A camera for the propeller. Something that returns the image in a simple format that would be easy to process (like RGB,RGB,RGB, etc). Even QVGA would be fine.
Bean
I'll second something like this. I wouldn't mind one with an adapter board containing a Propeller to do basic image operations like blob detection. The AVRCam was able to do that with an Atmel 328 (I think). We should be able to do it with the Propeller. Then, simple blob location messages are all that need to be sent to the main controller for a robot, for example.
Parallax has all sorts of RF boards - zigbee, wifi, bluetooth, etc., but they don't appear to have any GSM or CDMA boards.
I just recently learned about the existence of twisted pair mutli-bit wide serializer/deserializers (such as http://www.maxim-ic.com/app-notes/index.mvp/id/2023) and think these could be pretty cool for on a breakout board, especially if they have their own clock source (they're so fast, they can provide a good remote extension for uC pins without having to be clocked from the uC itself)
I wouldn't mind seeing the different panels (top/bottom and sides) used for the Stingray chassis available as spare parts.
1) It would make life a little easier for people who like to drill holes in their panels. If it gets too messed up, you can get a replacement.
2) You could keep multiple side panels with different sensors and actuators attached. Then if you want to change the behavior of the Stingray, you can just remove one panel and replace it with the other. The sensors, etc. are already installed.
3) If Parallax offered a set of thumbscrews for attaching the side panels of the Stingray (this has been mentioned several times before in other threads). This would really facilitate 2) above. I make my own thumbscrews using small plastic caps that are compressed onto the head of 4-40 cap screws (not the button head screws included with the Stingray).
Also, Stingray side and top panels with fewer or no cutouts would be nice sometimes. The current cutouts are very nice when they're in the right location but they can make things difficult at other times.
The stuff I'd like to see is probably too expensive.... things I'm working on, but not making much progress:
Inexpensive laser distance sensor with a visible laser diode, line CCD and a lens in a contained package. 1ft to about 15ft would be lovely. Yea I know, keep dreaming?
Inexpensive force sensor for non-precision, maybe non-linear, gripper or similar applications. All I've ever seen are very expensive which is silly considering conductive foam and foil will do the same, it's just not precision.
I agree with the robot arm idea too. I'm pretty cheap, so me buying one would solely depend o the cost. There are some very expensive kits being sold though.
Lastly, I wish Parallax sold DIP wirewrap sockets for the BS and Prop and a solderless breadboard... I realize that's not a "What to build next" but a resold item.
I've been waiting 2 years for some animatronic wires kit that can be used to create life-like motion such as mechanical fingers and tails, etc....
This was demo'd the last 2 years at UPEW by the paint-ball Gatling gun guy, but no product has appeared. Please consider licensing the design or something so that we can play !!! Thanks.
A kit that has everything you need to learn how to do surface mount soldering, preferably lead-free, too. It should have the soldering iron, the proper soldering tips, solder, practice boards, etc. so beginners don't have to guess what things to buy. So many things are becoming surface-mount only, and I'll bet that sales of Propeller 2 chips will be improved by making it easier for people to learn how to do this.
Ok, I have a couple little gadgets I think you should make:
- 74HC595 based expansion boards (that can be easily daisy chained). These will make it much easier to expand the propeller outputs. I'd have a generic version that bring out the outputs of the 74HC595 chip and possibly another just as a LED driver board.
- 74HC165 based input expansion board. This would make it easy to use options like your Line Follower:
with the Propeller chip and save a lot of I/O pins.
Another option would be a small board with both a 74HC595 and 74HC165 with that has a pair of 10-pin headers like your relay board. That way someone can connect the relay board at the end of the chain and just add a few more boards before it to expand the I/O. Three of these boards along with the relay board and you can easily input and output a whole long (32-bits).
I've needed boards like this and ended up wiring them by hand for my last couple of robot projects.
It would be nice to have a Li-Poly charger/booster/switching power supply combo board that is geared for propeller use in a small form factor (2.5" square, 0.5"
thick for all parts). 3.7v Li-Poly pack, charging circuit for USB or DC jack, and 5v/3.3v outputs capable of at least 500mA. I am working on a project now that
will have similar features, but I am hacking together parts from Parallax
As a followup project to the new "Stingray" power board, how about a more Generic power module? I often want to use a 12V SLA battery (or set at 24V) to power a mobile robot. I would really like to see a board that can supply the raw 12V (or 24V) but also can supply other common voltages needed for other boards/modules in a project. Perhaps 5V, 6V, 9V, and 12V.
