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Vol. 4 No. 2
SERVO MAGAZINE
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Motor Size:
Motor Supply:
Pulse Input:
Modes:
Fault Reset:
Indicators:
Fuse:
Cooling:
Terminals:
Weight:
Size:
Mounting:
Included:
Februar y 2006
February 2006
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SERVO
24 Hack a Laser Pointer
Features & Projects
by Jim Miller
42 The Robosapien V2:
Get on and off control for your Bigger and Better
laser pointer. by Jamie Samans
Meet RSV1s big brother.
27 Intermediate Robots
by Dave Shinsel 47 Using Interrupts to
Building a Laptop- or PDA-based
Robot Part 2.
Control Servos
by Sam Christy
Stop what youre doing and start
33 Serial Communication
interrupting!
Coming 03.2006
RISCBOT
SERVO Magazine (ISSN 1546-0592/CDN Pub Agree#40702530) is published monthly for $24.95 per year by T & L Publications, Inc.,
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4 SERVO 02.2006
TOCFeb06.qxd 1/12/2006 7:20 PM Page 5
Departments Columns
06 Mind/Iron 08 Robotics Resources by Gordon McComb
Exploring Robotics Construction Sets
07 Bio-Feedback 12 GeerHead by David Geer
A Fearsome Foursome of Recon Flyers
23 New Products
15 Rubberbands and Bailing Wire
by Jack Buffington
40 Brain Matrix Inverse Kinematics
ON THE COVER
64 2005 Robot Soccer
Championships
by Dave Calkins
Part 1 RoboCup Osaka
SERVO 02.2006 5
Mind-FeedFeb06.qxd 1/12/2006 2:22 PM Page 6
Published Monthly By
T & L Publications, Inc.
430 Princeland Court
Corona, CA 92879-1300
(951) 371-8497
FAX (951) 371-3052
6 SERVO 02.2006
Mind-FeedFeb06.qxd 1/12/2006 2:23 PM Page 7
accessories are available. Things like impressed, you decide to place the level microcontrollers, and computer
light sensors, servos, wheels, and even results of your project up on the forum interfaces are making it easy to get
complete kits. You pick up a couple for the benefit of others and a whole involved in this leading edge hobby.
motors and head home. You initially new line of discussions begin. If you havent built any robot
complete your project but you decide Congratulations! You have just projects recently, pick up a magazine
to head back to the Shack and pick up completed the robotics circle of life. or browse the web. You will be
a couple of the VEX sonar range These are very exciting times in pleasantly surprised at what is
sensors. After some experimentation the robotics field. New things are available. We are living in a very
(and some community help), you get happening practically every day. And exciting time right now. Now, all you
your enhanced project complete. You online communities, readily-available have to do is get off that couch, shut
(and your son or daughter) are so robot components, inexpensive entry off the TV, and get started. SV
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SERIAL CONTROL ASCII OR BINARY PROTOCOL
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Solutions 3.6 x 2.4 $75/UNIT
SOLUTIONS CUBED PHONE 530-891-8045 WWW.MOTION-MIND.COM
SERVO 02.2006 7
RoboResources.qxd 1/10/2006 12:55 PM Page 8
Exploring Robotics
Construction Sets
of custom design work. Extruded alu- todays Meccano sets are only passably ics. For example, their now discontinued
minum is composed of bars (and other compatible with the English-made Battle Bloks kits used a six-wheel all ter-
shapes) of aluminum; the extrusion Meccano sets sold decades ago. Hole rain design, along with dual motors.
process creates small grooves in the alu- spacing and sizes have varied over the You can make your MEGA BLOKS con-
minum to which you can attach various years, and mixing and matching is structions more permanent with a tab
connectors and other construction not practical, or desirable. of modelers styrene solvent cement.
pieces. You merely cut the aluminum
bars to length, then fasten them togeth- LEGO Capsela
er with the available connector pieces. LEGO has become the premier Capsela is a popular snap-together
80/20, Inc., is not the only compa- construction toy, for both children and motorized parts kit that uses unusual
ny that offers extruded aluminum, but adults. Apart from the ever-popular tube and sphere shapes. Capsela kits
they are among the most popular. You Robotics Invention System set which come in different sizes and have one or
can find the stuff at many industrial is expressly designed to build a robot more gear motors that can be attached
parts outlets, such as Reid Tool & you can use LEGO pieces to construct to various components. The kits con-
Supply, or even locally. whole robots, or parts of robots. The tain unique parts that other put-togeth-
parts snap together, but for more per- er toys dont, such as plastic chain and
Ye Olde Standbys manent creations, you can use a dollop chain sprockets/gears. Advanced kits
of ABS solvent cement. come with remote control and comput-
Heres a quick rundown of the er circuits. All the parts from the
more popular toy construction sets, all MEGA BLOKS various kits are interchangeable.
of which make for a rich source of parts. The MEGA BLOKS toys use a similar
design to LEGO, and the construction Fischertechnik
Erector pieces are more-or-less LEGO compati- The Fischertechnik kits are in
Erector has been around for ble. One use of MEGA BLOKS is as a Germany and imported into North
almost a century. The kits were made low-cost alternative for some basic America by a small number of compa-
of all-metal, but now contain a number LEGO pieces, but for the robot builder, nies. Toy isnt the proper term for
of plastic pieces. The sets come in vari- youll be interested in some of their spe- them, because the Fischertechnik kits
ous sizes, and are generally designed cialty products that come along every are not designed for use by small chil-
to build a number of different projects. once in a while; these are often highly dren. In fact, many of the kits are meant
Many kits are engineered for a specific suited to the purpose of amateur robot- for junior high school through college
design with perhaps, provisions for
moderate variations. Useful compo- FIGURE 1. Aluminum extrusions from 80/20, Inc., may be used
nents of the kits include pre-punched to construct large, sturdy robots.
metal girders, plastic and metal plates,
tires, wheels, shafts, and plastic mount-
ing panels. You can use any as you see
fit, assembling your robots with the
hardware supplied with the kit, or with
6-32 or 8-32 nuts and bolts.
Several Erector sets come with
wheels, construction beams, and other
assorted parts that you can use to con-
struct a robot base. Motors are typical-
ly not included in these kits, but you
can readily supply your own. Because
Erector packages regularly come and
go, what follows is a general guide to
building a robot base. Youll need to
adapt and reconfigure based on the
Erector parts you have on hand.
Over the years, the Erector brand
has gone through many owners. Parts
from old Erector sets are unlikely to fit
well with new parts, including but not
limited to differences in the threads
used for the nuts and bolts. Similarly,
SERVO 02.2006 9
RoboResources.qxd 1/10/2006 12:56 PM Page 10
KNex
KNex uses unusual half-round
plastic spokes and connector rods to
build things of all descriptions. You can
construct a robot with just KNex parts,
or use the parts in a larger, mixed-
component robot. The base of a
walking robot may be made from a
thin sheet of aluminum, but the legs
might be constructed from various
KNex pieces, for example.
A number of KNex kits are avail-
able, from simple starter sets to rather
massive special-purpose collections
(many of which are designed to build
robots, dinosaurs, or robot-dinosaurs).
Several of the kits come with small
gear motors so you can motorize your
creation. The motors are also available
separately.
FIGURE 2. Lynxmotions line of Servo Erector Set brackets and other parts
allow you to make servo-based contraptions of your own design. Sources for Robot
industrial engineering students, and Fischertechnik kits, you may not want to
Construction Sets
offer a snap-together approach to mak- cannibalize them for robot components. 80/20, Inc.
ing working electromagnetic, hydraulic, But if you are interested in learning www.8020inc.net
pneumatic, static, and robotic mecha- more about mechanical theory and Aluminum extrusions and connec-
nisms. Because of the cost of the design, the Fischertechnik kits used as-is tion parts for industrial-strength
constructions. Useful for larger robots.
FIGURE 3. Hobby Engineering offers a rich assortment of Erector set kits. Check the site for local retailers.
Amazon.com
www.amazon.com
Best-known as a book seller,
Amazon also sells toys through affilia-
tions with Toys R Us and Imaginarium.
The latter specializes in unique educa-
tional products.
Construction Toys
www.constructiontoys.com
Online and local retailer of con-
struction toys. These toys are available
both online and in retail stores:
Capsela; Eitech; Erector; Fischertechnik;
Geofix; Geomag; KNEX; LEGO Dacta;
Rogers Connection; Rhomblocks;
Rokenbok; Zome System.
e-Hobbyland
e-hobbyland.com
Well-established retail and online
seller of all types of toys.
10 SERVO 02.2006
RoboResources.qxd 1/10/2006 12:57 PM Page 11
Hobby Engineering
www.hobbyengineering.com
General source for robot parts, as
well as a lengthy list of Erector set kits
of all shapes and sizes.
KBtoys.com
www.kbtoys.com OR
www.etoys.com
Online mail order. Check often for
deep discounts on LEGO, KNEX, and
other brands.
LEGO Shop-at-Home
shop.lego.com
Online outlet for LEGO products,
including spare parts (when available).
Lynxmotion
www.lynxmotion.com
Lynxmotion offers complete robot
kits, as well as a unique Servo Erector
Set: a collection of brackets and other
parts for building custom robots using FIGURE 4. VEX Robotics uses Erector set concepts, updated for the
standard-size R/C servos. express purpose of building a desktop robot.
Target
www.target.com
Retail stores and online site. Both
offer great deals in clearance items.
Make it a habit of regularly checking
the website for clearance items.
SERVO 02.2006 11
Geerhead.qxd 1/10/2006 10:19 AM Page 12
A Fearsome Foursome
of Recon Flyers
aul Y. Oh professor at Drexel I noted that: can hardly make muster if their exploits
P University, Philadelphia and director
of the Drexel University Autonomous Prior to 2001, the Senate issued
remind us of that ancient footage of the
first flight attempts from around the
Systems Lab (DASL) builds flying the Defense Authorization Bill for time of the Wright brothers and before.
robots together with his team of Unmanned Vehicles (UMVs); the Bill The primary obstacle to produc-
colleagues. Ohs field of robotics is included the following statement. It tion ready robots is improving their reli-
referred to as indoor aerial robotics. shall be the goal of the Armed Forces ability and autonomy. Not that it cant
These robotic crafts can fly low to to achieve the fielding of unmanned, or wont be done. At the DASL Lab, Oh
the ground in or around debris- or remotely controlled technology such and his colleagues are addressing gaps
obstacle-laden territory such as that ... by 2015, one third of the between the current state-of-the-art in
buildings, caves, forests, or tunnels. operational ground combat vehicles of reliability and autonomy for these bots
Obvious potential applications for the the armed forces are unmanned. and the standard that they must meet
military, Homeland Security, and public in just five years.
service needs include search and res- Congress is requiring a much faster Recent events like 9/11, Operation
cue operations, intelligence gathering, pace of adoption for unmanned aircraft: Enduring Freedom, and Katrina, have
and mapping out unexplored environ- made such focus even more urgent;
ments for safety concerns before Congress has mandated that by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have
people are deployed. the year 2010, one-third of all deep proven to be force multipliers that
Specific applications of the robots strike force aircraft are to be unmanned provide first responders with real-time
include security monitoring for venues, (2001 Defense Authorization data for tasks like search and rescue,
public places, and properties such Conference Bill H.R. 4205), says Oh. assessing structural integrity of build-
as warehouses, stadiums, subway ings, and mission support, says Oh.
tunnels, and train stations, as well as However we may feel about the The DASL lab would like to produce
any others you can imagine. war we are in today, I think most of us aerial robots that soldiers can carry in
can agree that if we end up in another their backpacks and deploy as needed.
