NEW PRODUCT – Parallax Propeller Activity Board – Introducing the Propeller Activity Board!

Do more with eight cores. Harnessing the power of the 8-core Propeller microcontroller is now easier than ever before! With built-in sockets and pre-written C libraries, Parallax provides the resources for you to bring your project from idea to reality.

The Propeller Activity Board gives you direct access to the most popular Propeller peripherals, including:

• XBee socket — control or receive data from your invention wirelessly
• microSD card holder — log sensor data or add WAV files
• Mini audio/stereo jack — listen to those WAV files or synthesized speech
• 3-pin headers — quickly connect to servos, serial LCDs, etc.
• Breadboard — build and rebuild circuits without soldering (or desoldering!)
• A/D and D/A converters — read or set the voltage your project needs
• USB or power supply — the choice is yours

Get started today by exploring the Propeller C Tutorials and see just how easy it is to digitize your creativity.

Technical Details:

• Dimensions: 101.6mm / 4″ x 77.62mm / 3″ x 14.91mm / .58″
• Prop activity board guide

Features

• Built-in 8-core Propeller P8X32A microcontroller, 64 KB EEPROM and 5 MHz crystal oscillator
• Breadboard, sockets for power and I/O access, and six servo ports with power-select jumpers for easy prototyping
• Automatically selects between USB and external power sources and provides USB over-current protection
• 6–9 V center-positive 2.1 mm barrel jack for external power supplies
• Convenient reset button and 3-position power switch
• Onboard mini stereo-audio jack
• Built-in microSD card slot for datalogging, WAV files, etc.
• XBee wireless module socket simplifies advanced applications
• Dedicated analog header sockets provide four A/D 12-bit inputs and two buffered variable-resolution D/A outputs
• 4-pin header for connecting I/O pins to the XBee RF socket
• Indicator lights show the status of system power, servo power, two analog output levels, XBee Tx/Rx, and USB Tx/Rx
• 3.3 V and 5 V linear voltage regulators

In stock and shipping now!

Uncle Sam Wants You! Now’s your chance to change the way our country does medical simulation and battlefield care. The 2013 microMedic National Contest is calling the best and brightest, that’s you, to help invent new medical applications using microcontrollers. With over $25,000 in cash and prizes awarded to the winners, what are you waiting for? Contestants may use any microcontroller they desire in their application. Parallax is offering two flavors of the microMedic Application Idea Kit full of tons of sensors and cool parts; one kit has the multi-core Propeller chip, the other includes the Board of Education Shield (for Arduino).

In order to help you in your quest we’ve created a special discussion forum for the microMedic contest, provided a list of project ideas and created a bunch of mini-tutorials to help you get started with the kit sensors. We’re even giving away 100 free kits to the first qualified entries. This contest is open to participants of all ages with special prizes for educational and public division winners.

Hurry, contest ends July 31st, 2013! For all the info on the contest check out http://learn.parallax.com/micromedic. Be sure to visit the Official Rules page for all the details on contest entry, including how to apply for a free kit.

Good luck from Parallax, the U.S. Army and Carnegie Mellon University!

Parallax has released Propeller GCC Beta!

Welcome to the beta test of Parallax’s Propeller GCC compiler for the P8X32A Propeller chip.  The Propeller GCC Compiler tool-chain is an open-source, multi-OS, and multi-lingual compiler that targets the Parallax Propeller’s unique multicore architecture.  Parallax has hired industry experts to develop all aspects of the toolchain, including the creation of a new development environment that simplifies writing code, compilation, and downloading to a Propeller board.  The C and C++ compiler tools provide a significant benefit to Parallax customers who use our Propeller multicore processor.  Using the Large Memory Model (LMM) and Extended Memory Model (XMM) gives the developer the ability to write C or C++ programs that run faster than Spin or exceed Spin’s 32 KB program size limit, respectively.  Additionally, Parallax will be publishing tutorials on learn.parallax.com to provide experience to new developers interested in learning how to develop embedded applications in C or C++.  All of this effort will immediately roll into developing compilation tools for Parallax Semiconductor’s long awaited Propeller 2 when it is released.

Cool to see Parallax embracing open-source tools — give it a test drive and send them your feedback!

Gadget Gangster put up a tutorial on Instructables to build a retro 8-bit microcomputer with a Parallax Propeller.

This Instructable will teach you how to build your own retro-style microcomputer to program, play games and music, and most importantly re-create some of the magic from the 1970′s on your own table.   You will be able to assemble this project in an afternoon, and enjoy it for months to come.   We’ll start with some a simple kit and build from there.

