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Customer Projects - a new forum! Start here. . . . — Parallax Forums

Customer Projects - a new forum! Start here. . . .

Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,386
edited 2017-11-13 16:59 in Customer Projects
Hey there,

You may remember that we hosted a "Completed Projects" forum in the past. It was a popular place but also a bit of a catch-all for projects that weren't really complete. Recognizing that some of us want to document what we do more than others, and some just want to share their work, we've created "Customer Projects".

This is a place where you can put your works in progress, of all types: robotics, IoT, educational, industrial, whatever you wish. Post code, schematics, links to resources and everything you'd like to share.

Who's going first?

Thanks,

Ken Gracey
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Comments

  • Courtney JacobsCourtney Jacobs Posts: 903
    edited 2017-11-15 23:59
    This new forum is now live and open to posts from our community members.

    Please keep topics here limited to completed or in-progress projects with as much supporting documentation, images, code, etc as possible (to help others who may want to recreate your project). For all other post topics please choose a more appropriate forum from the list of categories on the left side of the screen.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2017-11-16 00:01
    Ken Gracey wrote:
    This is a place where you can put your works in progress ...
    Please keep topics here limited to completed projects ...

    Okay, guys, what's the Official Word about project completion? :)

    -Phil

    That was quick! Thanks, Courtney!
  • Phil, you find my mistakes too quickly.

    I edited my post to include in-progress projects – omitting them previously was an error.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2017-11-16 00:03
    :) -Phil

    And thanks for this forum. It should be fun!
  • Great!

    What about the existing threads posted in other forums ? Can be moved here ?
  • JDJD Posts: 570
    This is awesome, great job

    I'm going out of town for a couple of days; upon my return, the projects are going up. :coffee:

    ~JD
  • Great, a place I can put my Project(s) that I have not completed because I'm (still) attempting to learn SPIN. I have had countless weekends consumed by SPIN not to mention all the after work time I'm spending.
  • macca wrote: »
    Great!

    What about the existing threads posted in other forums ? Can be moved here ?

    If you suggest one, the moderators can move it.
  • Publison, would you recommend this thread to post suggestions to move a thread? Or should we use the Flag option and put "Recommend for movement to Completed Projects" in for the reason?

    I would like to have my Reverse Geocache thread moved definitely. I spent a lot of time on the thread for the project, so I believe it fits the goal that Parallax has for this forum as far as level of detail.
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/118830/propeller-based-reverse-geo-cache-birthday-present-project

    Some other candidates:
    My dad's metronome:
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/120831/propeller-based-handheld-metronome

    My thermistor cable harness tester from 2011 (still in operation to this day!!)
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/129684/thermistor-cable-harness-tester


    These are also candidates, but the details are not as solid as what I would expect to see in the customer projects forum:
    Polar Bear Plunge datalogger
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/119476/success-propeller-usd-datalogger-in-a-micro-package-propmodule-1x1-and-para
    Christmas Play Time Machine Prop Remote:
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/152388/resolved-buggy-reads-from-4x4-keypad-to-propeller-using-4x4-keypad-reader-spin#latest
    My Propeller GPS
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/133806/propeller-based-handheld-gps-with-full-code

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    Don't forget Humanoido's BASIC Stamp Supercomputer.
  • WBA, a PM to a moderator directly or a flag of your own project is the best way to get us to move it here. VonSzarvas and Publison are online most often, though I'd be happy to move threads if I receive a PM request.

    Over time, this thread might get too bulky with chatter and requests, and we wouldn't want to miss any.

    Also, we have no strict rules on what needs to accompany a project for it to be included here. If you believe one of your projects should live here, please let us know.
  • Publison, would you recommend this thread to post suggestions to move a thread? Or should we use the Flag option and put "Recommend for movement to Completed Projects" in for the reason?

    I would like to have my Reverse Geocache thread moved definitely. I spent a lot of time on the thread for the project, so I believe it fits the goal that Parallax has for this forum as far as level of detail.
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/118830/propeller-based-reverse-geo-cache-birthday-present-project

    Some other candidates:
    My dad's metronome:
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/120831/propeller-based-handheld-metronome

    My thermistor cable harness tester from 2011 (still in operation to this day!!)
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/129684/thermistor-cable-harness-tester


    These are also candidates, but the details are not as solid as what I would expect to see in the customer projects forum:
    Polar Bear Plunge datalogger
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/119476/success-propeller-usd-datalogger-in-a-micro-package-propmodule-1x1-and-para
    Christmas Play Time Machine Prop Remote:
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/152388/resolved-buggy-reads-from-4x4-keypad-to-propeller-using-4x4-keypad-reader-spin#latest
    My Propeller GPS
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/133806/propeller-based-handheld-gps-with-full-code

    As Courtney said, it is best to PM a moderator ,(you are not a Moderator anymore?) or Flag a thread. I had a Flag this morning from @yeti to move a thread that is now in the Projects area..

