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New and stupid

themercethemerce Posts: 5
edited 2011-11-26 16:30 in General Discussion
Hi all. I went to a local Radio Shack store, bent on buying an Arduino board. I need something to do that doesn't remind me of my 15 hour office days and school. The last Arduino box looked like it was opened, so I opted for the Parallax. Never heard of it before, but it looked like it would meet my requirements as a hobby. Here's the problem: I can't figure out what to do. There's a pretty green LED that's on, I've downloaded the software, but I can't seem to get any example to run. Is there a Parallax-for-dummies forum? Something that takes me to the poin after I've plugged the board in, loaded the software and want to at least see a light blink when I touch a button.

I'm an ex-hacker but I can't figure out how to get started.

Comments

  • RonPRonP Posts: 384
    edited 2011-11-26 15:33
    Welcome to the Forums themerce,

    Here's a good place to start.

    There is a "Set and Programming Button" in the middle of the web page go there. If you still have questions come on back if it's regarding the Propeller you might want to post in that forum.

    Ron

    EDIT: I guess I should have asked. What did you get a Basic Stamp or Propeller?
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2011-11-26 15:33
    Hey, welcome to the forums!

    Check out this page with the Propeller labs, which can walk you through examples one by one, and see if that helps a bit.

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?89958-Propeller-Education-Kit-Labs-Tools-and-Applications&

    But don't be afraid to ask questions - and don't feel stupid around here.

    Hope that helps. :-)
  • $WMc%$WMc% Posts: 1,884
    edited 2011-11-26 16:03
    themerce...
    '
    What board do you have?...Is it a Propeller or Stamp?...Sounds like a Boe with the green led.
    '
    P.S. Welcome to the forums
  • themercethemerce Posts: 5
    edited 2011-11-26 16:05
    Wow... Post, take the dog out for a walk, come back and voila, I get blue LEDs to light. Thank you. Now on to my next challenge: Touch a button and have its light go on. Anticipating great success on day one, I also got a motion dtetector sensor for my Parallax. Too early?
  • themercethemerce Posts: 5
    edited 2011-11-26 16:07
    Forgot to thank you. Thanks.
  • themercethemerce Posts: 5
    edited 2011-11-26 16:08
    Thanks for the quick reply. I only hope to be as helpful as you have been to me.
  • themercethemerce Posts: 5
    edited 2011-11-26 16:13
    $WMc% wrote: »
    themerce...
    '
    What board do you have?...Is it a Propeller or Stamp?...Sounds like a Boe with the green led.
    '
    P.S. Welcome to the forums

    Not knowing the board I have is an indication of where I am: About 2 hours back from Radio Shack. The packaging states it's a QuikStart but from the sites I've visited, it's a Propeller (small x=chip in the center with a beanie).
  • electromanjelectromanj Posts: 270
    edited 2011-11-26 16:23
    Hi themerce. Yep it sounds like you have a Propeller. Good choice, and welcome!

    traVis
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2011-11-26 16:23
    Welcome to the forums!

    Here are some simple games to get started:

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?135316-Quickstart-Smile-Games-Contest

    T    here are many in-depth application notes on the Parallax Semiconductor web site also:

    http://www.parallaxsemiconductor.com/quickstart

    http://www.parallaxsemiconductor.com/appnotes
  • MicrocontrolledMicrocontrolled Posts: 2,461
    edited 2011-11-26 16:30
    Ah! You have the QuickStart Propeller board! Here are some useful sites to help you out.

    The Gadget Gangster tutorials were not specifically written for the QuickStart pin layout (as there are other Propeller based boards), but will still work on the board and the beginner tutorials have a GREAT introduction to Propeller programming: http://gadgetgangster.com/tutorials.html
    Be sure to know your pins. They show them on their specific board, but you can just translate the pin labels over and figure it out on the QuickStart.

    The Appnotes are nice, but they are written for design engineers, so they may not be the best if you are totally new. I'll link to them anyway: http://www.parallaxsemiconductor.com/appnotes

    Once you start moving along with the Propeller, you may want to check out the Propeller Manuel, the most comprehensive manual with every documented feature in the book. It also has a syntax lookup if you are wondering about any particular element of code: http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/prod/prop/Web-PropellerManual-v1.2.pdf

    Hope this helps!
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