Gadget Gangster even ported BASIC to run on the propeller.  You can pick up Parallax Propeller products from Adafruit here!

via Hack a Day

Jeff Ledger over at Gadget Gangster put together a great tutorial on how to make a resistor calculator that speaks the resistor value to you.

Even at 40, I still think of myself as a young guy, but my eyes… not so much anymore. From my electronic microscope to my Aladdin Rainbow reading machine, I’ve taken every step to make sure that vision isn’t an issue, but sometimes reading the bands on a simple resistor is still a big pain. Is that an orange stripe or a red one?

Talking Resistor Calculator speaks to tell you what the value of your resistors.

via Hack a Day

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.

In Stock and Shipping Now!

Awesome author Gordon McComb is ready to add more sensors to his online Microcontroller KickStart series:   basic, no-frills wiring diagrams and code examples for the BASIC Stamp 2, Propeller QuickStart, and Arduino Uno.  Which one would you like Gordon to write next? 

Meet the Candidates

KickStart Candidates for May 2012

Sound Impact Sensor (#29132 at the Parallax Store)	4-Directional Tilt Sensor (#29132 at the Parallax Store)

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Aw hell yeah, Bananaphone!

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.

Examples at Parallax Semiconductor:

• QuickStart 1: Comparison of Programming Tools
• QuickStart 2: Propeller Programming First Steps
• QuickStart 3: Introduction to Spin Objects
• QuickStart 4: Common Methods Found in Objects
• QuickStart 5: Multiple Cogs
• QuickStart 6: Using the Parallax Serial Terminal

Features:

• Open hardware reference design through our Altium and DipTrace PCB layout files (more export options may be possible)
• Bus-powered USB coupled with 3.3V regulator for 500 mA
• 5 mHz cyrstal on board may be disabled by removing SMT jumper, allowing replacement with external through-hole crystal
• 64KB EEPROM (32K for P8X32A program, 32K for general-purpose use)
• External brownout reset may be installed by removing SMT jumper
• (8) blue LEDs on P16-P23
• (8) resistive touch-buttons on P0-P7
• Pads for sigma-delta A/D circuitry (two resistors and two capacitors, both 0603) for using the Sigma-Delta A/D AppNote
• Expansion header provides access to Vss, Vdd, 32 I/O pins (28 for any use, 2 are I²C bus, and two are optional Tx/Rx if connected to USB power)
• Measures 2″ x 3″ (5.1 cm x 7.6 cm)

This board doesn’t come with a mini-B USB cable or bumpers, but we stock them in the shop so you may want to pick those up.

In stock and Propelling now!

Check it out at ~1:15 in the video (it goes by pretty quick). Peter Parker using the Parallax Propeller Professional Development Board (say that five times fast). Neat!

[via twitter]

A music visualizer using the Propeller QuickStart, Nick writes;

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.

Features

• CD-quality audio with coaxial audio output with low-pass filtering
• Onboard video output in NTSC or PAL
• Extended prototyping area: 14 columns x 13 rows = 182 holes!
• Terminal block and Barrel connectors for powering the QuickStart
• Prototyping area with access to 27 I/O, Vdd, and Vss connections

Traces in the prototyping area are also marked in the silkscreen, so it’s easy to see how the traces are connected.

You’ll need a few tools to build this project: A soldering iron & solder, and Diagonal cutters

It takes about 10 minutes to assemble Quick Proto, you’ll need a few tools;
(1) A soldering iron & solder (Soldering Tutorial)
(2) Diagonal cutters

In stock and shipping now!

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 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:

The Action From the Ground

What the ELEV-8 Quadcopter Saw From the Air

Parallax Heads to Washington, D.C.

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.

Examples at Parallax Semiconductor:

• QuickStart 1: Comparison of Programming Tools
• QuickStart 2: Propeller Programming First Steps
• QuickStart 3: Introduction to Spin Objects
• QuickStart 4: Common Methods Found in Objects
• QuickStart 5: Multiple Cogs
• QuickStart 6: Using the Parallax Serial Terminal

Features:

• Open hardware reference design through our Altium and DipTrace PCB layout files (more export options may be possible)
• Bus-powered USB coupled with 3.3V regulator for 500 mA
• 5 mHz cyrstal on board may be disabled by removing SMT jumper, allowing replacement with external through-hole crystal
• 64KB EEPROM (32K for P8X32A program, 32K for general-purpose use)
• External brownout reset may be installed by removing SMT jumper
• (8) blue LEDs on P16-P23
• (8) resistive touch-buttons on P0-P7
• Pads for sigma-delta A/D circuitry (two resistors and two capacitors, both 0603) for using the Sigma-Delta A/D AppNote
• Expansion header provides access to Vss, Vdd, 32 I/O pins (28 for any use, 2 are I²C bus, and two are optional Tx/Rx if connected to USB power)
• Measures 2″ x 3″ (5.1 cm x 7.6 cm)

This board doesn’t come with a mini-B USB cable or bumpers, but we stock them in the shop so you may want to pick those up.

In stock and Propelling now!

Gameboy Printer Project @ Tim’s Mind.

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.

Propeller 2 specs DRAFT via Dangerous Prototypes.

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).

Assembly guide and source code

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.

Code and assembly on Gadget Gangster and Instructables.

A Propeller Platform USB reads the flute and feeds the input into a SID chip emulator.  Gadget Gangster writes…

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.

Howto on Gadget Gangster and Instructables.

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;

An interactive Video Fireplace using the Propeller Platform USB and ProtoPlus.  Gadget Gangster writes…

 The Video Fireplace connects to your TV, re-creating a warm, inviting fire that you can stoke and add wood to. Features include:

• Never runs out of wood Runs about 20 hours on 4xAA’s or connect a power adapter to run continuously
• Your fire, your rules Customize with your favorite holiday music, it can store hundreds of songs
• Stoke away Stoke and ‘Add Wood’ buttons let you play with fire
• Perfect for any occasion Video stored on SD card can be changed to suit any other holiday
• No Cleanup Unlike burning ‘real’ wood, virtual wood burns without any ashes
• Safe Doesn’t generate any heat or smoke
• Easy Compatible with any TV that has a composite video (i.e., RCA jack) connection

Assembly guide and software on instructables.  Here’s an extended video of the fire;

Chris The Carpenter has put together possibly the most complete robot module for the Propeller Platform.  Called the 444AVXB, he writes…

Let’s start with the name, 444-AVXB stands for:

• 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;

Propeddle is a shield for the Propeller Platform.  Jac writes…

Propeddle was initially intended as a replica for the early Commodore computers (PET-2001, CBM-4032 and CBM-8032) because those happen to be the first computers I ever worked on. But because of the way it’s designed, it’s really a universal platform to (re-)create many types of 6502-based computers, or design a new one. In many cases you won’t even need additional hardware (besides a Gadget Gangster Propeller Platform board): the software on the Propeller determines how the computer behaves, and it can emulate other hardware such as storage, by using the EEPROM or the serial port to a PC or other device.

TetraProp is a PropellerPlatform compatible board with four Propellers. It is designed for distributed parallel procecessing experiments. Each Propeller Island is an individulal unit with headers for user connections.

Features:

• Headers allow interconnections for user’s design
• Four independent Propeller islands on one board
• Propeller and EEPROM are SMD
• Other components through-hole for easy modification
• Jumper selectable reset type
• Socket for crystal
• PropPlug header for every Propeller
• All stacker pins on 0.1″ grid for connecting to a protoboard.

One more photo;

A four part tutorial series on how to make your own SIDcog-based synthesizer with the Propeller Platform.  Jeff writes…

dig into the audio abilities of the Propeller Platform with the creation of your own on-screen synthesizer, starting with the basics of sound generation, then into a fully functional instrument capable of creating funky, eight-bit sounds.

The Hardware:

Mad Scientists is a new show on the National Geographic channel, and Steve is featured in the episode ‘Robot Genius’. He writes…

Each episode highlights the work of an individual maker/inventor. In my case, the show focuses in on my collection of robots that I have built over the past several years for articles that have appeared in Robot Magazine. There is a “reality” spin to the show where the inventor is challenged to build something with the show’s host (John Bowler) in just two days. For the grand finale the “build” is revealed to an audience of friends and family and put to the test. For me the challenge was to build a robot that could play the basketball game of PIG. You’ll have to watch the show to see how well we did.

All the robots you will see in the show are based on the Parallax Propeller. You may catch a glimpse of a Propeller Proto Board as well as some screen shots filled with Spin code.

PropGFX shield for the Propeller Platform @ savagecircuits.

Specs:

• TV out (Master, Slave propeller jumpers)
• R/L audio channels (Master, Slave propeller jumpers)
• Wii Classic Controller Interface
• PS2 Keyboard and Mouse Interface
• IR Detector (3v,5v device jumper, Output resistor to support 5v device)

While the Propeller already has video output capabilities, PropGFX improves the quality by adding a second Propeller to the mix.  The code was recently made available under Creative Commons.

