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Hydra or Propeller starter kit... — Parallax Forums

Hydra or Propeller starter kit...

BamseBamse Posts: 561
edited 2007-04-08 00:48 in Propeller 1
I pretty much made up my mind of getting the Hydra kit over the Propeller starter kit.
75% in favor of the Hydra, so it should not be to hard to convince me the last 25%... smilewinkgrin.gif

What I like about the Prop kit is the breadboard for the through hole components.
Is it possible to do some kind of cable to connect to a breadboard with the Experimenter card that comes with the kit ?

I'm giving it a week, if I still want the Hydra next week, I'll order it on Wednesday... scool.gif

▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...

Experience level:
[noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
[noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...

/Bamse

Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2007-03-13 17:36
    It's very easy to connect a breadboard for the Experimenter card. The signals you need (I/O_0 to I/O_7, ground, +5V, +3.3V) are all brought to convenient holes on the card. Do have a look through Parallax's website. They have the breadboard sections for sale that are used in the Propeller Experimenter's Kit. These are very nice, larger than the one on the Demo Board, and stackable to make a larger area.

    By the way, when you make your cable, use some kind of header pins to connect the cable to the breadboard. They're much better mechanically than just using tinned wire.
  • AndreLAndreL Posts: 1,004
    edited 2007-03-13 22:41
    Also, to make it clear a free "Blank Experimenter Card AND 128K eeprom memory card" with each hydra. Plus, you can always just make a bunch of plug in cards with 20 fingers, 2 sides, .1" spacing and have pcbfabexpress or someone cheap make them for you, so you can do more experiments. Even the 128K card has a tiny bit of prototyping area that I could fit on it as well [noparse]:)[/noparse] Enough to fit 1 8-pin dip as well.

    Andre'
  • BamseBamse Posts: 561
    edited 2007-03-13 23:50
    I have some experience with the BS2 and SX and the whole idea with the Hydra is to learn the Propeller.
    The added bonus with the Hydra compared to the Propeller starter kit is that it's focused around game development.

    I'm going to check out the XGameStation website and read up a little bit more before I order the kit...

    Thanks guys...

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...

    Experience level:
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
    [noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...

    /Bamse
  • AndreLAndreL Posts: 1,004
    edited 2007-03-14 00:17
    You will really like the HYDRA kit, its much easier to program than the XGS of course and we include a ton of demos and software on high end graphics, tile engines, and so forth. Plus I am working on the SRAM expansion card which gives the HYDRA 512K ram, this will be available in a few weeks from Nurve and Parallax (hopefully).

    Andre'
  • BamseBamse Posts: 561
    edited 2007-03-15 04:42
    The more I read about the Propeller the more impressed I become...
    I really like the speech capabilities...
    http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=25&p=1&m=152683

    Anyhow, I've got an extra bonus which means I'll order the Hydra tomorrow... wink.gif

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...

    Experience level:
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
    [noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...

    /Bamse
  • BamseBamse Posts: 561
    edited 2007-03-15 14:17
    OK, I'm just about to order the kit...
    Just one quick question...

    The kit seem to come with everything you need and for what I want to do I don't see anything missing...
    Is there anything you guys wish you had ordered with the kit once you got it and had it for a week?

    Any extra crystals, LED displays, flux capacitors, star shrinkers or anything like that ?

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...

    Experience level:
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
    [noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...

    /Bamse
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2007-03-15 14:57
    Bamse,
    A nice wall-hung flat-screen TV with a built-in mini-bar and juicer. You'll need some kind of video display and you'll find it hard to drag yourself away from it all for a while. You might as well plan for the siege.
  • AndreLAndreL Posts: 1,004
    edited 2007-03-15 17:51
    Nope, just a nice 15-19" TV to work on next to your PC, you can get them for $50-100 at the store or just find one around the house, I recommend AGAINST a little LCD display or cute display, they are cute, but will strain your eyes, plus a CRT looks 100x nicer than LCD, more contrast. Plus, of you want to play/write games you have to be able to see them on the screen, so 15" or bigger TV. I have 2 15" monitors, a 27" and then a VGA all here that I work on.

    Andre'
  • BamseBamse Posts: 561
    edited 2007-03-15 18:16
    Just placed my order...

    Unfortunately I could not find the mini-bar and juicer on the Parallax WebSite so I guess I have to do without them.
    Luckily for me I got a fridge with cold soda and beer within reach though... wink.gif

    I have a 15" CRT TV that I plan to use and in case I want to try out the VGA I got the 15" LCD monitor.

