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MACOS and SPIN1 for PROPELLER 1 - What are the latest IDE options? — Parallax Forums

MACOS and SPIN1 for PROPELLER 1 - What are the latest IDE options?

DavidMDavidM Posts: 630
edited 2023-02-01 22:32 in Propeller 1

Hi Everyone!

It's been a long time since i've been here!
I was present and very active between 2006 to 2011.
I stopped doing Electronics for many years, I want to get back into it Especially the Propeller 1 Chip.
( yes I know about the Prop 2, but not interested just yet)

My Questions are..

1) I prefer to use MACOS and SPIN for the PROPELLER 1 Chip, so what is the best IDE for this currently?

2) Can you use PropTool on MACOS without installing windows?

3) I have 2 Projects ( for Work) that require DMX control. My first project is a simple DMX Controller to output DMX only, with a few simple faders and buttons. My second project is much more involved, but will require to RECEIVE only DMX commands. So are there any DMX drivers/sample code to start with that i could use?

Thanks

Dave M

«13

Comments

  • JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 9,159
    edited 2023-01-25 20:17

    1) FlexProp
    2) [Edit] I guess you can.
    3) Yes. I've done lots of Propeller DMX projects. See attached.

    spin
    spin
    jm_dmx_tx.spin
    31K
    spin
    spin
    jm_dmx_rx.spin
    29K
  • evanhevanh Posts: 16,028

    I'd vote for using Flexspin without the Flexprop IDE but that's just me.

    BTW, Proptool now works with Wine/Crossover on Linux so, in theory, it should work with the same on MacOS too.

  • Don MDon M Posts: 1,652

    I prefer to use MacOS myself. I recently found Crossover. PropTool works great with it.

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    @JonnyMac said:
    1) FlexProp

    Cool I will check it out!

    3) Yes. I've done lots of Propeller DMX projects. See attached.

    Wow, that great to hear! I shal download your files and check them out.

    Thanks so much for replying!

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    @"Don M" said:
    I prefer to use MacOS myself. I recently found Crossover. PropTool works great with it.

    Hi, DonM,
    I will check this out. I have used wine ages ago, but its very clunky, slow and ugly. So i will see what Crossover does.
    I will also check out the other tools, i.e Flexspin .
    regards
    Dave M

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    @evanh said:
    I'd vote for using Flexspin without the Flexprop IDE but that's just me.

    BTW, Proptool now works with Wine/Crossover on Linux so, in theory, it should work with the same on MacOS too.

    I shall check this out, thanks

  • evanhevanh Posts: 16,028

    @DavidM said:
    ... I have used wine ages ago, but its very clunky, slow and ugly. So i will see what Crossover does.

    There is no diff between how Wine and Crossover work internally. The only difference is Crossover has a GUI app manager program where Wine doesn't. Your previous experience depends on the behaviour of the target software you used back then. Something like Proptool is not a huge bloated package, you wont notice any performance hit with Wine or Crossover.

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    HI Evanh,
    ok, I will check out Proptool using Crossover, I am getting a new MAC MINI M2 Pro soon, along with a 32" LG display, So I hope that will perform much better than my current Imac 27" i5 2017 machine.

    thanks

  • evanhevanh Posts: 16,028
    edited 2023-01-25 22:29

    Your current iMac is fine. Proptool is tiny, you wont notice any slowness.

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    ok, thanks, ( i am still getting a new mac though! ) need a faster one for Fusion 360

  • dgatelydgately Posts: 1,631

    I recommend using Parallels Desktop for Mac... Yes, it costs $99 US a year, but it gets rid of most frustration in getting WIn apps to run on your Mac. Especially apps that require access to COM ports. You will need to install WIN 11, but I think you can now get that for free (let me know if that is not true).

    WIth Wine or Crossover, you need to set up some extra links (paths) to point to your COM ports, which can change if you have multiple propeller boards (P1 or P2). I found that process only partially successful.

    Since I use several other WIN apps beyond my propeller app needs, $99 US a year is worth it.

    dgately

  • evanhevanh Posts: 16,028

    @dgately said:
    WIth Wine or Crossover, you need to set up some extra links (paths) to point to your COM ports, which can change if you have multiple propeller boards (P1 or P2). I found that process only partially successful.

    COM numbers are automatically assigned these days.
    The hand assigning didn't change if using by-id instead of the ancient tty naming.

  • dgatelydgately Posts: 1,631

    @evanh said:
    COM numbers are automatically assigned these days.
    The hand assigning didn't change if using by-id instead of the ancient tty naming.

    But, isn't it all kind of moot anyway, if you have a recent macOS version (Ventura)? Building wine on newest macOS is futile (just tried!).

