Getting Started

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If you have come to learn electronics or continue your electronics hobby, you are in the right place. This guide can help you get started with the minimum of fuss. Parallax offers a ton of products, from microcontrollers and robots to sensors and industrial controllers, get familiar with them by browsing our site or requesting a catalog. We also have a wide variety of downloadable documentation and code, free technical support (toll free 888-99-STAMP, email: support@parallax.com), and a thriving online community to assist you in your efforts and aid in your success.

Comparing the BASIC Stamp and Propeller Microcontrollers:

Learning Curve

Points of Interest

BASIC Stamp Modules

Rating – Very Easy

The BASIC Stamp line of microcontrollers was created specifically to make learning to use a μ-controller simple and easy.

Functioning as stand-alone ICs, beginners can plug a BASIC Stamp into a board and immediately begin programming, with no other circuitry required. The enormous amount of information for BASIC Stamps available in print and online make the Stamp line one of the most widely documented μ-controllers in existence.

Due to its ease of use, Stamp ICs are the microcontrollers of choice in thousands of high schools and universities around the world.

The BASIC Stamp family of microcontrollers can execute between 2,000 and 19,000 instructions per second, depending on model.

The efficient BASIC Stamp 2 draws a mere 3 mA of current while running, and in sleep mode requires only 50 μA. All general purpose I/O lines on Stamp modules can be set as either inputs or outputs, and can be switched at run time.

The PBASIC language of the Stamps place many powerful commands in the hands of users, making complex tasks such as pulse width modulation, serial communication and button debounce as simple as a single instruction.

Propeller Chips

Rating – Easy (SPIN), Intermediate/Advanced (ASM)

A completely new approach to solving problems with microcontrollers, the Propeller does not suffer paradigms typical of microcontrollers. Multi-processing (as opposed to multi-tasking) with the easy-to-learn SPIN language can be learned fairly quickly.

Once users begin making use of the multi-processor capabilities of the Propeller, going back to single core microcontrollers may not be easy!

Eight concurrent, independent processors on a single chip.

Pre-written objects for the Propeller are offered for free on the Parallax website, including drivers for mice, keyboards, video, VGA, and many, many more.

The ability to develop objects (object orientated programming) makes complex project development easy.

Parallax is the perfect place to begin your first foray into electronics programing. Our BASIC Stamp microcontroller is programmed in an easy to learn language called PBASIC, and our experiment-based tutorials make learning fun. Our curriculum is recommended for ages 14 and up. Once you have learned the "basics" you can begin incorporating accessories like sensors into your projects. Our well documented products, wide variety of sample code, free technical support, and large programming community at our Discussion Forums, can help you be a success. Choose one of the following three programming kits to get started:

Boe-Bot Robot Full Kit - A fun way to learn programming and robotics at the same time.

BASIC Stamp Activity Kit - Our most economical starter kit.

BASIC Stamp Discovery Kit - The most complete way to get started. Gives you the hardware to explore every text in our series of tutorials.

We began offering electronics curriculum in 1997, with our Stamps In Class series of tutorials. Suitable for students 14 and up, our tutorials will keep your students engaged as they learn. Click here for more information on our educational line of products. To support you we host an educator's discussion forum, offer quantity discounts, and we can put together custom kits for your class' personalized track. We also offer one and two-day teacher training courses to help get you up to speed. E-mail education@parallax.com for details.

Board of Education Full Kit - The basic hardware pack required for our Stamps In Class tutorials.

Whats a Microcontroller? Parts & Text - This parts and text, with the Board of Education Full Kit will teach electronics programming from the ground up.

ROBO Parts & Text - An exciting curriculum, this parts and text, with the Board of Education Full Kit will walk you through building and programming a robot.

Ready for a new experience in programming? Try the Propeller chip, which features eight 32-bit processors and a shared memory and system clock, making true independent and cooperative simultaneous multi-tasking possible. The Propeller chip may be programmed in our object-based Spin language, low-level Assembly, or with a third-party C Compiler. Most users appreciate the overall processing power and I/O capabilities. Hobbyists like the powerful yet easy language while robot builders and process control engineers appreciate the parallel processing capabilities. Many find the on-board video generation and easy connection to popular PC peripherals reduces the need for additional support components.

Propeller Education Kit - A tutorial-based way to learn Propeller programming complete with a large breadboard playground.

HYDRA - Learn Propeller programming while you design old-school video games and graphics.

Stingray - A Propeller-controlled board is the brains of this robust and highly-customizable mid-sized robot.