg

A users view of the Maximite:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/115482461410471042241/posts/9L81Mmi7xdy

Maximite Stepper Motor Interface:
http://www.extremecircuits.net/2012/01/maximite-stepper-motor-interface.html

Source Code to MMBasic

The source code for MMBasic is available from the main MMBasic website at http://mmbasic.com

Downloads

All downloads are for the current version (ver 3.2A). Older versions can be found in the archive.

Maximite Hardware Manual (pdf - included in the downloads below)	DOWNLOAD
MMBasic Language Manual (pdf - included in the downloads below)	DOWNLOAD
UPDATED Maximite MMBasic firmware (zip - includes all documentation)	DOWNLOAD
UPDATED DuinoMite MMBasic firmware (zip - includes all documentation)	DOWNLOAD
UPDATED UBW32 MMBasic firmware (zip - includes all documentation)	DOWNLOAD
NEW DOS MMBasic (zip - includes all documentation)	DOWNLOAD
Windows Serial Port Driver (for connection to the Maximite via USB - Windows only)	DOWNLOAD
Using Serial Over USB on the Macintosh (pdf)	DOWNLOAD
UPDATED MMBasic Library dated 18-Apr-2012 (user written programs for MMBasic)	DOWNLOAD