Virtual I/O Devices
The Propeller's designers designed it around the concept of "virtual I/O devices". For example, the "HYDRA Game Development Kit", (a computer system designed for hobbyists, to learn to develop "retro-style" video games) uses the built in character generator and video support logic to generate a virtual Video display generator that outputs VGA colour pictures, PAL/NTSC compatible colour pictures or broadcast RF video+audio in software.
The screen capture displayed here was made using a software "virtual display driver" that sends the pixel data over a serial link to a PC.
Software libraries are available to implement several I/O devices ranging from simple UARTs and Serial I/O interfaces such as SPI, I2C and PS/2 compatible serial mouse and keyboard interfaces, motor drivers for robotic systems, MIDI interfaces and LCD controllers.
Read more about this topic: Parallax Propeller
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