Background one down the road or are still in this Several groups have developed
one by 2010, so many unmanned vehi- bird-sized aircraft called micro air vehicles
You may recall that in the Arctic cles amounts to the safety of troops (MAVs), says Oh. Some of these are
Tortoise GeerHead column a year ago, who would otherwise have to be in fixed wing craft (airplanes), some are
those vehicles. flapping wing craft (ornithopters yes,
Image of a CQAR unmanned vehicle thats a word), and some are rotary wing
with attached camera.
How Do We Get There? craft (helicopters). You can begin to see
the breadth of the research underway to
Todays military class flying robots get these bots up and flying by 2010.
But, most of these
Shows size of li-poly Shows size of toytronix UAVs arent suited to near-
battery powering the CQAR. motor used on CQAR. Earth, indoor flight where
technologies you would
like to use such as wireless
communications and GPS
tracking are impaired.
Effective indoor flyers
12 SERVO 02.2006
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GEERHEAD
GEERHEAD
RESOURCES
LEAP video
http://prism.mem.drexel.edu/projects/
kite/index.html
(some software plug-ins may be required
for viewing)
CQAR video
www.pages.drexel.edu/~weg22/CQAR.html
How to build your own CQAR
www.pages.drexel.edu/~weg22/CQAR.html
Year 1 of the competition focused on Blackhawk video
sensing (computer vision) and human-robot Drexel team members William Morgan www.pages.drexel.edu/~weg22/fwHoveri
interaction (teleoperation) and hence a (front) and Jason Collins (back) tuning ng/fixedWingHovering.html
simple and safe-to-fly platform (a blimp) the computer vision algorithms to
was used. Drexel team member Jason autonomously navigate the aerial robot. SELIA video
Collin inspects the robotic blimp. www.pages.drexel.edu/~jg39/Pages/Seni
for such vehicles dont stop the LEAP or%20Design/senior_design.htm
pack. It can hover and stare at whatever from doing its job. The Drexel Autonomous Systems Lab
it is surveilling. SELIA can ascend a Satellites can also acquire this homepage
building face and peer through windows intelligence but it takes longer to http://dasl.mem.drexel.edu
You will find information about the DASL
or openings for search and rescue, reprogram them to do a fly-by than it flying robots and upcoming demonstrations.
reconnaissance, or structural integrity takes to deploy a LEAP to get the same
assessment tasks, says Oh. information. Intro to Professor Paul Y. Oh
www.mem.drexel.edu/pauloh.html
The vehicles carbon-fiber shroud Other bird-sized flyers like the
protects its two rotors so that the vehi- CQAR are made entirely of fiberglass or
cle can survive minor collisions. Its tan- carbon fiber, adding unnecessary something called optic flow to deter-
dem rotor configuration is equivalent weight. As such, they must fly above mine object avoidance and landing.
to the tail rotor of a helicopter and acts 15 mph to stay aloft. Utilizing Optic flow can be defined as the
to counter the motor torque, says Oh. lightweight materials such as Mylar, motion of texture in the field-of-vision
The rotors provide the lift necessary to balsawood, and carbon fiber tubes, the relative to the insects flying velocity.
carry a 15-gram wireless camera in CQAR prototype is capable of speeds Closer objects have higher optic flow.
addition to its own weight. well below this, says Oh. So, the honeybee avoids areas of high
optic flow. The honeybee also lands
No One Can Compare The Robotic Foursome using optic flow because the optic flow
of the ground stays constant.
So, how do these cheap, slight, The LEAP robot is teleoperated. It With an optic flow sensor and
and dispensable flying robots stack up can do its job from a distance. This lit- these flight stratagems embedded
against the big boys? While helicopters tle spy can provide its human operator onto the onboard control system, the
can retrieve similar intelligence data as with live video streams. An operator CQAR robot was able to demonstrate
the LEAP robot, the natural disasters can work with the robots camera to autonomous collision avoidance and
and terrorist attacks that cripple roads, capture a specific image from among landing. To the best of our knowledge,
bridges, and runways denying access the cameras field-of-view. these were the first optic flow based
CQAR uses sensing that mirrors autonomous maneuvers performed
Recreation of image taken by that of honeybees. Honeybees use indoors, says Oh.
camera on CQAR. The Blackhawk can hover with
This is a 27-gram, 19-inch wingspan the help of an operator who must
aircraft that can fly as slowly as 4 mph constantly work the four channels of
and carry a 15-gram wireless camera.
It demonstrates that aircraft can be the radio transmitter. However, retro-
designed to fly in closed quarters. fitting Blackhawk with a sensor that
detects the aircrafts attitude, we were
able to develop an onboard controller
to automate the hovering flight mode.
To the best of our knowledge, this is
the first autonomous hovering of a
fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle
ever performed, says Oh. SV
14 SERVO 02.2006
Rubberbands.qxd 1/11/2006 6:05 PM Page 15
by Jack Buffington
Inverse Kinematics
How to Put Your Robots Foot in
Its Mouth (With Precision)
Figure 5. Code to figure out how to position the knee and hip for a leg.
kneeAngle1 = asin(kneeX/length1);
kneeAngle2 = asin((goalLength kneeX)/length2);
kneeAngle = kneeAngle1 + kneeAngle2;
hipOffsetAngle = 180 - kneeAngle;
16 SERVO 02.2006
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lating inverse kinematics works is that once again you will fig- lookup table that takes
ure out the goal length for the chain. This method takes into the active joints angle
account a default angle for each of the joints. Figure 7 shows and returns length of
how a chain will stretch using this method. If the goal length is the chain to help you
greater than the default length from the root to the end effec- figure out the proper
tor, then the angles of the chain will become more obtuse. If angle to drive the
the goal length is less than the default length from the root to active joint to.
the end effector, then the joint angles will become more acute. Legs and arms are
Lets look at the situation where the angles need to something of a holy
become more obtuse. Each joint will move proportionally grail for robotics. Most
from its default angle to being perfectly straight. If a joint is hobby robots dont
far from straight in its default position, then it will move a lot stray too far from
as the chain is stretched. If the angle is acute, it will not move being two-wheeled
very much when the chain is stretched. Take a look at Figure robots that do little
8 to see how this works. more than drive
Figure 6. The angle to add to the hip
You will use a binary search technique to adjust the joint around and avoid offset angle to place the foot in the
angles until the chain length is within a certain tolerance or things. If you are look- proper location.
a certain number of iterations have occurred. After each time ing to take your next
the joints are adjusted, your program will figure out what the project to a whole new
length from the root to the end effector is at that point and level, consider putting
compare it to the goal length. Once a satisfactory arrange- some legs on it.
ment of the joints is found, then the root joint will receive an Hopefully, this months
offset to move the end effector into the desired location just column has given you
like we did with the IK code for two joints. a new understanding
of how you can get Figure 7. A chain of three joints
Wrap Up started. SV being stretched out.
SERVO 02.2006 17
Robytes.qxd 1/10/2006 11:18 AM Page 18
re you an avid Internet surfer plane parallel to the motion surface. No receive objects such as trays and other
A who came across something
cool that we all need to see? Are
right-angle gearboxes are required. The
connection between the two axles can
items. Furthermore, by using the force
(kinesthetic) sensor, ASIMO can hold
you on an interesting R&D group be accomplished by simple linkages. your hand and walk in sync with you.
and want to share what youre Although the weight/gravity config- The previous version could move at
developing? Then send me an uration provides drive power in this ver- only 3 km/hr, but this one can double
email! To submit related press sion, the company already foresees ver- that. It can also run in a circular pattern
sions that employ aerodynamic, hydrody- without tipping over, as the bots
releases and news items, please
namic, magnetic, electromagnetic, and center of gravity can be tilted toward
visit www.jkeckert.com
electrostatic forces. Being independent the center of the circle. The new
Jeff Eckert of the cars mass, these approaches ASIMO will begin operating in Hondas
could provide faster and more powerful Wako office building this spring and
devices, and the motor could be elimi- eventually will be available for lease.
Locomotion on Square nated in some cases. Reportedly, Global
Wheels Composites has already had discussions
with several companies who are interest-
ed in licensing the concept.
Robotic Mop
You probably never expected to see Just when you got used to the
Hondas upgraded ASIMO features
a practical vehicle that employs square a range of new functions. Photo Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner
wheels, but a patent-pending prototype courtesy of Honda Motor Co. concept, iRobot Corp. (www.irobot.
seems to have potential for robotics, com) has followed it up with the Scooba
micro machines, toys, and so forth. The In December, Honda unveiled a floor washing robot. It simultaneously
brainchild of Jason Winckler, of Global new version of its ASIMO humanoid preps, washes, scrubs, and dries hard
Composites, Inc. (www.globalcom robot with enhancements that allow it floors automatically. Unlike a convention-
posites.net), it basically uses gravity for to better interact with people, allow- al mop that ends up using dirty water
propulsion. The wheels are mechanically ing it to act as a receptionist, guide, or from a bucket, Scooba uses only fresh
connected, with their rotational orienta- delivery boy. This has been achieved by water and cleaning solution, sucking up
tion offset from each other by 22.5 providing him with the ability to recog- the dirty water as it goes, and one tank
(one fourth of the 90 of movement nize the surrounding environment will clean about 200 sq ft in four passes.
from one flat side to the next). A motor through visual sensors, a floor surface The thing can also suck up wet spills in
rotates a weight above the vehicle and sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and the addition to removing normal floor dirt,
the weight shift sequentially drives each IC Tele-interaction Communication and it is said to be safe for all sealed,
wheel so that the device moves ahead. Card, which is held by the person hard surfaces, including wood and tile.
Reversing the rotational direction also with whom ASIMO will interact. Scooba will be available at retail
reverses the vehicles direction of travel. With this card, ASIMO can recog- outlets soon, perhaps by the time you
According to a company represen- nize the location and identity of any read this. Its priced at $399.99, and a
tative, For use in micro machines or person in a 360-degree range. Through five-pack of cleaning fluid (specially
MEMS applications, one of the key the coordinated use of its eye camera in formulated by Clorox) will set you
benefits is that the motor and gearing the head and the force (kinesthetic) sen- back $25. A range of accessories are
moving the shifting weight is all in a sor on its wrists, ASIMO can give and available, including an infrared virtual
18 SERVO 02.2006
Robytes.qxd 1/10/2006 11:18 AM Page 19
Robytes Industrial
wall that allows you to control what
Strength
areas will be mopped.
Motor Control
Not Available at Red Lobster
for All
Prof. Andrew Ng has developed
improved depth-estimation algorithms.
Photo courtesy of Stanford University.
Tap into the sum of all human knowledge and get your questions answered here!
From software algorithms to material selection, Mr. Roboto strives to meet you
where you are and what more would you expect from a complex service droid?
by
Pete Miles
Figure 3. Holes drilled and perimeter hand Figure 4. Finished part with the Figure 5. Lynxmotion mounting hub,
cut to the lines on the glued template. template removed. HUB-7, with mounting hardware.
took less than 20 minutes to print the several different types of mounting larger in diameter for a #4 screw.
full scale drawing and cut out the part. hubs that will work for many different The second method uses a #5-40
types of wheels. The Robot Store screw as a secondary axle for mounting
(www.robotstore.com) and Robot the wheel to the hub. A #5-40 screw is
Figure 6. Bolting the Lynxmotion Figure 7. Exploded view showing how to Figure 8. Completed assembly
mounting hub to the side of the wheel. assemble the Lynxmotion mounting hub to process (less foam tire).
a foam wheel mount and motor.
