Hydra DIP-Prop

Ym2413a

Okay I just had to say that one of the really cool things I found out about the Hydra is the fact that the Propeller is a DIP and is in a socket!

This is great because if Parallax releases a Prop II chip and it happens to be pin compatible with the current prop. Then upgrades would be a snap! (well a pull and a snap)...

Who knows we might have Hydra's with 64k of HUB-ram in the near future and/or 16 COGs.

Sorry I get excited over little things. (lol)
--Andrew Arsenault

CJ

maybe a very faint shhnnn as the pins pull free of the socket and some excited noises from the user afterwards while playing, but I think any snapping should be avoided if possible.

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Who says you have to have knowledge to use it?

I've killed a fly with my bare mind.

Ym2413a

CJ said...
maybe a very faint shhnnn as the pins pull free of the socket and some excited noises from the user afterwards while playing, but I think any snapping should be avoided if possible.

Yeah your right. A snapping sound wouldn't be good while inserting a chip to its socket. (lol)
But you get the idea.

AndreL

That's exactly why I went with the dip. At some point parallax might make a much faster version of the chip with the same architecture just by going to a smaller process, then you just drop the new chip in, so I am counting on that as a matter of fact [noparse]:)[/noparse]

Andre'

Ym2413a

AndreL said...
That's exactly why I went with the dip. At some point parallax might make a much faster version of the chip with the same architecture just by going to a smaller process, then you just drop the new chip in, so I am counting on that as a matter of fact [noparse]:)[/noparse]

Andre'

Yeah that's want I was thinking, Since it would have been a little bit cheaper to use a surface mount part.
This way we can upgrade if needed down the road.

Good idea Andre'!

AndreL

Also, the hydra is more for hacking as well, so I wanted people to be able to probe the leads etc. and that's vastly easier with the dip. Finally, someone might make an ICE pod and just stick it in the 40pin dip as well, so that would be cool.

Andre'

Gadgetman

Even if the next Propeller isn't pin-compatible, with a DIP40 socket, it's not too difficult to make an adapter to acheive pin-compatibility.



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Don't visit my new website...

ciw1973

Andre', it struck me that the reason you probably went for the DIP version was so the Propeller chip itself would be much more prominent on the board.

AndreL

Well, that was one of my aesthetic reasons as was the blue LEDs and the black and chrome design. I like to try and fuse art with science even with a little PCB. Apple is really good at this IBM is really bad at this, so if you can make something look cool, and it doens't cost money why not!

Lastly, the DIP has many many times more heat dissapation than the QFP or QFN, so its much easier to overclock and not overheat as well.

Andre'

Dennis Ferron

I saw on the history channel that when they went to restore the Pantheon they found intricate carvings, not just on the front, but on the back side of walls and alcoves. The artists who worked on the building evidently cared enough about the quality of what they were doing that they spent hundreds of hours on these hidden sculptures even though no one would ever be able to see them. Putting artistry into your work is more than just making something that's good to look at, it's a mark of quality.

Paul Baker

One thing which would have to be·worked around, the next Propeller will require a dual supply and hence more than one supply pin. Since this doesn't occur on the current Propeller, any board with the supply pins connected would need modification to work with the new Propeller.

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Paul Baker
Propeller Applications Engineer

Parallax, Inc.