There are several reasons. TStik is complete with ethernet magnetics, 1-Wire, etc which are not present on the m400. The biggest difference is that TStik is engineered for rugged use by OEMs in industrial environments. The m400 is intended as an evaluation board for use in a laboratory, and Dallas does not endorse it for use in the field. Here is an unsolicited testimonial about TStik, used with permission:

I'd like to share my experience with TStik. I currently manage over nine 1-Wire weather stations that are powered by the Tini platform. The original systems used the Dallas-Maxim '390 design. Living in Tucson, AZ, we get some pretty spectacular thunderstorms in the summer. These weather stations typically have 100 feet or more of cable connected to the 1-Wire port, along with serial cables, and Ethernet. These cables act like giant antennas during the thunderstorms. At least once a year, I'd loose a Tini or two to nearby lightning strikes. The energy coupling into the cables would damage the Tini module, destroying it (interestingly, the typical failure mode is the loss of the Ethernet port). For various reasons, I switched to your TStik '400 modules. So far, I have lost 3 more Dallas-Maxim Tini modules, but not a single TStik has failed yet. The additional ESD protection offered by TStik provides considerable robustness to the outside world in harsh environments. I'm now only using Systronix TStik in new applications.

Tim Bitson
Author, Weather Toys
www.weathertoys.net

TStik needs the JavaKit options: -400 -flash 40 -ROMSize 2097152
Here is a batch file to use. Note that it uses some system variables which are set up as described here.

Yes, it is the same TINIOS. TStik is tested by Dallas and approved as complying with the TINI Approved Manufacturer's guidelines. This makes Systronix a "TAM" - TIni Authorized Manufacturer.

These differences are detailed here with additional information for TStik2 here.

The differences are in the module size and connector ("form factor"). TStik2 is much more like the TINI390 module. TStik is much more integrated and complete than the m400, since TStik includes ethernet magnetics, 1-Wire interface, etc on board.

Yes. TStik uses a 15 MHz crystal (and runs TINI at 2X that = 30 MHz) specifically so that it can accurately create high baud rate CAN. Plus you can use CAN and I2C at the same time - a capability unique to TStik. These capabilities can all be tested on the TILT.Pro socket board.

When you try to execute a TINI application you get an error like this:

tini00e153 /> java go.tini &
Could not execute file: java.lang.RuntimeException: Detected incorrect executable API version = 9005, system currently using API Version = 9004

This means your TINIOS version does not match the TINIOS runtime which you used to build your program. In this case TStik has TINIOS 1.12 loaded and we attempted to execute an application built for TINIOS 1.13.

The NVRAM backup battery is only used when TStik has no power applied. When power is applied to TStik, the battery will last several years. On TStik rev 1.2 and earlier, power-off battery life is at least several months. Battery life is a strong function of temperature - the hotter the temperature, the lower the battery life. For best reliability you should always store your application in Flash memory. See the Flash app note.

TStik2 has a revised NVRAM circuit with about 10X longer battery life than TStik1, so TStik2 battery should last several years when unpowered, at room temperatures.