Another module I would like to see is a smart battery monitor board. Perhaps with a 1-wire serial interface that could also be used with the Stamp. Having versions that can monitor 12V (for SLA batteries), 24V, 7.2V, and perhaps some other commonly used voltages would be cool. This would make it easier to monitor the battery power. It could be good for any battery powered application.
Just a couple small products that would make my life easier.....
This one may well have been mentioned in other threads, but what about a QuickStart with a mini-sd card socket added. Seems there is a nice space to the right of the pcb just waiting for such a socket.
Would be great to demo the multitasking logging capabilities of the propeller, and also for QuickChange bootloaders; loaded from the sd card.
OK, the socket costs much of nothing, but the sd-card might cost something...
but perhaps for an optional extra few bucks the QuickStart could be supplied with an optional pre-loaded QuickChange sd card (or at least the image could be downloaded from your site and installed at home). The sd card would store a large number of demos, which can be selected at boot time by pressing the appropriate p0-p7 pcb button. Now that would be slick! And more importantly potential customers really would not need to do anything to get started.
Another QuickStart extension... this time "QuickView".
A little piggyback board with RCA/VGA outputs and a keyboard input, so potential customers who might be interested in the video capabilities of the Propeller can just plug-in and go to start viewing and/or typing stuff to screen. Again, the pre-installed or easy-to-install demos should be available out-of-the-box.
I was also thinking of "QuickComm"....although I notice someone above has also mentioned the possibility for a mobile telephone modem type card!
RP can be CNC milling technology (cutting away material), or printing (building up solid material) from various files, from a laser scanner, or a CAD/Solidworks file. This is a target-rich environment and there are an overwhelming number technologies to sift through. The average person doesn't stand a chance! But look at the whole process and see if there are any niche products (a Prop-based scanner or output device) that make sense.
I wouldn't mind seeing the different panels (top/bottom and sides) used for the Stingray chassis available as spare parts..............
I have thought of this as well and I haven't even put my Stingray together yet! Anyhow, I figured you could make simple L brackets to replace the side panels and then use whatever you want to make custom plates. I threw together a quick drawing when I first thought of the idea and I am thinking of cutting a few of my plates to make them in this manner. Using an L bracket concept, you could make basic laser cut plates for a variety of add on items, including a 2x16 LCD. The drawing is done in a way to show a white piece of Delrin housing a 2x16 LCD in one of the side panel locations. (I have no clue if the 2x16 is true to size as compared to the panel, but you get the idea...)
1. Low-cost educational weather station. Add to the temp and humidity sensor an outdoor anemometer and wind direction indicator, both using magnets and Hall sensors. Does not have to be wireless but could be as an upgrade option.
2. Color camera with frame buffer and basic visual analysis math. Does not have to be super fast - 2 to 5 fps at 320 x 240 pixels is enough. Then use serial to interrogate the buffer to locate common points of interest, such as blobs of X size or larger of specific color or range.
3. MP3 and Midi boards, serially controlled. Load MP3 clips via SD or u-SD on a PC, then play them back by specifying a DOS filename (could be "1" for 1.mp3, "2" for 2.mp3, etc.). The Midi board should have a decent selection of instruments in its bank.
4. Gadget Gangster to Arduino shield converter board. The board includes an on-board ADC and switchable level shifters for 5V logic.
Already discussed with Matt and Ken so they don't count for the contest, but like Roy I'll include them here for completeness:
A. 3D machine, echoing Erco's suggestion.
B. A small 5V & 3.3V voltage regulator board for breadboarding. Because of the PropBOE there's probably no need to include the EEPROM on board.
C. Expanding your existing encoder kit with snap-in pieces for smaller shafts. Sell the encoder wheels and snap-in pieces separately, as well.
Home automation interfaces. You could use X-10 or roll your own, but I'd suggest an approach based on the idea that there are no standard functions since you will be rolling your own microcontroller-based ones, so I see 3 products:
1. Optically interfaced (possibly enclosed) I/O module allowing a uC to send/receive generic messages to any other uC or to...
