rover / servo base boards are for sale ?

[alxx]

Just wondering if the base board
shown here
http://www.newmicros.com/store/product_details/MSPA.html
is for sale ?
or even a whole kit ?

I've been asked to help with a school(high school).
They are currently looking at using pics in robotics.

A board like this plus rf (like the nordic radio chips rf2401)
would make things easier.

This plus a couple of the spakfun.com rf tranciever modules
would be perfect.

[RMDumse]

Our MiniSumo board is in development at this stage. A few units exist, including 6 which are in a development for possible course work at the University of Northern Iowa. The board shown does have the distinction of being entered in the Dallas Personal Robotics Group 2005b Table Top MiniSumo contest last week, by 15 y.o. James Koffeman, and having taken 1st Place in MiniSumo, and 2nd place in Line Following.

Many RF communications links are becoming available. We've used several and found them quite good. Do you think it would be worth a development to add RF communications, as opposed to buying an existing BlueTooth system?

Since MiniSumo is supposed to be autonomous, an RF communications link should only be useful during development. Did you see other applications?

[alxx]

On RF think its better to let people add their own later or
offer a plug in module

The base board could be easily adapted for 4 wheeled/tank bots
autonomous or rf controlled.

Board like that may also be good for a telescope controller.

So you guys are just going to sell the board + plug-a-pod
not a complete kit ?

Would go well with the lynxmotion sumo kits.

The rover on the front page is powered by a servo pod ?

[RMDumse]

On RF think its better to let people add their own later or
offer a plug in module

The blue radio modules you mentioned are interesting. We do have an interest in BlueTooth, but haven't made products yet. We have enjoyed several BlueTooth RF cables. And the Zigbee RF links are interesting as well. Dr. Huff from UTA brought over his Zigbee kit from MaxStream and we were able to use it for a development link as well. We like the ones that go 115200, because our current release of IsoMax(TM) V.86 is going 115200 and working quite well.


The base board could be easily adapted for 4 wheeled/tank bots
autonomous or rf controlled.

True, but this one was made specifically for the P.A.R.T.S. MarkIII controller, as offered from junun.org. It makes for a very cheap and cost effective platform for many small robot experiments.

For larger systems like you mention, we are preparing to offer an even smaller board. We are in late testing with the DDM (Differential Drive Unit) which is a two board stack, each board around and inch and a half square, not counting the mounting tabs on the lower board. One is the PlugaPod(TM) and the other is a Dual H-bridge board.

The DDM is in the M5 Tank we're doing with Dr. Huff. http://www.newmicros.com/Tank/Tank_DDM2.jpg

The DDM is reading the quadrature off of the two track drive shafts, running PID loops on the motors and powering them in Locked AntiPhase. So the DDM does all the Odometry, Navigation, Stearing so it can drive to a point. The GPS has now been added, so it is parsing the GPS stream for the GPGGA and GPRMC sentences, and pulling all the information out. So it is about to drive to a desired point by GPS navigation.


Board like that may also be good for a telescope controller.

Possibly, however, the current is fairly high, ~200mA. Again the DDM would do well in any two axes situation.


So you guys are just going to sell the board + plug-a-pod
not a complete kit ?

Yes, just the boards. We do not want to compete with robot vendors, but have them all feel okay about buying controllers from us, and not worry we'll "steal" their ideas, and become their competition.


Would go well with the lynxmotion sumo kits.

Yes, but the DDM or a ServoPod(TM) with our NMIH-0050's would do well as well.


The rover on the front page is powered by a servo pod ?

No, the "Mars" rover on the front page is powered by a PlugaPod powered DDM. It used an RF link HandyPort HPS-120 which was picked by the customer. http://www.totalrobots.com/access_files/wcm.htm So this was the first commercial application of the DDM.

The rover is now in a museum display. The display allows the rover to be commanded remotely from a PC in the display. Standing at the display, it is not possible to directly see the rover, only the remote video sent from the rover, so it is a very good simulation of the actual Mars Rover operation.

We just got some new pictures from the final mechanical touches on the design, so we will likely be updating those pictures soon.

[alxx]

Went with Sparkfuns High Speed Miniature Tranceivers - 2.4GHz with Built-In Antenna due to cost US$20 each.

For the price the range is great.

Prefered one of their older ones that they don't sell anymore , one of the pair had usb - silabs chip cp2102.

My lynxmotion comment was at the plain mechanical kit not at electronics.

For the work at uni (technical officer) seems we are going with freescale zigbee (thats what I've been told I'll be working with) .

I wish the guy I'm working for would stop buying things.
I'm currently working with lyrtech Signalwave board and Cradle dsp boards. And with a digilentinc xupv2pro board for another lecturer.

Been trying to persuade him to go with arms - lpc2138's and maybe lpc2148 when available.

Pity budgetrobotics stopped selling their canopus tank base
http://www.budgetrobotics.com/shop/index.php?shop=1&cart=253124&cat=119&

[alxx]

Forgot to ask how long until the minisumo and DDM boards are available ?

Both will work with plug-a-pod and plug-an-arm ?

What gps is that being used with the DDM ?

[RMDumse]

We have no definite release date on the MiniSumo. We really need to go through at least one more layout cycle for this board. I would assume it will be a couple months delayed.

The DDM's have gone through several layout cycles, and seem very near production. We are waiting on the latest layout for testing. We've added current sense circuits.

Really any GPS will work with the DDM that has the NMEA-0183 ASCII output. We are testing with a Navman Jupiter 11 module. Just ordered another for testing from following up on your sparkfun comment. Also ordered some of their serial links.

[alxx]

Definately want to get at least one of each.

Been told we're getting a freescle zigbee board set
(depending on budget).