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Scribbler Pen Lifter! — Parallax Forums

Scribbler Pen Lifter!

dandreaedandreae Posts: 1,375
edited 2010-09-23 08:16 in Robotics
Check out the "Pen Lifter" for the Scribbler robots and the Scrbbler 2.

http://www.youtube.com/savagecircuits#p/u

Dave

Comments

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    edited 2010-09-13 16:23
    XLNT! Dang it, I'm in the process of mounting some servo-powered accessories to my Scribbler as we speak, and Chris beat me to it!

    Well done, Chris! Great app.

    Edit: What wasn't shown was connecting the servo wires internally to the Scribbler's electricals. Maybe Chris showed that in one of his prior videos. In my Scribbler, I elected to ditch the 3 onboard photocells to hook up 2 wheel encoders and a braking relay.
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2010-09-13 17:10
    @erco,

    On the Savage Circuits site, Chris says, "The servo was connected internally to the hacker port, making it easy to control via easy code modification."

    @Dave - thanks for posting!

    @Chris - very cool.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2010-09-13 20:03
    Chris's pen lifter is not just an extremely clever (and useful) adjunct to both Scribblers; but, like the rest of his videos, this one has production values that far exceed the usual YouTube fare.

    Congrats Chris, for both a great app and a stellar presentation! (How do you manage to stay so relaxed in front of the camera?)

    -Phil
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,386
    edited 2010-09-14 06:18
    Most excellent work, Chris!

    We had an informal competition among our engineering staff to develop a simple Sharpie pen lifter for the S2 - Chris beat us all by a long distance. His solution is really simple and elegant - doesn't even require a kit from Parallax! I should have given my S2 first article to Chris. With encoder feedback he'd probably be writing "Savage Circuits" on the paper. The S2 also has a row of 3-pin headers for really easy connection to the HackeR PorT.

    The S2 robot is currently receiving serious attention at the manufacturing location. We've had no less than five (5) members of our team at the factory last week. The purpose was to review test procedures, final component values, FCC/CE/CPSC testing and production schedule. And today I am introducing the S2 to a major retailer.

    The S2 is also a good example of a mass-produced product with the Propeller.

    We're on target for having these around the end of November!

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax Inc.

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    758 x 599 - 105K
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    edited 2010-09-14 07:21
    @Ken: Fry's?
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2010-09-14 19:38
    @Ken - Now I can't go to sleep...
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2010-09-15 07:07
    Chris, Dave & Ken,

    This is fantastic! The photo pointed out the graphics language which catches my attention. I know there's 12Blocks for the Propeller chip, but what do you call this language for S2 and can we download it and use it on our own prop chips for robotic experimentation and graphical program designs? It seems this is a new prop programming language that should be added to the Ultra list of Propeller languages.

    Humanoido
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2010-09-15 12:02
    Humanoido,

    The original Scribbler (BS2 brains) programmed with the Stamp Editor and with a GUI interface called the Scribbler Program Maker. The beauty of this powerful system (written by Phil Pilgrim) was that you could toggle in between the GUI and Stamp Editor. Newbies could write code in the GUI and toggle into the Stamp Editor and see the code in PBASIC. It was a super learning tool and the GUI progams read like a flow chart - letting the user visually understand the program.

    The new S2 will work the same way toggling between a GUI and Propeller Tool! It is going to be fantastic! Phil is again the author.

    I believe (but am not completely sure) that Scribbler (1) GUI programs will also run on the Scribbler 2 GUI - which is again - an amazing programming feat.

    No matter what - I can promise that (based on what I have heard) it will be very cool. It will give beginners a great way to try things, see what they do instantly with the robot, then toggle to the Propeller Tool and see the code in Spin.

    The GUI also keep you out of trouble by what it allowed or did not allow.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    edited 2010-09-15 12:51
    I must confess: I have never used the Scribbler GUI, not once, never even loaded it up. Just grabbed the Scribbler out of the box and used PBASIC.

    But since I'm not a Propeller guy yet, I will def be using the GUI on S2. To start, anyway!
  • WBA ConsultingWBA Consulting Posts: 2,933
    edited 2010-09-15 13:43
    Glad to see a reasonable "release" timeframe. I think my daughter will have an S2 as her first robot!
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2010-09-15 15:47
    erco wrote: »
    I must confess: I have never used the Scribbler GUI, not once, never even loaded it up. Just grabbed the Scribbler out of the box and used PBASIC.

    @erco,

    You owe it to yourself to give it a try - if only appreciate what Phil Pilgrim acheived with this amazing piece of software.

    This GUI on the S2 will be the doorway for many new Propeller users.

