@RonP that's amazing but he did have to remove the cover and replace the tail boom with carbon fiber one to get it to lift that camara.
I see the one that Erco linked here uses a styro body that weighs almost nothing. http://www.amazon.com/Air-Hogs-Hawk-Eye-Channel/dp/B003956GNI Maybe this is the only camera option in a toy/hobby product. But one question - why does the camera look forward? To image the ground, the camera should look down, right?
But one question - why does the camera look forward? To image the ground, the camera should look down, right?
If you only want to see the ground. Looking straight down gets boring fast.
I have a pan and tilt setup on my T-Rex 600.
@ratronic, The mCX2 has slightly larger motors than the mCX. I purchased a mCX2 as a Christmas bonus for one of my employees. I flew both my mCX and his mCX2 right after each other. I thought the mCX2 was a little more powerful (and a lot cooler looking).
The mSR is more fun (and a lot harder to fly) than either the mCX or the mCX2. (The mSR isn't a good "first helli".)
Reducing Breadboard Capacitance in High Speed Propeller Circuits Hack your Overclocked Brain Breadboards
Options are now available for both RC and high speed Propeller clocks. Now you can
create a new more powerful high speed breadboard.. but you'll need to hack it.
The view inside a solderless breadboard shows a series
of electrically conductive strips that make a circuit from one
hole connection to the next
_______________________
These connectors conduct electricity inside breadboards and can add small amounts of capacitance and electrical resistance in circuits. They may also act like small antennae picking up stray noise and/or radiate EMI/ RFI to adjacent components, machines and circuits. While this is not a concern in most designs involving RC clocking, or circuits with smaller numbers of Propeller chips, it can be a concern in circuits that are operated at full clock speed with many Propellers in a large array or various circuits at over-clocked frequencies.
As seen in the photo, a single strip length consists of five connectors, in this particular manufacturer's breadboard, all joined together. One of the most important areas on the Propeller chip for clocking management is the X0 - X1 connection points where the crystal connects. This is also where a faster 6.25 crystal connects for 200MHz operations.
It's possible to shorten the length of this "hidden" connector by completely removing three connectors from the strip, since only the crystal is connected to the Propeller pin, necessitating only two connectors. This will likely improve the circuit. From a quantitative view, more tests are required to determine the resulting cause and effect.
It is suggested to remove the backing and have any number of pre-prepared connectors available for various intentions. For clocks and high speed pins with one connection in addition to one prop pin, a two pin connector can be inserted. More one pin and two connections, a three pin connector will suffice.
Don't replace the backing with the sticky tape side but rather use a thin hardboard that has no tape. This mod permits using and reconfiguring the breadboard for many high speed uses. Transparent plastic as a breadboard backing is ideal for this application. It's thin, strong, maintains its shape, readily cuts and drills, is low cost, and can be worked with a soldering iron.
Metal connectors on the adjoined row are more readily removed by use of the abrasive cutting disc on a MotoTool. Alternatively, the metal will score and bending can weaken the metal until it breaks apart.
If you only want to see the ground. Looking straight down gets boring fast.
I have a pan and tilt setup on my T-Rex 600. Duane
Pan & tilt explains a lot of things. But for indoor use, I'm trying to imagine apps for looking forward at highest room elevations - find a book on the top shelf, inspect room cracks by the ceiling, look out windows up high, monitor all the directions in a single room, look at oncoming walls to avoid collisions, (fill in the blank _____.)
The tiny indoor helicopter will land and take off from atop the Big Brain where a custom Brain Heli Airport is being constructed from transparent plastic.
The goal is to create various control by the Big Brain for takeoff and landing, or to make this an entry experience into the world of brain aerial resources and peripherals. It is viewed as a precursor to a remote controlled reconnoissance device and possible swarming applications.
The store had numerous small and large models, some were Syma brand while the remainder were various Chinese brands in Chinese language.
The key factor in selecting the S107G is undoubtedly the gyroscope system which allows for the greatest stability and contributes to various 5 star ratings in the analysis of command and control.
A secondary factor is the metal used in various body sections to help prevent breakage and increase durability.
The project opted for the infrared control, as in regard to the lab having more resources and experience with many infrared Parallax projects in the past.
Price: RMB229 at Carrefour (US$35.76)
Specifications
1. Syma 107G 3CH HELICOPTER
2. Building in Gyro Styles With USB
3. Matel Frame With Lipo Battery
- Product Feature: Up/down, left/ right,forward/backward
- Battery: 3.7V 150Mah Li-poly
- Charging time: About 30-40 mimutes (USB charging)
- Flying time: About 5-7 minutes
- Controlling distance: About 10 meters
- Battery for controller: 6"AA"batteries(not include)
- Product Size: 22X3.8X9.8cm
- Box Size: 48X 9X 18.5cm
- CNC components
- Frequency: A/B channel selector
- Test report: CE ROHS FCC ASTMKey
A flying Roomba?...Hrmmm. Good call Ratronic. :thumb: -Tommy
Tommy, I think you have something with this idea. There's a lot of dust up on top of everything with "high not easy to reach" places that generally go unnoticed. I think a small flying roomba could approach these areas and solve this problem. But Roombas and the vacuum cleaner idea may be overkill. You don't need a vacuum motor and special air intake or a flying vacuum cleaner - just use the rotor-wash from the S107G to displace the dust - it will take some careful flying so as not to run into any walls.
If you're following along, the project is under construction with a top mount airport for launching aerial aircraft, such as small rockets, airplanes, helicopters and special test aircraft.
To begin, the project has purchased an original Syma S107G helicopter for indoor flying (and possible outside night flying) and is currently running it through its paces, developing flight and handling data.
The small 7.5-inch 107 is being flown without a controlling Propeller chip, though the objective is to learn all the dynamics and characteristics of flying to see how the results can be "propellerized." This information will be shared for all helicopter and Propeller enthusiasts.
Battery
Some do's and don'ts
Do not let the LiPo battery run down completely before recharging
Do not immediately recharge the battery after use as a hot battery recharged will lose some life
Recharge with the USB cable and not the controller, or the controller batteries will be depleted
Crashing
When learning to fly, crashing is inevitable. Have a soft cushioned area below to prevent any breakage. Use a bed or pillows on the floor and avoid walls and the ceiling.
When a crash is impending near the floor, immediately throttle back completely - this will help preserve blades.
Proper initial trim will help reduce crashes
Use slow motions which are more readily corrected
Flying
Good Techniques
Avoid the ceiling - it creates a backflow of air that stops flight management
Travel by "spin and forward" technique which is more stable than going backwards
Turn off fans, air conditioners, close windows, avoid drafts, air currents
Apple iPhone joins Big Brain's Propeller BWM
Use iphone to generate notes as calibration waveforms
Need a simple and easy low cost way to calibrate your Big Brain's machine Brain Wave Monitor? It's simple as typing the calibration notes on a tiny musical keyboard called the Zen Piano. The Zen is completely free and has a unique key pressure sensitivity feature to set amplitude. Here's an example where some basic household items (computer, cell phone, camera, freeware) can be used to create a functional scientific instrument.
Use of Apple iPhone to calibrate a Big Brain BWM machine. Photo shows a
single note peak and possible harmonic. Note some irregularity in the curve
caused by a mix of background noise coming in through an open window
_____________________
iPhone has numerous free program that generate keyboard notes which can be used for the purpose of calibrating a Brain Wave Machine.
The photo shows the use of Zen Piano in real time to generate individual played notes. The program can also record and play back notes and music. It will also control the loudness of the notes based on the amount of pressure placed on the virtual keys.
Along with iSpectrum, a complete package is capable of showing frequency peaks, waveforms, and harmonics. (see photo) Use the camera to capture waveforms like digital storage scope or use a common image capture program.
List of No Cost iPhone Musical Keyboards
PL.PianoFree
PIY Lite
Pocket Voice
Virtuoso
Zen Piano
List of Components
iMac
iPhone
iPhone Zen Piano
iSpectrum
iPhoto
Preview
Camera
SimpleCap
Big Brain Propeller Arrays
BWM Brain Wave Monitor
Coupling is wireless. Experiment with other programs and chords made with multiple key depressions. Check upper and lower frequency vs note limits. Verify scales, harmonics, ranges, intensity, plots, durations, and the meter features such as Hanning Blackman Harris conditioning, averages and normalizations.
Instrumentation Background
Adapted from AC Circuit Experiments - Basic Electronic Tutorials
"The Winscope (or other) program comes with another feature other than the typical "time-domain" oscilloscope display: "frequency-domain" display, which plots amplitude (vertical) over frequency (horizontal). An oscilloscope's "time-domain" display plots amplitude (vertical) over time (horizontal), which is fine for displaying waveshape. However, when it is desirable to see the harmonic constituency of a complex wave, a frequency-domain plot is the best tool.
