First bit of FUZE BASIC

The aim was to get the MyPiFi LED board working on the RPi B+ with FUZE BASIC. I don't have the FUZE hardware, just running the B+ with keyboard, mouse and HDMI TV as monitor.

Firstly the MyFiPi board overhangs some of the extra pins on the B+ board, as will probably be the case with most, if not all, boards designed for the RPi A and B boards. It does not touch them so is not a problem, unless you need to use the hidden pins.



FUZE BASIC seems to have its own method of numbering the GPIO pins. The example Python scripts use 11 for Red, 13 for Amber and 21 for Green. These numbers didn't work in FURZE Basic so I wrote a short program to cycle through all the pins and noted down which pin worked which LED. Then I could get down to writing my first working program to cycle the LEDs in the traditional UK traffic light cycle:

     

I couldn't use the full colour names as some are reserved words.

Anyway, after a few attempts and correcting a few errors it finally did what it was supposed to do.
The code allows for the program to be stopped and all LEDs switched off by holding down any key on the keyboard  (WHILE inkey = -1 CYCLE)

Raspberry Pi B+

I have looked at the Raspberry Pi on and off since it was first introduced but have only now got round to ordering one. As the B+ had recently been released that was what I went for. Along with the Pi I also have ordered a WiFi dongle and a camera.





Also ordered was a Tandy Multiface kit:



Previous experience of programming goes back a long way, mostly with various forms of BASIC. Sinclair BASIC on the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum, BBC BASIC on the BBC model B and GFA BASIC on the Atari ST so at least many of the structures are familiar though the remaining grey cell needs a good prodding to remember how to use them. I have reached the age where learning a new type of programming language is well and truly a very slow climb along a steep learning curve.

To date I now have two micro SD cards. One loaded with NOOBS which I have got working OK with WiFi and the camera.  The other was loaded with FUZE BASIC which works OK with WiFi but I am disappointed that there seems no way to access the camera from FUZE BASIC.