2. a CHEAP board-level module capable of receiving a message (EEPROM setup?) to control a 110/220VAC switch (not a dimmer, unlike X10 you want it to be able to control inductive loads and CFL's) and also of responding to a query as to its current state
3. a CHEAP board-level module capable of responding to a query as to the presence or absence of a 110VAC signal
I realize there are some issues with safety because of high voltage but if you could come up with something like this that is friendlier to us uC guys than the commercial stuff you'd sell a lot of it.
How about a vision tracking kit! I know you guys just discountinoued one for the BOE-Bot, but I'd like one for use with any (Parallax) microcontroller. The kit could come with a simple pan/tilt turret, and maybe you could get enclosures for it, too.
This is not really a new product idea but a new way to package things
you already sell.
You guys should partner with a China board house to create a service
that will deliver a custom PCB to a hobbyist with all the SMD parts already
soldered professionally to the board. You could also offer a number of
standard enclosures that have custom front panels applied to them.
Some of these could be instrument type cases and some could resemble
varying sizes of tablet devices with LCD screens.
It's getting harder for hobbyists to create professional looking projects
since it's so hard to solder a multitude of the really small parts to a board
and also just as hard to find a proper enclosure.
If you partnered with the right outfit then it would be far cheaper for someone
to use this method to produce a product using the propeller. Cost per unit
would come down depending on how many someone needed. Such a setup
would spawn many small businesses just from the users of this forum. The
biggest hurdle to selling a new design is all the fuss required to manufacture
the thing. The great idea for a new product is what is really valuable, just imagine
if the idea could be turned into a polished end product in just a few days. And if it
tests out to be viable then mass production could ensue.
Such a service would go nicely with the new P2
p.s. No reason to limit the service exclusively to the Prop1 and 2.
It would not cause any harm to also offer the service for other uCs.
A custom assembled board with a fast ARM on it housed in a
nice case with custom panel and LCD at a good price could be a winner.
If those Chinese factories can build a 640x480 USB digital camcorder inside
a tiny case with 4GB flash and rechargeable battery inside and sell them for
20.00 USD delivered. (I have some of these and they actually work) then it
seems someone over there could manage to assemble custom PCBs mounted
into standardized enclosures for a really great price.
Why is the Prop Stick USB $80? It's essentially the same as a Prop Proto Board USB just a smaller form factor and the pins. I don't understand why it costs so much more. Enlighten me?
Good question, {even tho I see the price has quickly improved to ~$50}, I do not understand why the QuickStart board,
(which has a larger BOM & Larger PCB area, yet is $20!) was not designed with a 'break-off' Prop Stick USB as the Core ?
Doing that would rationalise stock, satisfy all users, and expand sales.
To be completely honest, I haven't. But from what I read, it does everything. I was thinking of something JUST for robotics that works better than the propeller in robotics. Hence the term optimized.
Here's another suggestion: a modular robot kit!! It could be made of a aluminum (or any other material) frame set. You could have a propeller or basic stamp (or whatever) in a tight case (like a "brain box") with holes in it to connect to projects. You could even make add-on kits!!!!
A Propeller based IMU, with gold-standard firmware for positional reporting already burned to the EEPROM (so it's ready to go out of the box for any micro host, but the die-hard Prop user could edit/replace the firmware if they wanted).
I would like to second the balancing bot. You guys sell accelerometers and gyros, I would buy a Parallax made balancing product that showed the use of kalman filters combining those 2 sensors. I think that would be a very educational product.
Comments
I'll second something like this. I wouldn't mind one with an adapter board containing a Propeller to do basic image operations like blob detection. The AVRCam was able to do that with an Atmel 328 (I think). We should be able to do it with the Propeller. Then, simple blob location messages are all that need to be sent to the main controller for a robot, for example.
I just recently learned about the existence of twisted pair mutli-bit wide serializer/deserializers (such as http://www.maxim-ic.com/app-notes/index.mvp/id/2023) and think these could be pretty cool for on a breakout board, especially if they have their own clock source (they're so fast, they can provide a good remote extension for uC pins without having to be clocked from the uC itself)
1) It would make life a little easier for people who like to drill holes in their panels. If it gets too messed up, you can get a replacement.
2) You could keep multiple side panels with different sensors and actuators attached. Then if you want to change the behavior of the Stingray, you can just remove one panel and replace it with the other. The sensors, etc. are already installed.
