Anybody into robotics?
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Maybe this is not the right place, but I've always wondered if some desktop developers around are into embedded programming - not the CE kind but more the GUI-less kind - like with home automation and robotics. What I really wanted to ask was: 1. What kind of an operating system do people use - NT Embedded or maybe no OS at all? 2. What kind of a processor - PIC, x86, 8051, etc. - do I need for a simple application like a smart lights control or a stupid remote controllable robot :rolleyes: which can only move around? 3. Are there any good resourceson the web for such stuff? "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" - Calvin
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Maybe this is not the right place, but I've always wondered if some desktop developers around are into embedded programming - not the CE kind but more the GUI-less kind - like with home automation and robotics. What I really wanted to ask was: 1. What kind of an operating system do people use - NT Embedded or maybe no OS at all? 2. What kind of a processor - PIC, x86, 8051, etc. - do I need for a simple application like a smart lights control or a stupid remote controllable robot :rolleyes: which can only move around? 3. Are there any good resourceson the web for such stuff? "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" - Calvin
I used to do Robotics stuff at work. 1. I used CE for one product and had to do some kernel rebuilding to get it to work. Once it worked it was quite nice. For a PC-based embedded project I personally like DOS. You write your own Interrupt Service Routines and you have direct access to the hardware. None of that kernel mode device driver stuff to wade through. It is also possible to make a bootable floppy disk start your program directly (i.e. no O/S). 2. If you're just starting out and want to get a kit, I'd look at items like the Basic Stamp or the Rabbit 2000 boards or something like either of these. These are kits rather than just processors, so it will save you a lot of grief and save a lot of soldering, too. There are also some fairly reasonably priced robot kits available. I don't know if their any good or not... 3. www.circuitcellar.com contains a lot of information on robotics. Circuit Cellar magazine is also quite good and has a lot of ads for these kits. "Harland Pepper, would you stop naming nuts" - Harland Pepper
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I used to do Robotics stuff at work. 1. I used CE for one product and had to do some kernel rebuilding to get it to work. Once it worked it was quite nice. For a PC-based embedded project I personally like DOS. You write your own Interrupt Service Routines and you have direct access to the hardware. None of that kernel mode device driver stuff to wade through. It is also possible to make a bootable floppy disk start your program directly (i.e. no O/S). 2. If you're just starting out and want to get a kit, I'd look at items like the Basic Stamp or the Rabbit 2000 boards or something like either of these. These are kits rather than just processors, so it will save you a lot of grief and save a lot of soldering, too. There are also some fairly reasonably priced robot kits available. I don't know if their any good or not... 3. www.circuitcellar.com contains a lot of information on robotics. Circuit Cellar magazine is also quite good and has a lot of ads for these kits. "Harland Pepper, would you stop naming nuts" - Harland Pepper
Thanks for all that. The Basic Stamp looks like a good start, but I have always hated BASIC for being too easy to use... But I shall try it out anyway.
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Maybe this is not the right place, but I've always wondered if some desktop developers around are into embedded programming - not the CE kind but more the GUI-less kind - like with home automation and robotics. What I really wanted to ask was: 1. What kind of an operating system do people use - NT Embedded or maybe no OS at all? 2. What kind of a processor - PIC, x86, 8051, etc. - do I need for a simple application like a smart lights control or a stupid remote controllable robot :rolleyes: which can only move around? 3. Are there any good resourceson the web for such stuff? "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" - Calvin
Not much insite to provide, but I'd love to know myself. I have all kinds of things I'd like to do with my home (automation) but would rather do it myself rather than pay the loads of bucks for x10... at least until it's a little more widely available.
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Maybe this is not the right place, but I've always wondered if some desktop developers around are into embedded programming - not the CE kind but more the GUI-less kind - like with home automation and robotics. What I really wanted to ask was: 1. What kind of an operating system do people use - NT Embedded or maybe no OS at all? 2. What kind of a processor - PIC, x86, 8051, etc. - do I need for a simple application like a smart lights control or a stupid remote controllable robot :rolleyes: which can only move around? 3. Are there any good resourceson the web for such stuff? "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" - Calvin
I'm a machine automation/ robotics developer. Not 4 home automation. Sorry... ahak Maybe I can answer some of ur question. (If Im in the topic.) 1) DOS or NT. Depends on the console SDK. 2) Any processor which can be program and download from a PC to the console. You need to have the PC. For machine, people use PLC or a PC to control the entire system. For home users, check out LEGO(the toys we used to play when we are kids embedded micro controller. For a more advance, try motorola 68000. Its easy. Cheers !
