SX/B Book

[Oper8rAl]

Jon,
     I was just wondering if the book was any closer to being released. I have just started with the SX and find the way that you present things is easy for me to comprehend. I have some experience with the BS2 with many thanks to your Nuts & Volts Columns and answers  to questions on the parallax forums and thought I would try and move up to the SX.  I have been looking at your SX related N&V stuff and thought that a full book would be a great help. Hope you enjoyed your holidays and looking forward to the book being relaesed soon.

Al

[JonnyMac]

As hard as I've tried I've not been good at predicting the finish date -- so I'm not going to try.  Needless to say, I hope everyone finds it worth the wait.  I'm excited for everyone to see it, because it is much more detailed than originally planned.

[livinlowe]

Jon-
Quality is always worth the wait.  ;D

[wseay]

I'm surprised you have time to write a book!  You usually answer forums posts within hours.  Then there's all that code that you write.  The N&V articles (more RS485 please).  Then maybe some social life.

You must live very close to a Starbucks!!  ;D

Walter...

[JonnyMac]

Starbucks in just one mile away and I'm well known there.  I just have to get there before one of the Ellen show runners does because they buy a LOT of coffee for a lot of folks and it really slows things down.

The book has been a big project, and I am really looking forward to it being completed.

[Oper8rAl]

Maybe you should try to enlist Starbucks as a corporate sponsor for the book. I'm sure a lot more coffee will be purchased by the readers  of it in addition to your purchases already. I am also sure the book will be worth the wait. I don't understand how you find the time to do everything that you do.

Al

[JonnyMac]

And on top of everything, I'm trying to establish myself as an actor in Hollywood!

[Oper8rAl]

Your day planner must be segmented into five minute spaces. I hope you do well at acting and become a multi-millionaire. Then you can be a recluse and do nothing but program and write tech manuals for those of us that need the help. Seriously I do hope that you do as well or better in your acting career as you have seemed to do in electronics/embedded controller career. As I said before I am sure the book will be well worth the wait and I will continue with what is released and probably have many more questions as I get farther along.

Al

[JonnyMac]

I hope you do well at acting and become a multi-millionaire.

I do, too!  People say I'm a good actor -- it's just hitting the bricks until the "big boys" notice.  It's part of the drill; every famous actor you admire has been where I am now.

... you can be a recluse and do nothing but program and write tech manuals for those of us that need the help.

Well, I'd like to spend the next 50 years acting in films and on TV and monitoring and posting to our forums from a comfy trailer on a movie set or studio lot.

Seriously, I do hope that you do as well or better in your acting career as you have seemed to do in electronics/embedded controller career.

Thank you.  I've had a nice life and it just keeps getting better and better.  And just think... when I get to go on Leno or Letterman I'll have something different to talk about -- and I will be wearing something with an EFX-TEK logo on it!

Boy, this thread has gone way off topic -- I guess I should start moderating (myself)!

[Oper8rAl]

Just keep hitting the bricks and I'm sure it will happen. If you also have have a copy of your SX-B book with you on Leno, Letterman it kind of brings this back to the original topic. With that I shall end and wait for the book to be released.

[Oper8rAl]

I know you said you are not even going to predict when the book will be released but may just a little hint. Sorry to keep pestering you about it but as hard as I try, patience is not my strong suit.

[JonnyMac]

It will be done when it is.

You'll learn more from doing than reading -- don't wait for my book, pick up a Prop-SX and start programming.  The SX/B help file has a bunch of examples (I know as I created the original file).  Also, I have been using the SX in my Nuts & Volts column for over a year, so there's lots of good project stuff that you can learn from.

[Oper8rAl]

Thanks for the reply. I have been working my way through the projects that i had in mind and that leads me to new ideas. I am still perplexed by multiplexing but I will keep at it as I seem to be learning more with each attempt at programing. The help file is a wonderful resource, and your N&V column have helped a lot too. Sorry if I hit a nerve I did not mean it that way.

[JonnyMac]

The idea of multiplexing can be tricky at first, but once it clicks you'll find that it's easy to use and apply.  The January and March issues from 2007 both had multiplexing projects; one with 7-segment LEDs, one with an 8x8 matrix.  Those articles should help.

-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol8/col/nv141.pdf
-- http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/cols/nv/vol8/col/nv142.pdf