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Subject: 
Re: NXT Synchro Drive
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics
Date: 
Thu, 7 Dec 2006 13:12:02 GMT
Viewed: 
3182 times
  
On Dec 7, 2006, at 7:03 AM, Chris Phillips wrote:

In lugnet.robotics, Rich Thompson wrote:
I have been playing with the turntable from the NXT kit to try and
build a synchro drive train. It got a bit complicated but it works. I
posted a video at my blog:

<http://www.robotthoughts.com/index.php/lego/archives/2006/12/06/
lego-mindstorms-nxt-synchro-drive/>

or just:

<http://www.robotthoughts.com/>

Have Fun!

This looks pretty cool, and I can well respect any attempt to
design a cool
device out of LEGO, but I wonder how necessary something like this
is with the
NXT?

It seems to me that the new servo motors with their integrated
rotation sensors
are incredibly accurate for navigation, especially since the
firmware is capable
of precisely matching the speed of the motors.  The design of the
servo motors
(as depicted in the NXT booklet) has the rotation sensor geared
almost directly
off the motor shaft at the head of the internal reduction
geartrain, so it has
extremely high accuracy.  The documentation claims it has a
resolution of one
degree of output shaft rotation!

The demo robot, built from the Open Me First set of parts and run
with the Demo
program that comes pre-loaded on the NXT, is an amazing
demonstration of this
capability.  This robot moves straight forward a few feet, then
turns 180
degrees, returns to its original location, and then turns 180
degrees again.  On
a level surface, I have found that it is capable of returning to
its original
location within a few millimeters!

Navigation by odometry was something I had long tried to accomplish
using
<http://www.drvegetable.com/pic_franken02.html the RCX and a pair
of Rotation
Sensors> without ever coming close.  With odometry so greatly
improved on the
NXT, is a synchro drive platform really necessary?

Just wondering...


You are touching on the exact reason I am playing with the synchro
drive platform. Previously, to maintain "sync" between the rotation
of different wheels I had to use locked gearing or a chain. you can
see examples here:

http://www.robotthoughts.com/index.php/lego/archives/2000/07/20/astro-
droid-synchro-drive/

and here:

http://www.robotthoughts.com/index.php/lego/archives/2000/07/20/
synchro-drive-with-360-degree-bumper/

By working with NXT motors, I hope to not have that design requirement.

As to why this platform, I like the zero degree turn radius and the
design is fun to watch when the full synchro drive is in motion. See
the videos in the robots above. Once you understand the synchro
drive, it really opens up some of the robotic possibilities of the
turntable.

Have Fun!

Rich



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: NXT Synchro Drive
 
(...) Yes, I think the new capabilities of the NXT are going to give us all a new perspective on the challenges we've taken on in the past. (...) Cool! There are other benefits to synchro drive as well, I suppose, such as the ability to change (...) (18 years ago, 7-Dec-06, to lugnet.robotics)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: NXT Synchro Drive
 
(...) This looks pretty cool, and I can well respect any attempt to design a cool device out of LEGO, but I wonder how necessary something like this is with the NXT? It seems to me that the new servo motors with their integrated rotation sensors are (...) (18 years ago, 7-Dec-06, to lugnet.robotics, FTX)

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