Getting Started

Repair
Copyright Information
Technical Support
Welcome to Vesta Basic
Features
Minimum System Requirements
Preparing the SBC
Beware of ESD
Kit Contents
Installing the Vesta Basic IDE
What Gets Installed
Upgrades
Manuals
Application Examples
Conventions used in this manual

Repair
Vesta Technology Inc. will repair, without charge, products defective in material or workmanship, provided they are returned to Vesta within the warranty period. Repair and testing of units damaged by the user or units returned after the warranty has expired will be charged on a time and materials basis. Please call for Returned Material Authorization (RMA) before shipping so that we may better track and return the product. Please enclose a brief description of the failure mode so that our testing will encompass the failure you have detected.

Copyright Information
Vesta Technology Inc. allows you to copy, without any license fee, any of our software as long as the copied code is executing on a single board computer purchased from Vesta Technology Inc. A legal agreement to this effect is entered into when you open your software package. A complete copy of this agreement is printed on the software package.
PIC and PICMICRO are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. All rights reserved.

Technical Support
Customer support via Fax or Email is free. Send us your questions and we will respond within one business day. We cannot support questions concerning attempts to program Vesta single board computers in the languages not supplied by Vesta Technology, Inc. Direct those questions to the supplier of the software.
To contact us for technical support:

via Internet www.vestatech.com
via fax (303) 422-9800
via e-mail support@vestatech.com
via post Vesta Technology, Inc
Technical Support Department
11465 W 48th Ave
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

Welcome to Vesta Basic
Vesta Technology's innovative Vesta Multi-tasking Basic (VMTB) unites the ease of use and worldwide support of BASIC with the speed and flexibility of C. Modeled on the latest, third-generation BASICs, our Multi-tasking Basic is procedure oriented to promote structured programming, enhance programmer productivity and minimize maintenance.
Vesta Basic source code is compiled on your PC into tokens that are executed by the Runtime Engine on the Vesta single-board computer (SBC). The result is the convenience of a Windows development environment and the speedy execution needed for real-time embedded control.
Vesta Basic owes its friendly operation to an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which is based on a Graphic User Interface. This reduces compiling, linking, location, downloading and initializing code to a single click of the mouse.
The Vesta Basic Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is the PC portion of the Vesta Basic language. The key components are:

o The Graphic User Interface
o The Vesta Basic compiler
o The link between the PC and the SBC.

Features
Vesta Multi-tasking Basic provides extensive, easy to use keywords and constructs that are versatile enough for any application and object oriented to allow easy creation of extremely powerful programs. The Vesta Multi-tasking Basic IDE was designed to help you write cleaner code faster. Here are some of the features of Vesta Multi-tasking Basic that we really like.

Animation and Watching Variables
Vesta Multi-tasking Basic allows you to debug your code as it will run in the actual destination environment. You can download your program to the SBC and step through each line watching the values of each variable as they change.
A variable may be interrogated at any time by highlighting the variable and pressing Ctrl-W while the task is executing or after the task has been completed.
There is simply no substitute for knowing exactly how your code will execute in the environment for which it is written.
Extensive Task Control
Vesta Multitasking Basic allows you to control the execution of tasks from within a task or from another task. Tasks can stop and resume themselves and other tasks, can control the number of timeslices, suspend interrupts and multi-tasker operation, and can relinquish the remainder of a timeslice to another task.
Flash Upgrades
The Vesta Basic on your SBC2000 can be updated from the IDE, and finished code in ROM can also be upgraded using IDE by writing replacement tasks to Flash.
User Defined Extensions
Vesta Basic allows extensions to be written in C for added power, speed and convenience.
Tool Bar Buttons
Compile, link, download, reset and start execution with a single mouse click. Stop and step execution with convenient toolbar buttons.
Powerful Substring Pointers
Substring pointers allow complex manipulation of strings with elegant, reusable code.
Task Status Window
A Task Status window is available to view the status of each task. The status indicator actually polls the SBC2000 to read the status of the tasks. Thus, tasks that have been stopped by other tasks will be correctly reported.
Link Activity Indicator
The heart/sun activity indicator in the upper right corner indicates polling activity between the Vesta Basic IDE and the SBC.
Maximum Source Code Viewing Area
The IDE has been re-organized to maximize the available space for source code. Multiple tasks are accessible in the source window.

Minimum System Requirements
Vesta Multi-tasking Basic requires a PC with a '386 or higher microprocessor, Windows 95, one available COM port, 8 megabytes of RAM and 10 megabytes of available hard disk space. Life without a mouse, 16 megabytes of RAM and an 80 MHz or faster clock will be slow.

Preparing the SBC

Beware of ESD
Modern technology has not solved the electrostatic discharge (ESD) problem. Electrostatic discharge can be disastrous to the integrated circuits on your Single Board Computer (SBC).

