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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Picomite advice... and how about a boot-to-MMBASIC PC?
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| johnaau Newbie  Joined: 05/07/2026 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1 |
I came across the various Maximite and Picomite projects while looking at options for a boot-to-BASIC computer for my son to learn programming. I'm really impressed with what I've seen with the Colour Maximite 2 and it's ability to run BASIC super quick. I could have really done with that back in the 80s. I was wondering how the speed of the Picomite compares to the Maximite and couldn't find much information... Is it very fast for BASIC games like the Maximite 2? Also, the Picomite you can buy from Silicon Chip doesn't look to have any audio output. Am I wrong or can it be added or is there another option? What I would really like, though, is something like these that would run on an old PC. It would be great to take a 10-15 year old PC and be able to convert it to BASIC only computer just like the Maximite. I see there is an alpha Linux version of MM BASIC — maybe that is an option — how is performance of that on a PC running a game with graphics? |
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phil99 Guru  Joined: 11/02/2018 Location: AustraliaPosts: 3305 |
These SC Pico kits have audio. RP2350B (Pico 2) Pico Computer More information available here Download the manuals for a better idea of what the Picos and CMM2 can do. Another option is https://www.rictech.nz/micromite-products (on this site his username is Grogster). Leave a message asking about what kits for MaxiMite and PicoMite he currently has available. Depending on the program and overclocking (can safely go above 378MHz) many games run quite fast. The Pico 1 & 2 chips are a tiny fraction of the price of the STM chip in the CMM2 so have much less memory but creative developers here have done some impressive things with it. MMBasic retains all the commands of the original basic BASIC for beginners but as they progress there are a host of advanced commands and functions to provide enhanced capability and performance. |
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Martin H. Guru Joined: 04/06/2022 Location: GermanyPosts: 1466 |
Hello johnaau, first of all, a warm welcome to the forum. The Picomite is a fantastic project based on the Raspberry Pi Pico that offers you maximum freedom: You can either buy one of the various pre-built boards to get started right away, or build your own mini-computer from scratch using the Pico as the core, tailored exactly to your needs. For videospecs, have a look in the manual from page 36 onwards For audio, from page 49 onwards. As for speed:Unfortunately, I don't have the opportunity to compare both directly. The Picomite is extremely powerful for its size, but I think, it is not intended to be a direct successor to the Color Maximite 2. While the CMM2 offers greater processing power and more RAM, the Picomite stands out for its compact design, easy integration, and enormous flexibility for custom projects. For classic BASIC applications and hardware control, however, it’s absolutely speedy and, in many scenarios, completely... All in all, though, it's significantly faster than the basic computers of the 1980s. To get an idea, check out game ports like "Attack of the Petscii Robots", which was programmed entirely in MMBasic. Greetings from the other side of the planet Cheers Martin Edited 2026-07-06 14:31 by Martin H. 'no comment |
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