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 Robotics / RCX / 1228
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Subject: 
RCX and IR Range Characteristics?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics.rcx
Date: 
Tue, 24 Apr 2001 03:02:51 GMT
Viewed: 
1313 times
  
Hi All,

A while back, Ben Erwin asked about other user's experiences
with the IR tower and range.

I'm trying to characterize a persistent problem with
the pbForth serial library, with respect to message reliability.

It seems that even in high range mode, I can't communicate
more than a few feet with my RCX and tower. I'm using a 9V 800mA
adapter with no load on the RCX to power both the tower and
the RCX.

I'll measure the voltage eventually to see if the tower is
pulling the supply down, but I doubt it.

I've looked through the legOS source and see that it prefers
near range comms, I've found these the most reliable too.

When I do pbForth work in classrooms, I end up having to cover
the bots with towels to keep the stray IR out, but I'll be
darned if the bots communicate more than a few feet away.

Maybe that's why the remote has to send messages over, and
over, and over...

Does anyone else have some IR experience they would like to
share with the group?

Cheers, Ralph Hempel



Message has 3 Replies:
  Re: RCX and IR Range Characteristics?
 
(...) SNIP (...) SNIP Not experience, but perhaps the location of the IR diodes in the tower is effecting it's peformance? As other people have noted before, the diodes are not located behind the smooth molded "windows" in the tower, but lower, (...) (23 years ago, 24-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics.rcx)
  RE: RCX and IR Range Characteristics?
 
As expected Jeff Hazen and John Barnes sent along a few itmes of interest. (...) Jeff asked if the diffuse cover of the tower had any effect at all. From my experiments, Jeff - the answer is no. John Barnes suggested that the bit-balancing act that (...) (23 years ago, 24-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics.rcx)
  Re: RCX and IR Range Characteristics?
 
hi Ralph, I think I'm lucky. I just did some experiments with a modified IR-tower. The modifications were: the "keep alive trick" from John Barnes and my own trick to add a few more diodes to get rid of the 9V battery. Without a batttery in the (...) (23 years ago, 24-Apr-01, to lugnet.robotics.rcx)

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