I was recently inspired by a Kickstart project which used Bananas as sensors to control a video game on a PC. I’ve done some video game controls using the Propeller in the past, but I thought this would make an interesting synthesizer project.
Parallax Propeller Quickstart USB Development Board. The QuickStart is an evaluation board for the 8-Core Parallax Propeller. As an open-source reference design the QuickStart board provides basic Propeller circuitry. Developers may use our PCB layout files as their own to speed their project towards completion. As a project board the QuickStart is fully expandable and provides unimpeded access to all I/O pins through an expansion header but includes some button inputs and LEDs to demonstrate programming. With USB power and a selection of QuickStart Project examples it’s also the fastest way to get up and running.
Video Beats uses a Propeller QuickStart board and a Quick Proto to sample line-level audio (like from your MP3 player) and generate video graphics. As the audio input changes, new graphics are generated to match the audio.
Seven visualizations are built-in, they will change automatically, or you can switch them manually by using the buttons on the QuickStart. You can also customize the visualizations to change colors or shapes.
More videos along with assembly and sourcecode @ Gadget Gangster.
The Quick Proto kit adds video and audio to your Propeller Platform and includes a prototyping area. It can stack on top of the Propeller Platform, or underneath, and it uses the same pinouts as Parallax’s Demoboard (P11: Audio, P12,P13,P14: Video DAC).
Features
CD-quality audio with coaxial audio output with low-pass filtering
Kevin Cook and Rick Galinson at Parallax Expo 2012 (Photo Courtesy: (R) Rich Harman)
To close out National Robotics Week with a bang, Parallax opened its doors to hobbyists, engineers, Boy Scouts and its community at the first annual Parallax Robotics and Microcontrollers Expo on April 13-14, 2012. Over 2,000 attendees showed up to celebrate all things robotic by learning to solder and breadboard, touring the manufacturing facility, battling Sumo Bots and taking in some fun and technical talks, as well as the highlight of the show the flying ELEV-8 Quadcopter contests. Parallax friend Rick “Mr. Hollywood” Galinson stopped by and attempted to shoot down the ELEV-8 with his Gatling gun (which incorporates the Parallax Propeller chip) that shoots over 3000 paintballs per minute. The ELEV-8 survived the attack but ended up a little painted in the process.
Check out the videos of the Gatling Gun vs. ELEV-8 Quadcopter:
Come visit Parallax at the USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Walter E. Convention Center in Washington, D.C. April 28-29, 2012. This event is free to the public and will have exhibits and stage shows to entertain children of all ages. Stop by our booth (#2145) in the Robot Fest area to learn how or perfect your soldering skills on your very own Scribbler 2 LED badge or come battle it out with our wireless Sumo-bots or learn about different sensor types with our Boe-Bots. Visit http://www.usasciencefestival.org for more information on the event.
NEW PRODUCT – Parallax Propeller Quickstart USB Development Board. The QuickStart is an evaluation board for the 8-Core Parallax Propeller. As an open-source reference design the QuickStart board provides basic Propeller circuitry. Developers may use our PCB layout files as their own to speed their project towards completion. As a project board the QuickStart is fully expandable and provides unimpeded access to all I/O pins through an expansion header but includes some button inputs and LEDs to demonstrate programming. With USB power and a selection of QuickStart Project examples it’s also the fastest way to get up and running.
I found the code and schematic by Joe Grand to interface a Parallax Propeller with the Gameboy Printer. I had an extra WiiChuck adapter that I thought would work with the Gameboy Link Cable, but I had to sand down both edges of the adapter so that it would fit. I also had to cut a trace and solder it to another pin.
The Propeller 2 is a general-purpose 32-bit microcontroller with 8 symmetric processors called “cogs.” Each cog has 512 longs (2 KB) of memory from which it executes instructions. Each cog shares a 128-bit data bus to a central “hub” which has 126 KB of RAM and 2 KB of ROM. Most instructions execute in a single clock cycle, with certain math intensive operations taking up to 31 clock cycles to complete. The hub allows each cog round-robin access to the main hub RAM; depending on the hub’s access window relative to the cog, access to hub RAM can take up to 7 clocks (if the access window was just missed) or as little as 0 clocks (if the cog is next in line for the access window). Additionally, the developer has the ability to set a one-time settable encryption key in the chip to protect code downloaded to the chip. On system startup the chip will use this protected key decrypt the encrypted program that is stored externally in non-volatile EEPROM/FLASH. The encryption key is not accessible by any user code.