3) If Parallax offered a set of thumbscrews for attaching the side panels of the Stingray (this has been mentioned several times before in other threads). This would really facilitate 2) above. I make my own thumbscrews using small plastic caps that are compressed onto the head of 4-40 cap screws (not the button head screws included with the Stingray).
Also, Stingray side and top panels with fewer or no cutouts would be nice sometimes. The current cutouts are very nice when they're in the right location but they can make things difficult at other times.
Inexpensive laser distance sensor with a visible laser diode, line CCD and a lens in a contained package. 1ft to about 15ft would be lovely. Yea I know, keep dreaming?
Inexpensive force sensor for non-precision, maybe non-linear, gripper or similar applications. All I've ever seen are very expensive which is silly considering conductive foam and foil will do the same, it's just not precision.
I agree with the robot arm idea too. I'm pretty cheap, so me buying one would solely depend o the cost. There are some very expensive kits being sold though.
Lastly, I wish Parallax sold DIP wirewrap sockets for the BS and Prop and a solderless breadboard... I realize that's not a "What to build next" but a resold item.
That's my 0.6 Rubles worth
This was demo'd the last 2 years at UPEW by the paint-ball Gatling gun guy, but no product has appeared. Please consider licensing the design or something so that we can play !!! Thanks.
- 74HC595 based expansion boards (that can be easily daisy chained). These will make it much easier to expand the propeller outputs. I'd have a generic version that bring out the outputs of the 74HC595 chip and possibly another just as a LED driver board.
- 74HC165 based input expansion board. This would make it easy to use options like your Line Follower:
http://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/729/Default.aspx?txtSearch=line+follower
with the Propeller chip and save a lot of I/O pins.
Another option would be a small board with both a 74HC595 and 74HC165 with that has a pair of 10-pin headers like your relay board. That way someone can connect the relay board at the end of the chain and just add a few more boards before it to expand the I/O. Three of these boards along with the relay board and you can easily input and output a whole long (32-bits).
I've needed boards like this and ended up wiring them by hand for my last couple of robot projects.
Robert
Another module I would like to see is a smart battery monitor board. Perhaps with a 1-wire serial interface that could also be used with the Stamp. Having versions that can monitor 12V (for SLA batteries), 24V, 7.2V, and perhaps some other commonly used voltages would be cool. This would make it easier to monitor the battery power. It could be good for any battery powered application.
Just a couple small products that would make my life easier.....
Would be great to demo the multitasking logging capabilities of the propeller, and also for QuickChange bootloaders; loaded from the sd card.
OK, the socket costs much of nothing, but the sd-card might cost something...
but perhaps for an optional extra few bucks the QuickStart could be supplied with an optional pre-loaded QuickChange sd card (or at least the image could be downloaded from your site and installed at home). The sd card would store a large number of demos, which can be selected at boot time by pressing the appropriate p0-p7 pcb button. Now that would be slick! And more importantly potential customers really would not need to do anything to get started.
A little piggyback board with RCA/VGA outputs and a keyboard input, so potential customers who might be interested in the video capabilities of the Propeller can just plug-in and go to start viewing and/or typing stuff to screen. Again, the pre-installed or easy-to-install demos should be available out-of-the-box.
I was also thinking of "QuickComm"....although I notice someone above has also mentioned the possibility for a mobile telephone modem type card!
Anything from the inexpensive David Laserscanner http://www.david-laserscanner.com to the expensive Makerbot http://store.makerbot.com/makerbot-thing-o-matic.html
RP can be CNC milling technology (cutting away material), or printing (building up solid material) from various files, from a laser scanner, or a CAD/Solidworks file. This is a target-rich environment and there are an overwhelming number technologies to sift through. The average person doesn't stand a chance! But look at the whole process and see if there are any niche products (a Prop-based scanner or output device) that make sense.
I have thought of this as well and I haven't even put my Stingray together yet! Anyhow, I figured you could make simple L brackets to replace the side panels and then use whatever you want to make custom plates. I threw together a quick drawing when I first thought of the idea and I am thinking of cutting a few of my plates to make them in this manner. Using an L bracket concept, you could make basic laser cut plates for a variety of add on items, including a 2x16 LCD. The drawing is done in a way to show a white piece of Delrin housing a 2x16 LCD in one of the side panel locations. (I have no clue if the 2x16 is true to size as compared to the panel, but you get the idea...)
