I'll get two replys with one stone here...


Terry,

You could check out the L298N H-bridge chip.  It can handle up to 55 Volts
and 3 Amps.    That is what I am using on my corner-finding robot.  I have
gotten the robot far enough that the robot can move on its own but needs
some programming to be able to follow a wall.  If only I had more free
time...  In any case, you could check out the very disorganized page that I
have on my website about h-bridges.
http://www.buffingtonfx.com/j1432/proj/dee_dum/dee_dum2.html

I see that I am quoting a different spec for the L298 on that page.  Maybe
the 298 and 298N are different or the specs have changed.

If you are really adventurous you could try making your own!  I have before
and have run into a lot of trouble.  These days things are a bit different.
Circuits are different too.  I have wanted to try building an H-bridge out
of some IRLZ44 Hexfets and some good Schottky diodes for a while now but it
is that time thing again...


Frederick,

Two wheels that are offset should work but might make your navigation
trickier.  It will take a little extra torque to turn the robot because you
will be forcing the wheels to slide sideways just a bit when you are
turning.   Other than that it should work.   One thing you might do is think
about getting some bevel gears.  That way you can have your motors side by
side and then have your wheels aligned.  I bought some bevel gears from
Stock Drive Products a few months ago.  I think that they were only $14 for
a pair of them.

-Jack

_________________________________________________________________
Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8.
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

After a lot of phone tag with Nummi, I have finally arranged for a factory
tour. It is on Tuesday August 12 at 1:00 PM.   I am including the e-mail
that they sent at the end of this.  I'll pass around a signup sheet at the
next meeting or you can RSVP through the web.   We are limited to 20 people
so sign up soon if tho are interested.

For those of you who haven't heard, Nummi is a car factory that employs a
lot of robots.  They don't pay them though.... You can check out more info
at www.nummi.com

-Jack

---------------------------------

Dear Jack,

Thank you for booking a tour of New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.
(NUMMI). It is our hope that the following information will assist you in
planning your group's visit. Your tour of the NUMMI plant is confirmed*
for:

Date:             Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Time:             1:00 p.m.

Maximum number of visitors in your group:   20     PLEASE DO NOT BRING MORE
THAN STATED

*NUMMI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO RESCHEDULE ANY TOUR OR VISIT THAT COULD
INTERFERE WITH PRODUCTION


       IMPORTANT: PLEASE ARRIVE 10 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR SCHEDULED TIME

Remember traffic in the area can be congested, so PLEASE plan accordingly.

Basic Tour Guidelines

           MINIMUM age for the tour is 10
           NO CAMERAS
           Although not required, for your comfort, please wear closed toe
      shoes
           Smoking is prohibited on the tour and in the facility
           Safety glasses will be provided
           There are no stairs on the tour route, but visitors must be able
      to enter/exit the trams  which have 2 steps

We are very proud of our facility here in Fremont, California. We look
forward to showing you how our team members build world-class quality cars
and trucks every day. To find out more about NUMMI before your tour, please
visit www.nummi.com, maps are available online.



Thank you for touring with NUMMI,


Teresa Marisko
Tour Coordinator
510-770-4008





                     j1432@hotmail.

                     com (Jack            To:     srogers@...

                     Buffington)          cc:

                                          Subject:     Tour Request 2003

                     05/19/03 02:21

                     PM

_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.
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Thanks Jack,

I just put some L298's on order. I couldn't find them locally (Northbay). I just
hope they get here in time for me to be ready for the next meeting.  I may just
try making a "Roll Your Own" motor controller in the mean time. I'll let you
know how it goes.