Parallax is inviting folks to post up in their forums too.
Here’s an Internet enabled Christmas tree ornament that grabs updated stock quotes using a Propeller Platform USB. Gadget Gangster writes…
The Tannenbaum Ticker is a Christmas tree ornament that changes color based on how your stocks are doing.
US and international stocks, commodities, and bonds can be tracked, including market-wide and industry indexes Trade data is polled every 30 seconds during the trading day. The ticker goes from dark red ( > 4% drop from open), to green (within 0.2% of open), to blue ( > 4% increase from open).
Rudolph, the email reading reindeer, uses a Propeller Platform USB to announce when you’ve got a new email and who sent it. Gadget Gangster writes…
How’s it work?
Rudolph regularly connects to your email server via POP, logs in, and checks the number of emails in your inbox. If you’ve got a new email, it triggers an animation on the stuffed animal, retrieves the name of the sender and plays it back.
A Propeller Platform USB runs everything, using an E-Net module to handle the Internet connection. The ‘Text-to-Speech’ engine also runs on the Propeller; It’s really a text-to-phoneme engine, but works well enough to read the name of the sender.
What about reading something other than email?
Rudolph can tell you the weather, read a sports score, or blink when you get a tweet! I’ll show you how to use any data that’s available on a webpage in your own project.
Assembly instructions and code on their site. Instructions also include a cool Umbrella Alarm.
Want to add audio and lighting effects to your R/C car? The R/C Animator uses a Propeller Platform USB to read servo signals and play special effects. Gadget Gangster writes;
R/C Animator triggers effects based on the position of the servos in your vehicle. So, you can trigger the playback of a rumbling V8 when the throttle servo opens up. Or you could connect a spare servo channel to the R/C Animator to turn on an LED ‘light bar’ and play a siren. Effects include;
Sound playback
Up to 32GB of audio samples can be stored and played back in CD quality stereo. An onboard audio amp will drive speakers up to 1/4 Watt.
LED animation
Up to 25 LED’s can be turned on, blinked, or faded.
Secondary servo movements
Multiple servos can be directly controlled by R/C Animator, so a single wireless channel can trigger secondary servo animations
R/C Animator is designed to chain and combine these effects.
Okay, it’s actually a recorder, but this project will allow it to make sounds like a flute, recorder, or even weird space noises. It uses a breath ‘blow’ sensors and a Propeller Platform running SIDcog for the sound.
You’ll also have a choice of converting the instrument to become fully electronic, or adding synth features to the existing instrument.
Toilet Buddy uses a Propeller Platform USB to remind you when the seat is up, when you left the lights on, and it plays a ‘courtesy flush’ sound. Source code and circuit on Instructables. Instructions also include how to re-purpose Toilet Buddy as Grandfather Clock;
4 Amps (2 amps x 2 motors) via a L298 motor driver
4 ADC’s (Analog inputs) via a MCP3204 chip
4 Servos with connections to power and with current-limiting resistors on the signal wires
Audio-out (non-amplified)
Video-out via a standard RCA jack
Connections for an X-bee
Connections for a BlueSmirf Bluetooth unit
he 444-AVXB was designed with the robot hobbyist in mind. Connections are available for just about every “standard” thing you would find on a small to medium-sized robot. A hefty motor driver handles decent-sized motors with nice screw terminals for both power and motor connections. (4) 3-pin connections are provided for servos which can be powered by either external power or on-board power. An ADC chip allows for 4 analog inputs to be read, great for analog sensors, pots, LDR’s etc.
Video-out takes advantage of the awesome video capability of the prop and can be connected to any TV with a “video-in” and/or many of the cheapie 7” LCD screens (found on Ebay). Audio is just that, audio out with the circuit being the same as can be found on many other propeller products. Pin 15 has been brought forward as well for a Ping))) sonar unit. Finally, there is room and connections for EITHER an X-bee or Bluetooth module. All unused pins are accessible via female headers.
A quick look is up on LetsMakeRobots. A few more photos;
Printable catalog (PDF)
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