SERVO 02.2006 21
MrRoboto.qxd 1/11/2006 1:45 PM Page 22
Energy Density
Battery Type Rechargeable Cell Voltage
Whr/kg
Lead Acid Yes 40 2
NiCd Yes 60 1.25
Rechargeable Alkaline Yes 80 1.5
NiMH Yes 90 1.25
Lithium-Polymer Yes 120 3.6
Alkaline No 130 1.5
Lithium-Ion Yes 140 3.6
Lithium No 300 3
Figure 9. Hub mounted to a foam wheel.
Table 1. Common Battery Technology Energy Densities.
est energy densities. Higher energy
wheel. The screw will prevent the wheel of batteries are different for different density doesnt necessarily mean they
from spinning relative to the hub. types of chemistries. Also, for a specific will be the best battery for your needs.
chemistry, the energy density can have Generally, lithium-based batteries are
a fairly large range of variations smaller in size, and have a lower
Stanley Gracey
depending on the physical size of the
battery housing, and manufacturing
methods. Table 1 shows a list of some
of the more common types of batteries
that we are exposed to on a day-to-day
overall energy capacity than the larger
lead acid, NiCd, and NiMH batteries.
Lithium batteries are the most expen-
sive batteries on a pound per pound
basis. If small, lightweight batteries are
22 SERVO 02.2006
Feb06NewProducts.qxd 1/12/2006 2:27 PM Page 23
New Products
N E W P RO D U C T S
Ethernet connectivity and TCP/IP communication provide a
ACCESSORIES great deal of flexibility, allowing the ETH32 to be located
a long distance away from the PC, if so desired.
Smart/Fast Programmable The ETH32 includes a variety of useful features
for data acquisition, monitoring, and control purposes. It
NiCd/NiMH Charger includes a total of 34 I/O lines, some of which can be
W
which
inford Engineering has just released the ETH32, a
general-purpose I/O device
communi-
cates over Ethernet. Show Us What Youve Got!
This device is ideal- Is your product innovative, less expensive, more functional,
ly suited for remote or just plain cool? If you have a new product that you
data acquisition or would like us to run in our New Products section, please
device control; all email a short description (300-500 words) and a photo of
that is needed is a your product to:
connection to an
newproducts@servomagazine.com
Ethernet network. The
SERVO 02.2006 23
Miller.qxd 1/11/2006 11:40 AM Page 24
Hacking a
LASER O ne day I decided I
wanted on and off
POINTER
by Jim Miller
control of a laser pointer.
The pointers are very easy
to mount on a servo,
theyre light, and great for
sighting. I poked around
for a cheap key chain laser
for several weeks. I finally
found one for about six
bucks at 7/11. It would
have to do and was about
as cheap as I had seen
anywhere else. Going to
work, I immediately pulled
the batteries out; 3 x 1.5V =
4.5VDC, so five should
probably be okay, right?
24 SERVO 02.2006
Miller.qxd 1/11/2006 11:41 AM Page 25
SERVO 02.2006 25
Miller.qxd 1/11/2006 11:42 AM Page 26
the wires to protect them from any wire through the hole drilled earlier pushed, the ends of the wires now
sharp edges on the wire hole. and pull the insulator wire fairly tight. It need to be connected to a relay or
should look something like this. other dry contact switch to activate the
Step 7: Put it all together. String the laser. In general, remember the entire
insulator wire, heat shrink, and the cap Step 8: Reassemble the laser pointer. case of the laser pointer is electrically
Screw the battery cap complete with active. If you use a metal mounting you
PHOTO 9. Case wire. insulator and wires back down into will need to be careful about your
the case and you are done with the wiring of the relay.
construction (see Photo 10).
Step 10: Mount the laser on a servo. I
Step 9: Tape the button. Wrap a piece mounted the assembly on a long servo
of tape around the laser button to hold arm with a couple of screw-ready wire
it down. You could also use heat shrink ties (see Photo 11). I wanted access to
for this. With the button permanently the set screw on the servo arm without
cutting any ties. There are a zillion
PHOTO 11. Mounted and HOT! ways to do this part so be creative!
Let me know how it goes. You can
reach me at jim@cannibalrobot
ics.com SV
26 SERVO 02.2006
Shinsel2.qxd 1/10/2006 1:44 PM Page 27
[Part 2]
MEET THE BOTS
INTERMEDIATE HelmBot iPaq PDA Robot (left)
Seeker Laptop-based Robo-Magellan
Robot (below)
ROBOTS
Building a Laptop-
or PDA-Based Robot
I
n last months article, I described the hardware design of a laptop-based
robot. Now, lets get into the software. The first thing you should
consider is what do I want to be able to do with this software?
Software Requirements
The requirements for my design were:
Must communicate reliably with an embedded microcontroller.
Must have extensible behavior programming capabilities.
Must have an easily customizable User Interface, to aid in trou-
bleshooting (see Figure 1).
Must have wireless remote operation and the ability to
debug from another computer.
Should have a Path entry for following a complex course.
Should have Graphical mapping for navigation
debugging.
Should have a simulator, to allow testing some of the
algorithms without having to actually run the robot.
Notice that the last three items are should haves. I
could still have built a successful Robo-Magellan robot without these, but
they made developing a lot easier!
B Y D A V E S H I N S E L
High Level Design and the sensory data, FIGURE 1. Seeker Command GUI
determines the appropri-
Refer to Figure 2. The design is ate action, and issues
built around a robot behavior and con- commands to send to
trol engine that performs the following: the PIC which are,
in turn, sent to the
1. Accepts user commands from either hardware.
a local or a remote User Interface.
4. Sends status and
2. Processes sensory data passed to it debug information back
from the PIC microcontroller or other to the User Interface, to
inputs (such as a video camera). aid in navigation (in the
case of remote control)
3. Based upon the requested behavior and debug.
SERVO 02.2006 27
Shinsel2.qxd 1/10/2006 1:45 PM Page 28
INTERMEDIATE ROBOTS
Control Modules
The control engine fea-
tures a pluggable architec-
ture. New modules may be
fairly easily inserted into the
control engine, and the
control thread will send
commands and sensor data
to the new module. I found
the pluggable architecture
so useful that I even used it
for two processing modules
FIGURE 2. Robot Control High-level Overview that take care of non-
behavioral tasks; the Sensor
Control Engine to turn right. Since the Object Fusion and System modules.
Avoidance Module has priority over The highest priority module is the
Refer to Figure 3. All user com- the Navigation Module, the arbitrator Sensor Fusion Module. This module
mands and sensory data are fed into will allow only the turn left command pre-processes data that is then fed to
the control engine. This engine uses a to get through. all the other modules. It scales sensor
modified subsumption architecture, There are times, however, when it data from raw values to a standard
first proposed by Rodney Brooks at might be desirable for a lower priority unit (inches), combines inputs to
MIT. This behavioral programming module to suppress commands from calculate interesting data (such as the
model is frequently used in robots. a higher priority module. For example, nearest threat), and updates the
The basic idea is this: Sensory and in the Robo-Magellan contest, robots robots location on its internal map.
command data is sent to all modules must actually touch cones on the The System Module mostly tracks
and each module makes its own course to get extra points. With no the health of the PIC microcontroller. It
decisions on what the output to the way to suppress the behavior, the posts error messages from the PIC,
motors or other devices should be. Object Avoidance Module would reports the PIC version info, and sends
Modules are assigned relative priority, always cause the robot to swerve snapshots of sensory data to the
and an arbitrator blocks commands away from the cone! So, when the User Interface for debug purposes.
from lower-priority modules. Navigation Module has locked on to a The Collision Module is the
Lets try an example. Say the cone and is heading towards it, it will highest priority behavior module. The
Object Avoidance Module sends a suppress the Object Avoidance and Collision Module monitors sensor data
command to turn left while the Collision modules until the cone is for range values that fall below specif-
Navigation Module sends a command reached. ic thresholds. Examples of this are IR
sensors reporting an object less than
FIGURE 3. Robot Control Engine four inches away, or bumper switches
being pressed. Upon triggering, the
Collision Modules internal state
machine takes over control of the
motors and steering. It will retain con-
trol until it has completed a sequence
of steps which attempt to clear the
robot from the obstruction. Once the
behavior has completed, control is
returned to other modules.
The next highest priority is given to
the Object Avoidance Module. It is
interesting to note that this module
receives exactly the same sensor data as
the Collision Module, but acts different-
ly upon the data it receives. The Object
Avoidance Module keeps moving the
robot forward, but will attempt to steer
the robot around objects in its path.
28 SERVO 02.2006
Shinsel2.qxd 1/10/2006 1:46 PM Page 29
Navigation
There are many types of naviga-
SERVO 02.2006 29
Shinsel2.qxd 1/10/2006 1:47 PM Page 30
INTERMEDIATE ROBOTS
Connecting it
All Together
Refer to Figure 6.
30 SERVO 02.2006
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SERVO 02.2006 31
Shinsel2.qxd 1/10/2006 1:51 PM Page 32
INTERMEDIATE ROBOTS
server versions are built from the be sent. Currently, Microsoft is available for download from the
same source, eliminating the need to Netmeeting is used to handle the SERVO website, so you can get a
maintain two separate projects. audio and video, but other mecha- good feel for the robots capabilities.
Figure 7 shows how the Client nisms can be used, as well. The source code to all of the
(remote PC) and the Server (the For detailed debugging (stepping software discussed in this article is
laptop on the robot) communicate. through code), I often use the available from my website at
Standard Windows WinSock is used Microsoft Remote Desktop. This is a www.shinsel.com/robots
to create sockets on both machines, great feature of Windows XP that To compile the software without
and threads are created to read and allows you to take control of a com- modification, you will need Microsoft
write to the opposite machines sock- puter from a remote location. Visual C 6.0 (MSVC6). I believe you
et. When a remote (client) is connect- However, its not very good during can also use Microsoft .Net, but I have
ed to the robot, all the status and actual robot operation, because the not tried it yet. And, of course, since
debug information is sent to the overhead can slow the robot respons- it is source code, you can convert to
client, and all commands from the es down too much. During robot Linux, or whatever you want!