  • evanhevanh Posts: 16,028
    edited 2023-01-26 20:59

    Ah, true, but it'll be the CPU, not the OS. Forgot about the M1/M2 being an ARM CPU. Wine/Crossover ain't an emulator.

    EDIT: It seems MacOS automatically emulates, once installed (called Rosetta 2), the x86 CPU when it detects x86 code being run. I'm assuming there is likely a lot of hardware support to make this fast on the M1/M2 CPUs - Apparently it's very good.

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    Thanks for the tips, But I prefer NOT to have windows installed, not so much because of the cost, but I don't want to manage a windows environment.

    thanks

  • Wuerfel_21Wuerfel_21 Posts: 5,106

    Perhaps to note: FlexProp uses a better compiler than Propeller Tool. The biggest difference is removal of unused code parts.

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    I could not get FLEXPROP to install, so i couldn't try it.

  • Wuerfel_21Wuerfel_21 Posts: 5,106

    There is no install. You just unzip it and run the appropriate executable (flexprop.exe for windows, just flexprop for macos)

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    Hi wurfel_21

    I tried to open "Flexprop" for mac but it doesn't work.

  • evanhevanh Posts: 16,028

    This one? https://github.com/totalspectrum/flexprop/releases/download/v5.9.26/flexprop-5.9.26.zip

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    OK,

    I managed to get the PROPELLER TOOL.exe application running.

    I used Crossover ( trial)
    I have the proptool application icon in the Dock, and it seems to open from there ok.

    Attached is a screenshot of how it looks on my mac ( 27" imac, intel core i5 2017).
    I have some questions in the screenshot, that i need help with.

    Thanks

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    @evanh said:
    This one? https://github.com/totalspectrum/flexprop/releases/download/v5.9.26/flexprop-5.9.26.zip

    I will try again. ( yes it was that one i think?)

    thanks

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    When i open flexprop i get this..

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    Ok, I opened it using terminal, so I got it to work, BUT

    the interface is very simple and bland! I cannot use this.

    I only want to code in SPIN1 at the moment, the Propeller tool has the features i like the most. ESPECIALLY the indentation lines, no other IDE has this for some reason, i cannot code without indentation lines.

  • evanhevanh Posts: 16,028

    @DavidM said:
    When i open flexprop i get this..

    Lol, that's not a "doesn't work". That's a prevented from working. Obviously you'll have to change the setting to allow it to run.

  • Wuerfel_21Wuerfel_21 Posts: 5,106

    @evanh said:

    @DavidM said:
    When i open flexprop i get this..

    Lol, that's not a "doesn't work". That's a prevented from working. Obviously you'll have to change the setting to allow it to run.

    Apple products make people stupider.
    (please do not take as a personal insult to anyone. It is a general observation)

  • evanhevanh Posts: 16,028

    @DavidM said:
    Attached is a screenshot of how it looks on my mac ( 27" imac, intel core i5 2017).
    I have some questions in the screenshot, that i need help with.

    Proptool has no toolbar. The menus do everything. Font adjustability will be Proptool limitation.

    Likely looks just the same on Windoze. Possibly API related. Proptool is built using very old Delphi compiler I believe.

  • evanhevanh Posts: 16,028
    edited 2023-01-26 23:00

    @Wuerfel_21 said:
    Apple products make people stupider.
    (please do not take as a personal insult to anyone. It is a general observation)

    Windoze defaults to exactly the same thing now. Will only install from App store ... and trying to run a non-app-store program will complain.

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    @evanh said:

    @DavidM said:
    When i open flexprop i get this..

    Lol, that's not a "doesn't work". That's a prevented from working. Obviously you'll have to change the setting to allow it to run.

    No, i was just lazy not stupid, I had to read the readme file, which says i had to open using terminal. I got it to open, but i said before, this app is not for me, too simple.

  • DavidMDavidM Posts: 630

    @evanh said:

    @DavidM said:
    Attached is a screenshot of how it looks on my mac ( 27" imac, intel core i5 2017).
    I have some questions in the screenshot, that i need help with.

    Proptool has no toolbar. The menus do everything. Font adjustability will be Proptool limitation.

    Likely looks just the same on Windoze. Possibly API related. Proptool is built using very old Delphi compiler I believe.

    OK, I'm pretty sure the proptool on pc had buttons on the top ( 10 years ago since i've used it!).

    That's not a big deal.

    As for text quality, are you saying that because the prop tool was developed using delphi, were are stuck with ugly font rendering?

    I can live with this for now i guess, the main programming area is customisable, which is fine .

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