 | | NQC's future
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I'm very interested in hearing from NQC users what their needs/wishes are for future enhancements. Here's my current list of updates/enhancements that I am working on. 1. Built-in and documented Spybot API. 2. Fast firmware download via USB tower (...) (21 years ago, 2-Dec-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx.nqc, lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Spybot meets M8 Mikrocotroller
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I’ve started a project to extend the spybot port via an atmel M8 mikrocontroller mini modul.The modul is appropriate together with a battery on the roof of the spy. The modul is connected with the spybot by the vll interface. The software for the M8 (...) (21 years ago, 26-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | spybot studies: direction testing
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I needed to know what TargetDirection() meant at different ranges, so I did another study. Graphic results here: (URL) information post-moderation: (URL) of the methodology are in target_direction.nqc (and some in target_direction.xls). I quit after (...) (21 years ago, 14-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | IR leds, was Re: Spybot studies: SetTxDirection() confusion
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... Just reading an old post and saw my mistake: of course 880 nm is closer to red (650nm) than 940nm !!! Here is the correct text I should have sent : "I think these emitters are different wavelength, 880nm for the pointing up one, 940nm for the (...) (21 years ago, 14-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: seek a world object
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(...) It does. Thanks! (...) (21 years ago, 11-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: seek a world object
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(...) Or, then again, you might not. As with the vast majority of the ROM subroutines (and all the _Bead subroutines) this subroutine fiddles around with a global variable (via calls to EnterBead and ExitBead). In this case it happens to be global (...) (21 years ago, 10-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: seek a world object
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(...) Cool program. Keep up the great work! (...) You might be able to use PointToward_Bead without running into problems. __nolist void PointToward_Bead(const int& nTimes) { asm { 0xe3, &nTimes, 0x17, 81, 0x01, 1 }; } This ROM routine monitors an (...) (21 years ago, 10-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Spybot studies: seek a world object
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/* beacon.nqc Uses World Relation Table to get a fix on and drive to another object. The object can be a Spybot, PC, or Spybot Controller. The program fixes on (i.e. drives to) the first object it finds. If that object disappears from the "radar", (...) (21 years ago, 10-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: SetTxDirection() confusion
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(...) How *does* the Spybot know the orientation (the ROM SDK calls it "aspect") of another Spybot? My (casual) observations indicate that all three emitters are on simultaneously and synchronously. How does the observing Spybot identify which one (...) (21 years ago, 8-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot Studies: display an 8-bit value
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(...) In case anyone was wondering (yeah, sure :-), this line in my original post: lediDisplay = (x & 0x17) ((x & 8) * 4) ((x & 32) / 4) rearranges the bits so that the lower 6 bits can easily be read left to right (while looking at the bot from the (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics, FTX)
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| | Re: Spybot Studies: display an 8-bit value
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(...) Mark Riley did this using MindScript but I don't recall having already seen the equivalent in NQC. (URL) than use a #define macro (speaking of which, I need to fix the syntax highlighting of preprocessor macros to account for multiple lines) I (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot Studies: display an 8-bit value
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(...) Another very simple thing to do to display this type of "debug" information is to send a message to an RCX, and display the value on the LCD of the RCX. That way, you don't need to mess with decoding the 8 bit binary number. This was not my (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Spybot Studies: display an 8-bit value
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I feel a little sheepish posting such simple code, but I needed to write this function anyway, and it's a legitimate illustration of a couple functions, which is the goal of "Spybot Studies" and this is a run-on sentence. /* led_8bit_display A (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: SetTxDirection() confusion
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(...) I think these emitters are different wavelength, 940nm for the pointing up one, 880nm for the others. 940nm radiation is very close to red wavelength range and is easily seen by cameras CCD, even though they generally include an IR filter to (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: SetTxDirection() confusion
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(...) Yes, there is a visible light cut-off filter built in remote command receiver. Philo (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: SetTxDirection() confusion
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(...) My understanding (which may well be incorrect) is that the Manas unit only responds to IR. Sending an RC message using the PC channel is probably not terribly useful since (as far as I am aware) there aren't any devices that use RC messages (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: SetTxDirection() confusion
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I forgot to mention that the mana (set to channel 3) didn't respond to the laser LED's command message. Is this because the mana isn't sensitive to visible red or because the signal is somehow encoded differently when it comes out the laser? (or (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: SetTxDirection() confusion
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(...) Yes, there are multiple IR emitters. Two in front at nearly 90 degree angles, one in back, and a high-power one pointing up. Turns out my camera was only picking up the high-power emitter. I tried again with a different camera (the Vision (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: photoelectric eye
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(...) Of course you are correct! I repeated the process (unplugging the cable to simulate the failure of the comm port) and found that it detected the spybot through the USB Tower; then when I attempted to download the program, it activated the USB (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: SetTxDirection() confusion
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(...) This portion of the Spybot NQC API is under substantial revision... :-) I based the constants on those found in Spybot.h which are apparently just plain wrong. The current version of my spy.nqh file has #define SERIAL_CHANNEL_HIGH_POWER 0 (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Spybot studies: SetTxDirection() confusion
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John, I noticed the SetTxDirection() function in your mana_control.nqc program. I thought it might be useful for my project, so it became my next subject of study. The spy.nqh shows this: #define TX_DIRECTION_FRONT_LEFT 0 #define (...) (21 years ago, 7-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: photoelectric eye
