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Unofficial Propeller expo NE: What an awesome time!!! *photos* — Parallax Forums

Unofficial Propeller expo NE: What an awesome time!!! *photos*

Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
edited 2009-01-23 03:37 in Propeller 1
See in the thread below! <

EXPO LOCATION:
100 Republic St
Norwalk, OH 44857

Official information site:
www.warrantyvoid.us/upene



PHOTOS: picasaweb.google.com/jeffledger/UnofficialPropellerExpoNE2008

Unofficial Propeller Expo 2008 Report:
By Jeff Ledger

First of all, Wow! What an Event!
I never dreamed that we would have such an awesome turn out!
Consider this an annual event.

I’d also like to immediately tell you about a few people who worked behind the scenes who did a hundred small tasks to keep things running smoothly. Brad McCartney (Wizard65) organized the lanyards/nametages. (They looked great!) He also helped get the million items to and from the Expo. Rebekah Ledger, (my wife) handled snacks & food, as well as registration. Brian Cartwright, (a good friend who had never really seen a Propeller until yesterday.) threw away his guest hat to wear registration, prize coordination, kitchen duties and hauling materials to the Expo. If you are going to run your own Expo, get a team of people like this. (No you can’t have any of mine.. )

Reading the comment slips we passed out, it seems that many of you are looking forward to attending next year. Most of the challenges we read have to do with Expo location size. We had people arriving most of the day. The final attendee count was 69 people.
I’ve been told by the folks that operate the community center that the gym will be air conditioned next year, and I see no reason why we won’t have over 100 people next year.

There are many little expenses that you discover after you pay location rental. I’m pleased to say that not only did we cover all expenses this year, but even a little more to put down on next years’ location rental.

Expo Highlights:
When I attend Commodore Expos, I’m allowed to lounge and socialize while someone else runs around and handles all the little details of the expo. Running an expo is an exhausting job! Those of you thinking about doing this, IT IS SO WORTH IT!
It was a treat to see so many I’ve talked to on the forum. Your enthusiasm for the Propeller is awesome!

Chip Gracey and Paul Baker were a real treat for the Expo. Based on Paul’s assertive moderation (necessary when you are “in charge&#8221[noparse];)[/noparse] I expected him to have a little of the dreaded “technicians attitude.” He really carries himself in a mild mannered, Clark Kent style. We KNOW there’s a giant S under his Parallax shirt. He’s a neat guy! If you have a chance to meet Paul, he really represents the best in PARALLAX. Chip Gracey has been on my personal “heros list” for the last couple years. It’s a shame he’s such an Apple guy.  (Inside expo joke that developed about Commodore 64 design compared to the AppleII) His demonstration of the Propller II was incredible! While most of what he talked about went right over my head, I’ve never seen “Graphics Demo” run as fast as it was at the Expo. If I understood correctly, we are going from 20mips to 180mips? There are good things in store for Propeller users next year. I was told by Ken Gracey, that Chip wanted to be treated like any other Expo attendee. Seth Webster (who had never seen pictures or video of Chip) related his story about how he was talking to this guy who had an FPGA setup running, (and his nametag turned around) who seem to understand a lot about FPGA and the Propeller II. After twenty minuets of conversation, it dawned on him that this was Chip Gracey he was talking to. Seth, how did it feel to suddenly discover you were talking to a silicon deity?

Tpw_man, someone who I honestly expected to actually be my age based on his knowledgeable posts to the forum. I figured the joke would finally be up, as we would discover his real age. He really is 11 YEARS OLD! He understands more about the Propeller that I will in the next five years. PARALLAX, you will want to hire this young man for the development of the Prop IV. Terry Hitt (Bean) sold him an LED display which he quickly had the word “Prop” displayed. Terry joking challenged him to scroll the word “Propeller”, which he had working five minutes later. This young man has a real future in electronics design.

The vendors we had were also awesome. One of the comments I kept reading was a request for more vendors/items as well as Parallax items for sale. Perhaps we can convince Parallax to bring items for sale next year.