Terry




--- In sfrsa@yahoogroups.com, "Jack Buffington" <j1432@h...> wrote:
> I'll get two replys with one stone here...
>
>
> Terry,
>
> You could check out the L298N H-bridge chip.  It can handle up to 55 Volts
> and 3 Amps.    That is what I am using on my corner-finding robot.  I have
> gotten the robot far enough that the robot can move on its own but needs
> some programming to be able to follow a wall.  If only I had more free
> time...  In any case, you could check out the very disorganized page that I
> have on my website about h-bridges.
> http://www.buffingtonfx.com/j1432/proj/dee_dum/dee_dum2.html
>
> I see that I am quoting a different spec for the L298 on that page.  Maybe
> the 298 and 298N are different or the specs have changed.
>
> If you are really adventurous you could try making your own!  I have before
> and have run into a lot of trouble.  These days things are a bit different.
> Circuits are different too.  I have wanted to try building an H-bridge out
> of some IRLZ44 Hexfets and some good Schottky diodes for a while now but it
> is that time thing again...
>
>
> Frederick,
>
> Two wheels that are offset should work but might make your navigation
> trickier.  It will take a little extra torque to turn the robot because you
> will be forcing the wheels to slide sideways just a bit when you are
> turning.   Other than that it should work.   One thing you might do is think
> about getting some bevel gears.  That way you can have your motors side by
> side and then have your wheels aligned.  I bought some bevel gears from
> Stock Drive Products a few months ago.  I think that they were only $14 for
> a pair of them.
>
> -Jack
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8.
> http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

RSA Newsletter - June 2003 Big New Website Well, the website has obviously undergone some big new changes. Please submit stories, use the forums, check the calendar, and add any events. This is your site! The whole site is database driven, so everything is current. Add your events! Start discussions! Invite your friends! And if you're in the SF Bay Area, don't forget to join us Saturday June 7th at SFSU for our monthly meeting. This month features presentations by Michael Shiloh of Making Things, demonstrating their modular electronic and computational system components. Second up, Nito Mejia will be discussing how rapid prototyping can be done in a fraction of time and money compared to the conventional way. RSA Event in July! Mark your calendars and warm up your soldering irons. The biggest robot show in America returns to Fort Mason Sunday, July 27th. If you're a teacher, reply now so we can get details to your students before summer break! This summers show will really blow your socks off - we've got robots coming in from Japan and Singapore! Famous robots from the Movies! Research robots from NASA! Battle-scarred Combat Robots! And big prizes for the winners of the events - Sumo, Mini-Sumo, Best of Show, One-Pound (SOZ) Ant Weight Combat Robots, and more! Nummi Robotic Factory Tour in the SF Bay Jack Buffington has arranged a in tour the Nummi car factory! Ever wonder how industrial robotics work? Want to see them up close and personal? New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.(NUMMI) is the pioneering joint venture of GM and Toyota, and has enough robots to make you all drool. Before we can finalize the tour, he needs a virtual show of hands on who would be interested. It will be sometime June or July if there are slots open. When you reply, send your e-mail to j1432@.... Robotic Summer Classes for Kids Al Margolis will be teaching two classes each at Skyline College, June 23 through July 10, and at College of San Mateo July 14 through July 31 at the College For Kids. Mechanics Robotics for students in grades 5 6 will use Lego Mindstorms. Electronics Robotics for students in grades 7 through 9 will be a whirl-wind introduction to electronics and robotics. Contact Al directly at al@... with questions. Location Date Event San Francisco   May 31 Aibo Clinic OPEN-R Tutorial San Francisco   Jun 4 DorkBot Peoria, IL Jun 14 CIRC Summer Event Santa Barbara     Jun 14 SOZBOTS 2.4 Norman, OK Jun 27-Jul 1    Nat'l Conf on Educ Robotics San Diego, CA Jun 28-29 BotBash Salisbury, NC Jul 4-5 NCRSF Toronto, ON Jul 5-6 Robot Riots Corvallis, OR Jul 18-20 daVinci Days Manhattan, KS Jul 19 Great Plains Robot Showdown San Francisco   Jul 27 RSA Summer Games and Expo! Launch of New NASA Mars Rover Pushed Back New Ultra Small Hitachi Home Cleaning Robot... CMU hosts first RoboCup open in America Japan Researchers Hope Robots Will Save Lives U.S. ready to spend billions on nanotechnology Robots get their own hall of fame Snake Robots may aid homeland security

Get this from a forward? Wanna join the mailing list?

