Lynxmotion Tech Support

Hey,

I am interested in getting a RoboNova (after i make $1000 =/) and I was wondering about something. Can it do more than just move and look cool? When looking at source files, all I saw are basically commands to make the servos move. Can it use sensors? IR, camera (i saw the cam thing at BauerMech's page but i mean use camera for tracking objects, .etc), and other sensors. If so, is there any setting or type of cable or something like that that needs to be in a sensor for it to work with the RN-1? Also, does the RH have to use that controller? Could it use other ones such as brainstem for example or OOPIC? And also, last but not least, can it use another language? RoboBasic seems well.. Basic...Maybe like C/C++ or other look-alikes.

Thanks,
robodude666

Yes to all of the above.

You are only limited by the capabilities of the microcontroller that you use, and your ability to use them.

It is my understanding that you can program the microcontroller that comes with the RoboNova with any language you want, but you have to provide the compiler/assembler for it.

There are a lot of additional I/O pin on the controller for reading sensors and controlling other things.

As more and more people begin to post their code and applications on the net, you will be able to see all the neat things it can do.

Pete

Thanks for the fast reply! When I was online here before it looked like a total ghost town.

Is there any special thing I need in the sensor for it to work with RN? Do I need a special cable/connector? How would I be able to access the info from the sensor?

Say if I want to use:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc ... cts_id=582
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc ... cts_id=257 w/ http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc ... cts_id=463
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc ... cts_id=242
.etc

What sort of connectors/cables would I need? (Sorry, I am just a web programmer who is very interested in robotics and wishes to learn.)

Okeydokes... I'll give this a stab.

First, the SMiRF, which I'm quite familiar with.
Here's how the connections go:

SMiRF..........Nova
GND............GND
PWR............VDD
RX-I............TX
TX-O...........RX

I'm not familiar with the Nova's board, so the actual pins that you're hooking up to are probably going to be named a bit differently.
Someone on these forums just got his radio hooked up to his RN-1, so he'll be able to point out where these pins are for ya.

Well, the SMiFF has standard .1" spaced male pins sticking out of it, just like the Robonova's board has.
But, because their both male, you'll need a female connector on each end of a jumper wire to attach them (at least, that's one way to do it).

I'm familiar with www.jameco.com, so I'll tell you the part numbers from there that I'm familiar with.
Once you go there and see what it is, you shouldn't have problems finding them on a site that you prefer.
First, you get a wire (I'd recommend 24AWG or thicker wire, for sensors).
Then you crimp one of these buggers (100765) onto each end (this crimper works with those crimps: 99443) .
Repeat that process for every pin that you have to hook together.
Once completed, cut of a section of these female housings (103157) and stick the crimped ends into them.

Now you're ready to plug and play.

Hmm... that's an interesting screen there.
Well, a brief look shows that it's made to interface with an ARM (a relatively new, very high-end set of microcontrollers).
I'm afraid that I don't know how those buggers work.
Off the top of my head, I sort of doubt that the RN-1's micro can handle that kind of processing.
If you're willing to invest in a seperate microcontroller, then the screen is a possibility.
By the way, the connector for that screen is linked to on the page (it's a digikey.com part).

Ahh...
The range sensor is definitely within the RN-1's capabilities.
I'm not familiar with that exact model, but it says to just take off the back casing and solder wires directly to it.
The reason for this is that it has an odd Japanese coupling that would be hard for you to find.
If you hunt around the forums, I'm sure someone's already implemented a rangefinder on their RN-1 and can walk you through it.

_________________
Disclaimer: The above person does not claim to have knowledge pertaining to the following subject: anything. Thus, said person may not be held liable for any mishaps/explosions that his advice incurs.

By the way, www.robosavvy.com has a really great RN-1 following in their forums.
If you can't what you need here or there, it probably doesn't exist yet.

_________________
Disclaimer: The above person does not claim to have knowledge pertaining to the following subject: anything. Thus, said person may not be held liable for any mishaps/explosions that his advice incurs.

Thanks! So im other words, I need to make my own cables? That LCD was just an example.. It looked sexy and had touch screen lol and it was one of the only ones i seen that had some sort of connector things sticking out of it. the others i think you had to solder wires to. I am familiar with jameco too. I have a few of their catalogs.

SMiRF..........Nova
GND............GND
PWR............VDD
RX-I............TX
TX-O...........RX

Whats all of that mean? lol

Welcome to the forums robodude666!

It can get slow at times on these forums, but we have a great bunch of guys, and it's not always slow.

As for making your own cables, it's really not bad. You just need to be patient and work slowly. I have made my own cables for my bot head project using just plain ole needle nose pliers! It's recommended to get the crimp tool and read the tutorial available online. After some practice crimps you can make any cable configuration your mind can think up.

