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Main Features

Simplicity​

  • Many control applications can be accomplished in a very small program.
  • ARMbasic can be installed in minutes, and be solving your control problems just as quickly.
  • While BASIC is considered a simplistic language, ARMbasic with built-in hardware functions and the speed of compiled code can be a higher-performance solution than many more complex languages.
  • As it is an incremental compiler, it has the feel of an interpreter. It's quick and easy to debug programs. Why learn a new development system — you can either enter programs directly from the console or use any text editor you are already familiar with.

BASIC Compatibility​

  • ARMbasic from Coridium is not a "new" BASIC language. You don't need to learn anything new if you are familiar with any Microsoft-BASIC variant. Even if you don't have knowledge of the BASIC language, its constructs are easy to learn and easy to use.
  • ARMbasic is case-insensitive; scalar variables don't need to be dimensioned or declared before use; a MAIN function is not required. Syntax follows much of that of Microsoft Visual BASIC.

PBASIC IO functions​

Most of the PBASIC IO functions have been added:

  • INPUT and OUTPUT control pin direction
  • HIGH and LOW control pin output values
  • I2C on any of the 15 pin pairs
  • SPI using any group of 3 pins
  • PWM on any pin with 256 levels
  • FREQOUT on any pin up to 100 KHz
  • PULSIN and PULSOUT will measure or output a pulse
  • SHIFTIN, SHIFTOUT can be used for SPI or MicroWire devices
  • OWIN and OWOUT support one-wire devices
  • SERIN, SEROUT can be used for low duty cycle asynchronous serial ports on any pin up to 9600 baud
  • RCTIME will measure a capacitive delay

Support for 32-bit variables and Strings​

  • Integer: (32-bit math)
  • Floating point (32-bit)
  • String support
  • Automatic type conversions

Arrays​

  • Static arrays supported, up to 32 KB in size.

Direct Hardware Access​

  • Uses the same syntax as C-pointers.

Debugging support​

  • The ease and speed of an interpreter.
  • Quick access to variables.

Optimized code generation​

  • While ARMbasic is not an optimizing compiler, it does many kinds of general optimizations to generate fast code on ARM CPUs. It runs more than 10 million BASIC instructions per second.