To unsubscribe from the Robotics Society of America's mailing list.

http://www.robotics-society.org/cgi-bin/rsa.cgi?sfrsa@yahoogroups.com

Is anyone out there really familiar with IR remote modules? I just built a 40
kHz IR object detection circuit I got from the SRS web page. I had an old Sharp
GP1U52X IR module that works fine in the circuit. Unfortunately I need 2 of
them. I have tried a GP1U581Y module that I thought would be compatible. I get
no response even with the diode facing the receiver. Can anyone tell me if there
are any major differences between the two modules? (Frequency, pin-outs, min.
voltage, etc.)If anyone knows where I can find a datasheet on the GP1U581Y that
would really be appreciated.

Terry S.

Hi Terry,

Google found this for me: http://www.bgmicro.com/pdf/gp1u58y.pdf

It appears to be 40 kHz sensitive, so my guess is it's either wired
wrong or non-functional.

Looking at the data sheet for the GP1U52X
http://support.tandy.com/support_supplies/doc3/3313.pdf it appears that
pins 1, 2, 3 have the same designations, so you might have it exactly
backwards (I don't have either unit so it's hard to compare to the data
sheet.

--
Dave Hylands
Vancouver, BC, Canada
http://www.DaveHylands.com/


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Terry Slocum [mailto:tslocum@...]
> Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 4:30 PM
> To: sfrsa@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [rsa] IR Proximity Detector?
>
>
> Is anyone out there really familiar with IR remote modules? I
> just built a 40 kHz IR object detection circuit I got from
> the SRS web page. I had an old Sharp GP1U52X IR module that
> works fine in the circuit. Unfortunately I need 2 of them. I
> have tried a GP1U581Y module that I thought would be
> compatible. I get no response even with the diode facing the
> receiver. Can anyone tell me if there are any major
> differences between the two modules? (Frequency, pin-outs,
> min. voltage, etc.)If anyone knows where I can find a
> datasheet on the GP1U581Y that would really be appreciated.
>
> Terry S.
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ---------------------~--> Get A Free Psychic Reading! Your
> Online Answer To Life's Important Questions.
> http://us.click.yahoo.com/Lj3uPC/Me7FAA/ySSFAA> /2OlolB/TM
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> -------~->
>
> SF robot meetings are at Noon on the first Saturday of the
> month at SFSU's Science bldg - 1600 Holloway, room SCI 256.
http://www.robotics-society.org

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Thanks Dave,

This is just what I needed. I must have spent a couple of hours searching for
data sheets, and never found this. (Note to self: IE search button BAD, Google
GOOD)

The ones I have are the GP1U581Y. It looks like it is on 38 kHz. So I probably
just need to tune the oscilator circuit.