Client UI are sent to the robot. operation, I rely more on the remote
For remote control and remote log information that I receive on the Next Month
presence, audio and video can also client to understand what the robot is
doing, and why. In Part 3 of this series, I will go
ABOUT THE AUTHOR into detail about the PIC microcon-
Dave Shinsel has been a hardware and Conclusion troller software, how the Laptop and
software engineer for a number of companies PIC communicate, GPS, and color
including Hughes Aircraft, Epson Printers, Hopefully, this article has provid- tracking with a USB camera. Until
Mentor Graphics, and for the last 12 years, ed you with a good overview of the then, the thought for this month is:
Intel Corporation. At Intel, Dave manages a design approach I have taken for my Real programmers dont use com-
software engineering team for the Consumer robots. As mentioned earlier, a binary ments. If the code was hard to write,
Electronics Group in Portland, OR.
version of the Robot Control Software it should be hard to understand. SV
32 SERVO 02.2006
Kafig.qxd 1/11/2006 11:51 AM Page 33
Serial Communication
Without A Serial Port
Bit Banging Fundamentals
b y P a u l K a f i g In the January 2005 issue of
SERVO, Jack Buffington shared
a well-wwritten and informative
S TILL, THE PROBLEM MANY OF US
FACE IS THAT OUR PROCESSORS
ONLY HAVE ONE SERIAL PORT, AND
data, it idles in the high state. To com-
municate, the processor initially brings
the line low (the start bit), sends each
article that instructed the
reader how to connect an LCD
display (which uses the popular
WE NEED THAT FOR DIAGNOSTICS. bit (least significant bit first), and then HD44780 driver) to a proces-
Or worse yet, our processors dont brings the line high once more (the sor. While this display has
have any serial ports. The solution stop bit). Since there is no clock sig- features above and beyond
here is to use a technique known as nal, the timing of these bits is critical. simple text display (which Mr.
bit banging. How much time elapses between Buffington mentions in his arti-
Bit banging provides a useful way each bit transition is what determines cle), I couldnt help thinking
for your processor to communicate the baud rate. Our goal here is to wig- that there are simpler, faster
serially with the outside world gle the logic level of a processors gen- methods to attach an LCD to a
without having the need for a serial eral purpose I/O pin in such a way as
processor or robot. The most
obvious solution is to use a
port. This article will cover the theory to mimic the operation of a serial serial connection to a serial
behind bit banging and also demon- ports output. This is what bit banging LCD (as opposed to the parallel
strate an example by sending a string is all about. For more detailed connection of the HD44780).
of characters to the serial port of a information about serial communica- This would not only be easier,
PC, which can be seen by a terminal tions and the RS-232 protocol, type but also use fewer pins (one pin
program such as Hyperterminal or RS-232 tutorial into any Internet for serial output versus at
Procomm. search engine and you will find an least eight for parallel output;
The PIC16F84 is the processor of abundance of information. one could always hardwire the
choice in this project along with the control lines to Vcc or GND).
C programming language. If you pur- Procedure Figure 1
chased a PICSTART Plus development
kit (the one typically used by PIC hob- In this project, were
byists), you received a programmer, going to build a test fix-
PIC16F84 processor, and the PICC ture to send out a serial
LITE C compiler specifically for this string at 1200 baud.
processor. This development kit is Well follow a three step
available from Microchip Technology process:
(www.microchip.com) as part num-
ber DV003001. If you have a different Determine the length Figure 2
kind of processor, dont worry. The of each bit in the byte.
concepts presented in this article can Build the hardware
be implemented in many different (text fixture).
ways. More on this later. Write the software.
SERVO 02.2006 35
Kafig.qxd 1/11/2006 11:53 AM Page 36
M
any readers of SERVO know about the FIRST challenge from last year, except it was scaled down. Each
competition that is held every year. There have team has a human player that must throw wiffle balls into
traditionally been two different divisions the a mobile goal or a stationary goal. The robot must herd
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) and the FIRST Robotics balls to the human player in order for the human to throw
Competition (FRC). The FLL is designed for middle school- them into the goal. There is also a large rubber ball that
ers and FRC for high schoolers. The problem is that it is a caps the mobile goal at the beginning of every round. If
huge leap from one group to the other. The FRC robots can the robot can remove that ball, then replace it after balls
be eight feet tall or more when
fully extended, weigh well over
100 pounds, and cost several thou-
sands of dollars to build. So, this
year FIRST decided to try some-
thing new: the VEX challenge.
For this challenge, partici-
pants received four VEX kits
that each consisted of a radio
transmitter and receiver, three
motors, one servo, eight wheels,
assorted gears, a microcontroller,
and more nuts, bolts, and metal
mechanical parts than you could
count. These VEX kits are now
available at local RadioShack
stores and were initially
developed for FIRST. I was lucky
enough to find out about the
challenge and was selected to
participate as a mentor for my 15-
year-old son and his two friends
who made up VEX Challenge
team #8. Match in progress.
The Challenge are in the goal, then the score is doubled. There is also a
large bonus if the robot can hang from a chin-up type bar
Like FRC and FLL, we had no idea what the challenge in the middle of the arena.
would be or what would be in the kit before the kickoff Figure 1 shows the arena before a match starts.
day. Everyone receives the same information on the same There are two teams on the red end and two teams on
day so that no one has a time advantage. The challenge the blue end. The teams are randomly selected and must
this year was almost exactly the same as the FRC work together. Your ally in one round may be your
SERVO 02.2006 37
Davis.qxd 1/12/2006 4:15 PM Page 38
Figure 1. Arena ready to go. Figure 2. Squarebot. Figure 3a. Claw gear closeup.
competition in another. With each how to wire up sensors to the micro- better view of how the motors are
round, the teams change so the controller. By the end of the first night, mounted.
strategy changes depending on the the team had Squarebot running Once the claw was assembled, we
capabilities of each robot. Some teams around under radio control. It was built a frame to hold it up off the floor
had simple bots that only corralled equipped with bump sensors that dis- to test it. Figure 4 shows the claw
balls, some had arms for picking up the abled it for a few seconds if either one successfully lifting the rubber ball into
large rubber balls, and some had arms was hit. It was designed as a soccer the air. If you look closely, you will see
for hanging from the central bar. playing bot, but the boys just used it an extra gear in the lifting mechanism
for fun. Figure 2 shows the completed between Figures 3 and 4. On our first
Building the Robot Squarebot. lifting test, the motors were not
Team #8 now had a good idea on strong enough to lift the ball, so we
The kit for the challenge included how the motors and radio worked and added a second stage. Each stage
four complete VEX starter kits. We were ready to start building. We first reduces the gear ratio by 5 to 1, so the
were only allowed to use the total tackled the claw that would pick up the total reduction is 25 to 1. With this
number of parts from three kits, so ball from the ground and place it on configuration, we had plenty of power
we had an entire kit as a spare. After top of a 15-inch goal. We used a motor to lift the ball.
looking at what we had to work with, and a few gears to build a mechanism So now we had a working lifter
we decided to start out trying to build that would open and close two long and just needed to make it mobile. The
a bot that could pick up the large arms. After that, we added a frame team spent a couple nights building a
rubber ball from the ground or from around that portion and two motors four-wheel drive unit and bolting it
the mobile goal, and put it back on that could tilt the arm up and down. onto the claw.
the mobile goal. When that was The long arm needed lots of torque to When we tried to pick up a ball
completed, the plan was to start work lift the ball, so we used two motors with the new bot, it promptly tilted
on the bar-hanging mechanism. on opposite sides of the frame. An over on its face. A couple wheelie
The first night the team got interesting aspect of the VEX controller bars in the front of the robot fixed this
together, they started going through is that you can plug in motors in problem and also served as a nice ball
the manual included with the kit. It different configurations so that they corral. Figure 5 shows the completed
stepped them through building a work together, such as in two motors robot ready to go.
simple robot called Squarebot. It on one side for four-wheel drive, or so
explained how to use the motors and that they spin in opposite directions as Practice
gears to build a four wheel drive in our configuration. Figure 3a shows a
geartrain, how to use the radio, and close-up of the gears and 3b shows a The first day the kits came out,
38 SERVO 02.2006
Davis.qxd 1/12/2006 4:17 PM Page 39
everyone knew about each others further problems. against the first alliance, which meant
team. I set up a Yahoo! group and the top two teams, both of which were
emailed all the local teams about it so The Competition undefeated.
that we could communicate and help The quarter finals were two out of
each other out. This turned out to be When we arrived at the Georgia three matches. We lost the first match
useful as one of the other teams Dome, we proceeded to the pits to set but came back to win the next two,
brought up the idea of having a up and start practicing. We started sending us to the semi-finals and
practice scrimmage a week before the looking around at all the other designs knocking out the undefeated teams!
competition. One of the teams secured and were amazed at how different During the semi-finals, one of our
a church gymnasium for us to use everyones robots were. There was a teammates stripped a gear, so we were
one Saturday afternoon. In order to day and a half of qualification rounds frantically looking around for someone
practice for the event, each team was followed by the finals on the afternoon that would lend us some spare parts. A
given the exact dimensions of every of the second day. There was a very girl from another team saw our distress
part of the arena so that replica parts large screen set up in the pits showing and quickly ran over to her teams sup-
could be made. Some people only everyones rankings as the day plies and gave us what we needed. It
made the goals while other people progressed. Our design used two wasnt until the next match started
built almost the entire arena. During transmitters and two receivers. This that we realized that she was from the
the scrimmage, everyone brought the allowed one person to drive, and the competition. I dont remember the
parts they had, so it allowed us to other to work the arm. team name, but VEX team #35 really
practice against each other and for During our first round, we had showed what gracious professional-
everyone to get a good idea of what placed the receiver crystals in the ism is all about.
the real thing would be like. Figure 6 wrong receivers so our bot looked like Our teammate had about two min-
shows our bot putting the rubber ball it was having a fit. Needless to say, we utes to rebuild his lifting mechanism
on top of the mobile goal. did horribly and lost the match. We with the new parts and was just able to
It was a good thing we were there noticed after that we were ranked 51 get it finished in time. We went on to
because we found a problem with our out of 52 teams. Luckily for us, there the semi-finals in four matches (one
design. While we had plenty of power were lots of qualification rounds. We was a tie) and made it to the finals. We
from the motors now, the inside of the did better after that and won a few ended up losing the finals in the third
gears were stripping out. The gears rounds and lost a few rounds. At one match to an alliance that included
have a square hole in the center that time, we made it up as far as 24. teams sponsored by RadioShack and
goes on a square shaft that also feeds We were happy just to make it into the NASA. If you are going to lose, thats a
into the motor. The square holes had top 50%. good team to lose to.
turned round under the stress of After all the qualification rounds Overall, it was a great experience.
picking up the ball with the long arms. were finished, the top eight teams RadioShack did a great job on the kits,
We thought about doubling up the picked their alliance partners for the giving us everything we needed to
gears, but that would mean a total final rounds. Each alliance consisted of complete the challenge, and FIRST did
redesign and rebuild of the robot. three teams. Of course, the first place an equally great job on organizing the
The kit includes small plastic team picked the second place team as event. The boys on our team learned a
bearings with metal inserts and square an alliance, along with one other team. lot about teamwork and engineering
holes that we had already used to Everyone thought they would be and had a blast in the process. Figure 7
mount the axle to the rotating part of unbeatable. Now out of choices, the shows our alliance and all three bots.
the arm. We took some new gears and eighth place team picked us to be in Figure 8 shows Team #8 once ranked
bolted these bearings to the gears their alliance. We were elated, until we 51 out of 52, but who made it all the
to strengthen them and did not have found out that we were matched up way to the second place alliance! SV
SERVO 02.2006 39
BrainMatrix.qxd 1/10/2006 10:17 AM Page 40
Pa
H
rt
ub
N
um
N
Im
am
ag
MANUFACTURER be
D
B
e
e
r
HUB STYLE MOUNTS
Universal Hub 6 mm Hub-02 A 6 mm 0.37 0.87 0.11
Robot Store Mounting Hub Black Nylon 386062 F 0.25 in. 0.64 1.18 0.08
www.robotstore.com
40 SERVO 02.2006
BrainMatrix.qxd 1/10/2006 10:17 AM Page 41
by Pete Miles
Upcoming topics include SBCs and H-bridges, sensors, kits, and actuators. If youre a manufacturer of one of these items, please
send your product information to: BrainMatrix@servomagazine.com Disclaimer: Pete Miles and the publishers strive to
present the most accurate data possible in this comparison chart. Neither is responsible for errors or omissions. In the spirit of
this information reference, we encourage readers to check with manufacturers for the latest product specs and pricing before
proceeding with a design. In addition, readers should not interpret the printing order as any form of preference; products may
be listed randomly or alphabetically by either company or product name.
