Important ordering information: There is no minimum order, but in order to provide parts for as many people as possible, there is a maximum order amount of $100. Orders that exceed that limit will be automatically refunded. Also, as of March 2011, international shipping is now available. Shipments to the United States, Canada, or Mexico are trackable and insured. Shipments to all other countries are not trackable, and are also not insured.
The SIP-18v2 PC Board
The SIP-18v2 replaces our popular SIP-18 project board, and includes three major improvements:
- Programming Connection: The legacy serial programming connection has been replaced with the standard PICAXE stereo connector for use with the PICAXE AXE027 USB programming cable. If you are still using a serial programming connection for your PICAXE projects, it's a simple matter to make a DB-9 to stereo plug adapter for use with the SIP-18v2.
- Power and Ground Connections: As you can see in the above photo, +5V and Ground pins are not included on the SIP connector (as they were on the original SIP-18 board). The two pins just to the left of the PICAXE processor (which are labeled "+" and "-") directly connect to the power rails of the breadboard,which means that you no longer need to use jumpers for this purpose. We'll get into the details of the power connections below.
- SIP Connector Labels: The SIP-18v2 board is compatible with all PICAXE 18-pin processors, including the PICAXE-18X, the PICAXE-18M, and RevEd's recently announced (but not yet released) PICAXE-18M2® processor. One of the many impressive features of the 18M2 processor is that it provides a total of 16 I/O lines, which is three more than either of its predecessors. Even more impressively, 13 of the 18M2's I/O lines are bi-directional. In order to make the SIP-18v2 board as up-to-date as possible, I decided to label its breadboard connectors to match the 18M2 pin-out. If you intend to use the SIP-18v2 with either an 18X or 18M processor, the following pin-out conversions will be helpful.
18M2 vs. 18M/X Pin-out Conversion Chart
| 18M2 Pin | 18M/X Pin |
| C.0 | Input 0 |
| C.1 | Input 1 |
| C.2 | Input 2 |
| C.3 (output only) | Serial Out |
| C.4 (input only) | Serial In |
| C.5 (input only) | Reset |
| C.6 | Input 6 |
| C.7 | Input 7 |
| B.0 | Output 0 |
| B.1 | Output 1 |
| B.2 | Output 2 |
| B.3 | Output 3 |
| B.4 | Output 4 |
| B.5 | Output 5 |
| B.6 | Output 6 |
| B.7 | Output 7 |
The photo below shows a complete SIP-18v2 breadboard circuit. In the photo, I'm using a PICAXE-18M processor, so I included the necessary "reset" circuitry (the 4.7k resistor that connects the reset pin [C.5] to +5V). On the new PICAXE-18M2 processor, pin C.5 will be able to be configured as either a general-purpose input pin or the traditional reset pin, so the 4.7k resistor will be optional.
A Complete SIP-18v2 Breadboard Circuit
An Important Note about Breadboards
If you look closely at the above photo of the SIP-18v2 breadboard circuit, you can see that the holes in the power rails are "staggered" when compared with the holes in the main section of the breadboard. For some strange reason, this staggered arrangement is used on all the small (400-point) breadboards that I have ever seen. However, all the larger breadboards (830-point) do not use this staggered arrangement; the holes in their power rails are exactly in line with the holes in the main section of the breadboard. The following photo more clearly shows the difference between the small and large breadboards.
Because I tend to use the smaller breadboards almost exclusively for my PICAXE project development, I decided to design the SIP-18v2 board for use with the staggered hole arrangement. As a result, the SIP-18v2 board can only be used with breadboards that have the staggered hole arrangement. Make sure you have compatible breadboards before you decide to purchase a SIP-18v2 board.
Before inserting the SIP-18v2 board into a staggered breadboard, it's very important to be sure the breadboard is oriented correctly. The photo below (which actually shows an AxMate-18 board, but the power and ground connections are the same on the AxMate-18 and the SIP-18v2) shows the correct orientation of the breadboard. Note the two circles and arrows that indicate where the Power and Ground connections are made. As on the AxMate-18, the two connecting pins on the SIP-18v2 are labeled "+" and "-" which indicate the polarity of each pin. Also note that the breadboard is oriented so that the +5V power line is below the Ground line. This is the standard orientation that I use in all my projects and photos. Accidentally rotating the breadboard 180 degrees before inserting the SIP-18v2 board would result in the +5V and Ground lines being cross-connected, which could damage or destroy the PICAXE processor and/or some of the components in your breadboard circuit.
