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SX 48/52 Proto Boards now shipping - only $9.95! — Parallax Forums

SX 48/52 Proto Boards now shipping - only $9.95!

Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,401
edited 2005-10-14 03:06 in General Discussion
Dear customers,

Parallax is now shipping our SX48/52 Proto Boards. These fully-assembled project boards have a through-hole area for your microcontroller projects and include the processor. They're also supported by our free SX/B (BASIC) compiler. You'll need an SX-Key to program either chip. There are two packages available:

SX48 Proto Board
SX52 Proto Board

Sincerely,

Ken Gracey
Parallax, Inc.

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Comments

  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2005-07-01 17:24
    Just placed an order for 3 or each. $9.95 !!!! How can you do it ???
    This just shows how commited (or should be commited [noparse];)[/noparse] Parallax is to the SX chip.
    Bean.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    "SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95

    http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012

    Product web site: www.sxvm.com

    "What's the difference between ignorance and apathy ?"
    "I don't know, and I don't care."
    ·
  • Miner_with_a_PICMiner_with_a_PIC Posts: 123
    edited 2005-07-01 17:49
    I can't believe how cool Parallax is for selling these boards at cost. I expect to continue to engineer Parallax products into all work related test fixtures and personal projects in the future. I will also continue to sing the graces of your microcontrollers and product line to all.

    Thank you,

    JT
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,401
    edited 2005-07-01 18:27
    JT and Bean,

    Thanks a bunch. I debated making this post, because I prefer that our actions to speak louder than a discussion forum post.

    The reason we offer these boards·just over·our cost is because we appreciate our customers. We don't have to make a profit on all of our products.·Our approach is·to reward customers for using our products rather than trying to extract funds from their wallet. As long as Parallax is doing well we'll continue to bring out new goodies, sometimes at an amazing price.·I·think greed·and corporate shareholder demands·prevent companies from being able to offer surprises to their customers.·The SX customer base is a perfect place to do this, too. There's an amazing set of skills on this particular discussion forum to help us grow the SX.

    Because we're a small company we don't have to convince anybody of what we believe is right to do. We've kept this philosophy since we had only three employees and it will remain like this regardless of our future size. To do this, though, we have to find profit in other products and lines.

    We are able to keep the costs down on this particular board is through high-volume manufacturing.·This has the dual effect of increasing our inventory substantially, which·purchasing managers and controllers always advise to be bad practice.·Oh well. . .·it's not the first time we've·been on their radar.

    Have an excellent 4th of July holiday. I wish we had these boards earlier in the week so you could be using them over the weekend.

    Sincerely,

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
  • KenMKenM Posts: 657
    edited 2005-07-01 19:34
    $9.95???????

    You guys are SICK.......lucky us customers.

    I just ordered 5.

    Keep up the commitment to your customers !!!

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Ken
  • Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
    edited 2005-07-01 22:22
    Yes, the boss is nuts.· Aren't we lucky?

    While you're waiting on your proto boards, be sure to download the latest version of SX/B (1.30).· It lets subroutines behave like functions:

    · myChar = RXBYTE

    ... where RXBYTE is a subroutine.· This is cool.· And yes, you can still pass a parameter (or more) and get a return value:

    · theChar = UPPERCASE theChar

    Get it here: http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=517621


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    Jon Williams
    Applications Engineer, Parallax

    Post Edited (Jon Williams (Parallax)) : 7/1/2005 11:30:16 PM GMT
  • cbmeekscbmeeks Posts: 634
    edited 2005-07-01 23:13
    Well, I am poor so I only ordered one...lol

    But I will definately get more in the future.

    Thanks for releasing a great product!!

    cbmeeks
  • geekythinggeekything Posts: 53
    edited 2005-07-04 15:50
    Ahhh.....so the new proto boards are the "dime bag" that gets us hooked on using the SX? wink.gif

    Great value! Actually really does make it viable to just use these as the starting point for many projects.


    -marc
  • OakGraphicsOakGraphics Posts: 202
    edited 2005-07-06 17:43
    Say - what is the difference between the two boards? (48 vs 52)
    The only thing I can see is the 52 has 4 more i/o pins (total 40). Is there any other feature differences?

