Trossen Robotics Community

[Project] Seeker 2x - Mini Sumo

JonHylands — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:27:49 GMT

Update - new picture... Almost done - all that is left is molding the right tire, doing the front scoop, and painting it. After that its all software...

Here's a bigger version of the pic...

- Jon

PhidgetSBC..

Sarah — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:22:48 GMT

Hi,

I'm using phidgetSBC in my project but im having some problems with the wireless adapter.. my PC can't identify it .. So if any one have an idea on how to set up the wireless connection please help?

Thanks,

[Bioloid] The Ultimate Bioloid Thread

billyzelsnack — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:15:58 GMT

FYI. I put more info about the converters in this thread..

http://robosavvy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4328

[Question(s)] Hi all and some dynamixel info

Bullit — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:32:38 GMT

4 wires total, two for power and two for the half duplex differential pair. Full duplex would require 6 with power.:happy:

Jack's Humanoid Blog!!!!

xx2747 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:57:51 GMT

Hello,
When I found out about these blogs I wanted to make one for myself so I made one.
It's about huamoid robots and what I do with my robots.
http://jackshumanoidblog.blogspot.com/

Mech Warfare 2010 Roll-Call

xdream — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:40:50 GMT

Mech: X-BRAT
Status: Development Frame/Mechanics 80% complete working on autonomous code
Frame: Lynxmotion
Division: Biped/Airsoft

More pics video and infor on X-BRAT can be found here: http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/showthread.php?t=3640

Attached Thumbnails

Autonomous Mech Thread

Adrenalynn — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:39:19 GMT

I think localizing and mapping would be a challenge with nothing but a dead reckoning compass and a sonar...

A 528Mhz ARM is a pretty beefy CPU. Are you blowing out the phone functionality and installing a scratch-built kernel on there optimized for video? If so, you can probably do a fair bit more on it.

You can do a lot more than blob tracking on it, that's for sure. How much more really comes down to your processing chain and what algorithms you're attempting to implement - and how skilled you are at optimizing them.

I implemented a near-realtime image stabilizer with DV decoder and MPEG2 encoder on a 350Mhz ARM9 some years back.

A BRAT based Mech, "Miss Alignment"

darrellt — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:27:35 GMT

Sam-

The camera on the phone is workable if there is enough light. I will post an example video this weekend. We have a 3w led that provides plenty of light, but we may have to turn down the brightness if it causes problems blinding the other robots. As far as using the phone for actual competition, We have tested all the the functions necessary to use the phone as a brain individually, but we have yet to get them all working at the same time. If this system works well I will open-source it if there is any interest.

[Project] Mech-Zeus/ Axon

rebel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:10:01 GMT

Got my parts from BBS. Will post pics tommarow. Hopefully of some stuff going together too. :D

[Project] Bheka

rebel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:03:31 GMT

Very nice, looks awsome.

Bioloid Fuse

Adrenalynn — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:06:11 GMT

3A wouldn't work well for you. The 5A slow blow is probably fine though. But just get the correct fuse from Home Depot or Lowes. They have a little [generally yellow, generally on the end-cap] BUS display of small fuses.

unused RX-28 for sale

Adam — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:09:38 GMT

I have an unused RX-28 for sale.

You will also get one of the side brackets:

http://www.trossenrobotics.com/store...-OF-RX28S.aspx

And the rear pivot bearing set:

http://www.robotis-shop-en.com/shop/...php?number=601

All of the hardware is included.

That's about $227 retail. Selling for $150 shipped. PayPal preferred. PM me if interested.

[Project] Hexapod with Terrain Adaption

Xan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:13:56 GMT

Hi all,

Thanks for the reactions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkback2 (Post 35901)

so foot lowers until it trips the switch, then stops and holds position...

Yes that is how it works in a nut shell. I�m only using 6 contact (microswitch) sensors on the tars. �Balance mode� keeps track of the average leg height and angle and translate it to the body angle and position. This is going a closed loop setup to keep the body at the same height even when it walks in a hole.

I�m currently upgrading the body angle calculations to make it more precise. This will solve the shaky body shown in the video.

I hope this answered your 2 uuhh� 3 questions ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by nagmier (Post 35900)

@ Xan awesome work so far looking great... And I love that transmitter(I've read the thread @ lm.net)! one day I will build one!

I just can�t say this enough; the remote is awesome! It gives the precision of a stock RC flight remote but also allows me to send digital signals to switch gaits and modes. It�s open source and runs on a BAP28. So the remote is getting better and better every week ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam (Post 35904)

This is an interesting project. I also plan to do a form of terrain adaption. Would you mind providing more information about the micro switches?

Sure, here�s a offside link to the build

Xan

[News/Announcement] Phoenix V2.0

Xan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:53:28 GMT

Looks like you can start porting again Adam ;)

Thanks for the kind replies guys!!

Xan

RX-64 Humanoid: Giger

Adam — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:41:53 GMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyberius (Post 35923)

Is that a biped? Might run into issues carrying that large of a pack on a biped with AX-12s, in fact it may defeat the purpose of having a larger battery if the current draw spikes.

I'm actually working on a hexapod. Long run times are important to me since it's primary mode will be autonomous. I chose a hexapod for the payload. I plan to load it up pretty good.

