Thread: parallax propeller?

Tweet

Has anybody used a parallax propeller to control there haunts?
I feel basic stamps dont do enough for me.

Are you referring to the chip by itsefl or the servo controll board?

Originally Posted by gumba

Are you referring to the chip by itsefl or the servo controll board?

any kind of propeller.

Calloween, what is it you're trying to do? What limits are you coming up against? There's a guy at work here who's worked with the Propeller a little bit, but I haven't myself.

- Hook

Try going to EFX-TEK . They have a forum there and are very helpful. A lot of people were using a Prop 2 controller. I have a Prop 1 but never got around to using it. IMO the basic stamp is an awful lot of programming ,when I have found some easier ways in my mind around it.Just my 2¢.

Ive never really used any parallax micro controllers, mainly because I don't like BASIC. IIRC you write BASIC like code for them, they call it PBASIC or something?

If you have experience writing code for a basic stamp its not too much different for the propeller, is it?

I have used the Proto-SX boards for my props only

I wanna use the ps2 ports for interaction with the trick or treaters so they can tell it what to do and use the rca for displaying video.

There is an article in this months (March 10') about basic propeller programming in Nuts and Volts mag if your interested. Page 16.

I'm honestly not a fan of any of the Parallax Micro Controllers, I'm more of an Arduino kind of girl myself. Everything's open source, and the MC's are really Cheap, (Like 30 bucks). Unlike the BASIC Stamp module where you buy the module (30 ish) and install it on a separately purchased board (the board of education is 69.99 I think) to make it work or to interface with a computer, The Arduino does not require a separate purchase to make it work, you buy the chip, connect it to your computer/power source and start programming. The language is a bit more complex, but its easy to learn if you take an afternoon.
Arduino Main Site
Below I have posted the two sites I go to purchase these killer little micro controllers.
Adafruit Industries, Arduino section
I highly recommend Adafruit's starter pack to start playing with the Arduino, or the budget pack. The Starter pack is currently 65 bucks, and the budget pack is 50 bucks.
Sparkfun Electronics, Arduino section
Sells the Arduino for a few cents cheaper, $29.95 as of this writing.
A basic Tutorial for the Arduino
So yeah. If you want to give it a shot, a lot of Makers enjoy them, including myself. The Arduino has been used by the Maker Community for a while now, and a lot of it has been for interactive projects. I'll using them to control basic animatronics this Halloween.
Instructables Arduino Site.