If using Winscope, click on the "rainbow" icon to switch to frequency-domain mode. Generate a sine-wave signal using the musical keyboard (panflute or flute voice), and you should see a single "spike" on the display, corresponding to the amplitude of the single-frequency signal. Moving the mouse cursor beneath the peak should result in the frequency being displayed numerically at the bottom of the screen.
If two notes are activated on the musical keyboard, the plot should show two distinct peaks, each one corresponding to a particular note (frequency). Basic chords (three notes) produce three spikes on the frequency-domain plot, and so on. Contrast this with normal oscilloscope (time-domain) plot by clicking once again on the "rainbow" icon. A musical chord displayed in time-domain format is a very complex waveform, but is quite simple to resolve into constituent notes (frequencies) on a frequency-domain display."
Big Brain Airport - First Mission Airport Peripheral Begins to Take Shape A top mounted airport with helicopter
take-off and landing pad is being built
onto the Big Brain. The airport will be
constructed with green Transparent
Plastic and a mounting trusswork of
design-as-you-go technology. It will
host a Syma S107G Helicopter with
infrared guidance and control. This
is an artistic rendition of the project.
The airport is expected to take several
weeks or months to complete.
_____________________
The first mission of Big Brain's airport is now decided and will be accomplished with the S107G Helicopter setting atop the newly completed airport pad. The overall goal is to pre-requisitely trim and adjust (possible weight redistribution) the craft to fly in the most stable manner possible, and then attempt the mission to vertical take off and land, returning to the tiny center of the Airport Pad.
This will set the pace for a variety of Big Brain Copter missions (or Heli missions), all of which require vertical take off and landing. The experiment can also pave the way towards exploring ways of control with the S107G and the Propeller chip.
The total budget for the Big Brain Airport along with its helicopter aircraft furnishings is a maximum of $50. The breakdown is as follows:
Budget Planning
Transparent Green Plastic Construction Material $2.00
S107G Helicopter 229 RMB $35.23
Truss Hardware $2.50
Batteries for Controller (6) $10.00
Total Estimated Cost $49.73
So far the project is within budget and on schedule.
Pie chart shows Transparent Plastic is the
smallest expense while the helicopter is
the greatest expense.
Big Brain Begins Micro Space Program Introducing Micro Space Micro Space Program Solar image taken
with the Big Brain Robotic Space Telescope
from the Micro Space Program. The image
shows various indications of solar granulation
and minor sunspot activity. The monitoring
of solar activity is important for Earth-based
electronics, satellites and astronauts in space.
Photo by Humanoido.
______________________
Micro Space Exploration with Propellers and the Airport Launch Complex
Spawned by the development of a Big Brain Airport Complex to launch helicopters, and the ability to do massive parallel control with many I/O in the EXO section, the Big Brain will utilize the same facilities to engage in a Micro Space Program. It's possible that various upgrade gantries may be introduced in the future to facilitate specific missions.
Micro space refers to the space in your room. Initially one may think this is limited. However, the research from a Micro Space Program is not unlike a full scale space program in many aspects - as many similarities exist for study and research including exploration of aerospace dynamics. Small scale craft are not to be disregarded as the program will show.
The MSP Micro Space Program will encompass a number of aerospace elements and research dynamics in addition to helicopter missions. Mission designs are aimed towards including robotic payloads, chemical and inertial ballistic rockets, balloons, helicopters, kites, tethering, laddering, gravitational guided reentry, string restrictors, surveillance devices, defensive mechanisms, parachutes, gliders, air bags, inertial launchers, and special designed aerial micro spacecraft, all designed to perform within micro space.
The MSP Micro Space Program is spin off technology for the author's own full space program and near space program, the latter two which are currently not open source. The Big Brain also has the ability to investigate various forms of guidance and control within the realm of micro space. G&C can take on various forms - infrared controllers, wireless radio, mechanical guidance systems, and tethered restrictors for example. Stay tuned for more information about the Micro Space Program.
Apprentice learning - one helicopter learns from another
"The robotic helicopter "watches" another helicopter flown by a human expert, meaning that it records data on its movements, such as position by GPS and velocity. The robot then adapts those maneuvers with new controls every 20th of a second, according to the Stanford computer scientists.
Helicopters are not easy to control. Constant input is required to keep one stable.
"The helicopter doesn't want to fly," said Oku. "It always wants to just tip over and crash."
The robotic student is loaded with aftermarket instrumentation, from accelerometers and gyroscopes to magnetometers, which use the Earth's magnetic field to figure out which way the helicopter is pointed. In the future, such a craft might prove helpful to search for land mines in a war region or to map out wildfire hotspots.
Square
Forward Turn
Backward Turn
Nose out Pirouette
Nose in Pirouette
"the maneuvers were all flown with the hover controller. This controller consists of 1 multivariable (MIMO) inner loop for stabilization and 4 separate (SISO) guidance loops for velocity and position control. For every maneuver there is a description and 2 different videos. The first video is from a Mini-DV camera. The second is a playback of the flight data recorded during the same maneuver; that is, it is not a simulation. The animation in the second video is created with an inteface designed to read and playback flight data for better analysis. The graphical inteface also shows the desired trajectory."
We all can use Google to find the info and links you've posted in this thread. What we really want to see posted are your own experiences: photos, videos, schematics, and source code for your projects -- not someone else's.
Big Brain Robotic Space Telescope Propellers Slated for Telescope Interface Preparing to conduct a Micro Space Program, a Big Brain Robotic Space Telescope is in the design works, and parts of which are in limited operations. The BB RST will likely be controlled by Propeller chips. The sample image shows the gibbous Moon captured with the telescope, undriven and unmounted, and records color created by chemical pollution in the upper atmosphere for Earth analysis. Chromatic dispersion analysis can identify various types of pollution and in other cases serve as particular dichroic and character selection filtering. Photo by Humanoido
___________________
A design in the making, using a very small camera modified to become a digital storage telescope, the BB RST could possibly be combined with a basic altazimuth telescope mount. This would have a choice of electronic servo pulse driven telescope drive with two servos driven simultaneously with a choice of lunar, planetary or sidereal rates or more simply with signals for manual calibration and correction rates.
The Big Brain Robotic Telescope under the Micro Space Program breaks all the rules of telescopic use by gathering information and telescopic data from inside the room looking out through a closed window. Electronic compensation is used to correct for temperature differences and window glass. The Big Brain Robotic Telescope is part of the Big Brain Micro Space Program.
A large number of Big Brain applications are being generated by the new Micro Space Program.
Second Big Brain Robotic Telescope Telescopes as Propeller peripheral devices
The second telescope for the Big Propeller Brain is a Meade
Instruments Corporation computerized GOTO robotic telescope
that automatically finds solar system and deep sky objects,
and has full tracking and guiding ability. The Big Brain Exo at right will connect to this larger
robotic space telescope and function in conjunction
with the Micro Space Program.
____________________
The larger size will enable higher resolutions and deeper stellar magnitudes. A CCD cam enables high resolution images and studies of significance. The ETX-60 is a refracting telescope with a 60mm diameter coated glass primary objective lens, a focal length of 350mm, and a focal ratio of F5.8.
An advantage of this telescope is it can automatically locate and lock on celestial objects, plus function in remote locations with batteries. However, by design, the Micro Space Program only needs a small room as an observation center.
The second BB RST was star tested and CCD imaging tested with the lunar surface and is shown to have exceptional optics. The BB RST works well with a SONY Cyber-shot DSC-T10 7.3 MegaPixel camera with image stabilization and sensitivity to ISO1000.
The camera takes movies in three resolution formats (160, 640 Standard and 640 Fine) and uses a Carl-Zeiss lens with an optical 3X zoom and double anti-blur technology.
The telescope, with Autostar technology, has shown numerous Galilean satellites, clouds on Jupiter, rings around Saturn, and spectacular views of the lunar craters and Maria. It's use with both Barlow and Focal Reducer has extended its use. It excels with deep sky objects finding such famous sites as the M1 Pulsar, M13 Globular Star Cluster in Hercules, M8 Lagoon Nebula, M57 Ring Nebula, M27, and M42 in Orion where stars are born.
It is expected that the Propeller power of the Big Brain could extend the usefulness of the robotic telescope by a factor of 100 to 1000 times, a simple assessment based on the number of I/O controlling ports provided and computational abilities.
Lift your right foot a few inches from the floor and then begin to move it in a clockwise direction. While youre doing this, use a finger your right index finger to draw a number 6 in the air. Your foot will turn in an anticlockwise direction and theres nothing you can do about it!
The left side of your brain, which controls the right side of your body, is responsible for rhythm and timing. The left side of your brain cannot deal with operating two opposite movements at the same time and so it combines them into a single motion.