2. Color camera with frame buffer and basic visual analysis math. Does not have to be super fast - 2 to 5 fps at 320 x 240 pixels is enough. Then use serial to interrogate the buffer to locate common points of interest, such as blobs of X size or larger of specific color or range.
3. MP3 and Midi boards, serially controlled. Load MP3 clips via SD or u-SD on a PC, then play them back by specifying a DOS filename (could be "1" for 1.mp3, "2" for 2.mp3, etc.). The Midi board should have a decent selection of instruments in its bank.
4. Gadget Gangster to Arduino shield converter board. The board includes an on-board ADC and switchable level shifters for 5V logic.
Already discussed with Matt and Ken so they don't count for the contest, but like Roy I'll include them here for completeness:
A. 3D machine, echoing Erco's suggestion.
B. A small 5V & 3.3V voltage regulator board for breadboarding. Because of the PropBOE there's probably no need to include the EEPROM on board.
C. Expanding your existing encoder kit with snap-in pieces for smaller shafts. Sell the encoder wheels and snap-in pieces separately, as well.
-- Gordon
1. Optically interfaced (possibly enclosed) I/O module allowing a uC to send/receive generic messages to any other uC or to...
2. a CHEAP board-level module capable of receiving a message (EEPROM setup?) to control a 110/220VAC switch (not a dimmer, unlike X10 you want it to be able to control inductive loads and CFL's) and also of responding to a query as to its current state
3. a CHEAP board-level module capable of responding to a query as to the presence or absence of a 110VAC signal
I realize there are some issues with safety because of high voltage but if you could come up with something like this that is friendlier to us uC guys than the commercial stuff you'd sell a lot of it.
and I'd like to second anything in the rapid prototyping area, like a propeller controller for a Makerbot printer.
Also, maybe re-introduce your java-based microcontrollor (the Javelin Stamp) as something a bit different, and make a BOE-Bot type kit to go with it
Also, a line of books, like the Stamps in Class series, but for the propeller.
Also, under human-interface devices for accessories, a touch screen would be nice.
P.S. I love the contests held on the forums. They are a great way to express creativity (and getting prizes is nice, too).
This is not really a new product idea but a new way to package things
you already sell.
You guys should partner with a China board house to create a service
that will deliver a custom PCB to a hobbyist with all the SMD parts already
soldered professionally to the board. You could also offer a number of
standard enclosures that have custom front panels applied to them.
Some of these could be instrument type cases and some could resemble
varying sizes of tablet devices with LCD screens.
It's getting harder for hobbyists to create professional looking projects
since it's so hard to solder a multitude of the really small parts to a board
and also just as hard to find a proper enclosure.
If you partnered with the right outfit then it would be far cheaper for someone
to use this method to produce a product using the propeller. Cost per unit
would come down depending on how many someone needed. Such a setup
would spawn many small businesses just from the users of this forum. The
biggest hurdle to selling a new design is all the fuss required to manufacture
the thing. The great idea for a new product is what is really valuable, just imagine
if the idea could be turned into a polished end product in just a few days. And if it
tests out to be viable then mass production could ensue.
Such a service would go nicely with the new P2
p.s. No reason to limit the service exclusively to the Prop1 and 2.
It would not cause any harm to also offer the service for other uCs.
A custom assembled board with a fast ARM on it housed in a
nice case with custom panel and LCD at a good price could be a winner.
If those Chinese factories can build a 640x480 USB digital camcorder inside
a tiny case with 4GB flash and rechargeable battery inside and sell them for
20.00 USD delivered. (I have some of these and they actually work) then it
seems someone over there could manage to assemble custom PCBs mounted
into standardized enclosures for a really great price.
Have you take a close look at the Propeller?
C.W.
Good question, {even tho I see the price has quickly improved to ~$50}, I do not understand why the QuickStart board,
(which has a larger BOM & Larger PCB area, yet is $20!) was not designed with a 'break-off' Prop Stick USB as the Core ?
Doing that would rationalise stock, satisfy all users, and expand sales.
To be completely honest, I haven't. But from what I read, it does everything. I was thinking of something JUST for robotics that works better than the propeller in robotics. Hence the term optimized.
Mountain King makes one: http://d1068410.mydomainwebhost.com/mkt_003.htm