Using the Parallax Propeller for Mechatronics Education

Microcontrollers have become a mainstay of mechatronics laboratories. For example, the Arduino boards, and shields, are low cost flexible hardware that can provide substantial capabilities. At Grand Valley State University all engineering students learn to program microcontrollers using Atmel ATMega processors, the same processors used on the Arduino boards. In the mechatronics course, EGR 345 Dynamic System Modeling and Control, the students use Parallax Propeller based hardware. The alternate, Parallax Propeller, hardware platform broadens the students’ knowledge and gives them access to a multiprocessing environment. The paper objectively outlines the hardware/software platform and how it can be used in a mechatronics course for Manufacturing Engineering students. The supported topics include data collection, feedback control, various sensors, networking, and human interfaces. Educational activities include laboratory work and small projects.