It's still winter and hopefully we all have some time to work on our projects and new inventions. With Spring around the corner there's a change of season that brings us outside. In this Parallaxian we'll show you how a Kiwi transformed a small sailboat into a navigational test bed and invite you to our office for the June 27-28 Unofficial Propeller Expo West.  We encourage you to contact us if there are particular products or topics you would like to see covered in future editions (parallaxian@parallax.com).

 

 

Spin is a modified 2.4mR class single-person keel boat. They're commonly used by Paralympic sailors. Christopher bought his last year when it was retired from a disabled sailing program in Auckland with the goal of transforming it into a robotic sailing test vehicle for GPS nav instrumentation and closed-loop feedback control. Chris tells Parallax:

 

"I'm developing for Emirates Team New Zealand. Being a bona fide geek I've traditionally named my boats after programming languages: Seaplusplus (the 52' yacht I sailed to NZ on), my power boat Java, and now Spin! The name Spin works really well on many different levels for this project. Spin also stands for Science Project for Instrumentation and Navigation. I can also say to people "Go ahead, take her for a Spin." or "This crazy project makes my head Spin!"

The entire project can be viewed on Christopher's Customer Application page.

 

Parallax has designed a complete, yet simple assortment of compatible RFID Reader and tag products. The RFID Reader (#28140 - $39.99 for serial and #28340 - $49.99 for USB) work with a variety of rectangular, circle or keychain tags that we offer. These tags are also available in 100-packs for less than $1 per tag. If you're new to RFID take a look at two-minute video from Parallax Perspective to see what it's all about.

 

Ever watched your robot destroy itself during the programming phase? Here's a simple solution we've created that lets you easily mount your Ping))) on any horizontal surface using two screws. The new Ping))) Protector Stand (available for pre-order soon; #725-28015 ; $14.95) is a CNC-machined aluminum stand and hardware kit for your sensor. The LED indicator light is visible through the front and top of the bracket.

 

Parallax is doing our best to stay in communication with our customers in any way you prefer: visit our pages on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube. Twitter is the best way to keep track of our Daily Deals via mobile phone or PDA. Our YouTube channel now includes all of our videos, from past and present. There are even a few about the future, too!

 

Simply an opportunity not to be missed! Here's an opportunity to ask our Propeller design and education team any question you want about the software, hardware and applications of our new chip. Webinars are an interactive presentation in which you participate over a broadband connection, watching the presenter from your PC. The presenter can answer typed or verbal questions as part of the presentation.

You can choose between Chip Gracey (Propeller designer), Jeff Martin (IDE software engineer), and Andy Lindsay (educational author). All three of these engineers are simply friendly and casual, and they'll answer your questions without any corporate filters! Sign up for the webinars at http://www.parallax.com/tabid/742/Default.aspx. Parallax may make edited versions of the webinars available on YouTube after the presentations are complete.

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Boe-Bot Hill Climb Using Memsic 2125 Accelerometer
Project of the Week uses components most customers already own

Andy Lindsay still has a long list of projects to achieve on the Boe-Bot. Recently he showed off an application in which the Boe-Bot can navigate to a high point using a Memsic 2125 Accelerometer. Details, code and parts listing is shown on our forums at http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=6&m=60112.

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Visit Parallax During the Unofficial Propeller Expo West 
West: June 27 to 28, 2009 at Parallax headquarters in Rocklin, California

Here's a weekend activity you won't want to miss if you have the opportunity: a two-day weekend event consisting of Propeller users, hardware vendors, hardware swap and junk tables, presenters, and show-and-tell! Parallax customer Jeff Ledger is organizing this event and Parallax is providing the space. This is a free, customer-arranged event and Parallax headquarters will be open all night Saturday so guests can share ideas, work on projects, and collaborate on future projects until they retire a nearby hotel. Register at http://www.warrantyvoid.us/upew/.  

 
Photo from the Unofficial Propeller Expo East in August 2008

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Meet Stephanie Lindsay, Parallax Editor 
Somebody we really appreciate for producing our documentation

Q: How did you arrive in this position at Parallax?
A: About 6 years ago, my husband's employer needed a part-time, temporary receptionist for just a few weeks during the flu season. That employer is Parallax, and my husband is Andy Lindsay, engineer and our primary educational author. I had been casually proofreading Andy's work before I came to the company, and continued to do so between calls while operating the switchboard. There was an ongoing need for updating and formatting our expanding library of documentation, so the position of Editor (a.k.a. Red Pen Lady) was created. It is great to work together here.

A: I always have several projects of different sizes open at once so I can switch tasks as material becomes available. For example, today I'm putting together a 2-page package insert for a new product, and also preparing a couple of large books for commercial printing. Between book projects I'm building a Help file for a software application, learning HTML and CSS as I go. I love the fact that there are always new challenges and learning opportunities here at Parallax.

 

A: I have acquired a tourist-level Geek vocabulary in the course of my work here. I often find myself as an interpreter or bridge between the techies and the non-techies (or not-yet-techies.) This is especially useful when working at trade shows or Educator Courses, where I meet people with all different levels of tech literacy. Usually I can meet people where they are at, and point them to resources to help them take the next step.

 

A: If there's a needle in a haystack, I will most likely step on it. This tendency has led me into all sorts of non-editing troubleshooting adventures, such as unraveling inventory mysteries, QC testing hundreds of robots, and finding a bug in software with a single mouse-click.     

 

A: I was downright electronics-phobic when I started here. This was actually a good trait, allowing me to test-drive our beginning educational texts with the realism of a reluctant student.  I recall asking after my first BASIC Stamp lesson "how do you turn it off?" since the book didn't say. I was afraid I was going to hurt it if I just unplugged the battery! Now, I really enjoy the opportunities I have to build up circuits and write test programs when needed. It is a good feeling to look around at all of the electronic devices that people encounter every day and have some understanding of how they work inside.

Q: What are your personal hobbies and activities?
A: To balance the higher-tech work side of my life, I enjoy low-tech hands-on activities at home, such as sewing, crocheting, gardening, and cooking from scratch. Of course, in the Lindsay household our Parallax projects are always a topic of conversation, and I may find small robots roaming about my feet as I stand at the table kneading bread dough. To truly "get away from it all" we like to explore the small mountain lakes in the Sierras. No place to plug in the laptop in a kayak!

 

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Parallax Inc. 599 Menlo Drive Rocklin, CA 95765 USA

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