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Anybody use ICCV7? — Parallax Forums

Anybody use ICCV7?

ArcManArcMan Posts: 3
edited 2008-08-01 15:31 in Propeller 1
I'm going to get into Propeller Chip programming for my robotics hobby.· I'm an old PIC C writer and would like to program the propeller in C.· Has anybody used the ICCV7 compiler?· Does it work well?
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Comments

  • jazzedjazzed Posts: 11,803
    edited 2008-07-31 23:20
    The release version works fine.

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  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2008-07-31 23:24
    I've got a copy, but I haven't had time to write my own programs in C for the Propeller. What do you mean by "work well"? The compiler works, it's based on a well established / well tested suite of microprocessor compilers. The I/O library is a bit limited to date. I think there's a serial I/O driver and a TV text video driver. What would you like to do with the Propeller? Truthfully, you'll learn more about the Propeller by learning Spin and assembly language given the amount of educational material currently available for that, then use C for your own projects based on what you've learned. It will probably take a year or thereabouts for tutorials and books to begin to be available in C for the Propeller and it will take months at least for more of the I/O drivers to get translated.
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 14,234
    edited 2008-07-31 23:34
    You sound like just the guy ICCV7 was made for! But, as Mike points out the drivers for hardware like VGA, TV, mouse, keyboard, etc., is very limited currently compared with Spin.

    I have my own copy too, but haven't found the time to dive in yet.· But, the speed increase (compared to Spin) is enough that I'm sure to do it soon...
  • ImageCraftImageCraft Posts: 348
    edited 2008-08-01 02:26
    > But, the speed increase (compared to Spin) is enough that I'm sure to do it soon...

    We are at the final stage of testing the new version with FCACHE and CLIB Cog support. FCACHE means that loops will run in more or less native speed, minus the overhead!
  • PavelPavel Posts: 43
    edited 2008-08-01 03:57
    Richard, any update on floating point library?
  • ArcManArcMan Posts: 3
    edited 2008-08-01 14:56
    Pavel said...
    Richard, any update on floating point library?
    Does this mean there is no floating point library?
  • ArcManArcMan Posts: 3
    edited 2008-08-01 15:01
    Mike Green said...
    I've got a copy, but I haven't had time to write my own programs in C for the Propeller. What do you mean by "work well"? The compiler works, it's based on a well established / well tested suite of microprocessor compilers. The I/O library is a bit limited to date. I think there's a serial I/O driver and a TV text video driver. What would you like to do with the Propeller? Truthfully, you'll learn more about the Propeller by learning Spin and assembly language given the amount of educational material currently available for that, then use C for your own projects based on what you've learned. It will probably take a year or thereabouts for tutorials and books to begin to be available in C for the Propeller and it will take months at least for more of the I/O drivers to get translated.
    Good advice.· Thanks.· My first task with the propeller would be to port my "R/C controller to differential PWM" program over to it for a robot I'm working on.· I then want to add some I2C sensors, possibly an RS232 interface motor drive, other serial stuff.· I'm especially interested in the propeller's ability to perform "real-time" control while maintaining multiple serial interfaces - something the PIC is not good at.
    ·
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2008-08-01 15:03
    There's currently no floating point library. The existing Spin library has one version mostly written in assembly which could be quickly and easily converted for use with C, but that hasn't been done yet.
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2008-08-01 15:13
    Given that the Propeller has 8 independent processors, you should be able to do what you have in mind. There's a serial I/O driver recently added to the Propeller Object Exchange that provides for up to 4 buffered bidirectional serial ports with optional flow control. The I2C driver used in FemtoBasic (from the Object Exchange) is designed for double buffered use. That leaves 6 processors for everything else.
  • jazzedjazzed Posts: 11,803
    edited 2008-08-01 15:31
    Mike perhaps you'll find time to port something?

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