Li
M
st
at
Pr
er
ic
ia
H
K
G
E
e
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F
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HUB STYLE MOUNTS
0.25 0.47 0.23 0.37 0.61 #5-40 Thread, four places #10-32 Thread Aluminum $8.00/pair
0.25 0.47 0.23 0.37 0.61 #5-40 Thread, four places #10-32 Thread Aluminum $8.00/pair
0.87 1.07 0.25 0.38 N/A #8-32 Threaded Center Tap #10-32 Thread Aluminum $10.00/pair
0.12 0.7 0.29 0.72 0.93 #4-40 Thread, four places #4-40 Thread Aluminum $17.49/ea
0.12 0.9 0.14 0.55 0.93 #4-40 Thread, four places #10-32 Thread Aluminum $5.79/ea
0.2 0.87 0.28 0.73 0.93 #5-40 Thread, four places #10-32 Thread Nylon $7.99/pair
I C B A H
G
D
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SERVO 02.2006 41
Samans.qxd 1/11/2006 11:29 AM Page 42
Figure 4
same room to your hearts content. stick controls the
The controller takes some getting head and upper
used to. At first I hated it, but with body. Using the
time I am learning how to use it to shift buttons allows
unleash the RSV2s full potential. I you to control the
recommend a cheat sheet (see robots arms indi-
Figure 4) until you get comfortable vidually and togeth-
with the controller setup. I feel that the er, to control just
controller is in no way as well laid out the RSV2s head, or
or as intuitive as RSV1s remote just its hips, and so
control, but what it lacks in elegance it on. It seems clumsy
more than makes up for in control. at first, but as I got
Consisting of two thumbstick used to the
style joysticks and 12 buttons, the con- controller, I discov-
troller is capable of sending a total of ered that it allows
136 different commands to the RSV2.
Figure 4. This is
Walking is controlled by the left thumb- Mark Tildens own
stick; upper body and arm movements personal cheat
are controlled by the right thumbstick. sheet for the RSV2.
SERVO 02.2006 43
Samans.qxd 1/11/2006 11:31 AM Page 44
Figures 5-7
7. RSV2 can stand back up from a laying down position.
for quite a bit of precision. For example, was one of RSV1s major shortcomings. it has fallen on its back (see Figures 5
the longer you hold the right thumb- Another area where RSV2 through 7), although, of course, this
stick to raise, say, the right arm, the improves upon RSV1 is in its walking works better on hard floors too. You
higher it will go. With PC control (or ability. RSV2 features four different can also make the RSV2 lie down on its
VERY nimble fingers), it is possible to gaits and depending on your floor back from a standing position, and from
have essentially centimeter precision. I surface does a much better job of there command it to sit up (see Figure
felt that the lack of precise movement walking in a straight line than the orig- 8). From a sitting position, you still have
inal Robosapien. I tested the RSV2 on a full control of its head and arms.
Figure 8. From a sitting position, RSV2s variety of floor surfaces in my house: What would a Robosapien be with-
head and arms are still controllable. hardwood floors, low shag carpet, out attitude? The RSV2 has the same
berber carpet, and concrete floors. bad manners, rowdy personality, and
RSV2 does best by far on hard sur- kung fu abilities as RSV1, although it is
faces. It will walk just fine on carpeted able to articulate things better due to the
surfaces, but it is significantly slower, fact that it is no longer burdened by the
and because RSV2 is a bit top heavy language barrier inherent in internation-
it tends to lose its balance more on al caveman speech. This can be either a
carpet and will fall over. Its almost like plus or a minus, depending on your
the springy padding under the carpet outlook. All of the old favorites are here,
throws off the resonance dynamics including an updated dancing demo,
required for it to do things like spin in and quite a few new ones, as well.
place and turn. One that is particularly notable is
However, one of RSV2s coolest Get your own drink entitled fetch
features is the ability to stand back up if in the manual. According to Mark
Tilden, the RSV2s hands were original-
Figure 9. RSV2 performs a karate chop on an unsuspecting RSV1. Look at the size difference! ly designed to carry and lift a full can or
bottle of your favorite beverage, but
this feature had to be removed due to
safety reasons. In the retail version,
RSV2 is able to lift and carry things up
to about five ounces. The hands do fine
carrying empty bottles and cans, so the
design was left in place.
At any rate, RSV2 has received a
significant upgrade in its abilities to
manipulate objects in its environment.
It can take objects from you, give them
back, pick them up from two different
heights, throw them, even push and
pull. I am not very good at it yet, but
with some practice I think that RSV2
will be capable of a fair amount of
precision. Speaking of precision, Mark
Tilden tells me that RSV2s karate
chops are designed to bonk RSV1
right on the noggin (see Figure 9).
44 SERVO 02.2006
Samans.qxd 1/11/2006 11:32 AM Page 45
Figure 11. RSV2s gauntlet touch sensor on the robots hand. Figure 12. Inside RSV2s chest cavity. Note the silver tendon
this is linked to the side-to-side movement of the head and
controls the opening and closing of the hand.
SERVO 02.2006 45
Samans.qxd 1/11/2006 11:32 AM Page 46
Figure 13. This photo shows we will see quite a few interesting
RSV2s driver board. It projects based on the RSV2.
would appear that the 44 For example, Mark Tilden told me
transistors make up 11
H-bridges to control the 11 that 56 MHz DSP doing all of the
main motors. RSV1 had a color-blob image processing has a USB
dedicated motor driver chip. port. Another interesting hack would
be to add a motor to each hand to
program mode and both optimize pick up speed and reliability
reactive programs (sonic (it currently uses a tendon system
and vision) each hold 20 based on head movement see Figure
steps. This is significant, 12). Additionally, since RSV2 uses IR, it
as the RSV2 has the should be easy enough to port over the
ability to use conditional new commands and use a PC or a PDA
subroutines just like the to control the robot.
RSV1. Meaning, you can These hacks will take time, but
program a 20-step rou- remember that it took almost six months
tine into the sonic sensor, before we started seeing some of the
and then fill all 20 steps better hacks for the RSV1. Another
of the master program obstacle to hacking the RSV2 could be
with your sonic program the complexity (see Figures 13 and 14).
routine, resulting in a 400 Although like RSV1, RSV2s boards are
step program! But it gets labeled reasonably well, and many of
even better. the connections are socketed, so this
You can fill the reac- may or may not be an issue. Time will
tive program modes with tell. The main obstacle I see to hacking
subroutines that you have the RSV2 is the cost. Its one thing to fry
stored in the main puppet a $69 RSV1; it is another thing altogeth-
Figure 14. This is the main circuit board which resides
underneath the driver board. The underside (not shown) mode program (press the er to accidentally fry a $250 robot.
contains two chips; both are covered in an epoxy blob x button on the remote
like the CPU for RSV1. to store a positional pro- Conclusion
gram as a single call). The
Like a lot of the new things with result of programming all of these sub- In many ways, RSV2 is very similar
the RSV2, puppet mode takes some routines simultaneously is 14 x 20 x 20 to its predecessor. From the diabolical
practice to perfect. Puppet mode has or a 5,600 step program. This is not packaging system used to keep the
three individual modes: main positional, mentioned in the manual, for the obvi- robot in place during shipping, to its
which holds 14 steps (though the ous reason that in executing a 5,600 attitude and bad manners, from the
manual says 12), and left and right posi- step program, the batteries (or the conditional programming logic to the
tional which hold five steps each and motors and/or motor drivers) would nicely labeled circuit boards, there is no
are activated by quickly pressing one of probably die before it was able to mistaking that RSV1 and RSV2 are
the foot or gauntlet sensors twice. complete it. The author strongly recom- related. Does RSV2 have some
Beyond this, programming the mends that you do not try this with drawbacks? Of course. I think that the
RSV2 is very similar to the RSV1, but your RSV2 ... but it is nice to know. cost, size, battery consumption, and
with more available steps. The main Think of it like the speedometer in your lack of any sort of connectivity hurts it.
car: mine goes up to 200 mph, but I To some, the similarity to RSV1 in the
About the Author would never drive the car that fast! sense that they are both programma-
ble remote control toys might also
Since winning SERVO Magazines Hackability seem like a negative.
Hack-A-Sapien contest in 2004, Jamie So is bigger really better? I think
Samans went on to write the Hackability of the RSV1 was one of that it is. I feel that the RSV2 is
Robosapien Companion: Tips, Tricks, its biggest draws. Over the past year a worthy successor to the RSV1.
and Hacks, published last summer by and a half we have seen basically four WowWee seems to have listened to a
Apress. Featuring a lengthy interview types of hacks to the RSV1: cosmetic, lot of the complaints with the RSV1
with Robosapiens creator, Mark Tilden, enhancement, brain replacement/ and remedied them with this release,
as well as exclusive development augmentation, and bolt-on peripherals. and they threw in some cool new fea-
photographs from Tildens own personal All four will be possible with the RSV2, tures, too. Like RSV1, it will take some
collection, the book looks at not only and with its vision system, color creativity and curiosity to transform
where you can go with your Robosapien, camera, improved sensors, and more RSV2 from toy into tool. But when has
but where Robosapien comes from.
precise movement capabilities, I think that ever been a bad thing? SV
46 SERVO 02.2006
Christy.qxd 1/11/2006 5:41 PM Page 47
f youve written
I code to control
servo motors, chances
are you have already
run up against a frustrat-
ing challenge: while youre
sending pulses to drive the
servo motors, you cant easily run
other processes on your controller.
This can limit your ability to do useful
things, such as checking sensor values,
performing computations, and controlling other output devices.
Yes, its possible to do these things between the pulses that you send to the servo motors,
but the results are often unsatisfying. If you attempt any complicated multitasking, your servos
may even stutter, instead of turning smoothly, and your robot may run more like an old jalopy
than a high-performance sports car.
SERVO 02.2006 47
Christy.qxd 1/11/2006 5:47 PM Page 48
The Basics
An interrupt is a change in The solution to this problem is sim- i.e., whenever it reaches its maximum
ple: interrupts. With interrupts in your value and resets to 0. For example, the
the flow of code execution that is
code, you can send a continuous series interrupt for an eight-bit timer is called
triggered by a microcontrollers
of precisely timed pulses to the servo whenever the timers value cycles from
internal hardware or by an external
motors, while running other processes 255 to 0. By pre-scaling the timer for
event, such as a change in a port at the same time. Interrupts have a your interrupt, you can control how
value. Timer overflows which reputation for being difficult to under- frequently the timers interrupt service
occur when an internal timer stand and debug, and this reputation is routine is called. At the instant the
reaches its maximum value are partly deserved. But with patience and timer overflows, another event occurs:
commonly used as interrupt triggers. a little practice, even novice program- a bit associated with the timer the
Since these timer-based interrupts mers can get up to speed and start timers interrupt flag is set to 1. The
occur at regular intervals, they are using interrupts to control their servos! flag can be used to confirm that the
ideal for servo motor control, timer has overflowed.
which requires very precise timing. Understanding Timers
When an interrupt is triggered, The Code
code execution is suspended, an Since you will be using timer-based
interrupt service routine is performed, interrupts to control your servos, it is This section provides step-by-step
and then code execution resumes essential that you understand how the instructions for writing C code to con-
at the interrupted point. Although microcontrollers internal timers work. trol a robot with two servo motors,
interrupt service routines can take The timers increase in value at a rate that using interrupts. Your code will vary
many forms, you can think of them is tied to the microcontrollers raw pro- slightly depending on the compiler and
as functions that are called auto- cessing speed. For example, if your chip you are using. All of the code
matically by the microcontroller. microcontroller executes one instruction shown in this article was developed
For the purpose of driving servo per microsecond, each of the chips using the on-line development environ-
motors, the interrupt service routine timers will increase in value by 1 every ment created by my company, Machine
is used to set certain microcontroller microsecond until it reaches its maxi- Science, Inc., for Microchips
mum value and resets to 0. In practice, PIC16F877 microcontroller. The under-
pins high or low, generating the
timers are often adjusted so that they lying compiler is the free demo version
pulse series needed for servo motor
increase in value at a slower rate a pro- of the Hi-Tech PICC Compiler. Figure 3
control.
cedure called pre-scaling. Pre-scaling by a shows the completed robot.