Parallax was a superstar sponsor of this event. They sent thousands of dollars of product to give away to every attendee, as well as awesome items for the drawings. We gave away Propeller Protoboards to every attendee.

We also gave away: Servos (Please email me) , Propeller Mini Development boards (Hitt Consulting), SpinStudio boards (uController.com), Propeller Caps (Whit), Tee shirts & Magazines, SX48 Kit (RobotWorkshop), Propeller & Hydra cases (Chuck George), ProGFX lite cards (ProGFX team), 3.5” screen, PEKit, Boebot, Hydra Kit, 4 Professional Development boards (PARALLAX)

Time to process some video and pictures from this event…

See all of you next year!






Ok, The ball is rolling, I need to get a head count of who is interested...

TOMIG, the Orrville Microcontroller Interest Group is putting together a Propeller expo
for mid-end August 2008. We will be meeting in Norwalk, OH. (Near Cedarpoint, as
well as several waterparks.) The format of this meeting will go something like this.

Expo will feature various Propeller projects, plan to bring something.
Plan to demonstrate & bring projects, and meet other Propeller-heads in the NE region.
There will be a small fee for attendance to cover expenses.

Plan to bring family.

We will need raffle items donated, also if you have electronics,etc you want to get rid of,
there is a freebie table planned.

Now, headcount... Do we have enough who would like to attend?

OBC


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New to the Propeller?

Getting started with a Propeller Protoboard?
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Post Edited (Oldbitcollector) : 8/25/2008 5:11:05 PM GMT
«13456713

Comments

  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2008-01-29 15:43
    OBC,
    · I'd be interested in coming and showing my products.
    · I cannot commit until I would know the exact date though.
    · I would be a 6 hour drive for me.
    ·
    · Why not open it up to the SX and Basic Stamp products too ? Just a though...

    Bean.

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    www.iElectronicDesigns.com



    Post Edited (Bean (Hitt Consulting)) : 1/29/2008 3:48:07 PM GMT
  • parskoparsko Posts: 501
    edited 2008-01-29 15:52
    OBC,

    I too, am interested. We've been thinking about a trip to Ceder point, actually! Please put me on the tentative list, and keep us posted on any further details.

    -Parsko
  • phillip vphillip v Posts: 48
    edited 2008-01-29 22:25
    I'm in..... I may only be abule to make it 2 of the 3 days....
  • phillip vphillip v Posts: 48
    edited 2008-01-29 22:37
    I may be bringing a friend with me, I'll keep you updated
  • tpw_mantpw_man Posts: 276
    edited 2008-01-29 23:26
    I would be interested in coming, but I need to know the date.

    tpw_man

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    I am 1010, so be surprised!
  • parts-man73parts-man73 Posts: 830
    edited 2008-01-30 01:03
    Sounds like a GREAT idea. And the location is perfect. CedarPoint will help me sell the idea to the wife and kids.

    Hard to know this far in advance if there are conflicts, but once we know an exact date. I will try to make it. I really don't want to miss it!

    Leaving Saturday afternoon free is a great idea, it gives time to the "families" to get out and do something that's fun for the rest of the crew. And the die hard techies will have the afternoon to "network"

    Maybe i'll bring a bunch of PropNIC's and a router and we can figure out how to have a LAN party with Propellers! smilewinkgrin.gif

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    Brian

    uController.com - home of SpinStudio

    PropNIC - Add ethernet ability to your Propeller!

    SD card Adapter
  • Jim FouchJim Fouch Posts: 395
    edited 2008-01-30 03:18
    Count me in.

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    Jim Fouch

    FOUCH SOFTWARE
  • stevenmess2004stevenmess2004 Posts: 1,102
    edited 2008-01-30 06:10
    I might come...If someone would pay for the plane ticket from Australia.smile.gif

    Steven
  • rjo_rjo_ Posts: 1,825
    edited 2008-02-01 02:22
    I'll be there.

    Rich
  • rjo_rjo_ Posts: 1,825
    edited 2008-02-01 03:13
    Oldbit,

    So, I talked to my x... and she is interested in coming along so that I can bring my son, who requires constant attention. His school starts in August. Other schools no doubt do this as well. So... if you want this to be good for the whole family, it sounds like the earlier in August the better.