The machine brain may be similar. It has four quadrants of brains with two quadrants extremely pronounced. The connections between left and right machine brains are currently through thin air. How does this happen? The transfer of audio cues are input from left to right without wires. (see BWM posts for more information)
Big Brain's First Telescope Photo of the 1st Big Brain telescope setting atop
the EXO. Image taken with PhotoBooth, iMac and
the built in FaceTime HD camera from across the
room. This view shows the telescope digital view-
screen at the Big Brain summit. To engage in
astronomical imaging, the curtains are simply
pulled to the sides and photos are captured
through the window.
___________________
This may be the smallest telescope ever used in the lab. It's the easiest to use and the most useful. It's construction is unique. It has conducted several very useful projects using the Moon and Sun to study Earth's atmospheric effects and pollution.
The lab has built telescopes ranging in diameter sizes from 30mm (held in one hand) on up to just over 50-inches (moved by truck). However, this small telescope creation is not only the most unique, but easy to use. It's a perfect size to weight ratio match for the Big Brain.
The telescope's story began as a tiny camera, the smallest offered by SONY. Normally a camera is technically not a telescope when it has a non-supplemented 50mm lens, but there's some magical no-mans land where a telephoto and special features can transform a common camera into a telescope.
Here's how to make a digital recording telescope from a camera. First you need a camera than can record VGA stills. Activate the full optical zoom to achieve the largest image scale. Enter the mode which enhances the exposure (for sun, Moon, Planets, etc.) while observing the image on the display. Process with iPhoto to enlarge image scale and enhance the image. Other more advanced techniques are available including the Steady Cam image stabilization feature and creating single high resolution stills by summing and processing numerous images from a movie.
The camera and helicopter airport compete for the same brain top space and this is not yet resolved. Currently the Big Brain is acting as a top mounting surface with found space on a hosted Parallax BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board. This is mounted next to a PPDB. In the future, the BB can be worked into a drive for the telescope and offer positioning, tracking and guiding. This would use Propeller chips on the left brain side. The right brain will do the image processing and enhancements.
These experiments and upgrades are conducted with the EXO which is more readily made moveable and offers more supporting structure in unique ways.
iPhone Digital Telescope for the Big Brain Big Brain has a third telescope made from an Apple iPhone
camera function using special programs found at the
Apple iStore
______________________
This Telescope peripheral under development for the Big Brain adds image storage, wireless operations, remote abilities, image enhancement, email, internet, messaging, digital image transmission, posting, and special imaging features.
The third telescope for the Big Brain is an adaptation of an iPhone camera and program that has zoom function and a front mount experimental lens. The double and plano convex lens combinations can increase the effective optical focal length of the built in camera, converting it to a telescope. The iPhone is much thinner than the Sony "telescope" but it's wider and longer. The photos are lower res compared to the Sony. However, its simple touch screen and much larger viewing area makes astro imaging a breeze. The Apple iStore has many camera programs to choose from, offering various ways to adjust image scale, make exposures, and adjust the image. You can use a camera program to simulate old time b&w plates taken by telescope observatories in the 1940s and 1950s.
iPhone is very versatile for the Propeller Brain acting as the calibrator for the Propeller side Brain Wave Monitor, a digital sound recorder for machine brain wave activity, and now as a variable zooming telescope with special effects.
The iPhone Telescope for the Big Brain will have continuing development. With its internet connection and wireless features plus ability to email and send text with images, it's a remarkable device.
First Telescope Image from Big Brain's 1st Camera The rising Moon - note obstruction by the top
of distant skyscrapers at the bottom right of the Moon
Shot with VGA single photo color mode, full optical zoom and digital compounded zoom. Image scale compounded with Apple iPhoto. Shows excellent control of lunar image scale and distance focus set at infinity, optical and digital zooming with exposure control. Image stabilization activated with auto setting at high ISO.
Propeller PIR Motion Sensor for Flight Recorder Stand alone operation circuit for a Parallax PIR sensor
with relay to trip a camera or telescope shutter release The PIR Sensor detects motion up to 20 feet away by using a Fresnel lens and infrared-sensitive element to detect changing patterns of passive infrared emitted by objects in its vicinity.
This idea uses the Parallax PIR motion sensor set to one PPPB for control. This is directional towards the airport and S107G. The PIR to Propeller connection is made, motion is detected by the PIR when the craft launches and exhibits an infrared signature, a timing delay is initiated by the Propeller chip and pin 7 is made high at the end of the timing loop, activating a standard rotation servo that trips the telescope's camera shutter release, thus taking a movie automatically of the launch and take-off. The movie can continue to monitor and record the helicopter flight from launch to landing and then deactivate the camera by tripping the shutter a second time based on elapsed time. Whereupon the right side of the Big Brain will take over, downloading the movie and capturing individual frames for historical record keeping.
The PIR (Passive Infra-Red) Sensor is a pyroelectric device that detects motion by measuring changes in the infrared (heat) levels emitted by surrounding objects. When motion is detected the PIR sensor outputs a high signal on its output pin. This logic signal can be read by a microcontroller or used to drive an external load.
NOTE: The product information found on this page currently pertains to Revision B of this product, which provides many updates and features from Revision A. Some of these include:
Longer detection range, selectable by onboard jumper
Wider supply voltage, from 3 to 6 VDC
Higher output current provides for direct control of an external load
Mounting holes included for permanent projects
All parts SMT
Features
Detection range up to 15 ft away on short setting, up to 30 ft away on long setting
Jumper selects short or long settings
Directly drive a load
Onboard LEDs light up the lens for fast visual feedback when movement is detected
Mounting holes for 2-56 sized screws
3-pin SIP header ready for breadboard or through-hole projects
Small size makes it easy to conceal
Easy interface to any microcontroller
Applications
Motion-activated airport nightlight
Intruder Alert Alarm system
Auto activated Flight Recorder
Key Specifications
Power requirements: 3 to 6 VDC; 12 mA @ 3 V, 23 mA @ 5 V
Communication: Single bit high/low output
Dimensions: 1.41 x 1.0 x 0.8 in (35.8 x 25.4 x 20.3 cm)
Operating temp range: 32 to 122 °F (0 to 50 °C)
Interface the PIR sensor with the Propeller
PIR senses movement and temperature changes within a proximity of about 20 feet. The PIR module can run either on 3.3 VDC or 5 VDC. However, this example program utilizes a 5 VDC supply from the Demo Board with an output to LED on PIN 16.
{{
***************************************
* PIR Object V1.0 *
* (C) 2008 Parallax, Inc. *
* Author: Joshua Donelson *
* Started: 06-03-2008 *
***************************************
Interfaces the PIR sensor with the Propeller Demo Board.
PIR senses movement and temperature changes within a proximity of about 20 feet.
The PIR module can run either on 3.3 VDC or 5 VDC; however this example program utilizes
a 5 VDC supply from the Demo Board.
PIR SENSOR
┌───────────────────┐
│ ┌───────┐ │ :: Connection To Propeller ::
│ │ ‣ │ │ 1 - Ground
│ └───────┘ │ 2 - Either 5 or 3.3 VDC (5 VDC in this example)
│ GND +5V SIG │ 3 - Signal to Input PIN with 2kΩ resistor
└─────┬───┬───┬─────┘
│ │  2K
 └┘ └ Pin
--------------------------REVISION HISTORY--------------------------
N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2008 Parallax, Inc.
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated
documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software,
and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of
the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT,
TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.
}}
_clkmode = xtal1 + pll16x ' Setting Clock Mode to Crystal 1 with 16 multiplier
_xinfreq = 5_000_000 ' Propeller set to run at 80MHz
PUB PIR | countdown ' Public Method name PIR (proximity sensor); with a local long sized variable countdown
dira[1]~ ' Set PIN1 to input
dira[16..17]~~ ' Set P16-P17 to outputs
outa[16..17]~ ' Set P16-P17 to low
countdown := 30 ' Assigned variable "countdown" a value of 30
!outa[17] ' Toggle PIN17 to indicate PIR warm-up process has begun
repeat until NOT countdown ' Repeat loop until countdown = 0
waitcnt(clkfreq + cnt) ' Wait 1 second
countdown -- ' subtract 1 from variable countdown
!outa[17] ' Toggle PIN17 to indicate warm-up process finished
repeat ' Repeat
if ina[1] == 1 ' If PIN1 equals a 1 (PIR is triggered)
!outa[16] ' Toggle PIN16 (LED on)
waitcnt(clkfreq/10 + cnt) ' Wait a 10th of a second
!outa[16] ' Toggle PIN16 (LED off)
The Parallax OBEX has programs to use for controlling a single standard servo to impel a tripping force to the telescopes camera shutter release. This works well with the First Telescope. It is not implemented with the iPhone color Telescope which requires a touch entry. (In time, a suitable material will be found to simulate a human's touch)
Additional pushbuttons are easily added based on the provided schematic, for various functions and initiated auto sequences and controls. The only parts needed are the pushbutton and 10K resistor for each. It's simple to put a pushbutton on a pin when only a few are involved. For keypads, other more effective wiring is available. Pek also has a power light which can be useful when used with specific dedicated Propeller camera chips.
