I recently received the Amicus18 and companion shield for review. Having visited the website and downloaded software for it (in anticipation, a few weeks earlier), I already had a strong impression of the product. Outlined below is my actual experience with it.
Product Background:
The Amicus18 is designed as a PIC alternative to the Arduino. Physically the board is a clone; however the Amicus18 uses a BASIC programming language instead of C. Perhaps the strength of the Amicus18 is the fact that it makes use of the long established Proton BASIC Compiler/IDE. The Amicus18 was designed by the company that created the Proton compiler, and takes advantage of its comprehensive function set. The board is physically compatible with Arduino shields, so commercially available shields should work just as well with the Amicus18.
Review:
- Packaging:
The Amicus18 and companion shield arrived in separate PET plastic boxes. Each is protected in an antistatic bag and foam. Surrounding the foam is a printed paper label. There is no documentation or software included with the products, just a web address to their location online. The packaging is certainly underwhelming, but I commend the lack of waste and use of recyclable materials where possible.
- Hardware:
The Amicus18 and shield appear to be well constructed. Comparing to the Arduino: the boards are of equal quality and the same form factor. The Amicus18 adds additional voltage breakout pins, and PICkit compatible ICSP pins. The board has an onboard red LED for power and red and green LED’s for TX and RX communications respectively. The “hello world” LED found on pin 13 of the Arduino has been omitted.
It is important to note that the PIC MCU provided with the Amicus18 is a 3.3V version. This could be an issue when connecting to 5V logic IC’s and shields. The Amicus18 manual states that a 5V chip can be substituted, and that 5V shields should work normally with the 3.3V chip. Conveniently, there is a regulated 5V output rail on the board.
It is quickly obvious that the Amicus18 uses a Host USB-A socket; as opposed to the USB-B and mini-USB that are more common in devices. Fortunately a cable was provided with the board I received. I’m not sure if the USB cable is ordinarily provided free of charge with the product, so this could be an extra expense to factor in.
The companion shield received with the board, is a plain and simple prototyping PCB. It contains a reset button, power led and area to solder on custom components. The pins/headers for the shield arrived un-attached. Apparently pre-soldered boards are available. It was no problem soldering the pins on as the PCB is of good quality, and the solder flowed well.
- Software:
Let’s get straight to the point – the compiler uses a BASIC style language and not C. Having never programmed in BASIC, I was a bit uneasy. Looking at the manual, the Amicus18 appears to have a very comprehensive language set. There are many different ways to perform an operation, and macros to do just about anything. I found the sheer amount of specialized commands to be overwhelming - well, for a board that’s supposed to be quick and easy to use, at any rate. I found myself trawling though different settings and methods for using the ADC just to provide an analogue input, for example. Sure, it’s great to be able to set the resolution/sample rate/you name it, but for the layman who usually just wants to quickly implement a simple solution, this is unnecessary!
This is something I noticed throughout the documentation - every single simple task is preceded with time spent filtering through complex methods to do something, only to find the answer to be quite simple. The sheer power and complexity of commands is really great (something that the Arduino is kind of lacking) but it can be a nightmare to do the simple tasks. This is not the fault of the language or the compiler - it’s the documentation's fault! It’s more of a reference than a manual; listing commands from A-Z with no real way to find a solution without reading through the whole document.
I want to look at the index, see “Ah, analogue inputs” and be directed to an example of how to achieve a basic implementation of it. Then (only then), if I want more control (and believe me, the compiler is powerful in this respect), this should be available as an extension to the basic implementation.
The quick-n-easy implementation of Arduino projects is what made it special – the downside being a lack of more complex control. Due to its documentation, the Amicus18 is currently the opposite of this.
From my experience with the compiler, I can say that it is great. The BASIC language is very easy to understand and debug. The IDE is quite impressive compared to the Arduino’s – with a more commercial feel to it. Overall, I think the powerful compiler is what makes the Amicus18 special. This is no surprise as the compiler is a fully functional, free-licence version of the Proton Compiler – an established commercial PIC-BASIC compiler.
Summary:
The Amicus18 is certainly a contender in the Arduino’s market place. For those who prefer PICs/the BASIC language/or the more advanced capabilities of the compiler, the Amicus18 should be seriously considered. The board is compatible with the Arduino’s shields and can perform the same tasks.
The compiler is powerful and the language is easy to understand. There are easy ways to quickly implement solutions, and complex ways to achieve more demanding tasks. The comprehensive, but convoluted documentation on the other hand, makes learning and messing around with the board a hassle, and I think hobbyists will be really put off by this.
The Amicus18 is not a clone; it is an absolute alternative – with all the pros and cons to match.
What's Next:
Well I've told you how I found the Amicus18. When I get the chance I'll post about the projects that I undertook with the Amicus18 and what I found easy/hard to achieve on it. Basically, I soldered on 6 RGB LEDs and a 3-axis accelerometer and messed around from there. 
Till then, all of the best,
Rob
