Getting Started with the Badge WX and BlocklyProp

What it's about

The Badge WX is a pre-built BlocklyProp adventure platform. It is easily programmable to show your name and to interact with other people you encounter at an event. It has sensors, a display, LEDs and audio output for customizing to your preferences. Its pre-built features take you straight to the programming without any circuit building.  

The Propeller multicore microcontroller is the tiny computer chip brain on the Badge WX. The Propeller is easy to program with BlocklyProp, a fun, visual environment to build your code projects piece by piece, using blocks. BlocklyProp is Parallax’s adaptation of Google's open-source Blockly tool, fully customized for the Badge WX and other Parallax Propeller boards.

If you have some experience with programming, robotics, or Blockly, that's great! But if you do not, don't worry because it is not required here. Either way, it's best to go through this introduction before moving on to other BlocklyProp examples.

What you need to get started

  • A Windows, Mac, or Chromebook computer
  • A browser - Chrome is the best, and Firefox works too.  (Explorer and Edge are not supported.)
  • A BlocklyProp Badge WX (#20300 in the Parallax web store)
  • Three fresh alkaline (1.5 v) AAA batteries
  • Internet access and your router’s SSID name and login (more about router requirements on the next page)