In the first PEK program, the use of a pushbutton is presented, again, along with the code for Propeller control. This pushbutton can be used for a manual over-ride to trip the shutter or as a control to tell the Big Brain to automate the sequence. The same pushbutton program can be used to control other parts of the telescope.
The Big Brain Propellers and servos may also be introduced for slewing the telescope, guiding the telescope, selecting different driving rates depending on the object viewed, automating the ocular focus for selected astronomical objects, remembering the settings, doing automatic setup and calibrations, initiating tests, controlling filters, initiating precision timed exposures, doing over-rides to reposition the telescope, calculating and preserving exposure times, taking sequential images, controlling video recordings, recording date and time of images and observing sessions, controlling dark adapted lighting, controlling a mini thermodynamic equalizer, possible rotation and insertion of various viewing oculars, setting polarization degrees, controlling super cooling of sensors, automating dark frames and doing imaging preliminaries, eliminating periodic errors in guidance systems, tracking battery reserves, and numerous other functions.
''Single_Servo_Spin
''Author: Gavin Garner
''November 17, 2008
''This program demonstrates how to control a single RC servomotor by dedicating a cog to output signal pulses using a simple
''Spin program. Once the "MoveMotor" method is running on a new cog, it continuously checks the value of the "position"
''variable in the main RAM (the value of which code running on any other cog can change at any time) and creates a steady
''stream of signal pulses with a high part that is equal to the "position" value times 10 microseconds in length
''and a low part that is 10ms in length. (This low part may need to be changed to 20ms depending on the brand of motor being
''used, but 10ms seems to work fine for Parallax/Futaba Standard Servos and gives a quicker response time than 20ms.) For
''higher position accuracy, refer to my Single_Servo_Assembly and Single_Servo_Counter demos.
'Notes:
' -To use this in your own Spin code, simply declare a "position" variable as a long, start running the "MoveMotor" method
' in a new cog with the "cognew(@MoveMotor(<Pin>),@Stack)" line and copy and paste my "MoveMotor" method into your own code.
' Whenever the "position" variable is changed (by any cog) the "MoveMotor" method will change the servo signals accordingly.
' -If you are using a Parallax/Futaba Standard Servo, the range of signal pulse widths is typically between 0.5-2.25ms, which
' corresponds to "position" values between 50 (full clockwise) and 225 (full counterclockwise). This provides you with 175
' units of position resolution across the full range of motion. You may need to experiment with changing the "position"
' values a little to take advantage of the full range of motion for the specific RC servo motor that you are using. However,
' you must be careful not to force the servo to try to move beyond its mechanical stops.
' -If you find that your propeller chip or servomotor stops working for no apparent reason, it could be that the motor is
' sending inductive spikes back into the power supply or it is simply drawing too much current and resetting the
' propeller chip. Adding a large capacitor (e.g.,1000uF) across the power leads of the servo motor or using separate power
' sources for the propeller chip's 3.3V regulator and the servomotor's power supply will help to fix this.
CON
_xinfreq=5_000_000
_clkmode=xtal1+pll16x 'The system clock is set at 80MHz (this is recommended for optimal resolution)
VAR
long position 'The assembly program will read this variable from the main RAM to determine the
' servo signal's high pulse duration
long Stack[5] 'Alot some stack space for the cog running MoveMotor to use
PUB Demo
cognew(MoveMotor(7),@Stack) 'Start a new cog and run the MoveMotor method on it that outputs pulses on Pin 7
'The new cog that is started above continuously reads the "position" variable as it's changed by the example Spin code below
repeat
position:=100 'Start sending 1ms servo signal high pulses (100 * 10us = 1ms)
waitcnt(clkfreq+cnt) 'Wait for 1 second (1ms high pulses continue to be generated by the other cog)
position:=138 'Start sending 1.38ms servo signal high pulses (Center position)
waitcnt(clkfreq+cnt) 'Wait for 1 second (1.38ms high pulses continue to be generated by the other cog)
position:=50 'Start sending 0.5ms servo signal high pulses (Clockwise position)
waitcnt(clkfreq+cnt) 'Wait for 1 second (0.5ms high pulses continue to be generated by the other cog)
position:=225 'Start sending 2.25ms servo signal high pulses (Counterclockwise position)
waitcnt(clkfreq+cnt) 'Wait for 1 second (2.25ms high pulses continue to be generated by the other cog)
PUB MoveMotor(Pin) 'This method outputs a continuous stream of servo signal pulses on "Pin"
dira[Pin]~~ 'Set the direction of "Pin" to be an output
repeat 'Send out a continous train of pulses
outa[Pin]~~ 'Set "Pin" High
waitcnt((clkfreq/100_000)*position+cnt) 'Wait for the specifed position (units = 10 microseconds)
outa[Pin]~ 'Set "Pin" Low
waitcnt(clkfreq/100+cnt) 'Wait 10ms between pulses
{Copyright (c) 2008 Gavin Garner, University of Virginia
MIT License: Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated
documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the
rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit
persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and
this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. The software is provided
as is, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warrenties of noninfringement.
In no event shall the author or copyright holder be liable for any claim, damages or other liablility, out of or in
connection with the software or the use or other dealings in the software.}
Big Brain Telescope Mount Design Creating a Propeller Altazimuth Big Brain
The 1st telescope for the Big Brain sets at the summit currently on a stationary platform formed by the extra board space on the Parallax BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board. An idea is born for driving the telescope while utilizing the existing brain drive design controlled at the Brain Stem level.
At the Brain Stem, the bottom platform is designed for motion mobility using two servos. This drive becomes the azimuth. At the top or summit the telescope can be driven in elevation using a simple one servo drive. The combined motions of this drive create an Altazimuth telescope drive.
It is not known if the EXO will introduce vibration when driven at the bottom or introduce slack in the drive. If it does, the azimuth will be transferred to the summit.
The 1st Big Brain telescope is light weight enough to be driven by only two servos using the summit only drive approach. These two designs may be explored first before deciding on one or the other. If the motion is kept at the bottom, it can serve to position other sensors and instruments. Plus there is no problem in supplementing or doubling the motion at the summit to make it more stable for the telescope.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altazimuth_mount
An altazimuth or alt-azimuth mount is a simple two-axis mount for supporting and rotating an instrument about two mutually perpendicular axes; one vertical and the other horizontal. Rotation about the vertical axis varies the azimuth (compass bearing) of the pointing direction of the instrument. Rotation about the horizontal axis varies the altitude (angle of elevation) of the pointing direction. These mounts are used, for example, with telescopes, cameras, radio antennas, heliostat mirrors, solar panels, and guns and similar weapons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_coordinate_system
The horizontal coordinates are: Altitude (Alt), sometimes referred to as elevation, is the angle between the object and the observer's local horizon. It is expressed as an angle between 0 degrees to 90 degrees. Azimuth (Az), that is the angle of the object around the horizon, usually measured from the north increasing towards the east. Zenith distance, the distance from directly overhead (i.e. the zenith) is sometimes used instead of altitude in some calculations using these coordinates. The zenith distance is the complement of altitude (i.e. 90°-altitude). The horizontal coordinate system is sometimes also called the az/el[2] or Alt/Az coordinate system.
Telescope Control Panel Defined Both BASIC Stamp & Propeller compete for the position
The Propeller PPPB at the upper position six is defined as the Big Brain Telescope Control Panel. The small solderless breadboard is being redesigned to hold a number of pushbuttons to drive top servo(s) and set the rate. This is located next to the telescope at the closest position. An alternate is a BS2 board already at the summit that could be programmed in PBASIC.
Work is progressing on the drive. Experiments deal with driving and guiding speeds, slewing at various rates, and tracking algorithms. Code can potentially incorporate ramping, forward, reverse and object rates.
Is the servo method of tracking fine resolution enough? Probably yes. The telescope is a lower focal length optical train that minimizes motion and as tests using it hand held produced good results, then it's likely the servos will be a vast improvement.
I don't mean to offend anyone, but is this some kind of Propeller chip fanfic?
By the sound of it, you're just piling demoboards in the hope that someday it'll have so much Cogs and MIPS that it'll turn into the Borg.
Comments
I see the one that Erco linked here uses a styro body that weighs almost nothing. http://www.amazon.com/Air-Hogs-Hawk-Eye-Channel/dp/B003956GNI Maybe this is the only camera option in a toy/hobby product. But one question - why does the camera look forward? To image the ground, the camera should look down, right?
If you only want to see the ground. Looking straight down gets boring fast.
I have a pan and tilt setup on my T-Rex 600.
@ratronic, The mCX2 has slightly larger motors than the mCX. I purchased a mCX2 as a Christmas bonus for one of my employees. I flew both my mCX and his mCX2 right after each other. I thought the mCX2 was a little more powerful (and a lot cooler looking).
The mSR is more fun (and a lot harder to fly) than either the mCX or the mCX2. (The mSR isn't a good "first helli".)
