Subject:
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Re: Searching for alternatives
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Sun, 4 Feb 2001 01:00:06 GMT
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Original-From:
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Steve Baker <SJBAKER1@nomorespamAIRMAIL.NET>
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Reply-To:
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sjbaker1@#saynotospam#airmail.net
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Viewed:
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1518 times
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Dean Husby wrote:
> For the Agenda VR3d (Developer/Tech version) it's only $179 USD. That's an incredible
> price for what you get. Even If I had to create one of them little serial IR devices
> that someone mentioned being able to do, that would make me happy. But if I could use
> NQC with the built in IR ports even if it was only a couple of inches would make me
> VERY happy.
I actually own one of these devices - and I agree that it's *just* the very thing
for Lego robotics.
Some caveats:
* Whilst it has a 'Commercial IR' port and an 'iRDA' port - the CIR is output-only.
It's generally believed that the input iRDA port can be set up to listen to
RCX protocol - I have no actual proof of that.
* The device is still in development - but as an "OpenSource" project, you can
buy prototype "developer" units for $179 - so long as you are aware that all
the software is in beta - and everything (including the hardware) could change
before release as a consumer product.
I think it would be wise to wait until the IR device drivers are completed before
rushing out and buying one of these machines - but I'm *SURE* that it's the right
solution for Lego robotics.
Now, if only we could pursuade them to mold some Lego-style stud receptacles
onto the underside!
> I've been reading all I can on the Agenda but so far all I can find out is that it
> has a serial port and a Keyboard/app slot. I haven't seen if it has any other slots
> like a compact flash port or something like the springboard type slots.
No - the only ports are:
* A single physical connector which contains an RS-232 serial port (which runs at
pretty high rates) and some pins which are for AgendaComputing's own use - presumably
for the external keyboard - which is not available yet.
The serial port runs at low voltages - there is a little circuit in one end of the
cable that boosts the voltage to where a PC can work with it...which is probably
powered from the PC itself.
* The various iR ports.
In addition, there are six buttons - along with a seventh button on the 'docking station'
which you could presumable wire up to an external switch - the 160x240 monochrome LCD
display has a touch-sensitive overlay. There are a couple of other switches that are
accessible - one that detects when the battery compartment door is removed (so it can
go into low-power mode while you change the batteries) - another that detects when the
stylus is in it's docking bay so the machine can be turned on just by pulling out the
stylus. There is a recessed reset button and a power switch (which actually just puts
the machine into low-power mode - there is no real way to turn it off.
The developer machines have 16Mb flash memory and 8Mb RAM - Linux seems to be consuming
about half of flash memory...and that's going to be replaced with ROM in the consumer
units whenever they start shipping.
Since it runs Linux, there are a dozen ways to communicate with it from your PC. The
best is to run PPP - which means you can telnet into the machine, use FTP or rsync or
NFS - anything you can think of to talk to it. Someone even hacked an HTTP deamon onto
it so you can use it as a web server!
*ALL* of the software is available in source code.
--
Steve Baker HomeEmail: <sjbaker1@airmail.net>
WorkEmail: <sjbaker@link.com>
HomePage : http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
Projects : http://plib.sourceforge.net
http://tuxaqfh.sourceforge.net
http://tuxkart.sourceforge.net
http://prettypoly.sourceforge.net
http://freeglut.sourceforge.net
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Searching for alternatives
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| (...) That's a shame. Being this late in the game I would expect to see USB support and an expansion slot of some kind. (...) The keyboard is said to be IR linked. (...) Ah so I'm assuming it's not enough power to power a IR tower if need be? They (...) (24 years ago, 4-Feb-01, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.robotics.palm)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Searching for alternatives
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| (...) [Cross posted to lugnet.robotics.palm] For the Agenda VR3d (Developer/Tech version) it's only $179 USD. That's an incredible price for what you get. Even If I had to create one of them little serial IR devices that someone mentioned being able (...) (24 years ago, 4-Feb-01, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.robotics.palm)
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