Subject:
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Re: Future Mindstorm Releases?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Wed, 1 Sep 2004 19:36:20 GMT
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Viewed:
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2827 times
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In lugnet.robotics, Joe Strout wrote:
> In lugnet.robotics, Mr S <szinn_the1@yahoo.com> wrote:
[snip]
> > I do not believe that there is another building set
> > capable of building autonomous robots that is as
> > extensible or useful per dollar per pound anywhere.
>
> It's the extensibility part that's sticking in my craw. Yes, structurally, LEGO
> is very extensible. But that makes a mechanized gadget, not a robot -- a robot
> requires sensors and effectors. And the RCX limits you to three of each.
> That's not very extensible.
>
> Now, if you took something like the OOPic (or similar) controller, and the cheap
> and plentiful sensors and effectors that the MarkIII folks have, and used them
> to control a LEGO-built robot, it seems to me that you would have the best of
> both worlds.
>
> As it is, I'm reluctant to sink $100 or more into a Mindstorms set when I could
> spend the same money on a PIC-based platform, and not hit any I/O limits for a
> very long time (if ever).
>
> So why am I posting this? Two reasons: one, I have some hope that LEGO is
> listening and will consider beefing up the next-generation RCX; and two, I'd
> like to hear about other LEGO robotics projects using PIC controllers. Though I
> suppose that should be a different thread!
Joe:
I, too, love Lego for the mechanical aspects
of robot building. However, when it comes
to the sensors and effectors, I find the RCX
to be too limiting. It was a good first try, but
after 5 years on the market....
(Let me apologize in advance, this is going
to sound a bit like an advertisement.)
My solution to the RCX problem was to
design my own extensible sensor and
effector suite that I call RoboBricks.
Each sensor has its own dedicated PIC
microcontroller that takes care of its
sensor/effector. The controlling
microcontroller sends and received
data using standard 2400 baud signalling.
Enough of my friends in the Home Brew
Robotics Club said that they wanted
them that I eventually licensed my boards
to the guy that runs <http://www.robotstore.com/>.
RoboBricks are extensible in the processor
side and in the sensor/effector side. On the
processor side, I have two boards . The first
processor board is called the MicroBrain8 takes
chips that are pin compatible with the Basic
Stamp II from Parallax. This includes several
Basic chips from Parallax, the Javelin Java
chip from Parallax, the OOPIC-C from
Savage Innovations, the StAVeR (a chip with
an AVR microcontroller), Atom, and others.
The second procesor board is called the
PICBrain11 and can take anything that is
comapatible with a Microchip PIC16F876A.
This includes the '876A, the PICAAXE-28,
and and one of the uVM chips that runs Java.
Each processor board can control between
8 (MicroBrain8) and 11 (PICBrain11) other
sensors/effectors. Many sensors and effectors
have additional multipliers 2, 4, and 8. Lastly,
it is trivial to cascade processor boards.
RobotStore sells two of my effectors (Servo4
and Motor2) and three sensors (IREdge4,
IRProximity2, and Digital8.) There are
many more sensors in the pipeline (see
<http://gramlich.net/projects/robobricks/modules.html>).
Anyhow that was my solution to the RCX limitations.
-Wayne
P.S. My boards are Lego-friendly in that they
have holes across the top and bottom that
snap right onto Lego studs.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Future Mindstorm Releases?
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| (...) (I note that it seems to be spelled RoboBrix by robotstore.com.) (...) That's cool. I have several suggestions for you, as a potential user: 1. Get the robotstore folks to mention the LEGO compatibility in their descriptions; the one I looked (...) (20 years ago, 1-Sep-04, to lugnet.robotics)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Future Mindstorm Releases?
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| (...) Quite understandable (and understood). (...) I wish they would, too -- I'd love to see it! (...) Agreed. For structural work -- especially, the sort of tinkery rapid-prototyping structural work we all love -- LEGO can't be beaten. However... (...) (20 years ago, 1-Sep-04, to lugnet.robotics)
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