Thanks again

Terry

--- In sfrsa@yahoogroups.com, "Dave Hylands" <dhylands@b...> wrote:
> Hi Terry,
>
> Google found this for me: http://www.bgmicro.com/pdf/gp1u58y.pdf
>
> It appears to be 40 kHz sensitive, so my guess is it's either wired
> wrong or non-functional.
>
> Looking at the data sheet for the GP1U52X
> http://support.tandy.com/support_supplies/doc3/3313.pdf it appears that
> pins 1, 2, 3 have the same designations, so you might have it exactly
> backwards (I don't have either unit so it's hard to compare to the data
> sheet.
>
> --
> Dave Hylands
> Vancouver, BC, Canada
> http://www.DaveHylands.com/
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Terry Slocum [mailto:tslocum@p...]
> > Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 4:30 PM
> > To: sfrsa@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [rsa] IR Proximity Detector?
> >
> >
> > Is anyone out there really familiar with IR remote modules? I
> > just built a 40 kHz IR object detection circuit I got from
> > the SRS web page. I had an old Sharp GP1U52X IR module that
> > works fine in the circuit. Unfortunately I need 2 of them. I
> > have tried a GP1U581Y module that I thought would be
> > compatible. I get no response even with the diode facing the
> > receiver. Can anyone tell me if there are any major
> > differences between the two modules? (Frequency, pin-outs,
> > min. voltage, etc.)If anyone knows where I can find a
> > datasheet on the GP1U581Y that would really be appreciated.
> >
> > Terry S.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> > ---------------------~--> Get A Free Psychic Reading! Your
> > Online Answer To Life's Important Questions.
> > http://us.click.yahoo.com/Lj3uPC/Me7FAA/ySSFAA> /2OlolB/TM
> >
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------
> > -------~->
> >
> > SF robot meetings are at Noon on the first Saturday of the
> > month at SFSU's Science bldg - 1600 Holloway, room SCI 256.
> http://www.robotics-society.org
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Hi,
Does anyone know of a good robotics camp for kids? Our 13 year old is
so interested in robotics and we would love to send him to camp this
summer.  Please email me with any information.
Thanks,
Jamie

Three years ago Liz and I started down the road to making Zach's Cool
Stuff a reality (If you don't know about ZCS check out
http://www.buildcoolstuff.com ).
People would ask "How long is it going to take?" We said "Oh, it
shouldn't take more than six months."  Boy, did we have a lot to learn...

Lesson one: building Building in Berkeley is a long, arduous process.
Five design review meetings, two Zoning meetings plus another seven plan
check submittals add up many frustrating delays and setbacks.

Don't get me wrong, the past three years haven't been wasted. In fact,
they have been some of the best years of my life.  First, I married Liz,
which  is the best thing I've ever done.  I started the East Bay
Builder's Group which reconfirmed my desire to teach.  I changed jobs at
LBNL (that is my day job for those that don't know).  Now they actually
pay me to design and build cool stuff.  And the real icing on the cake
has been all the wonderful people I have met in these past three years.
They, along with my long time friends and family, have given me the
encouragement to keep pushing forward with this project.

With all that, I am very excited to say that I have word from the City
of Berkeley that we are officially approved to start construction.  Woo
Hoo!!!

Here are some of the most common questions I get asked:

Q - Are we going to have a ground breaking ceremony?
A - Yes, we will have a ceremony to turn that first shovel of dirt.
Watch your email for an invitation

Q - How long will it take to build?
A - So, far my track record for guessing times hasn't been all that
good.  My hope is to move in within a year.

Q - When will classes start?
A - Classes will start once the building is complete and some of the
infrastructure is in place.

Q -  Do we need any help?
A - If you know a good framer in the area, please send me their contact
information.

Q - Where's is this place going to be located?
A - We will be conveniently located two blocks south of the Ashby BART
station in Berkeley, on the corner of Adeline and Harmon streets.


Best Regards,

Zach Radding
http://www.buildcoolstuff.com

Hey Zach:

Good for you!  I'm very excited that you're finally moving forward - (love
those bureaucracies...)

Congratulations!

Quoting Zach Radding <zsradding@...>:

>
>
>
>
> Three years ago Liz and I started down the road to making Zach's Cool
> Stuff a reality (If you don't know about ZCS check out
> http://www.buildcoolstuff.com ).

Hi,
  As many of you know I designed a Handyboard type controller recently.
I now have the revision 2 boards which I am extremely happy with. I
want to get rid of the rest of the prototype boards, so I'm blowing
them out at my cost. These are blank boards only, you'll have to get
your own components to populate them. My club website has the complete
assembly guide and also shows the fixes that have to be done at
http://www.sorobotics.org/sumo11.html
  I'm letting the remaining prototype boards go at $5 per board + S&H
and I can accept Paypal payments. Boards are being sold AS IS (no
support or returns). When they're gone they're gone!
  Contact me at dan@...

