MAKE, you lost me...
Oldbitcollector (Jeff)
Posts: 8,091
Give me a break..
MAKE Volume 25: The Arduino Revolution!
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/02/make-vol-26-the-arduino-revolution.html
OBC
MAKE Volume 25: The Arduino Revolution!
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/02/make-vol-26-the-arduino-revolution.html
OBC
Comments
Paul
They are an Arduino distributor and I think that Arduino is the only microcontroller they sell. They have a Chinese 6502 computer but basically Arduino is all I can tell they have by looking at their catalog. They aren't the cheapest because their prices are 1-2 dollars higher because they are just reselling from other Arduino sites.
Hmm... I'm pretty curious about the 6502 computer. Did they mentioned it in the magazine as well? It reminded me of that knockoff (or you can say fake) mini-computer based on the NES-clone system.
I've used both the BS2 and Arduino in projects now and I like them both. The built in commands on the BS2 make some things simple that are hard on the Arduino (ex shiftin). Conversely the Arduino is faster and has an ADC built in. But the RAM on the Arduino goes quickly once you link the standard libraries with your program.
Based on what's out there on the net, I can't really blame them for concentrating on Arduino for that issue (and in the store). I don't think a lot of us fit into Make's target audience for this.
As far as the Arduino issue goes, if nothing else it provides some ideas about things to do in general - nobody says you have to use an Arduino to do them. But, I don't remember anything particularly interesting in that issue.
I like Make, but I'm not usually reading it to learn how to do a lot of the electronics they do. A lot of it is out there on the net or something I've already done or could do pretty easily on my own (again, I don't think I'm the target audience for a lot of there articles). I do find some of the other stuff pretty interesting - and I like a lot of there philosophy.
Anyway, maybe what people need to do is stop just posting stuff here and on the net and submit something to Make. I'm sure some Prop-based articles would be acceptable to them - especially if they were based on "off the shelf" boards like the Gadget Gangster boards, Parallax's proto boards, or the C3. That would provide a more "Arduino-like" perspective for the hardware than something that otherwise would belong in Circuit Cellar.
-Phil
Excellent point!
Paul
I remembered they used other microcontroller system besides Arduino?
As to it's lack of Prop articles, like one of the previous posters stated, start submitting articles to them. It's one way to improve Prop visibility and get a little $$ for your work as well.
I personally can't stand that the arduino is packaged like a pack of cigarettes (intentionally of course)
One time they put my BlackBox sequencer on their blog, (im surprised because it had 4 propeller chips in it) So they aren't all one sided, but I rarely hear them talk about the prop, or any parallax products on their "ask an engineer" show.
And don't expect makezine to do any better.
CL
Now, my first impression could have been wrong - but what about the second and third? Maybe I caught him on a bad day, several times.
Rich H
The only thing that I like about it, that it has built in ADC. But, the Comfile's chip has built in ADC and are easy to use, as well as the Parallax's products.
I looked in their catalog and they don't sell it anymore. They sell the Stingray and the Propeller Proto boards.
Their business model is events. They sell spots at these places you can google like "Hackerspace" along with the name of your city. Basically, if you have money to rent one of these spaces long term then they have you locked in as a customer and it is convenient to buy what is right there. They are mainly selling Arduinos so that is the only product you can buy. They are going for the high end money with the lowest common denominator product (anyone can do it) and they have customers locked in because they are paying for membership which is essentially renting space to work.
Guys [1]: Don't forget that this was a specific Arduino issue. They went out of their way to put as much Arduino stuff in it as they could.
[1] In a traditional New Jersey sense which includes male and female readers.
on board to handle video/audio/precision timing. The poor little Atmega
uc is overburdened by multiple levels of interrupt routines to do anything
useful and has zero time to handle audio or video generation well.
All in all it's a nice set up. If I was getting getting someone involved in controllers today I'd use the Arduino. It's C is easy to use and there are a boatload of add on boards available. 10 years ago I'd have used the BS2 but it's getting long in the tooth.
That said, if you guys don't like what articles Make runs, start writing articles for them that use the Prop.
How about Andre's AVR Chameleon (here)? It's got an AVR that runs Arduino code plus a Propeller wired up so it can be used as an I/O processor or stand-alone.
Yes, yes, yes! Bemoaning the fact that MAKE does an Arduino-only issue is like getting angry because Entertainment Tonight does stories about American Idol. Everybody loves Arduino. That is a fact. Instead of crying in your beer, help promote the Propeller by building things and promoting your things somewhere other than here.
>>For Example<<
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6-1uS0Pm_U
and now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSAzOEJluwA&feature=feedu
Yes, that's a really nice looking board...I love seeing a sm prop on board with
an AVR or ARM :-)
If I were adding a prop to an Arduino I think I would have it be a simple black-box that
would handle video and audio. The Arduino is aimed at artistic types and there is no
reason to make them have to delve into programming the prop at all. Of course for the
geeks they could play with the prop if they got the urge.
Personally I like Make, not because of the Arduino focus but because the projects are fun and inspirational. I don't reject it just because of an Arduino bias.
The Propeller is Parallax
multi-processor controller.
Its very powerful computa-
tionally, able to do multiple
tasks at once by running
8 processors simultaneously.
Its available as modules or
bare processors and it can
do a lot: video, music play-
back, and more.
Its not great
for beginners, but for the
experienced programmer
its impressive.
Runs on: Windows (third-
party application available
for Mac OS X and Linux)
Requires: Prop Plug, $15,
plus clock crystal, assorted
support components
Inputs/outputs: 32
Languages: Spin
Getting Started guides:
There is no Getting Started
guide. Reference manual is
very thorough, but its not
for the beginner; assumes
familiarity with computer
architecture and assembly
language syntax.
Knowledge base:
Plentiful examples on
Parallax site, and some
user-generated code on the
web but not many basic
examples
Pros:
Inexpensive to get started
Multiple-core processor
allows multitasking and
other complex functions
Cons:
Requires more circuit-
making ability than
programmable modules
Language is too compli-
cated for beginners more
like assembly language than
any of the others
Having an educational background, I can certainly understand where you are coming from..
Some ideas for you to ponder..
Wulfden: Shoppe's Rock Bottom Propeller Kit. (Requires a programmer (He's got some at $5.00)) & Breadboard
Total outlay per student is around $27.00
Of course there's also the Parallax Protoboard $25.00 (Add Wufden's P1 Programmer) for a full kit.
Solder in some female pin headers and you've got much more than the Ardunio.
You can keep the costs out of the $50.00 range.
total rubbish!