But thanks for the comment. I'll stop hijacking your thread now... :veryhappy:

Quote:

Originally Posted by lnxfergy (Post 35924)

Just for reference, 3DOF Issy, without mech gear, got about 45 minutes off an 11.1V 2000mAh battery, pretty much moving all the time.

-Fergs

That's impressive. The AX-12 doesn't seem to draw much current considering how powerful it is.

[Discussion] grafic processor for robot tasks

Adrenalynn — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:40:52 GMT

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Bad programming by bad programmers who have no clue how to handle parallelism is always going to be bad programming by bad programmers who have no clue how to handle parallelism. It has nothing to do with any inherent architecture - you can experience exactly the same effect in SSE* and SIMT and you could totally destroy an nCube or Cray in their day the same way. Parallel programming is an art all its own. I imagine we'll [not] be having this discussion when quantum computing becomes a reality and someone cute tries to grab a single trinary state out of quantum process in-flight, and accidentally destroys the universe.

In massively parallel processing, someone will always have a problem with a system that has a gig of cache and a few thousand concurrent threads in-flight trying to toss the train off the rails to read back one pixel out of a texture map...

[Project] Mola Project

lnxfergy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:48:38 GMT

RE: Regulator on Arduino Mini
As Adrenalynn said, it's tough to bring 3.7V down to 3.3V (especially because in this case, a 3.7V LiPO will actually run from 4.2V at fully charged to ~3.2V when you should shut it off to avoid blowing it up). Hence my previous comment about a boost regulator (to take the 3.2~4.2V and boost it to something > 3.3V, the minimum an Arduino willl handle).

I actually wasn't recommmending switching to a 3.3V system, from the 5V. I think you'll actually find that it's easier to get a 3.7V Lipo range -> 5V boost regulator (Pololu sells several models for <= $10). 5V also tends to be easier to interface to other stuff (except in this case the XBEE), so if you plan to add other sensors, etc, later on, you may be interested in staying with a 5V micro, and using a boost regulator. The other added benefit of a 5V arduino is that it's more "standard" than a 3.3V setup. There's a reason they call them "Arduino Pro" modules, they are a bit harder to use (some libraries may not function as expected at 8Mhz vs the standard 16Mhz).

Note, you might take a look at my Basic Power Supplies Tutorial.

RE: Schematic Creation
You should take a look at a real schematic program like EAGLE. Even if you aren't doing board layout, you can put in your schematics in an easy to view way that cuts down on errors. And although you'll spend sometime learning to use the new program, there are so many pre-drawn items that you won't have to draw your XBEE or your Arduino, they are already in there.

RE: Driving the muscle wire
A circle on a line, labeled transistor doesn't tell me a lot, but yeah, generally, the idea is to use a signal transistor to drive the larger load with your low-power I/O pin on the Arduino. You'll want to switch those transistors with an PWM (analog output, in Arduino terms) pin, if you want to be able to vary how much current goes to a load (not sure this actually does anything in muscle wire, since the current is so low, but it may allow a limited control on the speed of contraction)

RE: Other Parts
One thing I don't see on your parts list, is an FTDI Cable or In-System Programmer, which will be neccessary if using an Arduino Pro module.

-Fergs

[Project] First ever project :)

Adrenalynn — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:30:49 GMT

Sure - set the router/bridge on the bot up in bridge mode to bridge to your home router. Forward the ports. Boom, Bob's your uncle.

I suggested the media bridge because I was was way ahead of you. :)

Naw, we didn't go wtih a wireless camera because of your need for multiple ports (control + video) plus the exceptionally limited transmit power and receive sensitivity of wifi cameras vs full-fledged routers.

[Project] Monster Truck Rover - Semi-teQ II

seesoe — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:56:45 GMT

ya:P

its all designed around the wheels, i think the size of the body to wheels ratio worked out nicely:)

cheers
seesoe

[Question(s)] stripped netbook or mini/nano MB

Adrenalynn — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:05:54 GMT

Integrated Wifi is nothing more than a wifi adapter with its case taken off and plugged directly into the internal USB bus. I absolutely wouldn't be letting that limit me.

[Project] Second Amendment � Quad Mech

nagmier — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:50:25 GMT

Lookin' pretty sweet! The cable mgmt is great

Keep up the good work!

[Question(s)] Best robotics Language?

lnxfergy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:44:51 GMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam (Post 35835)

... you may end up with two completely different development platforms - one on the robot and one on the PC.

I think this almost a given. Choice of high-level language on the micro is going to be limited almost exclusively to either C or BASIC. Depending on application, many applications automatically rule out BASIC-based "microcontrollers".

Most people I know, would rather learn a second, easier to use language, for their PC-based development, than use C on the PC all the time (it also majorly lacks cross-platform portability). (and if we want to talk about BASIC, what you find on your PC most likely won't even resemble what you found on your micro, so it's like learning second language).

-Fergs

[Project] Happy Halloween

Adam — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:18:44 GMT

The anodizing looks really good. I thought it was some kind of textured plastic before reading the comments. Overall a very nicely done bot. :happy:

No battle-mech like robot available worldwide?! CAN IT BE?

Adam — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:09:47 GMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkback2 (Post 35767)

Hey Adam,

...

DB

Actually, it was lohan's thread. ;)

Another first controller thread...

Big Dutch — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:35:00 GMT

Thanks everyone for your input. I've decided to go for the Arduino Mega because of the benefits in the programming. Once I get a better understanding of that, I'll see how to proceed.