MKVI Monorail…

transforms the Disney monorail playset into a realistic monorail simulation. An amazing amount of technology has been packaged into a tiny space and coupled with wireless mesh networking to produce a model that is authentic in every detail of its operation.

• Custom designed circuit board with SMT components
• 8-core Parallax Propeller processor running at 80 Mhz
• 20 MIPS of processing power per core
• 32k flash memory
• 802.15.4 XBee wireless networking (2.4 Ghz)
• Rechargeable 750 mAh Li-Ion battery
• Variable speed motor controller (forward/reverse)
• High-torque DC motor
• Track position magnetic sensor
• Interior and Exterior LED lighting

Photos;

PZST – an open-source Propeller IDE via Dangeous Prototypes.

And more in the Parallax forums.

The Unofficial GADGET GANGSTER Design Contest – Open Source Design Contest for Propeller Platform…

1st Place : Gadget Gangster Full Kit (parallax) / Nook Color (gg)
2nd Place: Multicore Startup Special (parallax) / Gadget Gangster T-Shirt (gg)
3rd Place: El’ Jugador (parallax) / Propeller Platform Kit (signed by Jon Williams) (gg)

30% community participation: Entrants are expected to help others and contribute design ideas on the forums or Object Exchange and use community resources.

How to: Start a thread for your project. (If you haven’t done so already) Post a link to that thread in this one with your intent to enter the contest. Allow your project to develop publicly, working with other forum members to fine tune your design and code. Keep old designs and code in the thread so that we may track your progress and learn from it.

25% capabilities & design appropriateness: External hardware should build upon the capabilities of the Propeller Platform, maintaining compatibility with the existing configuration.

How to: Both the original Propeller Platform & Propeller Platform USB are considered fair game. As well as any compatible board. Understand that the Propeller Platform USB will be the most common, so if you are producing a product which might shared or sold, keep the onboard SD adapter in mind.

25% usefulness: The entry should be useful to others.

20% success easy to duplicate: All designs should be open source providing schematic, code, and PCB layout files (if possible).

How to: Not understanding how to use a schematic tool, or PCB layout software won’t throw you out of the contest. Document your work as much as possible, as plainly as possible. Provide videos if possible. Make your project as easy for someone to replicate as you can. Involve others who can help you in these areas if possible. (Community involvement is part of your score.)

Read more!

Propeller Platform USB. The Propeller Platform USB is an open-source platform for building your own electronics projects with the new 8-core Parallax Propeller chip. This development board has the programming/debugging interface built in along with a microSD card slot.

Features!

• Design your project in Spin, a custom programming language perfect for beginners (tutorials)
• Collaborate with your PC, built in USB lets you update programs or share data with your computer
• Interact with the real world, 32 I/O pins let you read tons of sensors and control multiple devices
• Output video or advanced audio, Built in video hardware makes video easy, microSD lets you include Hi-Fi audio samples
• Expand with any breadboard or protoboard, use a custom designed module, or create your own

What Can You Do With the Propeller Platform USB?
Turning Stuff Off and On:
32 I/O pins means you can connect to many devices at the same time – multiple LED's, real-time clocks, switches, and relays. It's easy to control dozens of devices.

Robotics:
A unique architecture lets you simultaneously control multiple motors and read multiple sensors. Take a look at the Spyder, an auto-balancing quadcopter running on the Propeller. A screw terminal power connection helps to connect a battery, and the ultra low dropout voltage regulator runs with as little as 5.5V input power.

Make Videogames:
If you want to make your own games, adding video output is as simple as using 3 resistors and an RCA jack. Games like X-Racer are possible, and you can output video in PAL, NTSC, or even VGA. Advanced sound capabilities let you enhance your game, too.

Advanced Audio:
Playback 16-bit stereo wavs stored on the microSD / SDHC card, output TOSLINK (optical) SPDIF audio with a standard LED, or create your own digital effects.

Expansion Options:

• Protoboard & breadboard compatible
• Download layout templates in Eagle, Diptrace, or ExpressPCB to design your own modules
• We offer an add-on module for prototyping, other add-ons are available at Gadget Gangster

Specs:

• 80Mhz 8-Core Parallax Propeller with removable 5MHz crystal
• 64kb EEPROM for long-term program and data storage
• 5V and 3.3V 1.5A Voltage Regulators accept 5.5v min. power input
• Comes with a 2.1mm barrel power jack connector and screw terminal connector
• 2.8" x 2.5" footprint with pin sockets to add additional Platform modules or connect to a breadboard.

