Using BlocklyProp with DIY-Propeller-Boards possible?

StefanL38

Hi everybody,

before I start fiddling around a question:

Can I use my DIY-Propeller-Chip-boards with BlocklyProp?

I only did a quick crossreading about BlocklyProp.

As it is a graphical language. It has a lot of pre-configured commands like motor-control- LED-control etc. which are preconfigured to certain portpins etc.. Do I have a chance to use some more generalised commands like "create PWM" or "create a RC-Servo-Signal", or "receive characters through an UART" on my DIY-Propeller-Boards or will this end up in a lot off errors the compiler is reporting?

best regards

Stefan

WBA Consulting

Others with more knowledge will chime in I am sure, but from what I have found, the "board" configurations can be applied to any Propeller board as long as the appropriate circuitry exists on particular IO pins. In other words, if you take the Propeller Mini and connect a PING sensor to P0, then there should be no reason why you can't use Blockly to write code since the "configuration" for the PING use on an S3 is simply based upon a connection to a PING through P0-P5:


What I would like to see, to confirm how to use the S3 and Activity Board WX Blockly configurations in other ways, is to see a map of the Block References as they relate to the associated sections of the schematic. With that, ANY propeller board could be easily used with Blockly.

The next step would be to allow users to create their own board configurations to upload into Blockly and set up specific Blockly references to support them.


(EDIT)
Some of the mappings are somewhat available already. The Block Reference for using the RFID reader for example, has a good explanation:
http://learn.parallax.com/support/reference/activity-board-wx-block-reference/sensor/rfid/rfid-wiring-example-code

zappman

From: learn.parallax.com/tutorials/language/blocklyprop/getting-started-blocklyprop-activity-board-wx

Supported Boards: This guide supports the Activity Board WX, which is used in many of our tutorials. It is also for the original Activity Board and other Propeller development boards with a similar 5 MHz oscillator and EEPROM, such as the Hackable Electronic Badges and Propeller Project Board USB.

WBA Consulting

Thanks Zappman, that makes it reasonably clear!

So technically, even my M44D40+ board is supported!

Ken Gracey

All boards are supported - just choose the "other" board type. Except for the S3, all blocks are available for all boards. We have Propeller design engineer customers who are having their customers program their devices with our Blockly system.

Stefan, you shouldn't have any compiler errors and you do have flexibility in true Propeller spirit to put your peripherals on any I/O pin. Just report any unusual behavior to our Blockly GitHub and we'll continue to make this the most functional visual programming language ever produced.

For an advanced programmer as yourself, the one thing we've not documented well at this stage is which libraries/functions have a cognew in them and don't require a "new processor" block. In time, we'll explain this too.

StefanL38

Hello to all,

thank you very much for your answers. Things are much clearer now.
So I will give BlocklyProp a try. First projekt I'm thinking of is using it for controlling
a MeArm a 4DOF robotic arm driven by RC-servos.

https://shop.mime.co.uk/collections/mearm/products/mearm-your-robot-nuka-cola-blue

This is an openhardware-design which I think is pretty popular within the "robotoc-arm beginner-scene"

@Parallax: You have robotics for driving and flying but nothing for "handling". What do you think about something like this robot-arm?

I want to give you a headsup for a company that makes a very innovative servocontrol (just like the Propeller-Chip) that is much more acurate than even a digitical classical servo and which can be used even for much bigger motors than 20g-RC-Servos.

http://www.01mechatronics.com/products

Demovideo:

It uses a magnetic encoder with a resolution of 10 to 14 bits per revolultion.
Coincidence or not: This magnetic encoder is manufactured by austriamicrosystems
(If I remember right this is the manufacturer of the propeller-chip-die ;-)))

best regards

Stefan

macrobeak

Stefan,
Thanks very much for the interesting link.
Those 01mechatronics closed loop servo and motor controllers look impressive, even if they are a little expensive.
Do you have any interface schematics or code for interfacing to a Prop?