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(...) [snip] (...) [snip] Cool! It may even be possible to get NQC to download a program (...) Way cool! (...) [snip] (...) Unbelievable! -Brian (21 years ago, 6-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: photoelectric eye
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(...) I'm nearly certain that you can't (currently) download programs to a Spybot via the USB tower. The MindScript compiler (LCC32) complains that it can't open the serial port (and unless LEGO releases an update to their vpbrick.dll COM object it (...) (21 years ago, 6-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: photoelectric eye
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John Hansen wrote: [snip] (...) [snip] John, While working with BricxCC on a spybot project (still not done) I encountered an odd situation. 1st) something happened to the comm port that the spybot cable is connected; I couldn't send or receive (or (...) (21 years ago, 6-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot studies: photoelectric eye
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(...) I think this is fantastic, Brian. I look forward to seeing future posts on the results of your studies. I am working with Dave Baum to incorporate the new Spybot API features into the official NQC API. One aspect of that involves documentation (...) (21 years ago, 6-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Spybot studies: photoelectric eye
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I've started a new project to explore the Spybot's capabilities, (now the John Hansen has given me access to them ;). I plan to undertake s series of "studies" which each explore a single feature or function. I'll post then as I go. This first one (...) (21 years ago, 6-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: IR Sensitivity - Was: 1.5/2.0 infrared problem
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(...) ... (...) ... (...) Yes. The extra channels are for non-repeating stuff. Like you said. (...) Well, I've discovered (while working on a Spybot project) that if you ask just the right question, the people at LEGO may reply to it. They are (...) (21 years ago, 4-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx, lugnet.robotics.rcx.legos, lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: IR Sensitivity - Was: 1.5/2.0 infrared problem
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(...) [snippage] (...) [more snippage] (...) Glad you like the chart. Trying to find a way to present the information in a useful manner was the trick for me, too. :-) I'll have to throw up a web page or something. As to figuring it out, credit has (...) (21 years ago, 4-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx, lugnet.robotics.rcx.legos, lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: IR Sensitivity - Was: 1.5/2.0 infrared problem
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(...) Thanks a lot for posting this very useful information, Mark! I don't know how long I've been beating my head against the brick trying to make heads or tails out of the values I calculated for the various possible combinations of button (...) (21 years ago, 4-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx, lugnet.robotics.rcx.legos, lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: IR Sensitivity - Was: 1.5/2.0 infrared problem
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(...) You're welcome! (...) Well, I did try it out and it does work... somewhat. For example, when you set the channel to 5 using the technique mentioned above, only some of the remote packets reflect 5 as the channel number, while others still (...) (21 years ago, 3-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx, lugnet.robotics.rcx.legos, lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | RE: CD Languages
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I have it on good authority that the CDROM is English-German-French. Your instructions are probably German-French as I don;t think the packaging was ever done in Danish. Ralph (...) (21 years ago, 3-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: IR Sensitivity - Was: 1.5/2.0 infrared problem
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(...) As cool as this sounds, it's not right. :( Sorry about that. There are just the two bits (like Mark said above). See, this is why I haven't been able to get my Spybot remote to work with my RCX. :) Steve (21 years ago, 3-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx, lugnet.robotics.rcx.legos, lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: CD Languages
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(...) Very thoughtful of you but I'm not sure we need it. Maybe we do... We have a CD, (but lazy us didn't install it yet) but the paper instructions are in Danish... if the CD is multilanguage we are OK CD wise, although getting English paper (...) (21 years ago, 3-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | RE: CD Languages
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I've got a spare CD I can wing your way, Larry. Ralph (...) (21 years ago, 3-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | CD Languages
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Just got Gigamesh but from Denmark, so naturally the instructions are in Danish. Is the CD multilanguage? If so do we need to find a hardcopy in English of the instructions? I'm assuming not? Thanks! (21 years ago, 3-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: IR Sensitivity - Was: 1.5/2.0 infrared problem
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(...) Mark, Thanks for posting this. I've been trying to figure out how to do that, but I don't know enough about the IR messages and baud control of BrickOS to do it myself. (...) I don't know if this is printed anywhere, but here's some more info (...) (21 years ago, 3-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx, lugnet.robotics.rcx.legos, lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: IR Sensitivity - Was: 1.5/2.0 infrared problem
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(...) Thanks, Mark, I was indeed using standard firmware through NQC... Philo (21 years ago, 3-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx, lugnet.robotics.rcx.legos, lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: IR Sensitivity - Was: 1.5/2.0 infrared problem
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(...) Hi Philippe, I've been adding support for the Spybot and Manas remotes to my custom firmware LDCC. The idea is to allow 3 people to each control a seperate train using these remotes. This is how I discovered the problem with RCX 1.0 not (...) (21 years ago, 3-Nov-03, to lugnet.robotics.rcx, lugnet.robotics.rcx.legos, lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Re: Spybot MessageEvent
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In lugnet.robotics.spybotics, Joseph Woolley wrote: <snip> (...) The official API contains the following code // these all correspond to using VLL() as the source #define EVENT_TYPE_ENTRY_FOUND 4 #define EVENT_TYPE_MSG_DISCARD 6 #define (...) (21 years ago, 29-Oct-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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| | Spybot MessageEvent
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I realize that I may be reinventing the wheel with this, but I was not able to find another way of accomplishing the same thing. After setting up a VLLEvent using: #define VLLEvent 1 SetEvent(VLLEvent, VLL(), EVENT_TYPE_VLL_MSG_RECEIVED); then (...) (21 years ago, 29-Oct-03, to lugnet.robotics.spybotics)
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