    Thanks guys...

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...

    Experience level:
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
    [noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...

    /Bamse
  • DreamwriterDreamwriter Posts: 22
    edited 2007-03-17 03:49
    I've found that a 72" front-projection screen is the perfect Hydra viewing device myself...
  • AndreLAndreL Posts: 1,004
    edited 2007-03-17 04:25
    I have to get one of those and program like that, the only problem is that I really want a 1600x1200 display, no less, so I have been waiting for flat screens or projectors to reach that within a "reasonable" price, but I am sick of looking at small screens, even 23-24" is too small for all the stuff on the screen, even 3 monitors won't due, I just want it all bigger and farther, its can't be healthy to focus your eyes 20" away for 20-30 years at a time [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Andre'
  • BamseBamse Posts: 561
    edited 2007-03-20 00:21
    There we go, it's finally on it's way...
    Just got the E-mail that it has been shipped...

    Now I have to bookmark the UPS site and check it every 10 minutes for progress... wink.gif

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...

    Experience level:
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
    [noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...

    /Bamse
  • AndreLAndreL Posts: 1,004
    edited 2007-03-20 00:35
    Just imagine when RFID is all over the place then with google maps you can trace the package via satellite and gps [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    Andre'
  • xtricityxtricity Posts: 25
    edited 2007-04-04 21:37
    Bamse, I'd be interested in hearing how you like the Hydra. I've been reading Andre's Black Art of Video Game design and have built the Pico system on a breadboard. It's quite fun. BTW, I think that Andre is a very talented writer for technical material. If Andre is reading this, you should definitely keep up with the writing, perhaps even consider writing shorter courses targeted at high school and junior college students. I plan to buy more of Andre's books for personal reference whenever he writes more.

    Back to Bamse, I bought a bunch of SX chips and breadboards and have been programming them in assembly. I've also got a BOE-Bot. I was planning on buying the Propeller Education Kit to build a PEK-Bot. There's also a nice set of educational material that Andy Lindsay is writing for the PEK. It seemed like it might be a more comprehensive experience than with the Hydra. let me know your thoughts. I will probably buy the Hydra anyway at some point, so it's more a matter of sequence. I'm not that much of a gamer, so the games aren't a huge attraction for me. It's more about learning about electronics, circuits and the propeller.
  • WireguyWireguy Posts: 16
    edited 2007-04-05 13:28
    I too, am very interested in the Hydra system, yet not a big gammer. I was pondering the idea of adapting it to use as a micro-computer system and eliminating my Laptop. Could it not be set up to just run the basic stamp editor? It could be very portable and I believe an interesting project. I suppose you would need a windows platform though. Is there a cheap motherboard out there than could be set up for my purpose? I am very new to this forum. I have just completed the Boe-Bot and am waiting on my delevery today of the Stamp Works Experiment Kit. Thanks for all the great info and support.
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2007-04-05 14:50
    You could use the Propeller as an I/O subsystem (keyboard / display ) for an 80188 processor running FreeDOS. There are a couple of companies that sell relatively cheap 80188 embedded controllers, some < $100. You could easily run FreeDOS or something similar that would come with the board and run the old DOS Stamp Editors on it. There are separate versions of these for the BS1/BS2/BS2e/BSp.

    One manufacturer I've seen is Tern (www.tern.com).
  • AndreLAndreL Posts: 1,004
    edited 2007-04-06 22:59
    Thanks for the compliment. Also, the hydra is good to add on to it with its expansion port. We were talking about adding some sensor cards to the hydra potentially, so although there are a lot of games for it and explanation of how to do graphics and media programming, that all ties in well with performance programming.

    Andre'
  • BamseBamse Posts: 561
    edited 2007-04-08 00:48
    I've been reading the book and trying out the examples.
    So far I'm on page 560 of 800 and it's been focusing on graphics most of the time.
    However this is really what I want and it reminds me of the programming I used to do on my Commodore 64 20 years ago... smile.gif

    And with the upcoming Xtreme 512K SRAM card, it is going to be really cool to play with the Hydra...

    And as Andre' said, you can hook up components to the Experimenters card or just get the connections from it and use a breadboard...
    Think of all cool input devices you could hook up to use in games... scool.gif

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...

    Experience level:
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
    [noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...

    /Bamse
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