-Dan Gates

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

SF Monthly Robot Meeting

Date: Saturday, June 7, 2003
Time: 12:00PM - 5:00PM PDT (GMT-07:00)

Don't forget to join us for our monthly robotics meeting -
remember they are now on Saturday at SFSU, NOT on Wednesday at
the Exploratorium.

The address of San Francisco State University is 1600 Holloway.
The Science building is on 19th avenue between Stonestown and
Holloway. The room number is SCI 256.

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

SF Monthly Robot Meeting

Date: Saturday, June 7, 2003
Time: 12:00PM - 5:00PM PDT (GMT-07:00)

Don't forget to join us for our monthly robotics meeting -
remember they are now on Saturday at SFSU, NOT on Wednesday at
the Exploratorium.

The address of San Francisco State University is 1600 Holloway.
The Science building is on 19th avenue between Stonestown and
Holloway. The room number is SCI 256.

At today's SFRSA meeting we had one robot show up for the corner-finding
competition.  Terry Slocum's robot - tenatively called 'Wall Flower' managed
to complete the course and win the $20 pot.  The pot goes back down to $10
again for next meeting which will be on July 12, not the first Saturday but
the second one.

For now, the rules will remain the same.  Just make it to the corner and you
win.  Once Terry has some other competitors, the rules will become just a
little more difficult.  Bring your lego bot, your sumo bot, one of Roger's
octobots, anything that moves to compete.

-Jack

_________________________________________________________________
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There was a pretty good article about robot navigation in the May 31st copy
of New Scientist.  It talks about a new technique that they are working on
at Berkeley called SLAM which helps the robot to correct errors in the maps
that it is making.

I'll try to bring in the magazine next meeting for anyone interested.

-Jack

_________________________________________________________________
Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online
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Roboteers,
  This months meeting is going to be a good one! Have you been wanting
a robot, but not known where to start? Then you won't want to miss
this meeting! Everyone who wants a robot will walk out with their very
own. John Peterman will be giving a presentation and then lead the
group in building solar powered B.E.A.M robots. What you need is an
imagination. All paid members will get the material to build a robot
for $6.00. Anyone else who comes and is not a member can get the same
kit for $12.00.
  I need to have everyone who baught a SORSbot mini sumo kit to bring
it to this meeting, finished or not. If you're still wanting one of
these $25.00 kits I still have a couple left. You must be a member to
get the $25.00 price.
  RoboMaxx planning is officialy underway, there will be a short report
on what was decided at our first commitee meeting.
  I will try to bring a monitor to show some pictures from the Portland
PDXBOT event.
  Lots of things going on at this weekends meeting, plan to be there
and plan to have a great time!

  Maze Solving robot building challenge to be announced at the meeting,
if your not there you may miss out on the details of how to win a cash
pot in this challenge.

Happy roboting,
-Dan

This promotion has a misprint in the price for assembled and tested
boards, I guess that's what I get for writing it so late at night. I
have honored the misprinted price up till this point, from here on out
I have to charge the intended amount of $40 for assembly and testing.
All other pricing is correct. Here is a rundown of the correct prices:

   Sumo11 mainboard blank = $8
   Sumo11 expansion board blank = $8
   Sumo11 mainboard kit (unassembled) = $47
   Sumo11 expansion board kit (unassembled) = $67
   Sumo11 Complete controller kit (unassembled) = $110
   For assembled and tested boards add $40 ($20 per single board)
   Add shipping and paypal fees to any of the above orders.