    Just trying to see if I need to get both boards, or just the sx52 version.
  • ForrestForrest Posts: 1,341
    edited 2005-07-06 17:55
    Your correct - the SX52 has 4 more I/O pins than the SX48 and the package size is different. If you're just a experimenter and don't plan on designing a widget that goes into production - then just get the SX52 board. However if you're planning on a commercial product, note the SX48 chip costs $5 a piece, while the SX52 chip costs $7 a piece. $2 difference is a lot of money if you're building 1 million widgets!
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,401
    edited 2005-07-06 17:56
    OakGraphics:

    A couple of pins and package type. From a production standpoint the SX48 is about 5x more popular than the SX52. However, the SX52 Proto Board is outselling the SX48 Proto Board 2 to 1. Both have SX/B support as you already know. The SX48 is substantially smaller. Maybe there is another difference buried in the datasheet that I don't know about. . .now you have me wondering and I should know the answer.

    Sincerely,

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.

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  • Randy GlennRandy Glenn Posts: 25
    edited 2005-07-06 17:58
    Any idea if / when any Canadian distributors will be picking these up? I'd love to order a few, but I fear / loathe UPS.
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2005-07-06 18:09
    On that same note, I much prefer USPS to UPS. Priority mail reaches the east coast in 3 days vs 7 for UPS ground. And for light packages it's cheaper. Plus UPS tends to beat the hell out of their packages.

    I don't know if it's in the cards for Parallax to offer USPS shipping methods ?

    Bean.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    "SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95

    http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012

    Product web site: www.sxvm.com

    "What's the difference between ignorance and apathy ?"
    "I don't know, and I don't care."
    ·
  • danieldaniel Posts: 231
    edited 2005-07-06 18:16
    One additional difference I found when I went looking for the same:

    Theta(JA)--data sheet section 17.1

    Daniel
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,401
    edited 2005-07-06 18:33
    Randy,

    We offer USPS shipping to Canada. At the moment, you would place an order using UPS International but in the comments specify "use USPS air mail" and we will change the charge and ship accordingly. But in about two days it gets even better - USPS will be fully integrated into our web site and the comments in the remarks section to use USPS will not be required. This seamless integration has taken us years to achieve, mostly because USPS was loathe in providing the tools we needed (not to mention they wouldn't pick up packages until about a month ago).

    Or, you can call our sales department 916.624.8333 and place it on the phone using USPS.

    Or, you can ask your distributor to sell you the SX Proto Boards. They have the information and a price to stock the boards. If laziness is their problem then I suggest you buy it from us. And believe me, they get support from Parallax! We even gave them a discount even though there is no profit for us.

    Sincerely,

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
  • Randy GlennRandy Glenn Posts: 25
    edited 2005-07-06 18:37
    That's great to hear! I'll definitely order a couple in a few days then (or a few in a couple days?). I'd rather not deal with my local distributor, due to how exceptionally long it seems to take them to get anything done.
  • DWinchellDWinchell Posts: 60
    edited 2005-07-08 23:10
    Hello All;

    Just got my SX48 Proto Board form Parallax using the new Parallax / USPS System !! Shipping time was only one day !! The new system is working GREAT !!

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Thank You

    David Winchell

    David@Winchell.com
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2005-07-09 02:01
    Here is a picture of my SX-Video module modified for the SX52 proto-board.
    The extra RAM allows for a 16x12 character display, and the extra program space has all kinds of possiblities...
    I'm thinking of making a couple simple stand-alone games with them.

    Notice how I added header pins to the edge of the proto-board. Now I can plug it right into my NX1000 24/40 board.

    The connector in the center is an RCA jack. I had to enlarge a couple holes to make it fit. Only 3 resistors and the jack makes up a serial video board (I didn't wire up the audio jack yet, but it's only two more resistors).

    Ken, the proto boards are very cool... You should make them into a kit·with the SX-Key and a couple resonators.

    P.S. Wanted to add: If you use a 50MHz resonator DON'T use OSCHS3 on the device line. I did and the SX52 overheated after about 5 minutes. I backed it down to OSCHS1 and it works fine. I haven't tried OSCHS2 yet, but I imagine that it would be okay too.

    Also if your using SX/B make sure you download version 1.31. There are a couple fixes for the SX48/52.

    Bean.
    ·

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    "SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95

    http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012

    Product web site: www.sxvm.com

    "One experiment is worth a thousand theories"


    Post Edited (Bean (Hitt Consulting)) : 7/9/2005 2:07:48 AM GMT
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  • PLJackPLJack Posts: 398
    edited 2005-07-09 03:09
    Bean (Hitt Consulting) said...
    Here is a picture of my SX-Video module modified for the SX52 proto-board.
    The extra RAM allows for a 16x12 character display, and the extra program space has all kinds of possiblities...

    Bean.