To prevent ESD damage you must:
o Always work with your SBC in an ESD-proof area.
o Ground your workbench and yourself before touching the board.
Your final product should also be made ESD safe. For example, a common source of static electricity is through the keypad, because the keypad is one part of the system that is exposed to the outside world.
You can prevent electrostatic discharge through the keypad with a ground plane above the keys to short any ESD or sufficient insulation to prevent ESD from entering the SBC.
Likewise, if other components of your project may be exposed to electrostatic discharge, you must take steps to ensure that the ESD cannot reach the SBC.

Kit Contents
You may have purchased Vesta Multi-Tasking Basic separately or as part of a Development kit. If you purchased a Vesta Development kit, you already have everything you need to get started programming your SBC.
Vesta development kits come with the SBC, the Software, the Boot Monitor ROM, a power supply, a hard copy set of manuals, a key-pad, an LCD and LCD cable, a beeper, and a Dev cable. The Dev cable provides the serial connection between the SBC and your PC.
If you purchased only the SBC and Vesta Multi-Tasking Basic, you may still need a power supply, a Boot Monitor ROM, and the Dev cable before you can get started. An LCD and keypad are also very useful components but not really necessary.
If you have all the parts you need:

1) Find a static-free workplace and ground your self.
2) Remove the SBC2000 from its protective packaging and set it on a non-conducting surface.
3) Install the Vesta Basic Boot Monitor into the SBC2000. This 32 pin Dual In-line Package (DIP) must be inserted into the socket on the SBC2000.
Make sure pin 1 of the chip corresponds to pin 1 on the SBC2000 by aligning the notched end of the chip with the notch on the silkscreen.
Warning: The chip will self-destruct in about 3 seconds if power is applied when the chip is inserted backwards.
Confirm that all of the pins are inserted into the socket.
4) Connect the standard 9 pin D-sub connector of the Dev cable to the Com port on your PC, and connect the 3-pin side to the connector marked DEV on your SBC.
5) Connect the 4-pin power cable to the connector on your SBC marked PWR, and plug the other end into a power outlet.

Installing the Vesta Basic IDE
1) Insert the Vesta Multi-Tasking Basic CD into your CD Drive.
2) Choose RUN from the START menu.
3) Enter "D: \setup" in the text box (change the "D" to the drive letter of your CD drive).
4) Follow the prompts for installation.
5) Read the README.TXT file for information on new features, fixes, known anomalies, and update history.

What Gets Installed
When the installation is complete, you will have the subdirectory \Program Files\VMTBasic2 on your PC. In that subdirectory will be the compiler, the Vesta Basic IDE, and some support files. There will be subdirectories below VMTBasic2 named 188 and 332, that contain the VMTB Runtime image files and the components used to produce them. There will also be a subdirectory named \Projects, which is a default storage area for your applications.
The manuals and examples directories are not automatically installed on your PC. If you want them there, you will need to copy them from the CD.

Upgrades
If you have a pre-existing version of Vesta Basic installed in your SBC2000-332 or SBC2000-188 you must upgrade your SBC to match what's on your PC. Select Upgrade Vesta Basic from the Flash menu to synchronize versions.
The VMTB image normally resides in flash. Because of this, it can be replaced when a newer version is available that may provide new or custom features, or fix bugs in the currently installed image. When you select Flash|Upgrade Vesta Basic, the IDE leads you through a process that erases the VMTB image from the flash, then downloads a new image and programs it into the flash.

Manuals
The manuals for all Vesta products, including Vesta Basic, Vesta Engines, and peripherals are on the Vesta Multi-Tasking Basic CD. The \MANUALS folder is not copied onto your drive during the installation process. Hard copy manuals may also be ordered separately from Vesta Sales.

Application Examples
The installation CD contains application examples that are not copied to your hard drive automatically. If the Vesta Basic CD is in the drive, you can get to the application examples using File|Open and selecting your CD drive from the "Look in" listbox.

Conventions used in this manual

· Syntax appears in this font.
· Code examples appear in this font.
 · KEYWORDS appear in all upper case.
· variable names start with lower case.
· Procedure names appear with uppercase initials only.
· <Optional items> appear in angle brackets <>.
· Throughout this manual "SBC2000-332" and "-332" are used to refer to the SBC2000-332 family of products, including both "A", and " B" versions of SBC2000-332, and the "A" and "B" versions of the MC2000-332 with the Dev-332 carrier board. "SBC2000-188" and "-188" refer to the SBC2000-188 family of products, including both "A" and "B" versions. "SBC2000" refers to the entire SBC2000 family of products, including all the SBC2000-188, and -332 products, both "A" and "B" versions, and the MC2000 products with their Dev boards.
· In general, the MC2000 products with their associated Dev boards are equivalent to the SBC2000 product, however the port functionality is associated with the MC2000 board and the connector pins are found on the Dev board. Where the MC2000/ Dev board combination differs from the SBC2000 version, it will be noted specifically.