Sorry for the error,
-Dan



--- In sfrsa@yahoogroups.com, "Dan Gates" <topazx2@y...> wrote:
> Are you a 68hc11 user? Do you like the Botboard, or how 'bout the
> Handyboard? Have you used either of these and wished that the Botboard
> had more capabilities, or that the Handyboard was a little more
> compact and less expensive? Wouldn't it be nice if the Handyboard
> would fit on a mini-sumo size robot with all the same features?
> What would you say if I told you there is now a cheap effective
> alternative to the above boards? Well, there is!! The Sumo11 Board is
> comparable to a Botboard in single board mode, its designed to mount
> to a MarkIII mini-sumo chassis, it has an onboard DB9 serial
> connector, two H-bridge driven gear motor ports, two servo ports,
> separate switched power for motors/servos and processor, two GP2D12
> ports, and two QRB1114 IR ports. Everything you need for a basic
> robot! But wait, that's just the beginning, when you add the stackable
> second board you now have the equivalence of a Handyboard!! What does
> this mean? This means that you now have a full featured well supported
> robot controller that offers all the above plus 32k Non-Volatile
> memory, four servo ports, a piezo speaker, 7 analog inputs, 8 digital
> inputs, modulated IR emission and detection, a 16x2 LCD screen, START
> & STOP pushbuttons, a programmable thumbwheel, and best of all it is
> 100% Interactive C compatible! All of your Handyboard code will work
> with little or no changes.
>  Why would I go to such trouble to design a new board?? For years now
> I've wished that I could mount my Handyboard on a mini-sumo robot, and
> over those years I've also grown tired of reloading my code into my
> robots after they've set on the shelf and lost power. I absolutely
> love my Handyboards and their ease of use, so I finally decided to
> spend the time and money to develop an alternative. The Sumo11 board
> is the outcome of that effort.
>  I went to great lengths to ensure that the Sumo11 board would accept
> any MarkIII component without modification, so in addition to
> everything listed above you have access to any expansion board that
> fits a MarkIII main board.
>  IC versions 4.2x has been adapted to recognize the Sumo11 board in
> expanded mode.
> Purchasing options are as follows:
>  Sumo11 mainboard blank = $8
>  Sumo11 expansion board blank = $8
>  Sumo11 mainboard kit (unassembled) = $47
>  Sumo11 expansion board kit (unassembled) = $67
>  Sumo11 Complete kit (unassembled) = $110
>  For assembled and tested boards add $10
>  Add shipping costs to any of the above.
>
> There is also a Yahoo support group at
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sumo11users/
> and a complete Step-by-step assembly guide at
> http://www.sorobotics.org/sumo11.html
>
>  Sorry if I've offended anyone by posting this, but as a robotic club
> president and a robotic message board owner/moderator I know I
> appreciate hearing about robot related products and gladly support all
> of my fellow robotisists who've invested in this great hobby. You
> should also know that I will not be getting rich off these boards,
> they are priced just above cost... it's my contribution to the
community.
> Sincerely,
> -Dan Gates

http://www.geology.smu.edu/~dpa-www/robo/nbot/

Is anyone here working on balancing robots like this? (or more
generally on direct coupling of sensors and motors for realtime
control?)

Cheers,
Steve
Io, a small language: http://www.iolanguage.com/

I was just reading a build report by Larry Barrello. He has a similar robot
design. I don't think he is direct coupling sensors to motors, but you still
might want to send him an email. Here's the link to his gyrobot page.

http://www.barello.net/Robots/gyrobot/index.htm

Terry

--- In sfrsa@yahoogroups.com, Steve Dekorte <steve@d...> wrote:
>
> http://www.geology.smu.edu/~dpa-www/robo/nbot/
>
> Is anyone here working on balancing robots like this? (or more
> generally on direct coupling of sensors and motors for realtime
> control?)
>
> Cheers,
> Steve
> Io, a small language: http://www.iolanguage.com/

On Monday, June 16, 2003, at 09:56 AM, Terry Slocum wrote:
> I was just reading a build report by Larry Barrello. He has a similar
> robot design.

Thanks this looks like a cool project.

> I don't think he is direct coupling sensors to motors, but you still
> might want to send him an email. Here's the link to his gyrobot page.

