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RoadTest Forum Parallax Propeller, why is it so overlooked?
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  • parallax
  • microcontroller
  • propeller
Related

Parallax Propeller, why is it so overlooked?

rwgast
rwgast over 10 years ago

So the parallax propeller is a 32bit 8 core micro. It is what I learned to electronics/embedded coding with! Its basically like having 8 AVR chips in one and never needing an interrupt. Currently im taking the time to learn PASM or Propeller Assembly. I curious as to why there aren't more of these out in the wild? Im also learning ARM and would one day like to switch from electrical to embedded as a career.... but I feel like I am wasting my time with this chip even though its great especially for industrial and robotics multitasking at the bear metal level. I never see a propeller chip in a job discretion or in a product. To me the prop is very close to a software defined CPLD as is maybe the XMOS.

 

What do you all think about the propeller chip?

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Top Replies

  • clem57
    clem57 over 10 years ago +3
    It is too hard for some non programmers to understand internals here. Hence more ARM programmers. C
  • michaelkellett
    michaelkellett over 10 years ago +3
    The Propeller chip is unpopular for so may reasons: it is very limited compared with ARM Cortex and far from cheap. The 8 processor model is difficult to design with and this puts people off but there…
  • screamingtiger
    screamingtiger over 10 years ago in reply to rwgast +2
    Im not sure what the issue is, but not having a compiler as well as flaunting a new , much more powerful version doesn't help. THough they have yet to release it and its been like 4 years at least! Arm…
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  • screamingtiger
    screamingtiger over 10 years ago

    Until recently there wasn't a good c compiler.  No one wants to use spin and the pasm is an odd ball.

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  • rwgast
    rwgast over 10 years ago in reply to screamingtiger

    What do you mean PASM is an odd ball? I ask because that is what im using to learn ASM, as I understand if you know one chip you pretty much can figure out ASM on any chip with a data sheet. Obviously the lack of interrupts are different, but what else?

     

    I do agree spin was the worst part of the chip, although it is a nice language it maybe the learning cure higher. The fact that you can make a ton of counters or eight spi busses is really cool I like how nothing except the UART/EEPROM/XTAL pins are special purpose.

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  • screamingtiger
    screamingtiger over 10 years ago in reply to rwgast

    Ive read numerous things.  Such as this from http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/132966/propeller-assembly-for-beginners

     

     

    1. There are 496 "registers" which may contain code or data. Certain constructs require operating on code as data (i.e. arrays in COG RAM).
    2. Pipelining means changes to instructions don't take effect until the next instruction.
    3. How JMPRET (aka JMP, CALL, RET) and DJNZ/TJNZ/TJZ work thus why you normally put an # before the label.
    4. Flags - having to specify which flags get updated, the power of conditional operations, and the limitations of only having two flags.

     

    After reading multiple odd ball things, I was waiting for the C compiler which was finally out of beta recently from GNU.

     

    Have you seen the new propeller hat for the raspberry pi?

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  • bobalexander
    bobalexander over 10 years ago in reply to screamingtiger

    Wow! That is pretty cool!

     

    https://www.parallax.com/product/32230

    http://shop.pimoroni.com/products/propeller-hat

     

    I started down the path of creating a flight controller for a UAV using a propeller but I didn't make much progress (never any time!). I thought it would be great at overlaying an OSD over a video feed for telemetry and FPV.

    Maybe when things slow down...  image

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  • bobalexander
    bobalexander over 10 years ago in reply to screamingtiger

    Wow! That is pretty cool!

     

    https://www.parallax.com/product/32230

    http://shop.pimoroni.com/products/propeller-hat

     

    I started down the path of creating a flight controller for a UAV using a propeller but I didn't make much progress (never any time!). I thought it would be great at overlaying an OSD over a video feed for telemetry and FPV.

    Maybe when things slow down...  image

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