But, please, like the rest of us, just sit back and be entertained.
:thumb: :thumb:
Welcome to the forum namochan,
this is one of thousands of available threads in the parallax forums, Design criteria is all important here,
what kind of stuff are you into building?
Big Brain Airport Build
Part 1 of 3 Parts - Getting Started
The following is a full step by step summary of how to build a Big Brain Airport for brain owned aircraft projects and robotic aerospace research programs conducted in Micro Space. Refer to other posts for a detailed definition of Micro Space and various programs to be conducted in Micro Space. More on this topic will follow. The Assembly will be divided into three sections, each unique in reaching the final goal, and to facilitate the edit add of a greater volume of material and the add on of numerous assembly illustrating photos.
This is an automated airport controlled by the Big Brain, now under construction, with Parallax Propeller chips in which various features will be added over time as they are imagined, designed, built, tested and put into use. Photo 1 (BUILD1) - the first build photo shows the install of the first airport truss spacer, attached by angle iron. The spacer is a total of 6-inches long. Note the two airport command and control antennae. Clearance above these antennae is set at 1-inch.
The HYDRA is removed for relocation. It may be reattached to the Propeller Arrays rather than the EXO or become the connection access to a Big Brain Remote Entity. (The Big Brain Remote Entity is currently in the design phase and not posted) The HYDRA may also be dedicated to running the Airport along with other Propeller chip resources.
__________________________
NOTE
You may want to wait until all three parts to the airport build are posted before beginning construction.
BUILD INSTRUCTIONS PART 1
STEP 01 Insert the transmitter and receiver into the host board
STEP 02 Measure the distance from the Vertex Brass Spacer to the antenna top
STEP 03 Add 1-inch to provide clearance
STEP 04 Connect three brass 2-inch long spacers and create four sets of 6-inch spacers
STEP 05 Attach 5/16th angle iron with nuts to each of opposite Vertices on one EXO side
STEP 06 Position the angle iron as shown in the photo
STEP 07 Attach the four spacer sets to the angle iron with nuts and tighten
STEP 08 The truss is now completed
STEP 09 Position the Transparent Plastic long length left to right
STEP 10 Position the EXO largest LCD in front
For reference, this is a view showing the airport clip
on the right hand side. Note the orientation with
respect to the EXO. Also note the 7.5-inch length
of the helicopter has room to spare on the landing
and take off pad.
This is a Micro Space Airport. The airport adjoins the Big Brain Summit rising a full half foot above the upper-most EXO board. It provides 1-inch clearance for the lower board mounted airport command & control transmitter and receiver antennae. It heightens the EXO to 23 inches. Photo 3 (BUILD3) - Airport construction is under way in this photo. The four trusses are completed. You will build these spacer trusses and set a full sheet of transparent green plastic atop all four. At this point, the bolt positions are measured and marked for melting. Note the helicopter has ample space for vertical take off and landing. Sensors may be attached to the perimeter.
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Several features are gained by using Transparent Plastic. Static flight cameras for vertical take off and landing can mount under the airport and image the flights landing or take off through the plastic. An experiment will be conducted with the 1st Telescope after the airport is completed to show and film the sequence of a flight mission. Photo 2 (BUILD2) - all four trusses are attached with angle iron to four Vertices
__________________________
Light sensitive components can mount on the underside of the airport and see through the base and maintain functionality. The base can also act as a mount for other components mounted on the underside. The base can hold a gantry for the launch of other Micro Space Craft. It can also hold electromechanics such as servos. Although just an idea at this time, the airport may robotically transform to host the telescope mounting structure for the 1st Telescope.
BUILD INSTRUCTIONS PART 2
STEP 11 Set one full sheet of TP on top of the completed truss
STEP 12 Measure & mark 1.5-inches from the left of TP
STEP 13 Measure & mark 2.5-inches from the front
STEP 14 Proportionally mark the right side of the TP
STEP 15 Mark the bolt hole positions from the back, in by 2.75-inches
STEP 16 Mark the remaining bolt proportionally
STEP 17 Hot solder iron the marked holes
STEP 18 Remove flashing
MATERIAL & TOOL LIST
Needle nose pliers
Ruler
Soldering Iron
Protective Mat
01 - Sheet 9 x 12 Transparent Plastic
08 - nuts to fit spacers
04 - Bolts to fit spacers
12 - 2-inch length brass spacers
Big Brain Airport Build
Part 3 of 3 Parts - the Conclusion
The Micro Space Airport is a large flat surface (9 x 12-inches) with a span wide enough to launch various helicopters and aerospace vehicles. It handles and hosts the Syma 7.5-inch Micro S107G Helicopter. It’s light weight platform solidly mounts at the top of the Big Brain. It protects all components of the Big Brain and the attached host boards below (from the top down) due to its overlapping nature. Photo 4 (BUILD4) - Top down view shows the completed airport with mounting bolts. Note the helicopter has enough space for vertical takeoff and landing. The large pad space serves several purposes, one of which is to provide a large surface resistance to air flow at takeoff and a stable platform so there's no need to hold the craft. This is step inline with the airport automating as many aircraft controls as possible and lessening the degree of human intervention.