Looks like he is. When I say "directly coupling", I mean it in the
sense  that Rodney Brooks and these folks seem to:
http://www.k2.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/fusion/index-e.html

that is, the feedback loop between sensors and control is a very tight
one. In the case of the Sensory Fusion folks, they claim it's as small
as 1 millisecond.  Which is pretty cool, btw. I think that's something
like 10-100x faster than human reflexes. Hmm, if you could process data
from a radar that fast and your robot was pretty light, I suppose you
might actually be able to get it to dodge bullets.

Cheers,
Steve
OSX freeware and shareware: http://www.dekorte.com/downloads.html

The robot would only be able to dodge bullets if the acuators can
move fast enough, and if the radar/vision system can sense the
bullets in time. But a bullet will have a small siniture and the
rounded edge of the tip would reflect radio waves away from the
receiving radar. The vision would need a very high refresh rate as
well...

So dodging bullets is very unlikely anytime soon.

~Jon

--- In sfrsa@yahoogroups.com, Steve Dekorte <steve@d...> wrote:
>
> On Monday, June 16, 2003, at 09:56 AM, Terry Slocum wrote:
> > I was just reading a build report by Larry Barrello. He has a
similar
> > robot design.
>
> Thanks this looks like a cool project.
>
> > I don't think he is direct coupling sensors to motors, but you
still
> > might want to send him an email. Here's the link to his gyrobot
page.
>
> Looks like he is. When I say "directly coupling", I mean it in the
> sense  that Rodney Brooks and these folks seem to:
> http://www.k2.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/fusion/index-e.html
>
> that is, the feedback loop between sensors and control is a very
tight
> one. In the case of the Sensory Fusion folks, they claim it's as
small
> as 1 millisecond.  Which is pretty cool, btw. I think that's
something
> like 10-100x faster than human reflexes. Hmm, if you could process
data
> from a radar that fast and your robot was pretty light, I suppose
you
> might actually be able to get it to dodge bullets.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve
> OSX freeware and shareware: http://www.dekorte.com/downloads.html

I just took delivery of 5000 Gorgeous full color flyers for the RSA's Robot
Games on July 27th.

If you could help distribute them, that would be great.  Whether it's leaving a
stack at your local electronics store, handing them out at school, or just
giving them to your freinds, I'd really appreciate any help you can give.

If you can't that's OK, I understand.

If you can, just email me to make arrangements to get some flyers.



-David Calkins, President
Robotics Society of America
http://www.robotics-society.org

-----------------------------------------------
Silicon shall replace Carbon.
The revolution will be automated.

Has everyone heard about ExpressPCB.com?  They have a service where they
will make three circuit boards that are 2.5" by 3.8"  for about $65.  I
often have little projects that do not require a lot of board space but do
require a cuircuit board because of durability reasons or because I am
making mutiple boards and don't feel like wiring all of them.  Usually I
cannot justify ordering boards just for one project so I hold off until I
have three or four which I then put on one circuit board.

If anyone is interested, maybe we could pool our projects together to avoid
having to pay a full $60.  I can separate the boards with my bandsaw and
bring them in to the SFRSA meetings or you could pick them up at my place.

Also, one of the boards that I will be ordering soon is for the
corner-finding robot competition.  I am going to be using a PIC16F873,
possibly a serial EEPROM, a L298 (I think) H bridge chip, and a few other
discrete parts.  If anyone is interested in buying one at cost, I will have
them available since I will only need one.

-Jack

_________________________________________________________________
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On Friday, June 20, 2003, at 08:49 AM, Jon Nebenfuhr wrote:
> The robot would only be able to dodge bullets if the acuators can
> move fast enough,
> and if the radar/vision system can sense the
> bullets in time. ... The vision would need a very high refresh rate as
> well...

You've done a good job of restating my qualifications. :-)

> But a bullet will have a small siniture and the
> rounded edge of the tip would reflect radio waves away from the
> receiving radar.

That's a good point. I suppose it depends on the wavelength of the
light used. We have no problem seeing a bullet head-on with visible
light, for example.