Duane
Hack your Overclocked Brain Breadboards
Options are now available for both RC and high speed Propeller clocks. Now you can
create a new more powerful high speed breadboard.. but you'll need to hack it.
The view inside a solderless breadboard shows a series
of electrically conductive strips that make a circuit from one
hole connection to the next
_______________________
These connectors conduct electricity inside breadboards and can add small amounts of capacitance and electrical resistance in circuits. They may also act like small antennae picking up stray noise and/or radiate EMI/ RFI to adjacent components, machines and circuits. While this is not a concern in most designs involving RC clocking, or circuits with smaller numbers of Propeller chips, it can be a concern in circuits that are operated at full clock speed with many Propellers in a large array or various circuits at over-clocked frequencies.
As seen in the photo, a single strip length consists of five connectors, in this particular manufacturer's breadboard, all joined together. One of the most important areas on the Propeller chip for clocking management is the X0 - X1 connection points where the crystal connects. This is also where a faster 6.25 crystal connects for 200MHz operations.
It's possible to shorten the length of this "hidden" connector by completely removing three connectors from the strip, since only the crystal is connected to the Propeller pin, necessitating only two connectors. This will likely improve the circuit. From a quantitative view, more tests are required to determine the resulting cause and effect.
It is suggested to remove the backing and have any number of pre-prepared connectors available for various intentions. For clocks and high speed pins with one connection in addition to one prop pin, a two pin connector can be inserted. More one pin and two connections, a three pin connector will suffice.
Don't replace the backing with the sticky tape side but rather use a thin hardboard that has no tape. This mod permits using and reconfiguring the breadboard for many high speed uses. Transparent plastic as a breadboard backing is ideal for this application. It's thin, strong, maintains its shape, readily cuts and drills, is low cost, and can be worked with a soldering iron.
Metal connectors on the adjoined row are more readily removed by use of the abrasive cutting disc on a MotoTool. Alternatively, the metal will score and bending can weaken the metal until it breaks apart.
References
Breadboards
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?124495-Fill-the-Big-Brain&p=1025796&viewfull=1#post1025796
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?124495-Fill-the-Big-Brain&p=1025791&viewfull=1#post1025791
Transparent Plastic
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?124495-Fill-the-Big-Brain&p=970854&viewfull=1#post970854
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?124495-Fill-the-Big-Brain&p=1005967&viewfull=1#post1005967
Overclocking
http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=25&m=215415
http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=25&m=297000
http://propeller.wikispaces.com/Oscillator
http://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=25&m=228279
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?120079-Can-you-overclock-the-propeller-with-extreme-measures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overclocking
http://www.pugetsystems.com/submerged.php
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=849265
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8499000606?ie=UTF8&tag=syma107heli-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=8499000606
During the weekend, the Big Brain project invested in the Syma S107G 3 channel alloy wireless infrared remote controlled helicopter. This Syma helicopter comes fully assembled and ready to fly. It only needs a heli recharge and the controller requires six 1.5 AA batteries out of the box.
The tiny indoor helicopter will land and take off from atop the Big Brain where a custom Brain Heli Airport is being constructed from transparent plastic.
The goal is to create various control by the Big Brain for takeoff and landing, or to make this an entry experience into the world of brain aerial resources and peripherals. It is viewed as a precursor to a remote controlled reconnoissance device and possible swarming applications.
Part of this initiative was inspired by Ken Gracey who is working with a QuadCopter build.
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?133372-Ken-s-QuadCopter-Build-Log-(now-includes-videos)
Information from Erco, Ratronic, Duane Degn, RonP and Ken Gracey was helpful in making various determinations.
Amazon.com
The Syma S107G received the highest reviews.
http://syma107.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Syma-S107-S107G-Helicopter-Colors/product-reviews/8499000606/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
After reviewing this site
http://syma107.com/clones-and-fake-syma-s107/
it was confirmed the S107G is a real one.
The store had numerous small and large models, some were Syma brand while the remainder were various Chinese brands in Chinese language.
The key factor in selecting the S107G is undoubtedly the gyroscope system which allows for the greatest stability and contributes to various 5 star ratings in the analysis of command and control.
A secondary factor is the metal used in various body sections to help prevent breakage and increase durability.
The project opted for the infrared control, as in regard to the lab having more resources and experience with many infrared Parallax projects in the past.
Price: RMB229 at Carrefour (US$35.76)
Specifications
1. Syma 107G 3CH HELICOPTER
2. Building in Gyro Styles With USB
3. Matel Frame With Lipo Battery
- Product Feature: Up/down, left/ right,forward/backward
- Battery: 3.7V 150Mah Li-poly
- Charging time: About 30-40 mimutes (USB charging)
- Flying time: About 5-7 minutes
- Controlling distance: About 10 meters
- Battery for controller: 6"AA"batteries(not include)
- Product Size: 22X3.8X9.8cm
- Box Size: 48X 9X 18.5cm
- CNC components
- Frequency: A/B channel selector
- Test report: CE ROHS FCC ASTMKey
Features:
- Vernier adjustment knob.
- Double protection.
- Flash light.
- Indoor flight.
- 3D full function.
- Built-in GYRO
Links
http://syma107.com/my-syma-store/
Syma S107 Battery
http://syma107.com/syma-s107-battery-problem/
Clones and Fake Syma S107
http://syma107.com/clones-and-fake-syma-s107/
Getting Started-What is A Mini- Helicopter
http://syma107.com/getting-started-in-remote-helicopters/
Syma S107 Manual-Download PDF
http://syma107.com/download89/Syma%20S107%20Manual.pdf
Syma S107 Faq
http://syma107.com/syma-s107-faq/
Modifications
http://syma107.com/syma-s107-modifications/
Videos
http://syma107.com/syma-s107-videos/
Store
http://syma107.com/my-syma-store/
Hold Fly Test Mod
http://www.symahelicopter.com/2011/03/23/syma-s107g-hold-fly-test-modification/
Humanoido, this sentence seems incomplete to me... From my experience, it should read like this...
I am just teasing of course, those things practically fly themselves... It's the human that flies it into the wall...
-Tommy
Part 1 Introduction - a precursor to Propeller control
http://syma107.com/
If you're following along, the project is under construction with a top mount airport for launching aerial aircraft, such as small rockets, airplanes, helicopters and special test aircraft.
To begin, the project has purchased an original Syma S107G helicopter for indoor flying (and possible outside night flying) and is currently running it through its paces, developing flight and handling data.
The small 7.5-inch 107 is being flown without a controlling Propeller chip, though the objective is to learn all the dynamics and characteristics of flying to see how the results can be "propellerized." This information will be shared for all helicopter and Propeller enthusiasts.
Battery
Some do's and don'ts
Crashing
Flying
Good Techniques
Use iphone to generate notes as calibration waveforms
Need a simple and easy low cost way to calibrate your Big Brain's machine Brain Wave Monitor? It's simple as typing the calibration notes on a tiny musical keyboard called the Zen Piano. The Zen is completely free and has a unique key pressure sensitivity feature to set amplitude. Here's an example where some basic household items (computer, cell phone, camera, freeware) can be used to create a functional scientific instrument.
Use of Apple iPhone to calibrate a Big Brain BWM machine. Photo shows a
single note peak and possible harmonic. Note some irregularity in the curve
caused by a mix of background noise coming in through an open window
_____________________
iPhone has numerous free program that generate keyboard notes which can be used for the purpose of calibrating a Brain Wave Machine.
The photo shows the use of Zen Piano in real time to generate individual played notes. The program can also record and play back notes and music. It will also control the loudness of the notes based on the amount of pressure placed on the virtual keys.
Along with iSpectrum, a complete package is capable of showing frequency peaks, waveforms, and harmonics. (see photo) Use the camera to capture waveforms like digital storage scope or use a common image capture program.
List of No Cost iPhone Musical Keyboards
PL.PianoFree
PIY Lite
Pocket Voice
Virtuoso
Zen Piano
List of Components
iMac
iPhone
iPhone Zen Piano
iSpectrum
iPhoto
Preview
Camera
SimpleCap
Big Brain Propeller Arrays
BWM Brain Wave Monitor
Coupling is wireless. Experiment with other programs and chords made with multiple key depressions. Check upper and lower frequency vs note limits. Verify scales, harmonics, ranges, intensity, plots, durations, and the meter features such as Hanning Blackman Harris conditioning, averages and normalizations.
Instrumentation Background
Adapted from AC Circuit Experiments - Basic Electronic Tutorials
"The Winscope (or other) program comes with another feature other than the typical "time-domain" oscilloscope display: "frequency-domain" display, which plots amplitude (vertical) over frequency (horizontal). An oscilloscope's "time-domain" display plots amplitude (vertical) over time (horizontal), which is fine for displaying waveshape. However, when it is desirable to see the harmonic constituency of a complex wave, a frequency-domain plot is the best tool.