    Great concept... and you are leading the way as usual.

    Rich
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2008-02-01 03:23
    I don't know about leading the way... I'm still waiting for a bunch of materials from that area to arrive, and then followed by some bids for our group. We really should have the min. 15 which we appear to be close to in responses. (Including local club members)

    If I don't get something by Monday, I'll be back on the phone again.. [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    OBC

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    New to the Propeller?

    Getting started with the Protoboard? - Propeller Cookbook
    Got an SD card? - PropDOS
    A Living Propeller FAQ - The Propeller Wiki
    (Got the Knowledge? Got a Moment? Add something today!)

  • rjo_rjo_ Posts: 1,825
    edited 2008-02-01 03:29
    Well... you are either leading or pushing, I can't tell the difference sometimes. It is all good to me[noparse]:)[/noparse]

    There are a lot of activities available in that area in the first week of August... the Football Hall of Fame does inductions in the first week. There are several major drum and bugle corp contests in the area. AND Ohio is absolutely beautiful that time of year.


    I hope you can get your quota... if you miss your mark. You might want to hold a less ambitious meeting at OSU. You might be able to get some cheap dorm rooms and some free meeting space[noparse]:)[/noparse]

    I might be interested in sponsoring a speaker or two... would have to get the OK from the Ms.

    Rich
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,400
    edited 2008-02-01 05:05
    Oldbitcollector,

    Count us in for a free Prop Proto Board for every participant plus $500 in Parallax door prizes of your choice.

    Don't tell Chip about this because he'll probably want to go. I need him to stay around here and finish his next project. . . and maybe you do too!

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
  • rjo_rjo_ Posts: 1,825
    edited 2008-02-01 05:34
  • James LongJames Long Posts: 1,181
    edited 2008-02-01 08:43
    I doubt we will be able to attend,

    If the situation changes, I will let you know.

    But because it is a great idea, we will throw in some Certificates for free board assembly (SMT only of course).

    James L



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    James L

    Partner/Designer
    Lil Brother LLC (SMT Assembly Services)
  • parts-man73parts-man73 Posts: 830
    edited 2008-02-01 14:12
    I'm in NY and school here doesn't start till the Wednesday after Labor day. I do plan to bring the Wife and kids. Cedar Point definitely helped get them on board. That's where we'll be spending Saturday afternoon.

    It'd be great if Chip shows up!

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    Brian

    uController.com - home of SpinStudio - the modular Development system for the Propeller

    PropNIC - Add ethernet ability to your Propeller! PropJoy - Plug in a joystick and play some games!

    SD card Adapter - mass storage for the masses Audio/Video adapter add composite video and sound to your Proto Board
  • rjo_rjo_ Posts: 1,825
    edited 2008-02-01 14:22
    Jim,

    Australia would be a long way to go, but if you have never been to Ohio in August you are missing one great clam bake. If OldBit gets enough support, I would suggest that he hold an Australian raffle for the ticket... that would make it the first unofficial -- international -- Prop meeting.

    et. al.,

    Any Canadians coming?

    Brian,

    I'm looking forward to meeting you and plan to load up on your stuff... bring plenty[noparse]:)[/noparse]

    I am afraid that Chip will be there in spirit only... rumor has it that he is working on Prop III at the moment. Possibly a video taped message... delivered on a Pal monitor?

    Rich
  • John AbshierJohn Abshier Posts: 1,116
    edited 2008-02-01 15:58
    I will probably attend. It is too far in the future to commit for sure.

    John Abshier
  • HarleyHarley Posts: 997
    edited 2008-02-01 17:34
    Rich said...
    I am afraid that Chip will be there in spirit only... rumor has it that he is working on Prop III at the moment. Possibly a video taped message... delivered on a Pal monitor?

