Parallax SX
Encyclopedia
The Parallax SX line of microcontroller
s were formerly made by Ubicom, who was originally Scenix, hence the SX- prefix. The SX dies
are still manufactured by Ubicom, who sends them to Parallax for packaging. Ubicom used to make SX processor with 18, 20, 28, 48 and 52 pins, but because Parallax
did not have packages for 18 and 52 pins chips, the SX-18 and SX-52
have been discontinued.
and up to 262 bytes of random access memory, an eight bit counter and other support logic. They are especially geared toward the emulation of I/O hardware in software, which makes them very flexible. While Parallax's SX micros are limited in variety, their high speed and additional resources allow programmers to create 'virtual devices', including complete video controllers
, as required. For example there are software library modules to emulate I2C and SPI interfaces, UARTs, frequency generators, measurement counters and PWM and sigma-delta A/D converters. Other interfaces are relatively easy to write, and existing modules can be modified to get new features.
has proven that the SX-52 can actually be clocked to 80 MHz (80 MIPS) even though the specs say 75 MHz is the maximum. He has used the SX-52 in thousands of XGameStation
game development computers all running at 80 MHz. He uses the speed and flexibility of the SX-52 chip to create a device with which a user can create their own Video game system. Because their machine language and architecture are mostly compatible with Microchip
PIC microcontroller
s, some users have referred to these microcontrollers as PICs on steroids.
. There are two versions available.
support forums about C4SX that might be helpful to those looking at using C for the SX: http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=7&m=214117
.
( a Windows emulator on Linux platforms).
Microcontroller
A microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Program memory in the form of NOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM...
s were formerly made by Ubicom, who was originally Scenix, hence the SX- prefix. The SX dies
Die (integrated circuit)
A die in the context of integrated circuits is a small block of semiconducting material, on which a given functional circuit is fabricated.Typically, integrated circuits are produced in large batches on a single wafer of electronic-grade silicon or other semiconductor through processes such as...
are still manufactured by Ubicom, who sends them to Parallax for packaging. Ubicom used to make SX processor with 18, 20, 28, 48 and 52 pins, but because Parallax
Parallax, Inc. (company)
Parallax Inc. is a privately held company in Rocklin, California. Parallax Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells BASIC Stamp microcontrollers, Propeller microcontrollers, microcontroller accessories Parallax Inc. is a privately held company in Rocklin, California. Parallax Inc. designs,...
did not have packages for 18 and 52 pins chips, the SX-18 and SX-52
SX52 Processor
The SX52 Processor was one of a line of 8 bit microcontrollers designed by Ubicom. It was based on the PIC architecture and housed in a 52 pins package....
have been discontinued.
Details about the SX
The Parallax's SX series microcontrollers are 8-bit RISC microcontrollers (using a 12-bit instruction word) which have an unusually high speed, up to 75 MHz (75 MIPS), and a high degree of flexibility. They include up to 4096 12-bit words of Flash memoryFlash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
and up to 262 bytes of random access memory, an eight bit counter and other support logic. They are especially geared toward the emulation of I/O hardware in software, which makes them very flexible. While Parallax's SX micros are limited in variety, their high speed and additional resources allow programmers to create 'virtual devices', including complete video controllers
Graphics processing unit
A graphics processing unit or GPU is a specialized circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory in such a way so as to accelerate the building of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display...
, as required. For example there are software library modules to emulate I2C and SPI interfaces, UARTs, frequency generators, measurement counters and PWM and sigma-delta A/D converters. Other interfaces are relatively easy to write, and existing modules can be modified to get new features.
Real world Uses
The well known programmer and author Andre LaMotheAndre LaMothe
André LaMothe is a computer scientist, author and embedded systems developer. He was responsible for the development of hardware and software for artificial intelligence research and worked specifically on the sparse distributed memory project at NASA's Research Institute for Advanced Computer...
has proven that the SX-52 can actually be clocked to 80 MHz (80 MIPS) even though the specs say 75 MHz is the maximum. He has used the SX-52 in thousands of XGameStation
XGameStation
The XGameStation is a line of embedded systems, primarily designed as video game consoles, created by Andre LaMothe and sold by his company Nurve Networks LLC...
game development computers all running at 80 MHz. He uses the speed and flexibility of the SX-52 chip to create a device with which a user can create their own Video game system. Because their machine language and architecture are mostly compatible with Microchip
Microchip Technology
Microchip Technology is an American manufacturer of microcontroller, memory and analog semiconductors. Its products include microcontrollers , Serial EEPROM devices, Serial SRAM devices, KEELOQ devices, radio frequency devices, thermal, power and battery management analog devices, as well as...
PIC microcontroller
PIC microcontroller
PIC is a family of Harvard architecture microcontrollers made by Microchip Technology, derived from the PIC1650 originally developed by General Instrument's Microelectronics Division...
s, some users have referred to these microcontrollers as PICs on steroids.
End-of-Life
On July 31, 2009, Parallax announced that the SX line of microcontrollers will be discontinued. They will only be available until their stock is depleted. Parallax confirmed that their various other products that contain an SX microcontroller will be unaffected by this news.SX Development
The Sx-Key is produced by Parallax and used to program the SX microcontroller and then debug it. There is also a cheaper version called the SX-Blitz that does not contain a debugger. Do note that there are two Sx-key products, one is an actual hardware device the other is the software, they share the same name.Windows Development
If you are running on the Microsoft Windows platform, you will want to grab a copy of the SX Key software from Parallax's website. It contains many useful tools for beginners as well as for people more familiar with the SX to aid in development. It comes with the SXsim, and an assembler/programmer to allow programming of the SX using either an SX Key or SX Blitz.Issues
There are some known issues with the SX Key software on Windows Vista, the Sx-key software requires certain DLLs that are not distributed with Windows Vista.Alternate tools
There is also a C to SX compiler, that will allow you to write C programs for the SX. They are then converted from C into SX ASMASM
ASM may refer to:Codes:* American Samoa using ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code* Asmara International Airport * Assamese language Computer science:...
. There are two versions available.
CCS SX/C
There is a commercially supported version of a C compiler for the SX, it is known as the CCS SX/C, and is available for $199.0. It may be found at http://www.ccsinfo.com/product_info.php?products_id=sxcompiler . This software is officially supported by Parallax, and they have a partnership to work together on making the SX/C compiler a first class citizen. It integrates with the SX Key software to then program the SX.C4SX
C4SX is a free C to SX assembly compiler that is available from http://www.rwsenser.com/. Please note that this software is untested by Parallax and your milage may vary. There is a thread in the ParallaxParallax
Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. The term is derived from the Greek παράλλαξις , meaning "alteration"...
support forums about C4SX that might be helpful to those looking at using C for the SX: http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=7&m=214117
gsasm
gsasm is an assembler for the SX assembly to a hex file. The project lives on SourceForge and can be found at http://sourceforge.net/projects/gsasm/. Note, it is still in its infancy, and while it produces proper hex files to be programmed, it has its rough edges and limitations. Please read the release notes, and see if a more applicable solution would not be to use wineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
.
gSXprog
gSXprog is the programmer that may be used to program the SX using the SX Key revision C and older. Code exists to program with the SX Blitz in CVS, but it is not guaranteed to work. If you downloaded gsasm you will have also obtained a copy of gSXprog. You will be able to use gSXprog to program the SX using a hex file produced by gsasm or from the SX Key software.Wine
The SX chip can be programmed with the SX Key software, gSXprog, and SXsim. These tools are reported to work perfectly under wineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
( a Windows emulator on Linux platforms).