If using Winscope, click on the "rainbow" icon to switch to frequency-domain mode. Generate a sine-wave signal using the musical keyboard (panflute or flute voice), and you should see a single "spike" on the display, corresponding to the amplitude of the single-frequency signal. Moving the mouse cursor beneath the peak should result in the frequency being displayed numerically at the bottom of the screen.
If two notes are activated on the musical keyboard, the plot should show two distinct peaks, each one corresponding to a particular note (frequency). Basic chords (three notes) produce three spikes on the frequency-domain plot, and so on. Contrast this with normal oscilloscope (time-domain) plot by clicking once again on the "rainbow" icon. A musical chord displayed in time-domain format is a very complex waveform, but is quite simple to resolve into constituent notes (frequencies) on a frequency-domain display."
Airport Peripheral Begins to Take Shape
A top mounted airport with helicopter
take-off and landing pad is being built
onto the Big Brain. The airport will be
constructed with green Transparent
Plastic and a mounting trusswork of
design-as-you-go technology. It will
host a Syma S107G Helicopter with
infrared guidance and control. This
is an artistic rendition of the project.
The airport is expected to take several
weeks or months to complete.
_____________________
The first mission of Big Brain's airport is now decided and will be accomplished with the S107G Helicopter setting atop the newly completed airport pad. The overall goal is to pre-requisitely trim and adjust (possible weight redistribution) the craft to fly in the most stable manner possible, and then attempt the mission to vertical take off and land, returning to the tiny center of the Airport Pad.
This will set the pace for a variety of Big Brain Copter missions (or Heli missions), all of which require vertical take off and landing. The experiment can also pave the way towards exploring ways of control with the S107G and the Propeller chip.
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx
The total budget for the Big Brain Airport along with its helicopter aircraft furnishings is a maximum of $50. The breakdown is as follows:
Budget Planning
Transparent Green Plastic Construction Material $2.00
S107G Helicopter 229 RMB $35.23
Truss Hardware $2.50
Batteries for Controller (6) $10.00
Total Estimated Cost $49.73
So far the project is within budget and on schedule.
Pie chart shows Transparent Plastic is the
smallest expense while the helicopter is
the greatest expense.
Introducing Micro Space
Micro Space Program Solar image taken
with the Big Brain Robotic Space Telescope
from the Micro Space Program. The image
shows various indications of solar granulation
and minor sunspot activity. The monitoring
of solar activity is important for Earth-based
electronics, satellites and astronauts in space.
Photo by Humanoido.
______________________
Micro Space Exploration with Propellers and the Airport Launch Complex
Spawned by the development of a Big Brain Airport Complex to launch helicopters, and the ability to do massive parallel control with many I/O in the EXO section, the Big Brain will utilize the same facilities to engage in a Micro Space Program. It's possible that various upgrade gantries may be introduced in the future to facilitate specific missions.
Micro space refers to the space in your room. Initially one may think this is limited. However, the research from a Micro Space Program is not unlike a full scale space program in many aspects - as many similarities exist for study and research including exploration of aerospace dynamics. Small scale craft are not to be disregarded as the program will show.
The MSP Micro Space Program will encompass a number of aerospace elements and research dynamics in addition to helicopter missions. Mission designs are aimed towards including robotic payloads, chemical and inertial ballistic rockets, balloons, helicopters, kites, tethering, laddering, gravitational guided reentry, string restrictors, surveillance devices, defensive mechanisms, parachutes, gliders, air bags, inertial launchers, and special designed aerial micro spacecraft, all designed to perform within micro space.
The MSP Micro Space Program is spin off technology for the author's own full space program and near space program, the latter two which are currently not open source. The Big Brain also has the ability to investigate various forms of guidance and control within the realm of micro space. G&C can take on various forms - infrared controllers, wireless radio, mechanical guidance systems, and tethered restrictors for example. Stay tuned for more information about the Micro Space Program.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/16/mit-takes-the-wrappers-off-autonomous-robotic-helicopter-with-i/
Uses laser positioning, AI, stereo vision for obstacle avoidance, mapping..
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10030884-76.html
Apprentice learning - one helicopter learns from another
"The robotic helicopter "watches" another helicopter flown by a human expert, meaning that it records data on its movements, such as position by GPS and velocity. The robot then adapts those maneuvers with new controls every 20th of a second, according to the Stanford computer scientists.
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10030884-76.html#ixzz1ViRxPNGW"
http://www.livescience.com/2832-robot-helicopter-teaches-fly.html
Helicopters are not easy to control. Constant input is required to keep one stable.
"The helicopter doesn't want to fly," said Oku. "It always wants to just tip over and crash."
The robotic student is loaded with aftermarket instrumentation, from accelerometers and gyroscopes to magnetometers, which use the Earth's magnetic field to figure out which way the helicopter is pointed. In the future, such a craft might prove helpful to search for land mines in a war region or to map out wildfire hotspots.
Autonomous helicopter project
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/chopper/www/
the latest flight tests of a new linear robust controller for the Carnegie Mellon University Yamaha R-50 Robotic Helicopter
Lists a series of basic maneuvers with graphical illustrations at
http://www.marcolacivita.com/research/flight_tests/
Includes
Square
Forward Turn
Backward Turn
Nose out Pirouette
Nose in Pirouette
"the maneuvers were all flown with the hover controller. This controller consists of 1 multivariable (MIMO) inner loop for stabilization and 4 separate (SISO) guidance loops for velocity and position control. For every maneuver there is a description and 2 different videos. The first video is from a Mini-DV camera. The second is a playback of the flight data recorded during the same maneuver; that is, it is not a simulation. The animation in the second video is created with an inteface designed to read and playback flight data for better analysis. The graphical inteface also shows the desired trajectory."
We all can use Google to find the info and links you've posted in this thread. What we really want to see posted are your own experiences: photos, videos, schematics, and source code for your projects -- not someone else's.
Thanks,
-Phil
Propellers Slated for Telescope Interface
Preparing to conduct a Micro Space Program, a Big Brain Robotic Space Telescope is in the design works, and parts of which are in limited operations. The BB RST will likely be controlled by Propeller chips. The sample image shows the gibbous Moon captured with the telescope, undriven and unmounted, and records color created by chemical pollution in the upper atmosphere for Earth analysis. Chromatic dispersion analysis can identify various types of pollution and in other cases serve as particular dichroic and character selection filtering. Photo by Humanoido
___________________
A design in the making, using a very small camera modified to become a digital storage telescope, the BB RST could possibly be combined with a basic altazimuth telescope mount. This would have a choice of electronic servo pulse driven telescope drive with two servos driven simultaneously with a choice of lunar, planetary or sidereal rates or more simply with signals for manual calibration and correction rates.
The Big Brain Robotic Telescope under the Micro Space Program breaks all the rules of telescopic use by gathering information and telescopic data from inside the room looking out through a closed window. Electronic compensation is used to correct for temperature differences and window glass. The Big Brain Robotic Telescope is part of the Big Brain Micro Space Program.
A large number of Big Brain applications are being generated by the new Micro Space Program.
Telescopes as Propeller peripheral devices
The second telescope for the Big Propeller Brain is a Meade
Instruments Corporation computerized GOTO robotic telescope
that automatically finds solar system and deep sky objects,
and has full tracking and guiding ability.
The Big Brain Exo at right will connect to this larger
robotic space telescope and function in conjunction
with the Micro Space Program.
____________________
The larger size will enable higher resolutions and deeper stellar magnitudes. A CCD cam enables high resolution images and studies of significance. The ETX-60 is a refracting telescope with a 60mm diameter coated glass primary objective lens, a focal length of 350mm, and a focal ratio of F5.8.
An advantage of this telescope is it can automatically locate and lock on celestial objects, plus function in remote locations with batteries. However, by design, the Micro Space Program only needs a small room as an observation center.
The second BB RST was star tested and CCD imaging tested with the lunar surface and is shown to have exceptional optics. The BB RST works well with a SONY Cyber-shot DSC-T10 7.3 MegaPixel camera with image stabilization and sensitivity to ISO1000.
The camera takes movies in three resolution formats (160, 640 Standard and 640 Fine) and uses a Carl-Zeiss lens with an optical 3X zoom and double anti-blur technology.
Cloudy Nights Telescope Review
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=733
The telescope, with Autostar technology, has shown numerous Galilean satellites, clouds on Jupiter, rings around Saturn, and spectacular views of the lunar craters and Maria. It's use with both Barlow and Focal Reducer has extended its use. It excels with deep sky objects finding such famous sites as the M1 Pulsar, M13 Globular Star Cluster in Hercules, M8 Lagoon Nebula, M57 Ring Nebula, M27, and M42 in Orion where stars are born.
It is expected that the Propeller power of the Big Brain could extend the usefulness of the robotic telescope by a factor of 100 to 1000 times, a simple assessment based on the number of I/O controlling ports provided and computational abilities.
