The Propeller chip makes it easy to rapidly develop embedded applications. Its eight processors (cogs) can operate simultaneously, either independently or cooperatively, sharing common resources through a central hub. The developer has full control over how and when each cog is employed; there is no compiler-driven or operating system-driven splitting of tasks among multiple cogs. A shared system clock keeps each cog on the same time reference, allowing for true deterministic timing and synchronization. Two programming languages are available: the easy-to-learn high-level Spin, and Propeller Assembly which can execute at up to 160 MIPS (20 MIPS per cog). // parallax.com

I love that the Propeller has eight “cogs”; makes me want to build a machine that implements Carroll’s Eight Magics. The Propeller demo board (shown above) seems well suited to interactive multimedia applications, with on-board support for TV, VGA, mic, stereo phones, keyboard and mouse inputs (PS/2, which can be adapted to a variety of devices), eight I/O pins with headers, and RS-232 serial communications.

• Propeller main site | many links to resources
• Propeller manual (v1.1, .pdf) | includes exercises and Spin language reference
• Programming and Customizing the Multicore Propeller Microcontroller: The Official Guide
• Programming the Propeller with Spin: A Beginner’s Guide to Parallel Processing
• Propeller forum
• Propeller wiki
• ViewPort | “the premier debugging environment for the Parallax Propeller”
• 12Blocks | visual programming language for Propeller (similar to Scratch; cf. Modkit for Arduino)
• Propeller starter kit | includes the demo board and a hardcopy of the manual
• Propeller education kit | looks like a serious course for those who want access to every technical detail of the microcontroller
• HYDRA game development kit | create your own console games and media; includes Tiny BASIC, so you can resurrect those old school games and give them some new flavor
• collection of Propeller articles from Nuts & Volts magazine
• “Why the Propeller Works” (.pdf) | response written by the chip’s creator, Chip Gracey, to a criticism about using the Propeller in professional applications
• Wikipedia: Parallax Propeller
• Wikipedia: Embedded System