Subject:
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Re: Droid Developer Kit P-Mode
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Wed, 2 May 2001 18:32:08 GMT
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Original-From:
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Steve Baker <sjbaker1@airmail+Spamcake+.net>
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Reply-To:
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SJBAKER1@stopspamAIRMAIL.NET
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Viewed:
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2388 times
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"Steven B. Combs" wrote:
>
> I am trying to use the droid developer kit control device for a walker I am
> creating and have a few questions I was hoping a few of you could answer.
>
> I want the motor to stay on constantly and I noticed that there was not a
> program for this function. Oh sure, if I want to place a flashlight over
> the light sensor I can keep the motors running. Does anyone know how to
> modify this thing so that the motor run constantly.
Nope - it's a horribly badly designed device.
Yuk!
I suggest you buy a regular motor and a battery box. There is a set
that contains just that - plus some wheels and gears and stuff...I don't
know the name/set-number offhand.
> Lastly...just what is the P-mode. The manual says for future use. But how
> are they going to input a program into this mode? There isn't a way to
> easily download a program as far as I can tell. Anyone know how to hack
> into this feature? Maybe this is a way to accomplish what I asked in my
> first question.
There is a thing called 'VLL' - visible light link.
The 'MicroScout' (the device in the driod developer kit) can listen for
commands flashed at it very rapidly using visible light (not IR like the
other Lego computers)...unfortunately, the only Lego device that's
really able to do that is the "Scout" computer that comes with the Robotics
Discovery System (RDS). The Scout has an internal command to transmit a VLL
command to the MicroScout using the little light on the front of the Scout.
As bad as that is - you can't just go out and buy an RDS because the
only way to make the Scout send VLL commands is to write a little program to
run on the Scout that sends a program to the MicroScout.
*HOWEVER* - the only way to send any kind of program to the Scout is to use
the InfraRed link - which needs an "IR Tower" connected to a PC. The IR Tower
comes with the Robotics Invention System (RIS) and *NOT* with the RDS.
So, to program this stoopid little P-mode control, you *ALSO* have to have
an RDS *and* an RIS !! Of course once you have those, you already own
4 motors and two decently programmable Lego computers and you almost
certainly don't want to be bothered with the stoopid MicroScout!
Whoever dreamed this up at Lego needs to be kicked - it's insane!
(Actually, I guess you could buy the IR Tower separately from the RIS - but
you *still* need the RDS)
I'm told that even if you do go to all that trouble, the stoopid MicroScout
*STILL* stops and goes into that orgy of beeping after every step of the
P-Mode "progam".
The kinds of commands you can give it in P-mode are pretty primitive anyway...
so it's basically a dead loss.
--
Steve Baker HomeEmail: <sjbaker1@airmail.net>
WorkEmail: <sjbaker@link.com>
HomePage : http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
Projects : http://plib.sourceforge.net
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http://prettypoly.sourceforge.net
http://freeglut.sourceforge.net
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Droid Developer Kit P-Mode
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| I am trying to use the droid developer kit control device for a walker I am creating and have a few questions I was hoping a few of you could answer. I want the motor to stay on constantly and I noticed that there was not a program for this (...) (23 years ago, 2-May-01, to lugnet.robotics)
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