Lift your right foot a few inches from the floor and then begin to move it in a clockwise direction. While youre doing this, use a finger your right index finger to draw a number 6 in the air. Your foot will turn in an anticlockwise direction and theres nothing you can do about it!
The left side of your brain, which controls the right side of your body, is responsible for rhythm and timing. The left side of your brain cannot deal with operating two opposite movements at the same time and so it combines them into a single motion.
http://www.sciencemadesimple.co.uk/page76g.html
The machine brain may be similar. It has four quadrants of brains with two quadrants extremely pronounced. The connections between left and right machine brains are currently through thin air. How does this happen? The transfer of audio cues are input from left to right without wires. (see BWM posts for more information)
Photo of the 1st Big Brain telescope setting atop
the EXO. Image taken with PhotoBooth, iMac and
the built in FaceTime HD camera from across the
room. This view shows the telescope digital view-
screen at the Big Brain summit. To engage in
astronomical imaging, the curtains are simply
pulled to the sides and photos are captured
through the window.
___________________
This may be the smallest telescope ever used in the lab. It's the easiest to use and the most useful. It's construction is unique. It has conducted several very useful projects using the Moon and Sun to study Earth's atmospheric effects and pollution.
The lab has built telescopes ranging in diameter sizes from 30mm (held in one hand) on up to just over 50-inches (moved by truck). However, this small telescope creation is not only the most unique, but easy to use. It's a perfect size to weight ratio match for the Big Brain.
The telescope's story began as a tiny camera, the smallest offered by SONY. Normally a camera is technically not a telescope when it has a non-supplemented 50mm lens, but there's some magical no-mans land where a telephoto and special features can transform a common camera into a telescope.
Here's how to make a digital recording telescope from a camera. First you need a camera than can record VGA stills. Activate the full optical zoom to achieve the largest image scale. Enter the mode which enhances the exposure (for sun, Moon, Planets, etc.) while observing the image on the display. Process with iPhoto to enlarge image scale and enhance the image. Other more advanced techniques are available including the Steady Cam image stabilization feature and creating single high resolution stills by summing and processing numerous images from a movie.
The camera and helicopter airport compete for the same brain top space and this is not yet resolved. Currently the Big Brain is acting as a top mounting surface with found space on a hosted Parallax BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board. This is mounted next to a PPDB. In the future, the BB can be worked into a drive for the telescope and offer positioning, tracking and guiding. This would use Propeller chips on the left brain side. The right brain will do the image processing and enhancements.
These experiments and upgrades are conducted with the EXO which is more readily made moveable and offers more supporting structure in unique ways.
Big Brain has a third telescope made from an Apple iPhone
camera function using special programs found at the
Apple iStore
______________________
This Telescope peripheral under development for the Big Brain adds image storage, wireless operations, remote abilities, image enhancement, email, internet, messaging, digital image transmission, posting, and special imaging features.
The third telescope for the Big Brain is an adaptation of an iPhone camera and program that has zoom function and a front mount experimental lens. The double and plano convex lens combinations can increase the effective optical focal length of the built in camera, converting it to a telescope. The iPhone is much thinner than the Sony "telescope" but it's wider and longer. The photos are lower res compared to the Sony. However, its simple touch screen and much larger viewing area makes astro imaging a breeze. The Apple iStore has many camera programs to choose from, offering various ways to adjust image scale, make exposures, and adjust the image. You can use a camera program to simulate old time b&w plates taken by telescope observatories in the 1940s and 1950s.
iPhone is very versatile for the Propeller Brain acting as the calibrator for the Propeller side Brain Wave Monitor, a digital sound recorder for machine brain wave activity, and now as a variable zooming telescope with special effects.
The iPhone Telescope for the Big Brain will have continuing development. With its internet connection and wireless features plus ability to email and send text with images, it's a remarkable device.
The rising Moon - note obstruction by the top
of distant skyscrapers at the bottom right of the Moon
Shot with VGA single photo color mode, full optical zoom and digital compounded zoom. Image scale compounded with Apple iPhoto. Shows excellent control of lunar image scale and distance focus set at infinity, optical and digital zooming with exposure control. Image stabilization activated with auto setting at high ISO.
Stand alone operation circuit for a Parallax PIR sensor
with relay to trip a camera or telescope shutter release
The PIR Sensor detects motion up to 20 feet away by using a Fresnel lens and infrared-sensitive element to detect changing patterns of passive infrared emitted by objects in its vicinity.
This idea uses the Parallax PIR motion sensor set to one PPPB for control. This is directional towards the airport and S107G. The PIR to Propeller connection is made, motion is detected by the PIR when the craft launches and exhibits an infrared signature, a timing delay is initiated by the Propeller chip and pin 7 is made high at the end of the timing loop, activating a standard rotation servo that trips the telescope's camera shutter release, thus taking a movie automatically of the launch and take-off. The movie can continue to monitor and record the helicopter flight from launch to landing and then deactivate the camera by tripping the shutter a second time based on elapsed time. Whereupon the right side of the Big Brain will take over, downloading the movie and capturing individual frames for historical record keeping.
PIR Links
http://www.parallax.com/Store/Sensors/ObjectDetection/tabid/176/CategoryID/51/List/0/SortField/0/Level/a/ProductID/83/Default.aspx
555-28027 PIRSensor RevB v2.0 (.pdf)
http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/prod/sens/555-28027-PIRSensor-v2.0.pdf
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?128878-PIR-propeller-robot-board
The PIR (Passive Infra-Red) Sensor is a pyroelectric device that detects motion by measuring changes in the infrared (heat) levels emitted by surrounding objects. When motion is detected the PIR sensor outputs a high signal on its output pin. This logic signal can be read by a microcontroller or used to drive an external load.
NOTE: The product information found on this page currently pertains to Revision B of this product, which provides many updates and features from Revision A. Some of these include:
Longer detection range, selectable by onboard jumper
Wider supply voltage, from 3 to 6 VDC
Higher output current provides for direct control of an external load
Mounting holes included for permanent projects
All parts SMT
Features
Detection range up to 15 ft away on short setting, up to 30 ft away on long setting
Jumper selects short or long settings
Directly drive a load
Onboard LEDs light up the lens for fast visual feedback when movement is detected
Mounting holes for 2-56 sized screws
3-pin SIP header ready for breadboard or through-hole projects
Small size makes it easy to conceal
Easy interface to any microcontroller
Applications
Motion-activated airport nightlight
Intruder Alert Alarm system
Auto activated Flight Recorder
Key Specifications
Power requirements: 3 to 6 VDC; 12 mA @ 3 V, 23 mA @ 5 V
Communication: Single bit high/low output
Dimensions: 1.41 x 1.0 x 0.8 in (35.8 x 25.4 x 20.3 cm)
Operating temp range: 32 to 122 °F (0 to 50 °C)
Front View (new style)
Using the PIR as standalone
www.scary-terry.com/itw/pirsensor/pirsensor.htm
Interface the PIR sensor with the Propeller
PIR senses movement and temperature changes within a proximity of about 20 feet. The PIR module can run either on 3.3 VDC or 5 VDC. However, this example program utilizes a 5 VDC supply from the Demo Board with an output to LED on PIN 16.
http://obex.parallax.com/objects/327/
{{ *************************************** * PIR Object V1.0 * * (C) 2008 Parallax, Inc. * * Author: Joshua Donelson * * Started: 06-03-2008 * *************************************** Interfaces the PIR sensor with the Propeller Demo Board. PIR senses movement and temperature changes within a proximity of about 20 feet. The PIR module can run either on 3.3 VDC or 5 VDC; however this example program utilizes a 5 VDC supply from the Demo Board. PIR SENSOR ┌───────────────────┐ │ ┌───────┐ │ :: Connection To Propeller :: │ │ ‣ │ │ 1 - Ground │ └───────┘ │ 2 - Either 5 or 3.3 VDC (5 VDC in this example) │ GND +5V SIG │ 3 - Signal to Input PIN with 2kΩ resistor └─────┬───┬───┬─────┘ │ │  2K  └┘ └ Pin --------------------------REVISION HISTORY-------------------------- N/A -------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 2008 Parallax, Inc. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. }} _clkmode = xtal1 + pll16x ' Setting Clock Mode to Crystal 1 with 16 multiplier _xinfreq = 5_000_000 ' Propeller set to run at 80MHz PUB PIR | countdown ' Public Method name PIR (proximity sensor); with a local long sized variable countdown dira[1]~ ' Set PIN1 to input dira[16..17]~~ ' Set P16-P17 to outputs outa[16..17]~ ' Set P16-P17 to low countdown := 30 ' Assigned variable "countdown" a value of 30 !outa[17] ' Toggle PIN17 to indicate PIR warm-up process has begun repeat until NOT countdown ' Repeat loop until countdown = 0 waitcnt(clkfreq + cnt) ' Wait 1 second countdown -- ' subtract 1 from variable countdown !outa[17] ' Toggle PIN17 to indicate warm-up process finished repeat ' Repeat if ina[1] == 1 ' If PIN1 equals a 1 (PIR is triggered) !outa[16] ' Toggle PIN16 (LED on) waitcnt(clkfreq/10 + cnt) ' Wait a 10th of a second !outa[16] ' Toggle PIN16 (LED off)The Parallax OBEX has programs to use for controlling a single standard servo to impel a tripping force to the telescopes camera shutter release. This works well with the First Telescope. It is not implemented with the iPhone color Telescope which requires a touch entry. (In time, a suitable material will be found to simulate a human's touch)
Additional pushbuttons are easily added based on the provided schematic, for various functions and initiated auto sequences and controls. The only parts needed are the pushbutton and 10K resistor for each. It's simple to put a pushbutton on a pin when only a few are involved. For keypads, other more effective wiring is available. Pek also has a power light which can be useful when used with specific dedicated Propeller camera chips.
