How long is a piece of (wet) string? Long enough to transmit and receive data communications from one PICAXE to another. Fair dinkum - wet string really does work!

The so-far-unused Pin 0, normally switchable as either the programming input or an output pin, has revealed itself capable of versatile double duty.

When a high impedance piezo sounder was connected to this pin, it was found that programming downloads to the "08" would still pass as normal, with the piezo also conveniently "burbling" as the program went past.

Not only is this a useful audible assurance, (unless you're working late at night!), but the piezo remains capable of sound output as desired, without having to swap the I/O leads. Consequently it's recommended that sound outputs be now normally generated at Pin 0, since this conveniently frees up other I/O pins for more demanding work

Sounds, LED flashing, A-D conversion, timing, pulsing, and motor control all for under $5! As if their appeal so far wasn't enough, PICAXE-08's also come with full-featured serial data communications capabilities.

Sacre bleu - it's almost like learning your kids are talented at cricket, calculus and cooking!

As we have discovered over the past few months, these little "kids" are extremely talented. Unlike kids, though, they are very cheap to train and use. Not only that, they don't know the difference between work and play!