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Recommended Prop Schooling — Parallax Forums

Recommended Prop Schooling

MikerocontrollerMikerocontroller Posts: 310
edited 2009-03-10 19:42 in Propeller 1
· I'm new to the Propeller.· I've been using the Stamp2 for one year now and my only programming experience is QBasic and PBasic.· The Prop is a whole new programming concept for me.· I have been considering taking an educational course in some·related programming language.· Can you recommend a programming language that most closely resembles Spin?· Even better does anyone know of any colleges or universities that use Spin in their microcontroller cirriculums?· I reside in the Southern California area.· Thank-you.·

Comments

  • Robot FreakRobot Freak Posts: 168
    edited 2009-03-09 08:38
    Hello,

    If you have some experience with QBasic and PBasic, you should not find problems with the Spin language.
    The only thing that will be totally new to you, will be the structure of Spin programming, with 8 Cogs.

    My experience is that the propeller manual explains this just fine, so have a look at that one.

    Kind regards,
    Robotfreak
  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2009-03-09 12:38
    The Propeller Educational Labs are also great tutorials and lessons to get you started. If you have experience with the Stamp and the various educational materials then jumping into the Propeller using the provided documents from Parallax won't be too bad. Remember start slow, don't get discouraged and with time and practice you will be coding some great apps!

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    Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, 3.0" LCD Composite video display, eProto for SunSPOT
    www.tdswieter.com
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 14,826
    edited 2009-03-09 17:06
    There is "FemtoBasic" for the Prop (by Mike Green) if you want to do "Basic" stuff and don't need it to be fast...
  • MikeSMikeS Posts: 131
    edited 2009-03-09 19:13
    Like Mikerocontroller, I too am new to the Propeller. I have about 6 years of BS2 and 2 years of SX/B experience. I am working (slowly) through the PEK labs. There is one aspect of the STAMP and SX learning experience that I find lacking with the Propeller or maybe I just haven’t found it yet. An example is Andy Lindsay’s STAMPS in CLASS projects. These projects can be built with very little in-depth knowledge about the STAMP but provides everything that someone would need to know to fully understand the experiment. Jon William’s SX/B examples and N&V articles are another source that has taught me a lot about the SX by way of complete/useful projects.
    I am aware that there are a lot of Propeller resources currently out there and more being added each day. What I would like to see is a “Weekend Propeller Project” that might give complete details (Commented Code and Detailed Schematics) on how to connect a PING sensor and a Serial LCD module to the PEK or Proto board and have the PING distance displayed on the LCD. This would give me a practical example of how to use two different objects with the Propeller.
    My 2 cents
    MikeS
  • Nick McClickNick McClick Posts: 1,003
    edited 2009-03-09 19:57
    Most of the concepts are pretty straightforward, the only thing that threw me for a loop was using the counters. You can download the appnotes or education lab here. I recommend the education lab first.

    @Mike, I know OBC has done a 'getting started with the Prop' book, with weekend projects just like that. Can't find the link at the moment, but it's on the forum.

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  • Steph LindsaySteph Lindsay Posts: 767
    edited 2009-03-09 22:30
    Mikerocontroller and MikeS, you might be interested in joining·Andy Lindsay's upcoming free Webinars, these are open Q&A sessions for the Propeller and the PE Kit. Students, educators, hobbyists, and any new·Propeller users are welcome.·

    You can register here:
    http://www.parallax.com/tabid/742/Default.aspx

    ·
  • MikeSMikeS Posts: 131
    edited 2009-03-10 01:25
    Thanks Steph, I have registered for Andy's Webinar.

    MikeS
  • MikerocontrollerMikerocontroller Posts: 310
    edited 2009-03-10 19:21
    · Thanks everyone for the advice and encouragement.· I'm doing the exercises in chapter 3 of the Propeller Manual and there is some good beginner's material there.· I already have 2 cogs running and LEDs flashing on the Demo Board.· Simple stuff but I'm beginning to grasp the basic concept.·· This Demo Board is really cool and the manual is a real plus.· Wow, it even comes with a Propeller sticker!
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2009-03-10 19:42
    Wait until you build a three resistor DAC and load GraphicsDemo. You'll be really blown away.

    That Propeller sticker is for the rear bumper of your car. Show the world your Propeller geekyness.

    OBC

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    New to the Propeller?

    Check out: Protoboard Introduction , Propeller Cookbook 1.4 & Software Index
    Updates to the Cookbook are now posted to: Propeller.warrantyvoid.us
    Got an SD card connected? - PropDOS
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