[Robotgroup] parallax propeller - some new developments

[Paul Atkinson]

Is anyone interested in a Propeller SIG? I'd like to learn more about the
propeller, but I don't seem to find the time to play with it. Perhaps a SIG
would be a good forum for exploring it...

Paul

On Thu, Aug 28, 2008 at 3:30 PM, Andre Lamothe <ceo at nurve.net> wrote:

> The propeller is really good at what its really good at -- multiprocessing
> and graphics. If those are your needs then its a perfect fit, however, if
> you want a general microcontroller to work with then the AVR, PIC, ARM, etc.
> are probably better choices for general computing and low cost/performance
> and as Mack says the compilers and tools are C based and free. But, on the
> other hand the prop has been out a year ish, so soon the C compiler will be
> free as well, I suspect, just like Basic became free for the SX.
> Additionally, the Prop 2 is in development, in fact, I have a meeting today
> with Chip on the graphics architecture, and its performance of the prop 2
> will blow your mind. And of course, since the C compiler is already out, it
> will be more tightly coupled.
>
> But, these things take time, parallax is not a chip dev company, so they
> are getting the hang of it.
>
> The prop is just another tool in the embedded systems developers arsenal,
> just like the argument between Windows and Linux, I use both, and could care
> less about the politics. I think anyone that does embedded dev definitely
> needs to try the prop as well as the AVR, Pic, Renesas, NXP Arm, TI MSP430
> and others.
>
> Andre'
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gray Mack" <gray_mack at yahoo.com>
> To: <Robotgroup at puremagic.com>
> Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 2:29 PM
> Subject: [Robotgroup] parallax propeller - some new developments
>
>
>
>  In addition to all the great free software objects built in 2006-7, here
>> are some of the more recent offerings on the parallax object exchange:
>>
>> * SPDIF (digital audio) output - for toslink or coax digital audio output
>> (no input though)
>> * Multiple serial port driver - 4 serial ports on a cog
>> * Servo Pulse Input - This object reads standard R/C servo pulse widths
>> * Servo32v3 - Control up to 32 servos without external hardware.
>> * PID Routines Implements the Proportional, Integral, and Derivative
>> functions.
>> see http://www.chibots.org/drupal/?q=node/339 for PID definition
>> * MIDI in - The MidiIn object supports receiving and parsing a standard
>> MIDI stream (no output though)
>> * Real Random - generates real random numbers by stimulating and tracking
>> CTR PLL jitter.
>> * Simple Propeller Assembly Debugger (SPAD) A debugging tool that works
>> like the Basic Stamp.
>>
>> There are a lot of new C objects for the new ICC compiler ($99 for
>> non-commercial version)
>>
>> http://www.parallax.com/Store/Microcontrollers/BASICStampModules/tabid/134/txtSearch/32380/List/1/ProductID/510/Default.aspx?SortField=ProductName%2cProductName
>> I think there is a free 45day trial compiler.
>>
>> My opinions:
>> Unless there becomes a large library of pre-made hobbyist C objects that
>> make for rapid development, its hard to imagine this being a worthwhile
>> investment considering the cost of an equivalent PIC/AVR development system
>> where the non-commercial C compiler is basically free and the programmer
>> hardware is about the same cost as with propeller about $70-100. So I think
>> one might be better off just learning spin or else going with a different
>> micro. The development of a 3rd party C compiler may actually hurt the
>> propeller since it may divide the development community up.
>>
>> The biggest thing the propeller micro has going for it is that a developer
>> can plug in other developers libraries without difficulty. Well behaved
>> objects are pin configurable and use a predefined amount of resources and
>> mostly run at max speed (80mhz) so you can plug and play. Not something that
>> works well on a pic, atmel, etc.
>> -Gray
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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