ROV

I spent the last few weeks helping an online oceanography class (Fairfax County Public Schools) build an ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) for the Mate ROV Competition.

Building the ROV was quit an experience. I have become very interested in these underwater robots and am planning to build one of my own. I plan to make my own ROV/AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle). The tether will be removable when it is in AUV mode. It will also support an onboard power supply.

I will also make a mechanical arm for grasping objects under water. I will soon post photos and more information in regards to this ROV project as well as my future ROV project so stay tuned.

The Robotics Workshop

I have decided to start posting all my knowledge and works on the internet. You can visit this by clicking the, "The Robotics Workshop" link, or the graphic above. It isn't nearly complete, and may never actually be complete. It is one of those things you just keep adding to forever.

I have been working a lot with my new ZX-24a microcontroller and am starting to realize the advantages when compared to the BS2. Don't get me wrong, the BS2 is great and has it's place too.

There are several advantages of the ZX over the BS2. They are listed below:
- Multi-Tasking Capability
- Speed (much faster than BS2)
- Extremely Flexible Programming Language
- Ability to create modules (don't have to put all code in a single file, as with the BS2)

There is a much larger learning curve with the ZX over the BS2, but it is well worth it. By learning Zbasic, you are forced to understand the science/math behind much of the electronics. This isn't necessarily the case with Pbasic. Pbasic makes things much simpler, but with simplicity, flexibility is sacrificed.

Sounds

I have started creating some sounds for my robot for use with a BS2. You can find a sound clip, and the code at the following link:
http://www.esnips.com/web/Robot-Stuff

ZX-24a

It has been a while since my last post so I figured I better get adding stuff to this site. I have been messing with my Parallax BS2 microcontroller for a few weeks now and have realized is has some serious limitations. For example, it is not capable of multi-tasking. As a result of this and it's archaic/clunky programming language I have decided to look elsewhere.

I came across a different, which uses a subset of Visual Basic. The stamp is a ZX-24a. It has some serious capabilities compared to the BS2 and is well worth the extra few dollars. I ordered one and it will be here next week sometime.

The website of the manufacturer is ZBasic.net. The language is very different than pbasic. It is well worth looking into and I think I will be very glad I got one for my robot.

Oh the ZX-24a is 100% compatible with the BS2, meaning it will work in a BS2 socket without any modifications.

Lessons Learned

Here are a few lessons I have learned. This list will grow as I continue to build more robots.

1) If you robot starts acting strange and doesn't do what it's programmed to do, or if it keeps rebooting it's program, check the batteries. My bot was acting very odd so I decided to check the batteries and they were toast. Once I replaced them the bot was operating fine again.

2) Test each component on your bot individually before assembling it. This could save you a great deal of time and troubleshooting in the future.

3) Be extremely careful when inserting your microcontroller into it's spot on your board, the pins can bend very easily.

4) Your EEPROM has a limitation on the number of times it can be written to. This means you can where it out with excessive writing.

Boe-Bot

I finally assembled my Boe-Bot and was able to write a few programs for it. I took some photos and put them in the photo gallery, which you can access via the link on the right.

I am starting to get familiar with PBasic and will soon be writing programs of my own using it. I will post some of them and explain how they work, and I might even go into detail on some specific commands.

I was looking at Garmin's website today and found some good info for interfacing with my GPSMAP60CS. This should be a fun project.

I have been spending time working on my C programming skills because it has been a long time.

I would like to finish this post with the following note:
When using the PULSEOUT command, in PBasic, be sure to look up the units of duration in the manual for your specific chip. For example, the BS2 has a duration unit of 2-milliseconds. This can be a little tricky if your new to this stuff. Especially if your trying to calculate the time it take your code to run a specific action.

BS2 / Linux

I have started messing with the BS2 chip in my new robot kit and it is a lot of fun. It will be a little while before I start getting into the actual building of robots. For now I am planning to focus on the programming side of things. The photo above is a programming board with my BS2 microcontroller installed.

I spent a little time learning something about the DEBUG PBasic command, which is an integral part of using the Parallax chips.

The best place to start is by getting the manual for your specific chip from the Parallax, or other vendors website.

I will also, eventually, be venturing into the Linux world of robot control. It is getting very popular and it seems to be where the industry is heading. For now I am focusing on learning as much as possible about Linux. I have had a Linux box as my home computer for several years now and figured it is time to dive in to the hardcore stuff.

Good Article

I thought this was interesting:
http://world.honda.com/news/2007/c070109ASIMO/

Microcontroller Research

I've done a great deal of research and have come to a conclusion. A good microcontroller to start with is a BASIC Stamp 2 (BS2) by Parallax. The BS2 uses a form of "BASIC" as it's programming language. There are hundreds of different brands on the market and you can get overwhelmed very quickly if your a newbie.

There are two other microcontrollers worth mentioning:
Javelin Stamp, which can be programmed using Java.
Oopic, which also uses an objected oriented language.

I even found a cool kit, which is used for learning how to program robots and various components. The kit is called the Boe-Bot. It comes with a programming board and all the components you need to get started.

Intro

Let me start by telling you a little about myself:

I have a college degree in Mechanical Drafting, and a second in Mechanical Engineering. I have been in the Information Technology (IT) industry since I have been out of college; about 9 years. I am currently a Java Software Developer/Engineer.

As a result of being in the IT field I never get opportunities to do the things I really enjoy, which are working with my hands on mechanical and electronic projects. Don't get me wrong, being a developer does have it's perks too. I have always just been a hands-on type of person.

Ever since I was a child I dreamed of working for NASA's space program helping create rovers, shuttles and all sorts of other cool stuff. Well, let me tell you, my childhood dream has been slightly derailed. My current goal is to get back on track and fulfilling my dreams.

My interests are now in micro-controllers and such. This is where I believe my software development experience will be a great asset to me and my future.

So my plan is to start brushing up on, and expanding my skill sets by learning about, and building robots. Robots touch on various areas in science, engineering, mathematics, electronics, and programming, which is all the stuff I love. Besides, it is a great deal of fun... It makes a wonderful hobby.