Sensor Sale
GeorgeCollins
Posts: 132
I may be stating the obvious for anyone on this forum, but Parallax is having a terrific sensor sale. I was so excited by the prices that I got several sensors, including two I had never tried before: the ColorPAL, and the PIR. I tried both and found them really easy to use and amazing in their own way.
The ColorPAL seems to work well for line detection on a surface. You can use it just like you would an IR receiver. But you can also use it to recognize colors so you could use it to sort colored objects or recognize a colored objective on the ground or against a wall. It's only $12 bucks right now. So for an edge line detector on the Peanut Tin of Terror, why not use the ColorPAL? For a few dollars more than a QTI sensor, it can recognize different colors and is able to calibrate itself. It really seems cool.
I am also really excited by the PIR. I had been using an XBand motion detector on the Peanut Tin of Terror to detect a moving robot. In theory it should have worked, but in practice the XBand seemed to finicky in the environment I was using it. It either never went off or went off all the time. You could calibrate it, but in a situation where your robot is moving, there is a moving audience, and your robot is getting hit by another robot, that kind of calibration was difficult. The XBand probably works great mounted on a wall in the way it was designed for. The PIR seems to be more reliable and "settle" pretty quickly. I am hoping it is going to be a good solution for motion detection. I plan to try it next on my walking robot, fluffy (pictured). I think I can have the robot rest and then wander again when it senses motion. It could be really cool. And it is $8 right now! I think I am going to stick one on every robot.
I am going to be experimenting with both of these sensors. I will post pictures / video on my site as I try them too. I was just so excited about it I had to say something.
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My Robots
The ColorPAL seems to work well for line detection on a surface. You can use it just like you would an IR receiver. But you can also use it to recognize colors so you could use it to sort colored objects or recognize a colored objective on the ground or against a wall. It's only $12 bucks right now. So for an edge line detector on the Peanut Tin of Terror, why not use the ColorPAL? For a few dollars more than a QTI sensor, it can recognize different colors and is able to calibrate itself. It really seems cool.
I am also really excited by the PIR. I had been using an XBand motion detector on the Peanut Tin of Terror to detect a moving robot. In theory it should have worked, but in practice the XBand seemed to finicky in the environment I was using it. It either never went off or went off all the time. You could calibrate it, but in a situation where your robot is moving, there is a moving audience, and your robot is getting hit by another robot, that kind of calibration was difficult. The XBand probably works great mounted on a wall in the way it was designed for. The PIR seems to be more reliable and "settle" pretty quickly. I am hoping it is going to be a good solution for motion detection. I plan to try it next on my walking robot, fluffy (pictured). I think I can have the robot rest and then wander again when it senses motion. It could be really cool. And it is $8 right now! I think I am going to stick one on every robot.
I am going to be experimenting with both of these sensors. I will post pictures / video on my site as I try them too. I was just so excited about it I had to say something.
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My Robots
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My Robots