    C'mon Rich, if you've heard that much, any rumor/word on what Prop III will add/delete? (Sheesh! What a tease you are)

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    Harley Shanko
  • parts-man73parts-man73 Posts: 830
    edited 2008-02-01 18:03
    Rich said...
    Brian,

    I'm looking forward to meeting you and plan to load up on your stuff... bring plenty[noparse]:)[/noparse]

    I do look forward to meeting you all also. I plan to bring some SpinStudio stuff for door prizes. I'll also bring along my inventory for those of you that would like to make a purchase during the weekend (maybe it'll pay for gas money to get home rolleyes.gif )

    Bean said...
    Why not open it up to the SX and Basic Stamp products too ? Just a though...

    I agree here too, we'd get a bigger turnout and we are all friends!

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    Brian

    uController.com - home of SpinStudio - the modular Development system for the Propeller

    PropNIC - Add ethernet ability to your Propeller! PropJoy - Plug in a joystick and play some games!

    SD card Adapter - mass storage for the masses Audio/Video adapter add composite video and sound to your Proto Board
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2008-02-01 18:07
    That's a good idea! If some from each camp would offer to do some demo's we would all get exposure in the various products. Nice!

    OBC

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    New to the Propeller?

    Getting started with the Protoboard? - Propeller Cookbook
    Got an SD card? - PropDOS
    A Living Propeller FAQ - The Propeller Wiki
    (Got the Knowledge? Got a Moment? Add something today!)

  • parts-man73parts-man73 Posts: 830
    edited 2008-02-01 18:20
    move this to the Sandbox?

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    Brian

    uController.com - home of SpinStudio - the modular Development system for the Propeller

    PropNIC - Add ethernet ability to your Propeller! PropJoy - Plug in a joystick and play some games!

    SD card Adapter - mass storage for the masses Audio/Video adapter add composite video and sound to your Proto Board
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2008-02-01 19:03
    Just got off the phone with the Event Coordinator in the area, I will have all bids back by the 5th. [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    I've gotten a couple initial numbers and I'm starting to get excited..

    My criteria are a hotel room no more than $69. a night with the meeting location onsite.
    A small entry fee and table fee will offset the costs of the meeting room.

    I'm looking forward to the 5th!

    OBC

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    New to the Propeller?

    Getting started with the Protoboard? - Propeller Cookbook
    Got an SD card? - PropDOS
    A Living Propeller FAQ - The Propeller Wiki
    (Got the Knowledge? Got a Moment? Add something today!)

  • sailman58sailman58 Posts: 162
    edited 2008-02-01 19:29
    This sounds like a good event, but is around 7 hours from my home in Maryland. For now I will have to be a possible.



    Ron
  • parts-man73parts-man73 Posts: 830
    edited 2008-02-01 19:47
    OBC said...
    I'm looking forward to the 5th!

    Wait a minute, is that a final date???
  • TheWizard65TheWizard65 Posts: 91
    edited 2008-02-02 01:35
    OBC, Im in. It'll be a First of I hope to be many Expo's. Excellent Idea, A 2fer, Geekcity plus something for the rest of the family.
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2008-02-02 01:51
    One step at a time parts-man, The bids I put out for the location arrive on the 5th. [noparse]:)[/noparse]
    Then I can look them over and make some final decisions.

    OBC

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    New to the Propeller?

    Getting started with the Protoboard? - Propeller Cookbook
    Got an SD card? - PropDOS
    A Living Propeller FAQ - The Propeller Wiki
    (Got the Knowledge? Got a Moment? Add something today!)

  • parts-man73parts-man73 Posts: 830
    edited 2008-02-02 02:00
    ohh..... my mistake. You are looking forward to getting the bids on the 5th.

    Sorry, misunderstood.
  • rjo_rjo_ Posts: 1,825
    edited 2008-02-02 14:09
    Harley,

    I know it is a rumor... because I started it[noparse]:)[/noparse] No info... just thought we needed a good rumor[noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Rich
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2008-02-02 15:20
    Oldbitcollector said...
    That's a good idea! If some from each camp would offer to do some demo's we would all get exposure in the various products. Nice!

    OBC

    I will donate some of my products too. www.hittconsulting.com

    Probably a couple of each of "HC-OSD", "Prop Dongle", "SD-DataLogger", and "Video Module".

    Even if I'm not able to attend in person I'll send a goodie pack.

    Bean.


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