Typically, continuous rotation factor of 2 slows the timer by a factor of Because the code can be a little
servos are driven by a series of 2, pre-scaling by a factor of 4 slows the confusing, weve broken it down into
five-volt pulses, each lasting 1,000 timer by a factor of 4, and so on. five steps: 1) configuring the chip and
to 2,000 microseconds, with 20 A timers interrupt service routine declaring variables; 2) enabling the
milliseconds between the start of is called whenever the timer overflows, interrupts and setting up output pins;
each pulse. Figure 1 illustrates this
typical pulse series.The pin connected FIGURE 1. A typical servo motor pulse series.
to the servo goes high, stays high
for 1,000 to 2,000 microseconds, 5V
goes low, and then stays low until
the start of the next pulse.
Delay routines are often used 0V
to control the duration and frequency
of the servo pulses, resulting in 0 ms 20 ms 40 ms 60 ms
wasted processing time, as shown in
Figure 2. If you use delay routines FIGURE 2.The problem with using delay routines for servo control.
to control the pulse timing, you
have only intermittent opportunities 5V
to run other processes, and if these
other processes take more than a
few milliseconds to complete, they
can adversely affect the servo pulse
series, producing the aforementioned 0V
servo performance problems.With
interrupts, you can run other
0 ms 20 ms 40 ms
processes continually, and even
complex functions wont disrupt
the pulse series. = Processor consumed by delay routines. = Processor available.
48 SERVO 02.2006
Christy.qxd 1/11/2006 5:52 PM Page 49
SERVO 02.2006 49
Christy.qxd 1/11/2006 5:48 PM Page 50
50 SERVO 02.2006
KitKollege7.qxd 1/10/2006 1:12 PM Page 51
THIS MONTH:
p until this lecture, Kit Kollege has ing gait. Then, after the servo controller
SERVO 02.2006 51
KitKollege7.qxd 1/10/2006 1:14 PM Page 52
STEP 7. Tighten the upper limb screws STEP 9. Build the second right leg
securing the upper leg and servo armature. exactly like the first one.
STEP 13. All four legs are complete. Make sure that STEP 14. Build two bottom board assemblies. STEP 15. Align the first horizontal movement
you label and segregate the two rights legs from Each bottom board will hold two horizontal servo with the pins on the bottom board
the two left legs and lay these assemblies aside. movement servos: one right leg and one left leg. and snap the servo into place.
52 SERVO 02.2006
KitKollege7.qxd 1/10/2006 1:16 PM Page 53
SERVO 02.2006 53
KitKollege7.qxd 1/10/2006 1:17 PM Page 54
STEP 29. The head (i.e., the portion of the main STEP 31. Complete the main body assembly by
body assembly that will hold the servo controller STEP 30. Carefully route the servo connection fixing the bottom boards with four screws each.
circuit board) of Quadruped is now wired. cables from the rear battery holding portion of Make sure that none of the servo connection
the main body assembly through the waist conduit. cables are pinched inside the waist conduit.
54 SERVO 02.2006
KitKollege7.qxd 1/10/2006 1:26 PM Page 55
Starting
at $70
HobbyEngineering
The technology builder's source for kits, components, supplies, tools, books and education.
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www.garage-technologies.com Motors, Frame Components
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the professional Order by Internet, phone, fax or mail.
Most orders ship the day received! World-wide shipping. Convenient payment options.
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SERVO 02.2006 55
Events.qxd 1/10/2006 1:29 PM Page 56
Send updates, new listings, corrections, complaints, and suggestions to: steve@ncc.com or FAX 972-404-0269
Unless you're in India, don't expect to see any robot to collect and dispose of colored balls.
competitions this month. The Robotix competition in West http://dc.cen.uiuc.edu
Bengal, India is the only thing on the calendar. Don't feel
like making the trip to India? That's okay. Just wait a while 18-19 Manitoba Robot Games
and there will be plenty of events coming up in the next Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
couple of months. One of them is likely to be nearby no Events may include both Japanese and Western
matter where you live. style sumo, mini-tractor pull, and Atomic Hockey.
I've been keeping track of robot competitions for over www.scmb.mb.ca
10 years now, and one interesting trend I've noticed in the
last couple of years is the proliferation of international 19-23 APEC Micromouse Contest
events. In the past, the majority of competitions seemed to Dallas, TX
be in the US and Japan, with a few in the UK or Canada. One of the best-known micromouse competitions
Today, I'm tracking events all over the world. To name a few, in the United States. Expect to see some very
in no particular order: Poland, Korea, Spain, Argentina, the advanced and fast micromouse robots.
Dominican Republic, Denmark, the Republic of Singapore, www.apec-conf.org
Israel, Slovakia, Germany, Portugal, Australia (many kanga-
roos), Austria (not so many kangaroos), Estonia, India, 21-23 Singapore Robotic Games
Russia, and the Netherlands. Republic of Singapore
I don't think we have any competitions in Antarctica Fourteen events including autonomous sumo,
yet. Are there any SERVO readers at Vostok or McMurdo? RC sumo, legged robot marathon, legged robot
If so, maybe it's time to plan a robot event. Send me some obstacle course, several levels of micromouse, wall
photos. Or better yet, fly me down and I'll be a judge. I've climbers, pole balancers, and more.
always wanted to visit Antarctica. http://guppy.mpe.nus.edu.sg/srg
In any case, it's encouraging to see people from so
many different countries working together on robotics tech- A p r il
nology. I look forward to seeing the number of countries
included on the robot competition list continue to grow. 8-9 Trinity College Fire Fighting Home Robot Contest
For last-minute updates and changes, you can always Trinity College, Hartford, CT
find the most recent version of the Robot Competition FAQ The well-known championship event for fire fight-
at Robots.net: http://robots.net/rcfaq.html ing robots.
R. Steven Rainwater www.trincoll.edu/events/robot
56 SERVO 02.2006
Gilbertson.qxd 1/10/2006 11:46 AM Page 57
SPACE ELEVATOR
The Space Elevator would provide lated in fractions of a second. The
an incredibly low-cost way to ferry electric train gives a last whistle,
satellites, spacecraft, space station slowly picks up speed, and darts
components, and people into space vertically upward on the web of
using robotic climbers clamped to the delicate threads. Then the first layer
ribbon. It would serve as a means for of clouds is left behind. The speed of
commerce, scientific advancement, movement grows ever more ...
and exploration. Behind are transparent packs of
The Space Elevator would be the silver clouds almost a hundred
largest and greatest engineering kilometers separates the train from
project ever, and an advance perhaps Earth. The speed grows and grows:
as significant as any achieved by man. indeed the resistance of the atmos-
By providing cheap and easy access to phere becomes less. Unblinking stars
space, a space elevator would forever sparkle in the black velvet sky of the
transform human possibilities in this cosmos.
arena and open the gates to colonizing To the Cosmos by Electric
the stars. Train, Komsomolskaya Pravda,
July 31, 1960
An Old Vision for
a New Future In his proposal, engineer Yuri
In July 1960, nearly three years Artsutanov identifies one major obsta-
after the flight of the first artificial cle. There is still no material whose Figure 2. The Fountains of Paradise.
satellite, Sputnik 1, and nine months durability could bear the gigantic weight
before the flight of Yuri Gagarin, the of a cable from Earth to the cosmos. author Arthur C. Clarke presented the
first human in space, the Russian daily The most durable plastics and steels are space elevator concept in his novel The
newspaper Pravda carried a full page several times weaker than required. Fountains of Paradise. In a technical
article describing a bold new idea for With the Cold War heating up and paper published shortly after, Clarke
taking people to the stars. the Moon Race just ahead, acknowledged Artsutanovs inspira-
Artsutanovs vision found little atten- tion. Although now exposed to
Calmly, not rushing and fussing, tion outside the Soviet Union. the wider world, the space elevator
passengers will take their seats in concept remained firmly in the realm of
hermetically sealed wagons of such a Nearly 20 science fiction.
train. For this is not a cosmic Years Pass Then, suddenly everything changed.
rocket whose launch- In 1985, the discovery of carbon mole-
ing is calcu- In 1979, renowned cules called fullerenes, followed by the
science fiction observation of super-strong carbon nan-
otubes, meant that there now
existed at least in the
laboratory a material
10 times lighter and 250
times stronger than steel.
Carbon nanotubes
suddenly transformed
the Space Elevator from
a science fiction fantasy
to a tantalizing possibility.
A New Vision
In 2000, NASAs
Institute for Advanced
58
5 SERVO 02.2006
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SERVO 02.2006 59
Gilbertson.qxd 1/10/2006 11:55 AM Page 60
SPACE ELEVATOR
Figure 5. Plan view of a from cosmic collisions with comets or
Elevator Terminal Station space elevator.
(60,000 km) - about 1/6 of the asteroids.
distance to the Moon's orbit
railroad of the 1860s? And who The material resources available in
should benefit? The builders? the inner solar system dwarf all of
42k km zero gravity point The governments? All the those so far used by humanity. The
people of Earth? space elevator provides a new hope to
Elevator center of mass An elevator would open achieve an ever more prosperous and
(at GEO)
space to even poorer countries, sustainable existence both on Earth
Geosynchronous and provide the cheap access to and beyond.
Earth Orbit (35,700 km) space needed for expanding
space tourism and establishing In order to save the human
Outer Van Allen Belt extraterrestrial settlements. race, we must develop the technolo-
Compared to NASAs gies that will allow us to live and
Inner Van Allen Belt proposed $100 billion budget work on other places in the Solar
for returning to the Moon, a System ... SINGLE PLANET SPECIES
working Space Elevator for $20 DO NOT LAST and we have no idea
Earth billion seems a bargain, and how much time we have.
certainly in the realm of private John Young, former
enterprise. Gemini, Apollo, and Space
Shuttle astronaut, October 2002
But Why?
techniques. Locating the platform in The Contrarian View
a remote area reduces the risk of As science fiction writer Robert
sabotage. Heinlein observed, once you reach Skeptics justifiably confront the
Edwards concluded the ideal loca- Earth orbit, youre halfway to any- space elevator concept with numerous
tion to anchor the first space elevator where. To its proponents, the space questions:
would be on the equator, straight elevator provides inexpensive, high-
south of California, about 2,000 miles volume access to the vast material and Will current material science
west of Ecuador. This region has a very energy resources of space. To those provide adequate technology to create
low incidence of hurricanes and other who look to create a prosperous future the magic ribbon?
extreme weather, and minimal air and for all humanity, greatly expanded
ship traffic. human presence in space holds the Is there a sufficient market for
highest potential of answering some of such a system? For example, the year
Financial Challenges the significant problems facing humans 2002 saw less than 40 commercial
on Earth: space payloads. There is no guarantee
So who might build and pay for a that greatly reduced cost to orbit
space elevator? Private companies like The increasing need for clean and would result in an immediate increase
those that built the English Channel sustainable energy sources. in demand. The non-successes of the
tunnel? Government agencies like great private satellite ventures of
NASA? Or a combination of both as The growth of human population the late 1990s cause optimistic space
with the transcontinental beyond the Earths carrying business projections to be met with
capacity. much skepticism.