Doing a quick Google search turned up something interesting:

Micropower impulse radar:
http://www.llnl.gov/str/pdfs/01_96.2.pdf

They mention detecting high speed 2cm size space debris as a possible
application. Sounds really interesting for general robotics use as well.

Cheers,
Steve
OSX freeware and shareware: http://www.dekorte.com/downloads.html

Has anyone seen or used this kit?

http://www.pldstore.com/pld/catalog.cfm?dest=itempg&itemid=931&secid=16&link
on=subsection&linkid=202

What do you think of it?  What age groups would find it interesting /
educational?


-- Al Margolis, founder
www.hobbyengineering.com
The WEB's newest source for robotics supplies and information

Does anybody know a source for 9v carbon zinc batteries.  Hopefully on the
peninsula and cheap.  I've tried Jameco, Radio Shack, Fry's and Target.
Digikey does have them, but by the time I paid for shipping I might as well
buy Alkalines locally.

Thanx.

-- Al Margolis, founder
www.hobbyengineering.com
The WEB's newest source for robotics supplies and information

fyi - I got an error when hitting the supplied url.

Chad
--- Al Margolis <al@...> wrote:
> Has anyone seen or used this kit?
>
>
http://www.pldstore.com/pld/catalog.cfm?dest=itempg&itemid=931&secid=16&link
> on=subsection&linkid=202
>
> What do you think of it?  What age groups would find
> it interesting /
> educational?
>
>
> -- Al Margolis, founder
> www.hobbyengineering.com
> The WEB's newest source for robotics supplies and
> information
>
>


__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
http://sbc.yahoo.com

I have 2 DC motors with encoders on the back of them. How do I use the
encoders? The motor has 2 wires to make it spin like a normal DC motor, but
the back end also has 6 additional wires coming out of it. What do I do
with them? I know that encoders are supposed to be used to watch the motor
to see how many turns it actually makes, but I don't know how.

_____________________________________________
Geoff Fortytwo
<http://www.ecstaticfuturist.com>

Costco?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Al Margolis" <al@...>
To: <sfrsa@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 12:52 PM
Subject: [rsa] Carbon-Zinc Batteries


> Does anybody know a source for 9v carbon zinc batteries.  Hopefully on the
> peninsula and cheap.  I've tried Jameco, Radio Shack, Fry's and Target.
> Digikey does have them, but by the time I paid for shipping I might as
well
> buy Alkalines locally.
>
> Thanx.
>
> -- Al Margolis, founder
> www.hobbyengineering.com
> The WEB's newest source for robotics supplies and information
>
>
>
> SF robot meetings are at Noon on the first Saturday of the month at SFSU's
Science bldg - 1600 Holloway, room SCI 256.
> http://www.robotics-society.org
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

Here is a shortened URL for the Lego/Dacta Motorized Simple Machines set.
Thanx.

http://tinyurl.com/f47y

I'm trying to find someone who has used this set to get comments regarding
usefulness and target age groups.

-- Al

-----Original Message-----
From: Chad Cunha [mailto:cunha94306@...]
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 7:08 AM
To: sfrsa@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [rsa] Lego/Dacta Motorized Simple Machines


fyi - I got an error when hitting the supplied url.

Chad
--- Al Margolis <al@...> wrote:
> Has anyone seen or used this kit?
>
>
http://www.pldstore.com/pld/catalog.cfm?dest=itempg&itemid=931&secid=16&link
on=subsection&linkid=202
>
> What do you think of it?  What age groups would find
> it interesting /
> educational?
>
>
> -- Al Margolis, founder
> www.hobbyengineering.com
> The WEB's newest source for robotics supplies and
> information
>
>


__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
http://sbc.yahoo.com



SF robot meetings are at Noon on the first Saturday of the month at SFSU's
Science bldg - 1600 Holloway, room SCI 256.
http://www.robotics-society.org

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/