Propeller newbie questions

r2d2_bot

·· I haven't ever used the Propeller before, but have a couple of questions:

·· > What is the difference between the Propeller Education kit - 40 pin version and the PropStick USB version?· From what I can see, both can be connected to a USB port, so what advantage does one kit have over the other?

·· > Why would anyone really buy a Basic Stamp anymore when the Propeller chip is so cheap ($7.50).· Heck, the Basic Stamps are way more expensive!

·· > If I buy the Hydra Game Development kit, I'm assuming I could also run the projects in the Propeller Education Kit?

·· > With the Hydra Game Development kit, can I use a flatscreen monitor as my monitor?· Do I need adapters to connect the Propeller to the monitor?

·· Thanks!

[noparse][[/noparse]Tim]

ElectricAye

The Propstick has the Propeller chip (P8X32A-M44version), EEPROM, voltage regulator, removable 5 MHz crystal, reset button, and USB interface all soldered onto a ready-made PCB so you don't have to wire up that section yourself: you can just plug that "stick" into a protoboard and get started. The 40 pin DIP version allows you more flexibility because you can swap out the provided components with your own, or use the DIP chip by itself in another project without the EEPROM or whatever.

The Basic Stamp uses PBASIC for a language and the Propeller uses SPIN, and the Propeller in my opinion requires more savvy to get up and running. IMHO, there are more educational resources available for the Stamp, so the price probably includes the real company cost of developing such educational resources, manuals, etc. As far as capability goes, however, the Propeller is superior to the Stamp.


my 0.0002 cents worth

r2d2_bot

I had the feeling the Propeller required a bit more skill to use then the stamps do.
I was looking at the Professional Development Board, but it seems a bit expensive for what you get.
Even though the Hydra kit is more expensive, I think I'd be getting more bang for my buck buying it over the Professional Development Board kit. Probably have more fun too!

[noparse][[/noparse]Tim]

John Abshier

With the Professional Development Board, all IO pins are available. With the Hydra, many pins are used for specific purposes. If you are into games, the Hydra is the clear choice. For starting out another good choice is the Demo Board. It has 8 free IO, VGA, TV out, stereo audio out, mic in, keyboard and mouse and 8 LEDs.

John Abshier

Graham Stabler

Or buy a protoboard, they are cheap, you can add sockets for VGA, mouse keyboard etc you have access to all pins and you can add little bread boards of your own or solder things to them or whatever.

Hydra is great for games.

Graham

rjo_

I bought the Hydra... it is so beautifully made that I was actually afraid to touch it ( since I tend to break things). If you don't break things... get the Hydra. The daughter boards are also very interesting. You will read a lot about memory expansion... get the hydra 512K daughter board. It comes with every level of info you could possibly want. Yes, you can drive a flat screen... if it accepts either video or VGA. Even if you don't get the Hydra, at least buy the book. It contains everything from soup to nuts, not just gaming info.

I just got the learning lab for my son. It is absolutely wonderful. As an organized intro, you can't beat it. And there is something about having an actual book as opposed to an electronic. I got the USB version, because I wanted the hookup to be as simple as possible.

The Protoboards are best value. You can get vga, keyboard and mouse connections in the accessory kit. But...
to add video, you have to do it yourself. Since I only use video, the accessory kit isn't necessary... just add the adapters that you want, which are available individually.

My favorite board of all time is Phildapills... it brings all of the pins out into a single row, which fit neatly into a breadboad... or a Radioshack or Datak generic pcb... so making permanent hook-ups is a breeze. Unfortunately... the last time I looked, the board wasn't available.

Pick a project. There is so much information available that you can easily get overwhelmed by it all. A project will keep you focused and you won't believe how easy things can be... you sort of imagine it... look around the OBEX and forum and before you know it, you are well on your way.

Welcome aboard

Rich

WBA Consulting

Take a look at this page for a simple explanation of the differences between the Propeller and Basic Stamp and why there are target markets for both.

The only difference between the two PE kits is which Propeller chip you have as ElectricEye stated. The choice between the two depends on what your future adventures with the Propeller will entail. If you see yourself using a lot of DIP40 on prototype boards to keep your project costs down, get the DIP40 version so you have a PropPlug. If you plan on using Propeller Protoboard USBs for your projects, get the Propstick because it is very useful on its own for making very small projects quickly. I have the PropstickUSB version because I have a couple projects for down the road that will be easier to make with a Propstick due to real estate.

I will 2nd the comment on the demoboard. I started with one of those and was able to jump right in with the propeller and see how things worked because supporting circuitry for the most common Propeller I/O circuits (keyboard, mouse, VGA, composite video, and audio) were all ready for work. Loading demos that work the first time and looking at the code while it works was very helpful.

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Andrew Williams
WBA Consulting
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