60 SERVO 02.2006
Gilbertson.qxd 1/10/2006 11:54 AM Page 61
water, surface, air, and space also Figure 7. Donaldson and his climber
crosses numerous legal and regulatory S.E.R. built from LEGO MindStorms.
regions, creating lots of new areas for
lawyers to explore.
Event 1.0
Robotic Society of
Americas Space
Elevator Challenges
In 2002, inspired by Brad
Edwards space elevator vision, I
created an event for the San
Francisco Robotics Society of
Americas annual Robot Games.
Called The Space Elevator Ribbon
Climbing Robot Competition, the
event tasked robot builders with the
challenge of making a device weigh-
ing less than 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) Figure 8. Buffington with Racing
capable of scaling a thin polyethylene Slug the first beam powered
ribbon 30 mm (1+3/16 inch) wide. climbing robot success.
Climbers could carry all their
power on board (as with batteries), elevator. These two engineering
but machines that received some or all first place, the big cash competitions are intended to generate
of their power from a beamed prize, and a spot in history as the first interest and excitement in academia,
source such as high intensity flash- ever fully beam powered Space the space enthusiast community, and
lights located at the launch platform Elevator ribbon climbing robot. the general public.
would receive a much higher scoring The Beam Power Challenge tasks
factor. Event 2.0 NASA designers with building an unmanned
The December 2002 event saw but Fuels the Fires machine, weighing 50 to 100 pounds,
one successful entry. Nick Donaldson capable of pulling itself up a four-inch
assembeled his climber, S.E.R. (for The scope and scale of space wide, 200-foot long ribbon suspended
Space Elevator Robot), entirely from elevator competitions was soon to from a crane, and powered only
LEGO blocks and operated it by a LEGO change dramatically. On October
MindStorms RCX controller. It complet- 23, 2005, NASA stepped into the
ed a 2.4 meter (eight foot) climb in 37 game by supplying over $100,000
seconds, and earned Nick a place in the in prize money for a new event
history books as the first Space Elevator called the Space Elevator Games
ribbon climbing robot. the premier event of NASAs
The second running of the event new X-Prize-styled series of
in March of 2004 saw a great Centennial Challenges.
increase in the number of participants, Held at NASAs Ames
in part due to the $1,000 prize offered Research Center in Mountain
by the Institute for Scientific Research View, CA, the three days of gruel-
(ISR), a government sponsored ing competition and friendly
research lab that was home to Brad shoulder-to-shoulder innovation,
Edwards and his continuing work on were designed to address the
space elevator development. technical as well as social
Ten teams signed up, and five engineering issues of the space
entrants completed the 3.56 meter (11
feet, 8 inch) climb, with two operating Figure 9. The University of British
under beamed energy. Jack Columbia entry makes its way
skyward during NASAs first
Buffingtons elegant and fast climber Centennial Challenge competition
ironically named Racing Slug took held in October 2005.
SERVO 02.2006 61
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SPACE ELEVATOR
Figure 10. The space elevator
ribbon passes through a space LINKS
station at geosynchronous orbit
(illustration by The Space For more information about the
Elevator Visualization Group).
Centennial Challenges program
first prize, five from across http://centennialchallenges.
the US and two from nasa.gov
Canada. The University of
Saskatchewan team led For more information on the NASA
by Edwin Zhang reached Space Elevator Centennial Challenge
the highest altitude under competitions
beamed power, about one www.elevator2010.org
third of the full distance.
At that point, their For more information on the
one-square meter array of Spaceward Foundation
space-grade solar cells www.spaceward.org
yielded insufficient ener-
gy to continue. Other For more information on the
entrants used various RoboGames Space Elevator Ribbon
solar array schemes and
Climbing events
even Stirling engines
driven by the searchlights
http://robogames.net
by the energy thermal energy, but no team managed
beamed up from a 10,000 watt xenon to complete the challenge. best formulation for an ultra-light,
searchlight. In the second event the Tether ultra-strong ribbon material. In
Seven teams vied for the $50,000 Challenge four teams offered their one-on-one tug-of-wars, each of the
62 SERVO 02.2006
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SERVO 02.2006 63
Calkins1.qxd 1/12/2006 2:43 PM Page 64
by Dave Calkins
2005
ROBOT
SOCCER
Championships
Part 1 RoboCup Osaka
T
here are lots of robot sports out Soccer Association) both promote the independently programmed life-sized
there combat robots, Tetsujin, same goals multiple entry-level humanoid robots that can beat the
sumo robots, Lego Mindstorms soccer leagues with a difficult but not FIFA WorldCup championship team. It
but the ultimate challenge in robotic impossible task, with the ultimate goal sounds easy. But once you consider the
sports is Robot Soccer. In combat of fielding humanoid robots the same real difficulties that individual members
robots, you design and build and size as humans who can independently of a soccer team must face finding
machine from the ground up and drive compete against actual humans in a the ball, knowing friend from foe,
it, but there are no sensors or artificial regulation soccer competition. coordinating with the other members
intelligence (AI). In sumo bots, you just As a competitor, FIRA feels more of your team, only kicking towards the
find anything that moves and push it. like the Sundance film festival whereas opponents goal (own goals being all
Robo-Ones as cool as they are are RoboCup is more like the Oscars, said too common in todays human played
still remote-controlled. The ultimate Jacky Baltes, Associate Professor for games), and knowing when to play
challenge for the robot builder is robot Computer Science at the University of and when to listen to the referees.
soccer. Build a fast robot, with full AI, Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. Jacky The first RoboCup games were
that can localize not only against a sin- leads the humanoid events at both held in Nagoya, Japan in July 1997. A
gle opponent, but multiple opponents, RoboCup and FIRA. RoboCup has total of 330 teams from 31 countries
a ball, and two opposing goals. more glitz and glamour, but FIRA does with 2,000 participants competed in
not charge you more than $1,000 to the soccer, rescue, and junior competi-
Two Organizations participate and show your robot. tions setting a new record number of
participants in the history of RoboCup.
Soccer robots are akin to combat RoboCup Much like combat events, the competi-
robots in that there are many classes tors are always helping each other and
and two leagues. Both started around The shining goal of RoboCup is a sharing code, tools, and even helping
the same time; RoboCup and FIRA date, not a machine. The goal is that by each other on-site. But once a match
(Federation of International Robot 2050, RoboCup can field a team of starts, its all about winning!
64 SERVO 02.2006
Calkins1.qxd 1/12/2006 2:44 PM Page 65
]
There are lots of
robot sports out there Photo 1
Photo 4
Soccer.
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 5
Photo 6
SERVO 02.2006 65
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Photo 11 Photo 12
Photo 13
Photo 14
SERVO 02.2006 67
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Photo 19 Photo 18
Photo 16
Photo 21
Photo 20
68 SERVO 02.2006
Calkins1.qxd 1/12/2006 7:03 PM Page 69
approach the ball). it is a matter of economics. The VisiOn Soccer Events in 2006
The VisiOn robot has some and similar robots would sell like hot
impressive moves my favorite one is cakes if they would cost less than If youre looking to either compete
the goalkeeper that dives for the ball $10,000. However, their cost is more in RoboCup, or to just watch a match,
and then gets up again, and the way like $50,000. Bigger, useful humanoid there are lots of events coming up. The
they try and steal the ball from other robots that can do most of the house- US Open will be held in Atlanta, GA
players, said Baltes. Other hold chores are still much further April 22nd-25th, the WorldCup will be
[ ]
researchers me included try to away. in Bremen, Germany June 14-20th, and
SERVO 02.2006 69
BookstoreFeb06.qxd 1/10/2006 1:31 PM Page 70
dy
Mind Cany
For Toda t
Roboticis
s The SERVO Store
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70 SERVO 02.2006
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// castling bonuses A
bi-month
LESSONS
B8 castleRates[]={-40,-35,-30,0,5};
column ju ly
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//the center of the board during the rating routine st for
B8 center[]={0,0,1,2,3,3,2,1,0,0}; kids!
//directions: orthogonal, diagonal, and left/right
from orthogonal for knight moves
FROM THE
B8 directions[]={-1,1,-10,10,-11,-9,11,9,10,-10,1,-
1};
LABORATORY
//Good moves from the current search are stored in
this array
//so we can recognize them while searching and make
sure they are tested first
Electronic
Stopwatch for Races Guest Hosted by Marc Helfman
72 SERVO 02.2006
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SERVO 02.2006 73
AssemblyLine.qxd 1/10/2006 1:00 PM Page 74
by J ames A ntonakos
Figure 1. Schematic of the Darlington driver within the ULN2003. A) My wiring errors cause +12V and ground to be swapped on
the ULN2003s Com and Gnd pins. This allowed lots of current to flow into Gnd, through each transistors base-collector junction
and out through the Com pin, generating heat and smoke. B) This
is the correct way to apply power to the ULN2003. With the
emitters towards ground, the transistors can be switched on and
off with the signal at the In input.
A B
74 SERVO 02.2006
AssemblyLine.qxd 1/10/2006 1:01 PM Page 75
5 &6
9
,&
7
,
7
2
2
1 2%
0
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replaced the old ULN2003 chip with a
,0
1
new one, in case something melted in the
,
$
'
original chip and more trouble lay in wait THOUSANDS OF ELECTRONIC
(
6
for me. With my fingers crossed once PA R T S A N D S U P P L I E S
8
again, I flipped on Unos power switch.
6
VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE AT
$
And ... no smoke! The rear wheels
did their expected forward-reverse
www.allelectronics.com
cycle, and then the stepper motor did a WALL TRANSFORMERS, ALARMS,
quarter rotation in each direction, just FUSES, CABLE TIES, RELAYS, OPTO 0ROFESSIONAL
like the test program tells it to. It ELECTRONICS, KNOBS, VIDEO 3ERVO #ONTROLLERS
seemed too good to be true, so I let ACCESSORIES, SIRENS, SOLDER AT A PRICE
Uno run for a short time to see if any
ACCESSORIES, MOTORS, DIODES,
HEAT SINKS, CAPACITORS, CHOKES,
YOU CAN AFFORD
smoke reappeared. There was none, TOOLS, FASTENERS, TERMINAL 2QERDUG5HFRUG3OD\EDFN
the ULN2003 stayed cool to the touch. STRIPS, CRIMP CONNECTORS, 3RZHUIXOPL[LQJIXQFWLRQV
Say hello to Uno: Phoenix edition. L.E.D.S., DISPLAYS, FANS, BREAD- &RGHOHVVSURJUDPPLQJ
Now, for those of you thinking BOARDS, RESISTORS, SOLAR CELLS, &\FOLFZDONLQJHQJLQH
BUZZERS, BATTERIES, MAGNETS, 8VHUXSJUDGHDEOH
that was too easy, let me both agree 70
:LQGRZV*8,
and disagree. I agree because it was CAMERAS, DC-DC CONVERTERS,
86%LQWHUIDFH
HEADPHONES, LAMPS, PANEL 5DQJHRIDFFHVVRULHV
easy to troubleshoot. I found a wiring METERS, SWITCHES, SPEAKERS,
error within two minutes of checking PELTIER DEVICES, and much more....
the wires. Touchdown!
