Software Store

VBB is FREE. However there are 2 optional subscriptions you can choose to help you get the most out of VBB.

  • ChatVBB

  • Power Up Legacy Mode

These subscriptions are managed by Microsoft Payment System. When you purchase a subscription it will appear in your Subscriptions section of your My Microsoft Account which makes it easy to manage your subscription alongside your other microsoft subscriptions.

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How to Buy

  1. Tap the Buy Button

  2. Complete the Payment Processes using Microsoft Store secure payment dialog

  3. Your subcription will be updated and visible in the LaunchPad status

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ChatVBB

VBB is pivoting 100% behind AI and we plan to use it in every possible way to help users. In fact it’s only thing we plan to charge for.

ChatVBB is based on a ChatGPT service we also need to pay so it’s not possible to make this free. The ChatVBB integration mines metadata from circuits to provide the context for ChatGPT to help you get the most out of VBB. For beginners it’s like magic bringing circuits to life by describing what you want it to do. As you gain experience you will appreciate the detailed explainations of how it actually works behind the scenes. For experienced coders you will appreciate the productivity boost. So there’s something for everyone. Right now ChatVBB used used for Chat Code Generation and Code Translation Export.

Chat Code Generation

Internally VBB uses the ‘VBB Java’ (VBJ) Domain Specific Language (DSL). is which is quite close to Arduino Java. The ChatGPT output is aligned for compatibility with VBJ in the ChatVBB code generator. Chat code generator takes the meta data from the circuit and recommended API’s and feeds it to the ChatGPT session behind the scenes along with your chat dialog and then aligns the output code with VBJ or requests alternate implementations if incompatibilities are found.

Code Translation Export

Using Java has the internal has the advantage that java is a formally structured language which is easier for GPT to translate into other languages. So internally you work with VBJ either at the Chat or code debugging level and when you are ready to run it on a real device you export it using the translation exporter for your specific device. The exported source code can then be used with your normal tools for compiling and deploying to your final target device.

Power Up Legacy

Previously Power Up was a pay feature but is now free for all users. To optimise use of AI VBB has moved internally to the VBJ domain specific java emulation for microcontroller virtualization. This type of virtualization is not always compatible with binary instruction set microcontroller simulations such as used with the AVR328P instuction set simulator component used in VBB to simulate the Arduino HEX code. Thus while the AVR328P and microchip PIC simulators are now considered end of life (EOL) they will continue to be available for use with the legacy mode subscription.