    That is too cool Bean. Really brings home the punch the new proto boards pack.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    - - - PLJack - - -


    Perfection in design is not achieved when there is nothing left to add.
    It is achieved when there is nothing left to take away.
  • geekythinggeekything Posts: 53
    edited 2005-07-13 22:14
    Ken Gracey (Parallax) said...

    But in about two days it gets even better - USPS will be fully integrated into our web site and the comments in the remarks section to use USPS will not be required.

    Ken,

    Been a week now and I still don't see USPS shipping options -- will it be there soon? I'd like to see the rates to determine what's a economic number of boards to order.

    Thanks,

    -marc
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,401
    edited 2005-07-14 05:10
    Marc,

    Hang in there - we're in the final stages of testing it out on our internal test server. At this point we're down to a couple of minor issues with connecting the customs forms to our business software, then we're ready for you. I'd ask for a few more days. I'll make an announcement above (Announcements) when we're ready.

    We still have plenty of inventory on the SX Proto Boards and I could always steal some from the tech guys if I had to get one to you (provided they have not opened them).

    Sincerely,

    Ken Gracey
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2005-10-13 18:34
    A member has asked for the code to make the SX52 video display.
    Here it is...
    Bean.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    "SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95

    http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
    Product web site: www.sxvm.com
    Available now... SX-Video OSD module $59.95 www.sxvm.com

    "Save your money. Pay with cash."
    SXB
    SXB
    SXVideo Rev E 50MHz PCB Rev E SX52.SXB
    29K
  • Mike CookMike Cook Posts: 829
    edited 2005-10-14 01:35
    Bean (Hitt Consulting) said...
    A member has asked for the code to make the SX52 video display.
    Here it is...
    Bean.

    tongue.gif· Bean,

    Thanks Again, now it's time to play!!!

    Mike

    P.S. Sorry for the crappy shot of the TV, too excited to do a video capture with the PC!

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    "OEM NMEA GPS Module" Now available on ebay for only $19.99

    Product web site: http://www.allsurplus.net/Axiom/

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  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2005-10-14 01:59
    Holy Smile, that must be a new record !!!
    How long did it take you ? I bet your hand was shaking the whole time [noparse];)[/noparse]
    Bean.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    "SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95

    http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
    Product web site: www.sxvm.com
    Available now... SX-Video OSD module $59.95 www.sxvm.com

    "Save your money. Pay with cash."
    ·
  • Mike CookMike Cook Posts: 829
    edited 2005-10-14 02:07
    1. Opened Box from Parallax at 8:00pm

    2. About 15 min or so to solder in the sockets and headers

    3. About 5 min to build the circuit on the bread board

    4. 5 min to load your program and burn the chip

    5. used Procomm to send data to the display.

    Somehere around 30 min start to finish!

    Did notice one thing, the SX/52 runs a little warm, and then the screen starts to blank. Put a fan on the bench blowing on the SX52 board and it's rock solid. Would it be possible to change the resonator to 25mhz, reconfigure the freq to 25_000_000,·and recomplie? And will the SX52 run a little cooler if I do this?

    Thanks,

    Mike


    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    "OEM NMEA GPS Module" Now available on ebay for only $19.99

    Product web site: http://www.allsurplus.net/Axiom/

    Post Edited (Mike Cook) : 10/14/2005 2:13:52 AM GMT
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2005-10-14 03:01
    Mike,
    I had that problem when I used OSCHS3 in the DEVICE line, but when I changed it to OSCHS1 is was okay.
    I guess you could try some of the lower drive levels (OSCXT2, OSCXT1) to see if that helps.
    Yes the code can be change to 25 MHz, but I don't have a 25MHz resonator to try it.
    and it means rewriting the generation code, and alot of cycle counting...

    Bean.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    "SX-Video·Module" Now available from Parallax for only $28.95

    http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30012
    Product web site: www.sxvm.com
    Available now... SX-Video OSD module $59.95 www.sxvm.com

    "Save your money. Pay with cash."
    ·
  • Mike CookMike Cook Posts: 829
    edited 2005-10-14 03:06

    I'll have to do some more reading before I attempt that! Right now I have it set as follows:

    DEVICE SX52, OSCHS1, BOR42

    FREQ 50_000_000 ' Use a 50 MHz Ceramic Resonator

    No biggie, like I said with the fan it's rock solid, maybe I can locate a tiny heat sink to fit that area of the SX52 Board.

    Thanks for your help, I do appreciate it!

    Mike

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    "OEM NMEA GPS Module" Now available on ebay for only $19.99

    Product web site: http://www.allsurplus.net/Axiom/

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