In the first PEK program, the use of a pushbutton is presented, again, along with the code for Propeller control. This pushbutton can be used for a manual over-ride to trip the shutter or as a control to tell the Big Brain to automate the sequence. The same pushbutton program can be used to control other parts of the telescope.
The Big Brain Propellers and servos may also be introduced for slewing the telescope, guiding the telescope, selecting different driving rates depending on the object viewed, automating the ocular focus for selected astronomical objects, remembering the settings, doing automatic setup and calibrations, initiating tests, controlling filters, initiating precision timed exposures, doing over-rides to reposition the telescope, calculating and preserving exposure times, taking sequential images, controlling video recordings, recording date and time of images and observing sessions, controlling dark adapted lighting, controlling a mini thermodynamic equalizer, possible rotation and insertion of various viewing oculars, setting polarization degrees, controlling super cooling of sensors, automating dark frames and doing imaging preliminaries, eliminating periodic errors in guidance systems, tracking battery reserves, and numerous other functions.
''Single_Servo_Spin ''Author: Gavin Garner ''November 17, 2008 ''This program demonstrates how to control a single RC servomotor by dedicating a cog to output signal pulses using a simple ''Spin program. Once the "MoveMotor" method is running on a new cog, it continuously checks the value of the "position" ''variable in the main RAM (the value of which code running on any other cog can change at any time) and creates a steady ''stream of signal pulses with a high part that is equal to the "position" value times 10 microseconds in length ''and a low part that is 10ms in length. (This low part may need to be changed to 20ms depending on the brand of motor being ''used, but 10ms seems to work fine for Parallax/Futaba Standard Servos and gives a quicker response time than 20ms.) For ''higher position accuracy, refer to my Single_Servo_Assembly and Single_Servo_Counter demos. 'Notes: ' -To use this in your own Spin code, simply declare a "position" variable as a long, start running the "MoveMotor" method ' in a new cog with the "cognew(@MoveMotor(<Pin>),@Stack)" line and copy and paste my "MoveMotor" method into your own code. ' Whenever the "position" variable is changed (by any cog) the "MoveMotor" method will change the servo signals accordingly. ' -If you are using a Parallax/Futaba Standard Servo, the range of signal pulse widths is typically between 0.5-2.25ms, which ' corresponds to "position" values between 50 (full clockwise) and 225 (full counterclockwise). This provides you with 175 ' units of position resolution across the full range of motion. You may need to experiment with changing the "position" ' values a little to take advantage of the full range of motion for the specific RC servo motor that you are using. However, ' you must be careful not to force the servo to try to move beyond its mechanical stops. ' -If you find that your propeller chip or servomotor stops working for no apparent reason, it could be that the motor is ' sending inductive spikes back into the power supply or it is simply drawing too much current and resetting the ' propeller chip. Adding a large capacitor (e.g.,1000uF) across the power leads of the servo motor or using separate power ' sources for the propeller chip's 3.3V regulator and the servomotor's power supply will help to fix this. CON _xinfreq=5_000_000 _clkmode=xtal1+pll16x 'The system clock is set at 80MHz (this is recommended for optimal resolution) VAR long position 'The assembly program will read this variable from the main RAM to determine the ' servo signal's high pulse duration long Stack[5] 'Alot some stack space for the cog running MoveMotor to use PUB Demo cognew(MoveMotor(7),@Stack) 'Start a new cog and run the MoveMotor method on it that outputs pulses on Pin 7 'The new cog that is started above continuously reads the "position" variable as it's changed by the example Spin code below repeat position:=100 'Start sending 1ms servo signal high pulses (100 * 10us = 1ms) waitcnt(clkfreq+cnt) 'Wait for 1 second (1ms high pulses continue to be generated by the other cog) position:=138 'Start sending 1.38ms servo signal high pulses (Center position) waitcnt(clkfreq+cnt) 'Wait for 1 second (1.38ms high pulses continue to be generated by the other cog) position:=50 'Start sending 0.5ms servo signal high pulses (Clockwise position) waitcnt(clkfreq+cnt) 'Wait for 1 second (0.5ms high pulses continue to be generated by the other cog) position:=225 'Start sending 2.25ms servo signal high pulses (Counterclockwise position) waitcnt(clkfreq+cnt) 'Wait for 1 second (2.25ms high pulses continue to be generated by the other cog) PUB MoveMotor(Pin) 'This method outputs a continuous stream of servo signal pulses on "Pin" dira[Pin]~~ 'Set the direction of "Pin" to be an output repeat 'Send out a continous train of pulses outa[Pin]~~ 'Set "Pin" High waitcnt((clkfreq/100_000)*position+cnt) 'Wait for the specifed position (units = 10 microseconds) outa[Pin]~ 'Set "Pin" Low waitcnt(clkfreq/100+cnt) 'Wait 10ms between pulses {Copyright (c) 2008 Gavin Garner, University of Virginia MIT License: Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. The software is provided as is, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warrenties of noninfringement. In no event shall the author or copyright holder be liable for any claim, damages or other liablility, out of or in connection with the software or the use or other dealings in the software.}Creating a Propeller Altazimuth Big Brain
The 1st telescope for the Big Brain sets at the summit currently on a stationary platform formed by the extra board space on the Parallax BASIC Stamp HomeWork Board. An idea is born for driving the telescope while utilizing the existing brain drive design controlled at the Brain Stem level.
At the Brain Stem, the bottom platform is designed for motion mobility using two servos. This drive becomes the azimuth. At the top or summit the telescope can be driven in elevation using a simple one servo drive. The combined motions of this drive create an Altazimuth telescope drive.
It is not known if the EXO will introduce vibration when driven at the bottom or introduce slack in the drive. If it does, the azimuth will be transferred to the summit.
The 1st Big Brain telescope is light weight enough to be driven by only two servos using the summit only drive approach. These two designs may be explored first before deciding on one or the other. If the motion is kept at the bottom, it can serve to position other sensors and instruments. Plus there is no problem in supplementing or doubling the motion at the summit to make it more stable for the telescope.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altazimuth_mount
An altazimuth or alt-azimuth mount is a simple two-axis mount for supporting and rotating an instrument about two mutually perpendicular axes; one vertical and the other horizontal. Rotation about the vertical axis varies the azimuth (compass bearing) of the pointing direction of the instrument. Rotation about the horizontal axis varies the altitude (angle of elevation) of the pointing direction. These mounts are used, for example, with telescopes, cameras, radio antennas, heliostat mirrors, solar panels, and guns and similar weapons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_coordinate_system
The horizontal coordinates are: Altitude (Alt), sometimes referred to as elevation, is the angle between the object and the observer's local horizon. It is expressed as an angle between 0 degrees to 90 degrees. Azimuth (Az), that is the angle of the object around the horizon, usually measured from the north increasing towards the east. Zenith distance, the distance from directly overhead (i.e. the zenith) is sometimes used instead of altitude in some calculations using these coordinates. The zenith distance is the complement of altitude (i.e. 90°-altitude). The horizontal coordinate system is sometimes also called the az/el[2] or Alt/Az coordinate system.
Both BASIC Stamp & Propeller compete for the position
The Propeller PPPB at the upper position six is defined as the Big Brain Telescope Control Panel. The small solderless breadboard is being redesigned to hold a number of pushbuttons to drive top servo(s) and set the rate. This is located next to the telescope at the closest position. An alternate is a BS2 board already at the summit that could be programmed in PBASIC.
Work is progressing on the drive. Experiments deal with driving and guiding speeds, slewing at various rates, and tracking algorithms. Code can potentially incorporate ramping, forward, reverse and object rates.
Is the servo method of tracking fine resolution enough? Probably yes. The telescope is a lower focal length optical train that minimizes motion and as tests using it hand held produced good results, then it's likely the servos will be a vast improvement.
By the sound of it, you're just piling demoboards in the hope that someday it'll have so much Cogs and MIPS that it'll turn into the Borg.