    I will move the threads you purposed during the day.

  • Thanks Publison! No, my moderator status was removed when Parallax did the thin-down a couple years ago. You guys always beat me to the punch, so my moderator activity probably looked very low, lol.
  • Are we to assume these projects must use at least one parallax product?
  • Are we to assume these projects must use at least one parallax product?

    oh no, Parallax loves to advertise for products made by other companies.

    Mike

  • Martin HodgeMartin Hodge Posts: 1,246
    edited 2017-11-17 19:28
    msrobots wrote: »
    Are we to assume these projects must use at least one parallax product?

    oh no, Parallax loves to advertise for products made by other companies.

    Mike

    That doesn't seem like sound business practice. But maybe it should be stated explicitly instead of left to random forum members to imply with derision.
  • Capt. QuirkCapt. Quirk Posts: 872
    edited 2017-11-18 21:24
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    You may remember that we hosted a "Completed Projects" forum in the past. It was a popular place but also a bit of a catch-all
    for projects that weren't really complete.

    Projects should begin in their appropriate forum category first.

    Instead of moving entire threads, you could list a short description of the project.
    Include the source code, pdf, flow charts, etc and add a link to the original thread.

    The new thread could be used to answer questions about the project itself to avoid
    the meandering discussions in original threads.



    Tutorials could be considered as projects too.

    IMO, There is an intermediate to expert level of programming logic concepts
    that Parallax documents suggest the Propeller is capable of, but the documents
    do not discuss them.

    The Propeller is simple to learn, but software peripherals (VP) that mimic hardware
    peripherals of other micro controllers are not. There is a gap between hobbyist
    level projects and intermediate to start-up projects for small business level program-
    ming are buried inside the forums (now the forums are mature, and there are too
    many search results).

    With the influx of less expensive micros with lots of hardware peripherals, do you
    learn new micros with registers and interrupts or learn how to program the Propeller
    at a higher skill level?

    Perhaps flow charts could be included with some tutorials


    Bill M.
  • Capt. QuirkCapt. Quirk Posts: 872
    edited 2017-11-18 22:35
    The OBEX needs a VP section!

    You could argue that it already exists, but which one should you choose?
    There should be only 1 VP per hardware function. Old SPI objects that use
    outdated Basic Stamp nomenclature needs to be changed to newer standards.

    The BS2 functions need to be updated to Pbasic BS2PX functions where possible
    and maintain their BS2 identity (except for spi) and not that of Arduino.



    Bill M.

    IMO, there is a need Propeller 1 VP section before the Propeller 2 is released,
    in order to fill the gap gap between hobbyist level projects and intermediate
    to start-up projects for small business level programming.

  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2017-11-18 23:05
    Bill, Can you explain what you mean by VP? That could mean a lot of things.


    Anyone can take the old OBEX object and update it and publish a new one. Parallax does not update the programs as it is up to the authors to update the programs.
  • I might be more inclined to post a link here to a project that better fits one of the other categories, like Robotics, rather than posting the entire project here. That way it preserves the connection to the subject matter, but still collects it in a forum related to Projects. The only downside to this strategy is that following posts get split between two threads. In such a case, I might request that the admins lock the thread here so that subsequent comments get restricted to the "home" thread.

    -Phil
  • Awesome!

    I prefer that my old projects stay archived lol...
  • Awhile back I posted my completed Nixie clock, with laser-cut wood enclosure from Ponoko and based on an industrial scale main board made in 1975 and a Propeller Protoboard. Featured on Hackaday, even...

    http://localroger.com/nixie/nixie.html
  • localroger wrote: »
    Awhile back I posted my completed Nixie clock, with laser-cut wood enclosure from Ponoko and based on an industrial scale main board made in 1975 and a Propeller Protoboard. Featured on Hackaday, even...

    http://localroger.com/nixie/nixie.html

    Cool project, thanks for sharing.

    I worked for NCI here in Santa Rosa CA from 1977 to 1979, it was my first job after getting my Electronics Technology degree from Santa Rosa Junior College. NCI also created some of the earliest electronic scales utilizing microprocessors. Some of the earliest ones used Intel 4004 and 4040 4-bit microprocessors similar to the electronic counting scale in the attached picture. The one pictured is a later model that I have and it uses a Signetics 2650 8-bit microprocessor but still uses vacuum fluorescent displays that run at 180v. I remember getting a lot of "wake-up" jolts when working on these scales, since the 180v PCB trace for the displays ran along the top of the display board. The 180v supply was low current, but it still gave you a good "buzz" if you touched the wrong places...
    1024 x 768 - 290K
  • Capt. QuirkCapt. Quirk Posts: 872
    edited 2017-11-21 01:51
    Publison wrote: »
    Bill, Can you explain what you mean by VP? That could mean a lot of things.

