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We have a 10 year-old using the P2: here's his first results! — Parallax Forums

We have a 10 year-old using the P2: here's his first results!

Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,386
edited 2020-12-30 03:23 in Propeller 2
Kevin started with a teacher-donated Boe-Bot (a really old one with the white Delrin CNC wheels) and he started to interface sensors we don't support in the kit, so he was learning on his own. When we saw this, I invited him to the P2 Live Forum to see if it resonated with him. You may have seen him and his mom's face glued to the Zoom screen last week as they soaked it in. @"David Betz" sponsored a P2 Holiday Kit and we supported him with a P2 Developer Bundle. We shipped Monday and he received it today (that's why he dropped off the P2 Live Forum; you may have seen him wave the sign "Ken and David, we got the kit!!").

Within minutes: https://youtu.be/qsAtFKCrnLY

You can imagine that he's excited for the @JonnyMac presentation tomorrow. Getting to add an encoder to this lighting system would make him rightfully full-berserk. It's amazing how that when we were his age we dreamed of having an Atari 2600 or a manual milling machine. And, this young person has his own eight-core 200 MHz multicore microcontroller kit!

Ken Gracey

Comments

  • JRoarkJRoark Posts: 1,215
    This is SO cool!
  • octettaoctetta Posts: 123
    Wow!
  • pik33pik33 Posts: 2,350
    Wow!

  • VonSzarvasVonSzarvas Posts: 3,278
    Fantastic.
  • KaioKaio Posts: 253
    That's awesome. It looks like Kevin is more familiar with hex codes as you, Ken. ;-)
  • bambino69bambino69 Posts: 126
    That left me speechless, but I did find my happy thought for the day. David and Ken should get a cigar for this!
  • btxsistemasbtxsistemas Posts: 23
    Ten years-old.... incredible boy !!!
  • tritoniumtritonium Posts: 540
    That's impressive!
    Wonder why Kevin is so interested when so many youngsters are NOT.
    Parents perhaps?
    Be interesting to know.
    Will Kevin be the designer of prop4????

    Dave
  • TubularTubular Posts: 4,622
    Great to see. Kevin's right on top, being able to explain what he's doing to the camera too
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,386
    Kaio wrote: »
    That's awesome. It looks like Kevin is more familiar with hex codes as you, Ken. ;-)

    Always hire people smarter than yourself, right?

    Ken Gracey
  • potatoheadpotatohead Posts: 10,254
    Awesome Ken! (I still owe you and they shipped the product away. More coming in any day now. I have a sticky note with your name on it in the car.)

    "Just the standard code, but with mods"

    Perfect! I got a nice warm fuzzy seeing and hearing him getting cool stuff done.

    This kind of thing seems to lift me (probably a lot of us) up and able to shake the funk of crappy times right off.

    I just realized these addressable LED'S could work for a long running desire I have had and that is xmas lights with actual twinkling. We all are likely to have grown up with the colored, incandescent flasher bulbs. They all blink at a different rate depending on the little contact spring inside. Looks like it is time to bring the twinkle back without the fire hazard.

    Please tell him he has a fan and that I am going to make some spiffy lights of my own for next year.






  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,386
    potatohead wrote: »

    I just realized these addressable LED'S could work for a long running desire I have had and that is xmas lights with actual twinkling.

    Sir potatohead, if you're thinking of anything using these addressable LEDs, you have the finest code base from which to start. Between JonnyMac's driver and Stephen Moraco's HUB75 system nobody needs to look any further. Reliable, easy to use code is now available. The only problem people need to sort out is how to come up with a huge 20A/5V power supply to control the biggest system they can envision.

    Ken Gracey

  • potatoheadpotatohead Posts: 10,254
    That's great to know. Low hassle, high reward.
  • David BetzDavid Betz Posts: 14,511
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    potatohead wrote: »

    I just realized these addressable LED'S could work for a long running desire I have had and that is xmas lights with actual twinkling.

    Sir potatohead, if you're thinking of anything using these addressable LEDs, you have the finest code base from which to start. Between JonnyMac's driver and Stephen Moraco's HUB75 system nobody needs to look any further. Reliable, easy to use code is now available. The only problem people need to sort out is how to come up with a huge 20A/5V power supply to control the biggest system they can envision.

    Ken Gracey

    What is HUB75?
  • msrobotsmsrobots Posts: 3,704
    HUB75 is a protocol to feed seamless LED Matrix screens and you can connect multiple screens together and build a bigger display.

    Mike
  • Greg LaPollaGreg LaPolla Posts: 319
    Wow 10 years old and able articulate the technicals! He has some great parents!
  • ozpropdevozpropdev Posts: 2,791
    Impressive!
    When I grow up I want to be as smart as Kevin. :smiley:
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,386
    edited 2021-01-05 00:51
    He's back, with an improvement:



    Ken Gracey
  • tritoniumtritonium Posts: 540
    Hi

    Absolutely amazing!
    Just goes to show what a bright child can do with good parental encouragement.
    Good to see.

    Dave
  • Cluso99Cluso99 Posts: 18,069
    Congratulations Kevin :smiley:
  • bsnutbsnut Posts: 521
    He's a smart kid and won't be missing of the Propeller Live Zoom Meetings.
  • Francis BauerFrancis Bauer Posts: 353
    Very Good Kevin. Keep up the good work.
  • JRoarkJRoark Posts: 1,215
    edited 2021-01-05 01:30
    @"Ken Gracey" Can you post a direct (non-embedded) URL link to that video? For whatever reason all of my IOS devices give an error when trying to load that video. This young man is amazing and I’d really love to see what he is up to! :)

    Got it! Windows loads it fine.

    Chip... this could be your next lab tech! :)
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,386
    Well, it looks like you'll be able to meet him tomorrow at 3:00 pm in a P2 Live Forum.

    Provided he gets a VM running on his Linux box so he can have both Prop Tool and Zoom, he'd like to share his project at 3:00 pm Pacific.

    So, I'll set up a P2 Live Forum for Tuesday and if Kevin shows up we'll learn about his project.

    Ken Gracey
  • JRoarkJRoark Posts: 1,215
    Awesomeness!!!
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