The Propeller Platform USB comes pre-assembled – you just a 5.5v-12v power adapter and a mini-B USB cable.

Resources:

• Software: Windows, Mac, or Linux. If you need USB drivers, they're here
• Documentation: Manual (pdf), schematic (pdf), Layout, BOM, & License (zip archive)
• Tutorials: Getting started with the Propeller, Add-on module design templates

The Propeller Platform USB is designed and assembled in California.

Speaking of propeller! Beth writes -

A few years ago, I implemented an S/PDIF encoder object for the Parallax Propeller. When I first wrote this object, I wrote only a very terse blog post on the subject. I rather like the simplicity and effectiveness of this project, so I thought I’d write a more detailed explanation for anyone who’s curious about the gritty details.

Darco writes -

In my previous post, I elaborated on how I reverse engineered the low level protocol the GE Color Effects G-35 strings used. It seems to have been quite popular, and several people have taken that information to hack their own G-35 strings to do cool and amazing things. But what about me? What am I doing with my strings?

Well, it’s a bit late in the year to start putting together some sort of advanced choreographed light show, so I’m staying somewhat simple for now. No music, just a few different algorithmic patterns. And here’s the kicker: I want to be able to control them with the web browser my phone too. Sounds like a job for… the ybox2. Behold, the networked christmas light controller in an altoids tin!

The YBox2 is a DIY networked set-top box. Connect it to your TV and you can design customized content to be delivered direct from the Internet. This project is great for people who want a new platform to experiment with. The video and Internet cores are ready to go and easy to work with. We have some example widgets that demonstrate the YBox2′s capability, and the whole project is open source so you can start hacking your own. If you’ve ever been curious about the Parallax Propeller chip, the YBox2 is a perky little platform with tons of accessories.

Read more.

NEW PRODUCT – Propeller Platform USB. The Propeller Platform USB is an open-source platform for building your own electronics projects with the new 8-core Parallax Propeller chip. This development board has the programming/debugging interface built in along with a microSD card slot.

Features!

• Design your project in Spin, a custom programming language perfect for beginners (tutorials)
• Collaborate with your PC, built in USB lets you update programs or share data with your computer
• Interact with the real world, 32 I/O pins let you read tons of sensors and control multiple devices
• Output video or advanced audio, Built in video hardware makes video easy, microSD lets you include Hi-Fi audio samples
• Expand with any breadboard or protoboard, use a custom designed module, or create your own

What Can You Do With the Propeller Platform USB?
Turning Stuff Off and On:
32 I/O pins means you can connect to many devices at the same time – multiple LED's, real-time clocks, switches, and relays. It's easy to control dozens of devices.

Robotics:
A unique architecture lets you simultaneously control multiple motors and read multiple sensors. Take a look at the Spyder, an auto-balancing quadcopter running on the Propeller. A screw terminal power connection helps to connect a battery, and the ultra low dropout voltage regulator runs with as little as 5.5V input power.

Make Videogames:
If you want to make your own games, adding video output is as simple as using 3 resistors and an RCA jack. Games like X-Racer are possible, and you can output video in PAL, NTSC, or even VGA. Advanced sound capabilities let you enhance your game, too.

Advanced Audio:
Playback 16-bit stereo wavs stored on the microSD / SDHC card, output TOSLINK (optical) SPDIF audio with a standard LED, or create your own digital effects.

Expansion Options:

• Protoboard & breadboard compatible
• Download layout templates in Eagle, Diptrace, or ExpressPCB to design your own modules
• We offer an add-on module for prototyping, other add-ons are available at Gadget Gangster

Specs:

• 80Mhz 8-Core Parallax Propeller with removable 5MHz crystal
• 64kb EEPROM for long-term program and data storage
• 5V and 3.3V 1.5A Voltage Regulators accept 5.5v min. power input
• Comes with a 2.1mm barrel power jack connector and screw terminal connector
• 2.8" x 2.5" footprint with pin sockets to add additional Platform modules or connect to a breadboard.

The Propeller Platform USB comes pre-assembled – you just a 5.5v-12v power adapter and a mini-B USB cable.

Resources:

• Software: Windows, Mac, or Linux. If you need USB drivers, they're here
• Documentation: Manual (pdf), schematic (pdf), Layout, BOM, & License (zip archive)
• Tutorials: Getting started with the Propeller, Add-on module design templates

The Propeller Platform USB is designed and assembled in California.

In stock and shipping now!