122-32000 Parallax Inc, 122-32000 Datasheet - Page 86

• Manufacturer Part Number: 122-32000
• Description: MANUAL PROPELLER
• Manufacturer: Parallax Inc

Specifications of 122-32000

• Accessory Type: Manual
• Lead Free Status / RoHS Status: Lead free / RoHS Compliant
• For Use With/related Products: Propeller Education (PE) Kit
• Lead Free Status / Rohs Status: Lead free / RoHS Compliant

Propeller Programming Tutorial
Propeller Languages (Spin and Propeller Assembly)
The Propeller chip is programmed using two languages designed specifically for it: 1) Spin, a
high-level object-based language, and 2) Propeller Assembly, a low-level, highly-optimized
assembly language. There are many hardware-based commands in Propeller Assembly that
have direct equivalents in the Spin language. This makes learning both languages, and the
use of the Propeller chip overall, much easier to handle.
The Spin language is compiled by the Propeller Tool software into tokens that are interpreted
at run time by the Propeller chip’s built-in Spin Interpreter. Those familiar with other
programming languages usually find that Spin is easy to learn and is well-suited for many
applications. With Spin you can easily perform high-level/low-bandwidth tasks and can even
create code to handle some typically higher-bandwidth features like asynchronous serial
communication at 19200 baud.
The Propeller Assembly language is assembled into pure machine code by the Propeller Tool
and is executed in its pure form at run time. Assembly language programmers enjoy
Propeller Assembly’s nature and its ability to achieve high-bandwidth tasks with very little
code.
Propeller Objects (see below) can be written entirely in Spin or can use various combinations
of Spin and Propeller Assembly. It’s possible to write objects almost entirely in Propeller
Assembly as well, but at least two lines of Spin code are required to launch the final
application.
Propeller Objects
The Propeller chip’s Spin language is object-based and serves as the foundation for every
Propeller Application.
What is an Object?
Objects are really just programs written in a way that: 1) create a self-contained entity, 2)
perform a specific task, and 3) may be reused by many applications.
For example, the Keyboard object and Mouse object each come with the Propeller Tool
software. The Keyboard object is a program that interfaces the Propeller chip to a standard
PC-style keyboard. Similarly, the Mouse object interfaces to a standard computer mouse.
Both of these objects are self-contained programs with carefully designed software interfaces
that allow other objects, and developers, to use them easily.
Page 86 · Propeller Manual v1.0