SX chips

[Eddie]

Hi JohnnyMac,
I have a question for you.
Are the different SX chips still available, as Parallax website has an EOL on them dated back to 2009?
And yes I have been reading the and studying the prop-1 material.

Thx U

[JonnyMac]

Parallax has a long-term supply of SX chips so, yes, they're available. That said, we're not using them in any more of our products, we're using the Propeller.  It's incredibly powerful, yet easy to program. We first used it in the AP-16+ and now it's going into the HC-8+ (replaces the DC-16) and the FC-4+ (replaces the FC-4).  Ultimately, the Prop-SX will be replaced by the Propeller-powered Prop-Pro.

The BS1 and BS2 chips are not going away so there is no danger for the Prop-1 and Prop-2 controllers.

[crpalmer]

This is a little off topic but you startged it...

A prop pro would be very cool.  I used a couple of prop proto boards this past halloween and it's really nice having multiple cores and all those pins!  I hope we see this new product soon!

[JonnyMac]

The HC-8+ will be first, and as I will show everyone, it can be used like a our other Prop controllers if you load a new program into it (header is there).  It has:

* 8 high current outputs (servo headers on these pins, too)
* 8 dedicated inputs (input only as they are not directly connected to processor
* 4-bit configuration switch with header for external devices if desired (e.g., Wii Nunchuk)
* 8-bit address switch (typically used for DMX)
* full-duplex RS-485 port
* half-duplex TTL serial port (for EFX-TEK modules)

Even though the HC-8 comes pre-programmed to be an IO module, with the Propeller Tool (or BST if you prefer Mac or Linux) you can reprogram it to do anything you want -- and I will!  I have a lot of Propeller code and objects stacked up from writing about it and doing consulting work, the HC-8 is going to let me unleash that stuff in our industry.

We have always assisted with specialty applications for our products when asked -- just this week I created a special version of the FC-4 for a customer here in Los Angeles.  With the HC-8+ we're going to encourage customization so that our large customer base can get used to the power of multiple processors.

[Eddie]

Hi John,
Is there a target date for the prop-pro?
I am wondering what your thoughts on the propeller starter kit?

THX

[JonnyMac]

No date for the Prop-Pro.  We'll announce it when it's ready to ship.  As I pointed out, there are at least three products ahead of it, including the HC-8+ which will serve most applications.

The PEK Lab manual is a good place to start, though it does promote a bad habit: embedding pin numbers ("magic numbers") into code.  Still, you can download it and it may be helpful.  Also, my columns in Nuts & Volts about Propeller programming
-- http://www.parallax.com/Resources/NutsVoltsColumns/TheSpinZone/tabid/781/Default.aspx

[crpalmer]

When you do build the prop-pro, two other things I would love to see on it would be a basic DAC (unamplified, if you want booming audio buy the ap-16) and a sdcard.

[JonnyMac]

It would be too expensive to add an external DAC.  How do I know? Because this weekend I'm doing a consulting project for a company that wants to add a DAC to the Propeller and they're pricey.  You can hang a RC circuit from the Propeller and use the internal counters as DACs, this is what we do in the AP-16.