1st unofficial RadioShack Contest

rjo_

I would like to announce a new contest...

First, let me assure you that I'm not trying to get cheap help...I'm not lazy and I'm not trying to take advantage of your skills. I'm a little bored and in the mood to stir up some activity.

I know I could learn something from doing this myself... but I'm fully occupied, am afraid that I would fail, and am convinced that I can learn just as much from your efforts as I can teach myself[noparse]:)[/noparse]

We all want Parallax to do as well as possible... and as you probably know, Parallax and RadioShack are doing a little co-marketing and exchange, which could be good for everyone. You know that both Companies want to do well together... and you know that if you do something that helps to bring their customers together you are going to get noticed. In the future, if the RadioShack relationship blooms, there will be a brand new mass market for third party products... so, pay attention, this could create opportunities for you down the line!!!

So, in addition to winning $100... there might be all kinds of tertiary benefits to you.

Here's the main target: integrating one of RadioShack's digital multimeters (the ones with the serial line) and the Propeller. You don't have to do a complete implementation so long as rudimentary functionality is present and all of the information is there (so that others can use your solution as a template to get full functionality).

If this project is not to your taste... there is another $100 prize for a hardware project that uses the highest RadioShack component count...with RadioShack parts only.
You actually have to build the hardware for both projects and publish all details and code to this forum.

To win the first contest, elegance, simplicity and heuristic value are important. For the component count project, anything that might inspire consumer activity will be considered.

All decisions by the judge(s) are final...[noparse]:)[/noparse] (No instant replays/no appeals to the commissioner.)

Good hacking.

Rich

ILMP

jeffjohnvol

Personally, I'm disappointed with Radio Shack stores now.· They concentrate more on bluetooth headsets and cell phones then they do electrical components.

I can appreciate that its not a core part of their business anymore, but you can't even go to a store and purchase a 7404 chip (locally).· They have what seems to be 8 cubic feet of drawers for some hobbyist components, but are missing many of the basics.

I do like the fact that they carry many of the parallax components there though.· That is impressive.

You can buy stuff from their catalog, but what is the point of that when you can get the same stuff anywhere online.

Sorry for the rant.· Good luck with your contest

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End dependance on foreign oil.· www.pickensplan.com

steve_b

Sadly, Radio Shack up here in Canada lost some naming thing and is now called The Source (by circuit city)...pthththth.
They, for the most part, no longer carry electronic components! Ashame I say!!!

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<FONT>Steve



What's the best thing to do in a lightning storm? "take a one iron out the bag and hold it straight up above your head, even God cant hit a one iron!"
Lee Travino after the second time being hit by lightning!

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

JeffJohnVol,

Radio Shack is improving but, like a big ship, it requires a large radius to turn in. Granted, the Force of Monster Cables and AT&T Go Phones is still strong in their sales force. But they really do seem to be making an effort to win back the hobbyist market. Even the local small-town dealer-owned shop has Parallax products now. Give them a chance. They might surprise you!

-Phil

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'Still some PropSTICK Kit bare PCBs left!

rjo_

I hear you... just as Parallax succeeds because of its defining focus, companies like RadioShack can easily implode from the size of potential markets and the expense and risk of corporate definitions...

Guerilla marketing (by those of us that care) is one way to see things happen the way we would like them to happen. One thing is for sure... these companies have the leadership... helping them move in one direction or another is the idea. They always need help. They can't afford too many mistakes, and no-one succeeds by themselves. You guys can actually help them move things in the right direction. And when they do... you will be right there.

Rich

VIRAND

Questions:
The winning project with the most parts only from Radio Shack will surely cost more than $100, won't it?
(Unless it uses a 271-0312 )

Does Radio Shack sell Propellers now? Mine didn't last month. They did have Parallax sensors until I bought them,
but nothing that runs code except maybe a BOE-bot.

How do you want contestants to prove all the parts are from Radio Shack?

Comment:
I bought all the 276-1535A's in all the RadioShacks within a 10 mile radius and they haven't restocked any more.

Ale

I think it is an interesting idea. Look some 20 something years ago, all HP instruments had either HP-IB or HP-IL so you could control your whole adquisition equipment from one console, that could have been some PC-Like (HP-150), a calculator HP-41 or a real computer designed for more or less that (HP-85). For me that I work at a chemistry lab I want to have constant measurement of temperature and pressure and some other variables during my reactions so I can archive it with the results. I hope I can build something. A PC is not exactly what I want... I do not trust them, if you know what I mean.

rjo_: Excellent idea. See if you can also connect something else.

SRLM

VIRAND:

Hmm... If you use the 271-0312, and you are trying to go for less than $100, perhaps 7 of them would do. You could even get some solder. Then you could use it to make a 6500 part piece that is sure to win and give you a custom resistance. (circuit diagramming would be a mess, though).

rjo_

I was going to include a prize for the deepest humor... but then I would have to have someone explain it all to me.

In terms of further definition...you are exactly right, "part number count" is much better. We can't be giving away a prize for the most resistors and solder used...

Ale... In the beginning all of the calculations for refractive surgery were done on an Texas Instruments Calculator and access to the technique was limited to corneal surgeons and department chairmen (who were willing to travel to Bogota). As a consequence, for many years there were about 3 people in the world that could actually do the surgery... of the 50 people who made the trip to Bogota, the rest were either too old to learn the instruction set for the HP Calculator or didn't understand the trigonometry. The field didn't really take off until the calculations were done on an Apple II in Basic.

Getting newbies to embrace technology is a fickle process, and one never knows where the keys might be.