Recommended PICAXE hardware

The recommended hardware for the Edexcel BTEC NQF Unit 6 (Microcontrollers for Engineers) is either an AXE056 T4 Trainer board or an AXE091 experimenter board, both are supplied fitted with a PICAXE-18M2 microcontroller. The PICAXE Editor software is free to use at home and school and supports flowcharts, BASIC and block programming methods.

For extension projectwork any other PICAXE project board or chip may be used. As a reference guide the educational price of a PICAXE-18M2 chip is just £1.62 per chip (and the software is free).

PICAXE is an approved teaching system for this BTEC course. All exam questions can be attempted via students who only have experience of the PICAXE system, it is not necessary to use two or more different microcontroller systems. 

The following input/output devices are included on the AXE056 Trainer board, other i/o may be added as required. The AXE091 experimenter board has similar i/o fitted, as well as a breadboarding area for experimental circuits.

B.0       LED via 330 resistor to 0V

B.1       LED via 330 resistor to 0V

B.2       LED via 330 resistor to 0V

C.0       miniature LDR * (10k pull-down resistor)

C.1       10k pot between power rails

C.2       DS18B20 temperature sensor (4k7 pull-up resistor)

C.6       push switch (10k pull-down resistor)

C.7       push switch (10k pull-down resistor)

* Note that due to RoHS regulations LDRs are no longer fitted by default to Revolution pre-assembled products. However as RoHS regulations only apply to the sale of ‘finished goods’ an LDR may still be purchased as a separate component and soldered to the project board after purchase.

AXE056

AXE056 T4 PICAXE-18M2 Trainer

A PICAXE-18M2 tutorial board with various input/output devices connected to both PORTA and PORTB. Ideal for demonstrating all the assembler code examples. Starter pack includes power supply and AXE027 cable. Details

PDF ↓ Buy Now

AXE091U

AXE091 Experimenter

This board supports all PICAXE chip sizes and also has a breadboarding area for designing your own circuits. Starter pack includes 18M2 chip and AXE027 cable. Details

PDF ↓ Buy Now