I am interrested in finding out if anyone offers a trainig course for programming the SX.

I don't know of any.
The best source of info is the help file. (From the SX-Key IDE choose Help->SX/B Help).
Check out the example project to get a handle on how SX/B works.
And of course we are always here to lend a hand.

Bean.

Does the college (San Diego Miramar College) that John Couture works at offer any online microcontroller classes, Use the link and send him a PM.

Summary: MIT is planning on offering ALL of their classes online, completely for free.  Certainly there _has_ to be something of benefit there.

While I haven't taken advantage, this sounds like a pretty good deal.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=nation_world&id=5119122
For a direct link:

Yes, we are planning on offering an SX/B programming class in Spring 2008 (yea, the approval process is THAT long).  I am hoping that the SX/B books will come out soon so I can augment the lesson plans.  Have not seen them yet though.

My current plan is to just follow a simple format much the same as any programming class that has been adapted for a microcontroller.  The "official" course outline is listed at (pdf)
Course Title: Intro to Embedded Computer Programming and Design
http://www.sdccdcurricu.net/SDCCD2/reports/course_outline_pdf.cfm?courses_id=14422
My target audience will be college age (or above) students that are interested in getting their feet wet with a microcontroller.  My goal is to differentiate the course from courses that feature the Basic Stamp or the 8051 but still have a lot of easy exercises like you see in the "What's a microcontroller" book.  I understand Jon Williams is writing such a book for the SX/B so I am anxious to see it.

I have to be careful about putting more than just a tiny bit of electronics into the course because:

1) my background is in programming
2) that would be stepping on the toes of our Electronics Dept
3) the politics for combining the two are .... BIG.

As I get the lesson plans done, I will probably post them on our free web server and invite comments from this list, thus, you will end up seeing the materials first.

Hey John
Now this is the sort of SX training I was hoping to see.

A good meaty course. You seem to cover the important basics. I would be eager to see some of your course material when you've developed it. You could make a course like this a lot of fun.

I was a little confused when first I read your course outline because in South Africa, the term College sometimes refers to senior school, 13 to 17 year old students. We sometimes don't understand American Speak. (We call a hood a bonnet, We call traffic lights robots and we spell colour the right way)
Kind regards from the dark continent.

Maybe building a "robot" (a.k.a. traffic light) with "coloured" LEDs would be a good first project for those "college" students wanting to place a little micro-controller experience under their "bonnet"!   :tongue: