Category Archives: Parallax Propeller

DEFCON badge update

Parallax has announced the details on the DEFCON 22 badge. “The badge is based around the Propeller P8X32A 32-bit Multicore Microcontroller. The circuit consists of a Propeller (microcontroller, EEPROM, clock), an infrared LED and receiver for badge-to-badge communication, a bank of eight LEDs for visual feedback, four button touch pads and a USB circuit for […]

Propeller Halloween pumpkin project

This project uses a Parallax Propeller Project board with microSD card attached, PIR sensor, LM386 Audio Amp, IRL520 FET and associated discrete components to make an animated Halloween prop. The PIR inside the pumpkin senses motion and when triggered it plays a WAV file from a microSD Card while flashing an internal light, causing an […]

Simple Propeller GPS status display

If you’ve ever wanted to know how many GPS satellites are receivable at your location here’s a good beginneer’s Propller project that provides the answer. Its a GPS status display project Nick Ernst developed written in SPIN code and using a Propeller Mini Board, VPN11513 GPS Receiver, shift register and 7-Segment LED display. “The Propeller […]

Propeller II: Emulation of the P2 on DE0-NANO & DE2-115 FPGA boards

The Propeller 2 is Parallax’s next gen release of the popular Propeller multi-core MCU. The Parallax Forum has a thread discussing emulation of the P2 on DE0-NANO & DE2-115 FPGA boards. The latest code (FPGA, pnut.exe, documents) are all in one zip with info on this post in the Parallax forum.

App note: Propeller communication with a PC app

Abstract: Many embedded applications share information with external devices, and the preferred connection between devices is asynchronous serial communications. The multicore architecture of the P8X32A enables the designer to create and deploy device-to-device communications strategies with no impact on the primary application code. In this example a deployed communications support cog manages data between the […]

Wearable LED heart simulator pendant

Here’s a cool heart simulation project by Addie over on @tymkrs: This wearable LED heart simulator pendant was inspired by my work as a cardiovascular surgical nurse as well as my love of electronics.  It simulates the electrical activity of 17 different rhythms and when paired with the heart backplane, it becomes an audio and […]

Videos: Propeller Con 2013

Attention Propellerheads! If you’re looking for something to fill up a lazy Summer day, look no further than the videos from the 2013 Propeller Conference. This con took place in May at the Parallax headquarters in Rocklin, CA, and featured presentations on all things Propeller, including the impending Propeller 2. If the above video leaves […]

SIDCog v1.3 produces C64 sound on Propeller

Johannes Ahlebrand has released version 1.3 of SIDCog. This Spin language object emulates the famous sound chip in the Commodore 64 running in a single Propeller cog. The developer reports it’s much closer to the 8580 than the 6581 when it comes to filter emulation and combined waveforms. Features include a 31kHz sample rate, >16bit […]

Parallax Propeller C learning system

Parallax has revamped their tutorials for learning to program the Propeller in C. You can find a number of programming tips and examples as well as links to the SimpleIDE open source programming tool for use with Propeller C on the Learn.Parallax.C site. For more information on the SimpleIDE download their 33 page PDF User […]

Open source JTAGulator identifies OCD connections

Famed hardware hacker Joe Grand has released his latest open source project, the JTAGulator. This tool assists hardware hackers in identifying on-chip debugging (OCD) and/or programming connections from test points, vias, or component pads on a target piece of hardware. It interfaces with your computer via USB communicating through any terminal program. It’s based on […]

Mobile POV device uses Parallax Propeller

Here’s a unique mobile POV device using the Parallax Propeller. Gareth (chiprobot) designed this gadget using the Propeller MCU driving eight UV LEDs, blasting UV light onto a phosphorescent sheet of vinyl. He says the coding utilizes the Propeller’s built-in ROM character map, so code size is very small (i.e., no big data tables). You […]

Parallax Propeller discriminates Walsh-modulated IREDs

Parallax Propeller guru Phil Pilgrim has posted this IR sensor/discriminator project on the Parallax Propeller forums. “Almost everyone here is aware of the advantages of modulated IREDs for rejection of background IR fluctuations and line-frequency noise from artificial lighting. Typically, the IRED modulation occurs at 38 kHz, to which the integrated detectors are tuned and […]

Milligram balance scale interfaced with Parallax Propeller

Ben Krasnow developed this dispensing system that can measure out a desired mass of material via a dispensing valve controlled by a Parallax Propeller. He already had an American Weigh Scales miniPro-100, and decided to hack it so that the Propeller can discover how much mass is on the balance and regulate the dispensing valve […]

2013 National microMedic contest

The U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center, and Parallax Inc. are sponsoring the 2013 National microMedic contest. Now YOU have the opportunity to help others through your medical application invention! Using microcontrollers and sensors inventors and students will create medical applications and products for possible use in […]

Corpsman Up vitals monitor using Propeller chip

Here’s a project for remote monitoring of heart rate (and potentially other medical/sensor info) using Propeller chips and XBee modules. Nick Ernst has published his plans and code for the Corpsman Up Vitals Monitoring System on the Parallax website. The system consists of two units: a base which is equipped with a Parallax Propeller MCU […]

Hive retro computer

The crew from the German HIVE Project are developing a retro style DIY computer with Parallax Propeller chips. The design includes three Propeller chips (containing a total of 24 RISC processors), VGA graphics, video output, stereo sound, about 1 MB of RAM, SD Card reader, LAN, mouse and keyboard. The design uses all DIP and […]