In SX Microcontrollers, SX/B Compiler and SX-Key Tool, Tinker wrote: I'm just a newbie but I have been lurking around the forums for a almost a year here and there and this is my 2 cents after just completing the beta test on a drag bike control and 31 IO PLC board with SX's. The final success of both of these was a direct result of parallax planning, support and the forum members here. The last major bug was solved in these forums by a lesson in current based inputs rather than voltage, given very thoroughly by parallax employees and forums members who have nothing to gain from it other than helping someone out. None of this may sound all that surprising to most of you probably a fairly normal occurance around here even. Now for the reality of the actual chain of events, about a year ago I ran across the basic stamp series and parallax searching the net trying to learn something about analog signal conditioning peak and hold circuits and found the stamp line of products. First couple of projects were stamped based, (when I got the nerve to try it) a 12 IO controller thats still running in an industrial envirionment in a chassis plant. Very simple thing, a few buttons and some fets for output. A fairly primitive sequencer to shave a few hundreths of a second off of a 1/4 pass on a drag bike and make things a little more reliable for the rider. Both of these projects worked out very well. A couple of months ago I started looking at the SX line of chips because of the price (read hobbyist here) and the speed, this thing is downright wicked for the cost and availability. Moving into the SX chip took me a while, roughly a month to touch one after the kit and first units were purchased and the initial project was a drag bike control, this time to sequence the air shifter and pulse a nitrous oxide system to make it a smoother and earlier application of power. At the time a 16 IO general use control board was in discussion at work for another project there. Now before someone gets off on a bent about automating a race bike, its not, its simply what allows these systems to work, and work better, to give the rider and mechanic more control of whats happening. It works wonderfully, with a very high level of confidince in safety. After that was working in bench testing the 16 IO controller needed to be a 26 minimum, so that too was migrated to an SX, SX48 that is its not mentioned in the ealier posts as it being done at work the project overall isnt mine to give out. That too is working wonderfuly and has passed all tests except the life over time testing. Now all of this may sound simple and minor to most of you, it should because its merely background for my next couple of statements. First, I have no formal training in electronics, and by no I mean none, no high school classes, no college, no night school, nothing, that started with those little Radio Shack Experimenters notebooks back in the day with 555's op amps and 2n2222's. Second, I have no formal training in programming, you can go down the same list that started with Quick Basic and never really progressed beyond it till now, with PBasic and Guenthers book for a guide I'm actually starting to make a little sense out of SX assembler. All that being said now ask yourself one question........ What level of detail, support, and documentation would it require to give someone with that list of skills the tools to accomplish what may to some of you seem microscopic but to me, and many others on the hobbyist level tremendous abilities, at least tremendous for our level of knowledge and skill? Pretty staggering question isnt it, I spent a lot of time studying and I'm a fast learner (sometimes) admitted, but to supply the support and tools in basicaly one place for that kind of education.... Parallax and the users of these forums have given me something tremendous and that is knowledge that I wouldnt have gained anywhere else. I've looked.... Next time someone makes an announcement that is dissapointing I would ask that you try to take a moment to think about the past, and what has went before. Society as a whole has taken the attitude of "What have you done for me lately?" This forum and all of you have seemed the exception to this rule, and thats one of the big reasons I came to rest here. Not for quick and easy answers, as both of my most recent projects came to fruition before the first question was asked. I didnt have understanding of the problems cause, or why what I did fixed it, but it was working. The forums and parallax directly supplied me with understanding and better tools to fight it with. Its easy to take things for granted and we all do it, were human. Its harder to take the step back and say "Hmmm, lets think about this for a minute, its frustrating but maybe theyre just as frustrated as I am" ---------- End of Message ---------- You can view the post on-line at: http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=7&p=2&m=94091#m94828 Need assistance? Send an email to the Forum Administrator at forumadmin@parallax.com The Parallax Forums are powered by dotNetBB Forums, copyright 2002-2005 (http://www.dotNetBB.com)