    I don't have a good answer for that, except that I have been advised elsewhere (when I asked a
    question about using a Propeller chip for a project), to instead use any manufactures chip that
    has the features I needed built into the chip.

    A hardware VP section for the OBEX is based on two ideas. (1) Hardware peripheral names of a
    competitors uC's are more important than convincing someone that interrupts (for example) are
    not necessary. (2) Intermediate to expert level programmers know how to program Virtual Peripheral
    work arounds for the hardware functions based on most uController data sheets These VP's could be
    used to keep or attract Propeller users.

    Debug modes
    n-Uarts
    n-SPI's as Master/Slave using mode 1-4 configuration
    n-4 bit spi
    n-I2c (SMBus/PMBus)
    n-CAN
    n-DAC
    USB (ver?) with supporting features.
    Interrupts (n interrupt vectors).
    Multiple timers:
    n-Timers with x to 32 bit resolution, each with external/internal
    event counters and quadrature (incremental) encoder input.

    High Speed Timer/Counter with Prescaler, Compare, Capture Modes

    x-bit, motor control PWM with dead time generation and
    other features.

    n-Watchdog timers

    n- x-bit Down Counter



    Bill M.

    Put them in one location.
  • Publison wrote: »
    Bill, Can you explain what you mean by VP? That could mean a lot of things.

    I don't have a good answer for that, except that I have been advised elsewhere (when I asked a
    question about using a Propeller chip for a project), to instead use any manufactures chip that
    has the features I needed built into the chip.

    A hardware VP section for the OBEX is based on two ideas. (1) Hardware peripheral names of a
    competitors uC's are more important than convincing someone that interrupts (for example) are
    not necessary. (2) Intermediate to expert level programmers know how to program Virtual Peripheral
    work arounds for the hardware functions based on most uController data sheets These VP's could be
    used to keep or attract Propeller users.

    Debug modes
    n-Uarts
    n-SPI's as Master/Slave using mode 1-4 configuration
    n-4 bit spi
    n-I2c (SMBus/PMBus)
    n-CAN
    n-DAC
    USB (ver?) with supporting features.
    Interrupts (n interrupt vectors).
    Multiple timers:
    n-Timers with x to 32 bit resolution, each with external/internal
    event counters and quadrature (incremental) encoder input.

    High Speed Timer/Counter with Prescaler, Compare, Capture Modes

    x-bit, motor control PWM with dead time generation and
    other features.

    n-Watchdog timers

    n- x-bit Down Counter



    Bill M.

    Put them in one location.

    OK. Virtual Peripheral was what I was looking for. Thanks!

  • LOL Francis Bauer I started in the scale industry around 1985 and did component level repair on quite a few of those 5800's. Also 5780's, which I understood (at least from NCI's sales literature) were actually THE first industrial scale displays to use a CPU. And on the 5780 don't drop a screw in the enclosure while it's on because that 180V line is a bit close to the 5V supply line in a couple of places. A lot of those first CPU generation NCI scales were still in service in the late 1980's. They were obviously very obsolete, but had been engineered with longevity in mind, which used to be a thing in the scale industry (not so much any more). It's mildly surprising that the 5775 board has been glowing for three years now after being mostly inactive for thirty without being recapped, but it was a hella expensive industrial device that could incur a lot of liability if it failed, and I don't think any expense was spared making it the best solution possible for its day.
  • I did a data acquisition system a few years back, thought I posted it, but not sure. Should I post (again)? It was operational other than not on PC board (I'm an old-school guy :))
  • I did a data acquisition system a few years back, thought I posted it, but not sure. Should I post (again)? It was operational other than not on PC board (I'm an old-school guy )

    Easy enough to find with Google:

    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/144771/roadracing-sidecar-data-acquisition-system/p1

    -Phil
  • Yep, it's there, thanks. Back in 2012. After original GPS unit failed, I did get a new one without on-board prop but life gets in the way *grin*.
    The goal was met; using only Parallax products and as much of OBEX as possible.
  • JDJD Posts: 570
    Yep, it's there, thanks. Back in 2012. After original GPS unit failed, I did get a new one without on-board prop but life gets in the way *grin*.
    The goal was met; using only Parallax products and as much of OBEX as possible.

    The moderators can move the post over to completed projects if you want. I can imagine the bike contraption is a lot of fun to ride. :D
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