*** URGENT -- Looking for USB SX-Keys ***
AndreL
Posts: 1,004
So, happy new year - 2016 -- at least the last 2 digits are a power of 2 finally again 
Anyway, as many of you know we develop a number of kits based on Parallax products; the Propeller Chip as well as the SX-28 and 52 processors. Customers still want these kits, so we are trying to keep them shipping, but our source of SX-key programmers has temporarily been lost (in fact we may take over low volume manufacturing, we are trying to work this out now).
In the meantime, we don't sell many old kits, but 1-2 a month to customers and colleges and we want those customers to be able to enjoy the kits, but they can't without SX-key programmers
So, if any of you have USB SX-key programmers that are 100% functional, we would love to buy them from you. We will pay $20 a unit, plus $6 shipping, so you can drop it in a Priority Mailer anywhere in the USA and get it to us in 1-2 days.
Anyone that has an SX-key that no longer needs it, please contact me personally at ceo@nurve.net -- or PM me if you prefer.
Thanks.
Andre' LaMothe
CEO Nurve Networks LLC
Anyway, as many of you know we develop a number of kits based on Parallax products; the Propeller Chip as well as the SX-28 and 52 processors. Customers still want these kits, so we are trying to keep them shipping, but our source of SX-key programmers has temporarily been lost (in fact we may take over low volume manufacturing, we are trying to work this out now).
In the meantime, we don't sell many old kits, but 1-2 a month to customers and colleges and we want those customers to be able to enjoy the kits, but they can't without SX-key programmers
So, if any of you have USB SX-key programmers that are 100% functional, we would love to buy them from you. We will pay $20 a unit, plus $6 shipping, so you can drop it in a Priority Mailer anywhere in the USA and get it to us in 1-2 days.
Anyone that has an SX-key that no longer needs it, please contact me personally at ceo@nurve.net -- or PM me if you prefer.
Thanks.
Andre' LaMothe
CEO Nurve Networks LLC
Comments
FWIW, in addition to more modern Keys, I still have one of the originals, with the thin white cylindrical cable between the DB-9 and Chip's magic. Kind of like 9/11, I still remember the day, the place, and the time when I first powered it up and realized what it could do! I still haven't entirely stopped grinning from that experience.
But, the source of the files is hard to get a hold of, for months we have been trying due to illness, then he made contact and now has disappeared yet again -- so we will see what happens.
Andre'
I'm keeping mine in case I decide to play with my XGS Pico again some day.
Andre'
I could be wrong here, but didn't Guenther also make SX keys?
Have not seen him around for ages though.
Cheers,
Peter (pjv)
@Shawn, thanks, but need the USB key, no one even has a serial or parallel port anymore (but guys like me
If you look at the product page:
https://www.parallax.com/product/45214
It's not your average USB-Serial converter. There is a lot of smarts for debugging.
oh, yeah! lol nevermind
No, the SX chips are programmed with a very complex temporal protocol with strict timing. Makes them very hard to program, and VERY HARD to debug. So, its not a serial connection at all, but a 2 wire proprietary protocol. We built it into the XGS micro for example. But, its not just being able to program and debug the IC, but the "programmer" has to speak to the parallax IDE, so it has to have the exact same interface, etc. in other words, the SX-key only works with the SX-key IDE and viceversa. Unless, you want to reverse engineer either, they really only work together.
Thus, I need to build exact copies of the SX-key programmer. But, I have the files now, and we are getting ready to build prototypes. If everything is correct, and no mistakes then it should work, else, it will take longer. But, I have my fingers crossed.
So, we did a design review last night of the files, and the PCB looks fine, the parts are available, the firmware, who knows, but if worst came to worst, I could extract the binary from a working SX-key USB, without the source (which I have), but its been years since Gunther touched the stuff, so hopefully it all just works since he has now handed this off to nurve.
I really dont' want to put more than 100 hours into this to get this working and manufactured, since that's a good chunk of $$$.
Now, the problem is to program the SX28 on the USB SX-key, I need a programmer
Purely out of naive curiosity, is that a challenge to see someone do it, or is it too complex/fast?
It is a running joke that whenever someone says something "can't be done" someone always finds a clever way to do it.
So yes, it is kind of a challenge.
Bean
I thought it might be. But following such statements as I wasn't quite sure
BTW: it galls me to order a PIC chip as long as there is an SX in existence. But the SX48 package is just a hill too far for me. I'd have to contract out the manufacture of a header board for it...in China or Thailand.
You're right, David. Maybe the AVRfreaks or Arduino fanboys are up to the challenge.
Here's the programming document.
Here's a note about timing.