As for the diagram Nick provided, these are connections from one device to another. For example You don't want to hook up a receiving line to a receiving line, That like two people listening but no one talking! One example is the RX, TX. RX means receive, TX means Transmit. When hooking devices you need to hook the device that is talking (TX) to the device that is listening (RX).

Before taking a nose dive I would recomend taking baby steps.

_________________
Mike

The robotics nut.

got ya Thanks for your help

So, these TX/RX are pins located on the board or the sensor? I think that when I get the robonova and sensors and I see the controller cant take it, I may get a different one. After all, it only has 32kb of memory Is the RoboNova sold with all the parts but without the controller? Also, does anyone know if you can buy spair front/back plates? As I intend to cut lots of holes in mine when I get it

If anyone wants to donate 1,000-2,000 (USD or GBP )(Don't worry, il cover shipping costs ) to my paypal please feel free to msg me and ask for it It will go into the cause of getting me a RoboNova-1 and some cool neat sensors and stuff(such as those lovely grippers) !

P.S. <--- is the scariest laugh I ever seen !

Wow.
Your above post has a major case of acne.


Well, the TX and RX pins are located on both the Bluetooth device (what you called the sensor) and the RN-1's electronics board.

TX and RX are communication pins.
They allow different devices to "talk" to each other at extremely fast rates.
The TX (transfer) pin turns "on and off" (a.k.a. "high and low" or "1 and 0") rapidly on one device and the other device's RX (recieve) pin listens to and translates that data into something that device can understand.
All this is called TTL logic.

The PWR and GND (a.k.a. + and -) provide a steady DC current that powers the Bluetooth off of the RN-1's batteries.

It's enough to remember that when coupling TTL devices, RX and TX get crossed and + and - get hooked up directly.

Usually, you'll hook a sensor up to a free I/O pin of the controller and a + and - pin to give it power (just like you would a servo).

_________________
Disclaimer: The above person does not claim to have knowledge pertaining to the following subject: anything. Thus, said person may not be held liable for any mishaps/explosions that his advice incurs.

Yea, I got it now. I poked around at RoboSavvy Forums while waiting for a reply here and I found this topic: http://robosavvy.com/modules.php?name=F ... opic&t=220 it has a very nice picture of the board and different wiring for things BlueTooth, gyro and some other stuff. If anyone would care to reply to my last post there to make sure I understand it or not.

Oh good news! I have like $400 out of the $1000

Thanks,
robodude666

NOTE: The ERX and ETX pins on the RN-1 are backwards from the standard. Someone screwed up or something (when printing the board maybe?). You can follow the traces on the MR-C3024 and see where they end up on the Atmega 128L chip. You'll notice when connecting the SMiRF, it should look like this...

SMiRF..........Nova
---------------------
GND............GND
PWR............VDD
RX-I............ERX
TX-O...........ETX



...and if your SMiRF has the RTS and CTS pins, you'll want to jump them together.


You're on your way!

Thanks. Yup, im on my way there. Now have $700/$1000 Should have enough sometime in the first week of July. After then, I will be asking A LOT more questions so be ready (Dear god that thing is scary!!!)

Hmm, just out of wondering. How hard do you guys (and/or gals) think it would be to get the RN running with the OOPIC-R? I asked at RoboSavvy and they say its not gunna be easy to get it with another board.

The OOPic-R will never be able to control a 16 or more servo robot. It's processor is way underpowered for that. It also won't be able to use the other features of the 8498 servo. Just my opinion...

_________________
Jim Frye, the Robot Guy
http://www.lynxmotion.com
I've always tried to do my best...

Hmm, well what about the Mini Atom Bot Board? Maybe connected to a SSC-32 as Lynxmotion likes to do. Or the mini atom bot board with any other servo controller it supports. Which would be

MiniSSC-II Serial Servo Controller (SSC-01)
SSC-12 Serial Servo Controller (SSC-12)
Servio Serial Servo Controller (PICO-01)

as far as I see.

Really what I am trying to do is get away from RoboBasic as I hate basic and vb styled languages. I like c++ styled languages which have structure and require { }

I certainly understand the robobasic concerns. Besides the structure issues, it has other problems like not being able to use variables in important commands. Sorry, going from memory here.

The MiniSSC-II, don't waste your time. It is the most featurless servo controller available. No speed control, no coordinated movements, etc. The SSC-12 is discontinued. It had speed control, but it wasn't a very effective method of speed control. Servio is ok, but expensive. The SSC-32 is really the most cost effective controller, and it has the coordinated move feature that makes biped robotics so easy.

Now for the bad part. None of the servo controllers have the abilioty to take advantage of the 8498's feedback feature. So there will be no "catch and play" using them. Them's the facts as I know them...

_________________
Jim Frye, the Robot Guy
http://www.lynxmotion.com
I've always tried to do my best...