I disagree because, well, it should O R D E R TO L L F R E E
have been easy. After all, the circuit
worked on the breadboard. The hard- 1-800-826-5432 WWWAMATICOMAU
Ask for our FREE 96 page catalog
ware and software designs worked. So,
the only place an error could have been
introduced was when the hardware was Robotics Showcase
moved from the breadboard to the
circuit board on Unos chassis. If I had
never breadboarded the design and test-
ed the hardware before connecting it all
up, the troubleshooting would have
been much more difficult. And to top it
all off, where was the mistake? It was in
the power wiring, one of the first things
I check when troubleshooting any circuit.
So, now that I am all proud of
myself and everything, I can attend to
the remaining mechanical issues associ-
ated with Unos rear wheel assembly
and front wheel. After that, Ill teach
Uno a few tricks and present him in all
his glory next time. SV
ABOUT T HE A UTHOR
James Antonakos is a Professor
in the Departments of Electrical
Engineering Technology and Computer
Studies at Broome Community College,
with over 27 years of experience
designing digital and analog circuitry
and developing software. He is also
the author of numerous textbooks on
microprocessors, programming, and
microcomputer systems. You may
reach him at antonakos_j@sunybroome.
edu or visit his website at www.suny
broome.edu/~antonakos_j
SERVO 02.2006 75
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free now, and they are very power- contracted to build the brain and significantly more powerful, and
ful and easy to use. What about the interfaces for a prototypical R2D2 infinitely more flexible.
OS Linux is still free (depending for an astute collector who also works With PC bots, I think that we
where you get it); Windows is in the special-effects industry. The may be on the verge of a new age of
going to be available in many new mechanical design is almost entirely robotics development which will usher
lightweight and lower cost forms aluminum, with a very complex and in the beginnings of the robots we all
often bundled with a new PC robot expensive exacting components. This dream about.
base, so this should be a non-issue in robot is fully functional ... well almost. PS: I deliberately didnt define
many ways if you choose to go the It has the ability to transition from robot. If you want something to build
Microsoft way. two to three legs and back again, can on, I would redefine the question to
communicate in distinctly R2 fashion, what is an autonomous mobile
Our PC Projects has a fully functional head, can robot? SV
project a video image on a wall (video
We always have a few projects on holography is still difficult), can AUTHOR BIO
the go. Some custom development, play music, DVDs, function as a PC,
others internal, and others just for transmit video of its actions, deploy Erik Hagman is the president
fun. We have a five-foot, four-inch antennae and periscope and of of Rogue Robotics (www.rogue
robot for medical telepresence in the course it is mobile. robotics.com). He studied artificial
lab, which was an easy decision to The problem was that we started intelligence, Psychology, and
base on PC components. Addressing with microcontrollers and as the
Engineering in University. It is his job
the need for robotics in university design creeped, we needed more
classrooms, we are launching a new and more and we still couldnt to tinker with robot designs, design
PC base system called Avatar achieve all the design goals and custom robots for customers,
which supports the Microsoft robotics interface requirements (video touch- and experiment with intelligent
initiative. But the most enlightening screen). To make a very long story machines. In his spare time, he
project from the PC bot perspective is short, we ended up redesigning continually modifies his automated
R2D2. the entire brain around a Via mother- home with the goal of one day
Yes, you read that right R2D2. board. Not only did it save time,
Almost four years ago, we were it ends up being much cheaper, giving it more intelligence, too.
SERVO 02.2006 77
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Then NOW
a n d
SURGICAL ROBOTS
COME OF AGE
b y T o m C a r r o l l
SERVO 02.2006 79
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The da Vinci
Figure 5. da Vinci Surgical System in a General Procedure Setting. Surgical System
that are mounted on the operating completely by remote control using In 1995, the other competitor
table. One robotic arm is called the Computer Motions Zeus System. The Intuitive Surgical entered the field of
Automated Endoscopic System for operating surgeons were in New York robotic surgery. It was formed on robot-
Optimal Positioning Robotic System and the patient was in Strasbourg, ic surgery technology developed at
(AESOP). AESOP is a robot used to hold France. Through a high-quality telecom- Stanford Research Institute (SRI)
and position the endoscope (camera). munications circuit, the doctors in New International, long a leader in robotics.
The system was like a third arm of the York guided the movements of the Intuitive Surgical collaborated with IBM,
surgeon and was operated by foot three-armed Zeus robot in Strasbourg MIT, Olympus, Johnson & Johnson, and
pedals. The FDA approved the Aesop about 3,870 miles away, and removed Medtronic, Inc., and developed the da
1000 system in 1993 and it became the gallbladder of a 68-year-old woman. Vinci System, with loose ties for the
the first surgical robotic device certified Two surgeons were closely watching name to the famous inventors old
by the FDA. The Aesop 2000 released the patient in Strasbourg in order to robot designs (Figure 4). Some sur-
in 1996 used voice control with newer stop the robotic system if there were geons have jokingly called the $1.5 mil-
models adding more arms and complications. One had his foot on an lion robot system the most expensive
degrees-of-freedom, finally resulting in emergency pedal, said Steven Butner, a pair of scissors ever made. If you are
the Zeus system in 2001 (Figure 3). professor of electrical and computer facing the tricky surgery required for
Just four days before the 9/11 engineering at the University of prostate cancer or need a heart valve
terrorist attacks in 2001, US and French California, Santa Barbara, If he took his repaired, the da Vinci Surgical System
doctors and medical scientists foot off the pedal, the robot would may be just what the doctor ordered.
performed a transoceanic operation freeze and he could take over, Butner Figure 5 shows the operating room
said. The opera- layout of the da Vinci Surgical System.
tion took 54 The da Vinci offers true-to-life
Figure 6. da Vinci
Stereo Camera minutes and the 3-D vision with a bright, crisp, high-
Probe. patient recovered resolution image view of the surgical
without complica- field using dual, three-chip cameras
tions and went one of the main selling points of this
Figure 7. Hand home two days system. The da Vinci System provides
Control. later, according to visualization of the target anatomy
80 SERVO 02.2006
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unlike that ever experienced, with nat- geon stands by the patient adjusting
ural depth-of-field, enhanced contrast the camera and instruments if needed.
and magnification for more accurate There are four robotic arms, each
tissue identification and tissue layer with seven degrees of freedom and 90
differentiation. degrees of articulation. The da Vinci
Notice the dual lenses and light System is designed to allow surgeons
sources in the stereoscopic probe in to operate while seated, a position that Figure 8. Short Circuit.
Figure 6. The video feedback can allow is not only more comfortable, but also
the surgeon to imagine hes actually offers reduced surgeon fatigue. The da at all times, recalls one surgeon.
inside the patient, doing the surgery in Vinci System is a computer-enhanced Robotic wrists make it easier for
person. One of the drawbacks that sur- system that uses a computer between surgeons to manipulate tissue and
geons have mentioned is virtual feel the surgeons hands and the tips of his work from all kinds of angles. They can
of the tissues and the interacting instruments to replicate his movements reach around and get to places that
instruments. Though there is some in real time. It cannot be programmed would be harder to get to otherwise.
tactile feedback, a surgeon normally to make movements on its own. Robotic surgical systems also
uses sensations to feel and palpitate Despite the lack of true autonomy, improve depth perception giving
an organ or tumor in his surgical the term robotic surgery is still used surgeons three-dimensional vision,
procedures. The length of the instru- to refer to this computer-enhanced compared with the two-dimensional
ments as compared with standard technology. The present da Vinci System vision they would normally get with
instruments has also given surgeons a cannot be used over long distances endoscopic procedures and a standard
bit of hesitancy. as with the Zeus System, though TV monitor. So far, there havent been
Operating the da Vinci System, a some design changes could certainly indications that robotic surgery is
surgeon sits at a console a dozen or so make it so. any riskier than standard laparoscopic
feet away from the operating table and Fail-safe safety is very important procedures, and there havent been
manipulates the robots surgical instru- for such a system. To start the proce- any patient injuries or deaths related to
ments. The robot has three robotic dure, the surgeons head must be robotic system failures.
arms attached to a free-standing cart. placed in the viewer. Otherwise, the The FDA requires manufacturers to
One arm holds a camera (endoscope) system will lock and remain motionless train surgeon users before they can
that has been placed in the patient until it detects the presence of the use robotic surgical systems on
through small incisions. The surgeon surgeons head once again. There is a patients. It has been reported that it
operates the other two arms and end- backup battery that allows the system takes 12-18 patients before surgeons
effectors by inserting his fingers into to run for 20 minutes when power feel comfortable and before surgeons
rings at the control console. The robots fails, giving the hospital enough time are able to perform the procedures as
arms use a technology called EndoWrist to reestablish power or the surgeon to quickly as with standard techniques.
flexible wrists that surgeons can bend terminate the surgery. Even the end- It is likely to be several years before
and twist like human wrists. effector instrument tips are coded to robotic surgery is widely available for all
Figure 7 shows the surgeons hand prevent any other instrument from types of surgical procedures. Simple gall
control. The surgeon uses hand move- accidentally being attached. bladder removal and even more complex
ments and foot pedals to control the The big question in the minds of prostate removal procedures have been
camera, adjust the focus, and position hospital administrators is why use well proven with both types of systems,
the robotic arms. The da Vinci has a robots in surgery? Manufacturers and but it is up to the surgeons to finally
camera system that magnifies the sur- surgeons reply, robotic arms dont accept an automated method that they
gical field up to 15 times. Another sur- have tremor so they can remain steady have been doing manually for years. SV
Advertiser Index
All Electronics Corp. ......................75, 79 Jameco ..............................................2, 83 RoboteQ ................................................19
AMATI Technology ..............................75 Lorax Works ....................................75, 79 Robotics Group ....................................32
APEC 2006 ............................................73 Lynxmotion, Inc. ...................................62 Robot Shop ....................................22, 79
CrustCrawler .........................................50
Machine Science ..................................17 Solutions Cubed......................................7
Futurlec ..................................................79
MojoRobo .............................................63 Technological Arts ...............................31
Garage Technologies .....................55, 79
Gateway Electronics ............................79 Parallax, Inc. ...........................Back Cover Vantec ...................................................73
Hitec ........................................................3 Pololu Robotics & Electronics .............69 Wired Communications .......................79
Hobby Engineering ..............................55 qfix Robot Kits ......................................55 Zagros Robotics .............................11, 79
SERVO 02.2006 81
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Osiris
Lawrence Feir
Osiris is part robot, part art. The living sculpture is continually
shifting the pure white sands forming mystical patterns in its four foot by
four foot domain. The robot was designed and built as a prototype
science museum exhibit.
The patterns start out as computer code and contain geometric
and mathematical equations. These are then "plotted" by the robot,
producing some very interesting designs similar in some respects to crop
circles. The Name Osiris comes from the Egyptian god of the sand. He
was also known as the god of the underworld. The origin of his name is
as much a mystery as these magical ripples in the sand.
Osiris is a two-axis machine working in a polar coordinate system.
Power comes from a pair of stepper motors driving the axis through
a precision Bodine Electric gearbox. Stepper drivers are Parker
Compumotor and are commanded by a PC running Mach 2 CNC
software. (www.artofcnc.ca)
Osiris and its offspring may one day replace fountains and static
sculpture in museums and public areas.
Lawrence Feir is an artist and fabricator living in Greensboro, NC. His
company, Innovation Robotics, develops technological apparatus for
museums, film and television.
Lawrence Feir
Innovation Robotics
2022 Walker Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27403
336-274-4846 www.innovationrobotics.com
82 SERVO 02.2006
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