    @WBA Consulting - My son loves the original and can't wait to get his hands on the S2...
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2010-09-15 16:27
    Whit wrote:
    I believe (but am not completely sure) that Scribbler (1) GUI programs will also run on the Scribbler 2 GUI - which is again - an amazing programming feat.
    GUI programs written for the Scribbler I can be loaded into the S2 GUI and run on the S2. Likewise, GUI programs written for the S2 can be loaded into the Scribbler I GUI and run on the Scribbler I. It's not such an amazing feat, really, because both GUIs use the same language-neutral XML text format to represent the GUI elements and their relations to each other. That simplified the cross-compatibility objective enormously.

    This is not to say, however, that programs written for one bot will work exactly the same on the other, particularly when it comes to motor control. I had to fudge a little on that, since the S2's motor control software can take advantage of the built-in wheel encoders.

    Also, in order to maintain the S2 GUI's backward compatibility with the Scribbler I, some of the S2's more advanced features (i.e. multicolor LED control) are not available to GUI programmers but are supported in the supplied S2 object. In fact, there will be a lot of new stuff for Spin programmers to discover in the S2 object, such as the drawing commands (e.g. move_to(x, y) and arc_to(x, y, radius)), in which the S2 object treats the rolling surface as an X-Y grid and keeps track of the S2's position and orientation automatically.

    -Phil
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2010-09-15 16:54
    Thanks for all the info Phil! The move_to and arc_to drawing commands sound great. I really can't wait to learn about and play with this new bot.

    I really think it will be a dream to teach with.
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2010-09-16 01:04
    Does the S2 GUI have a name?

    Humanoido
  • WhitWhit Posts: 4,191
    edited 2010-09-16 04:34
    @Humanoido,

    My bet is on S2 Program Maker...
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2010-09-16 11:06
    Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. I didn't get a notification there were updates to this thread so I missed them until just now.

    Feedback like that which is provided helps me fix these things in future videos. For example, while I did mention where I connected the servo, the details were left out. I think the best thing I can do is make sure I address more details in the future. Not an excuse but I was in a hurry to get this video up to show how this could be done and of course, hind-sight is 20/20.

    Nonetheless...please, don't be afraid to tell me when you think something is lacking. If your suggestion has merit I will certainly try to make the adjustment in the future.

    Once I have a Scribbler 2 I will do a more detailed video on the hack and describe such things as calibrating the servos in more detail as well. Take care everyone!
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2010-09-16 14:00
    Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. I didn't get a notification there were updates to this thread so I missed them until just now.

    Feedback like that which is provided helps me fix these things in future videos. For example, while I did mention where I connected the servo, the details were left out. I think the best thing I can do is make sure I address more details in the future. Not an excuse but I was in a hurry to get this video up to show how this could be done and of course, hind-sight is 20/20.

    Nonetheless...please, don't be afraid to tell me when you think something is lacking. If your suggestion has merit I will certainly try to make the adjustment in the future.

    Once I have a Scribbler 2 I will do a more detailed video on the hack and describe such things as calibrating the servos in more detail as well. Take care everyone!
    Chris, Putting the vid up on youtube is the worst thing you can do for about 1.3 billion people. Youtube is blocked from here. How can you advertise a product at a place that misses two thirds of the world's population? I suggest putting these up on the Parallax site where it's still accessible by everyone. Thank you for your consideration.

    Humanoido
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2010-09-16 14:04
    HUmanoido...Parallax leads by example...all of the current videos by Jessica and most of the other stuff is also on YouTube. The videos are also available on Vimeo, Facebook (On our fan page) and even as a PodCast on iTunes.
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2010-09-19 00:03
    HUmanoido...Parallax leads by example...all of the current videos by Jessica and most of the other stuff is also on YouTube. The videos are also available on Vimeo, Facebook (On our fan page) and even as a PodCast on iTunes.
    Youtube, Vimeo and Facebook are blocked. iTunes is open. Are there iTunes PodCast links for S2? Thanks sincerely.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2010-09-19 23:19
    I'm sorry...I wasn't clear on the videos I was referring to...I stated that Parallax posts their videos on YouTube...but I copy mine to Vimeo, Facebook, iTunes, etc.
  • ScopeScope Posts: 417
    edited 2010-09-20 18:26
    Thanks Mr. Savage - simple, cool, & fun - love it!

    Are you a twin?
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2010-09-20 19:35
    Scope,

    Great avatar!

    -Phil
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2010-09-21 14:59
    Scope, thanks for the feedback. And I agree with Phil, that avatar is awesome! :smilewinkgrin:
  • RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
    edited 2010-09-23 07:52
    Chris,

    Nice job on the pen lifter for the Scribbler! It is a simple and effective design. Thanks sharing this.

    Robert
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2010-09-23 08:04
    Robert,

    Thanks for the feedback. It helps me plan future videos. ;)
  • RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
    edited 2010-09-23 08:16
    Definitely make more videos!!!!!

    Robert
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