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Maybe this is not the right place, but I've always wondered if some desktop developers around are into embedded programming - not the CE kind but more the GUI-less kind - like with home automation and robotics. What I really wanted to ask was: 1. What kind of an operating system do people use - NT Embedded or maybe no OS at all? 2. What kind of a processor - PIC, x86, 8051, etc. - do I need for a simple application like a smart lights control or a stupid remote controllable robot :rolleyes: which can only move around? 3. Are there any good resourceson the web for such stuff? "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" - Calvin
Hi Nikhil, if you own a Palm, I recommend looking at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pprk/index.html. At the Carnegie Mellon, they have created the Palm Pilot Robot Kit. They provide a nice library, so you can write your AI w/ PalmOS instead of cryptic assembler. ;) Regards, Thomas
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Maybe this is not the right place, but I've always wondered if some desktop developers around are into embedded programming - not the CE kind but more the GUI-less kind - like with home automation and robotics. What I really wanted to ask was: 1. What kind of an operating system do people use - NT Embedded or maybe no OS at all? 2. What kind of a processor - PIC, x86, 8051, etc. - do I need for a simple application like a smart lights control or a stupid remote controllable robot :rolleyes: which can only move around? 3. Are there any good resourceson the web for such stuff? "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" - Calvin
1. I use no OS at all 2. PIC, 8051 derivates like 80535 and atmel. For what you want to do the PIC will do, well.... the other also will do! It's your choice.... ;) 3. They are some, http://www.microcontroller.com/ http://www.8052.com/ http://www.embedded.com/ Bye, Rui Lopes
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Maybe this is not the right place, but I've always wondered if some desktop developers around are into embedded programming - not the CE kind but more the GUI-less kind - like with home automation and robotics. What I really wanted to ask was: 1. What kind of an operating system do people use - NT Embedded or maybe no OS at all? 2. What kind of a processor - PIC, x86, 8051, etc. - do I need for a simple application like a smart lights control or a stupid remote controllable robot :rolleyes: which can only move around? 3. Are there any good resourceson the web for such stuff? "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" - Calvin
I build a simple Pic programmer that works with the parallel port. (it work only under win98 & dos, no Win2000, cause the program access the parallel controller directly). I manage to program a PIC with a simple program. But i couldn't build an oscilator! (analog circuits X| ) The problem is that i couldn't find information of how to calculate the values of R and C. So, i hide everything in a locker, forget the past, and live happy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Memory leaks is the price we pay \0 01234567890123456789012345678901234
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Maybe this is not the right place, but I've always wondered if some desktop developers around are into embedded programming - not the CE kind but more the GUI-less kind - like with home automation and robotics. What I really wanted to ask was: 1. What kind of an operating system do people use - NT Embedded or maybe no OS at all? 2. What kind of a processor - PIC, x86, 8051, etc. - do I need for a simple application like a smart lights control or a stupid remote controllable robot :rolleyes: which can only move around? 3. Are there any good resourceson the web for such stuff? "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" - Calvin
I've done some HC11 work using the "BotBoard", which you program over a serial port. It's a low-tech solution, but you get to use assembly language on an old 8-bit architecture. Can be painful. The BotBoard has support for 4 servos, though I've only ever used mine for holiday lighting (sequencing and dimming). Great processor support for that sort of thing, as it's easy to generate precise timing without a lot of work. Nuts and Volts magazine is good with this sort of thing (http://www.nutsvolts.com). Another choice for robotics is Lego Mindstorms. There's a full OS that runs on the controller block (http://www.noga.de/legOS/). If you want to learn more, "Extreme Mindstorms" from Apress is a decent introduction.