__________________________
Rules & Regulations
The aircraft flight zone around and within the vicinity of the Big Brain is restricted to a flying air space at or above the level of the airport, to prevent crashing into the sides of the Big Brain’s EXO.
Airport Sensor Introduction
Planning shows that optical devices and various sensors can mount around the perimeter of the airport. Use of an ultrasound PING))) can determine when aircraft take off and land, as well as automatically track their distances and positions during flight. Motion sensors may also be used.
More Dimensions
Laterally on each Exo side, there is a 4-inch overlap. To the front and rear - the overall overlap is 2-inches in the front and 2.5-inches in the rear.
Build Instructions Part 3 - the Conclusion
STEP 19 Bolt on the TP sheet
STEP 20 There should be 1-inch antenna clearance to the airport underside
STEP 21 Minor adjust positions of the landing pad and tighten
STEP 22 Set aircraft on top. The Airport is now complete
Notes
Note the metal clipboard clip is on the bottom right side of the transparent plastic sheet. The clip is used to hold sensors, equipment and routing wires and cables which lead to a lower level. This is the completed Big Brain Airport. It does not
show various sensors that will be installed for more
autonomous operations or more automatic functions.
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Routing wires will install using the truss supports and the support offered by the Transparent Plastic's clip. The Airport will hold various sensors. Some sensors will see and detect through TB from underneath while others may locate near the top. The objective is to keep the platform clear of all obstructions for landing aircraft that may be slightly off-center, so some sensors may span out to the sides at the same plane level.
You'll need an Apple iPhone to run these programs with the Big Brain's 2nd Micro Space Telescope.
These are found and installed select programs for review and testing (others were deleted) - use with the Big Brain's 2nd Telescope made from the Apple iPhone. Downloads are free at the installed Apple iStore.
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At first glance, programs adjust color, zoom, light and dark, create artificial special effects, manipulate how photos are taken (timed, touched, swiped, etc.), simulate various ISO film, create artificial flash, set image field of view, and other functions. The programs with Zoom are all different. They have various levels of zoom with different resolutions. Over time, these will be reviewed in greater detail.
Humanoido, you have five posts in a row and the last three within the span of a single hour. I find the edit function helpful for that because it reduces the thread clutter. The downside is that your edits don't update the post time, so your thread won't snap to the top of a sub-forum. But that's not a big deal for posts spaced that closely.
The Big Brain has now assimilated the Apple iPhone and for good reason. The list of add on useful functions is very long! Here's some things currently in use that are possible with a tiny iPhone.
Camera
Telescope
Angle
Theodolite
V-Cockpit
Moon Calculator
Moon Map
Distant Suns
SkyORB
Stars
Brain Wave Monitor Frequency Calibrator
Sound Recorder
LIght Beacon
Wireless Monitor
Calculator
Maps
Internet Access
Email
Photo and Message Sender
Digital Image Storage Device
Image Processor
Phone
Accelerometer
Alarm & Timer
Clock & Calendar
Paperless Office
Word Processor
Numerical Converter
Sound & Music File Player
Dictionary
Sound Processor
Translator
Weather
Beginning List of programs not yet installed
Programming Languages
Oscilloscope
Planetarium
Panorama Maker
Voice Recognition
Music Recognition
Designer
Web CAM
Radio
Document Scanner
Bar Code Scanner
Google Earth
Books
Laser
Etc.
I think it would take at least five posts to describe and instruct in the building of a Heli-Port onto an Exo-skeleton of that size and nature...
And what an excellent Heli-Port it is I might add. I think it is a very important addition to the Big Brain,
as it adds "action and adventure" to something that just crunches numbers and sometime talks to itself...
I know the Big Brain is slated for bigger things, and I do look forward to more innovations and progress.
Thank you for your time in this Humanoido.
As an aside, what is meant by "thread clutter"? Also, how important is thread position? I just ask out of curiosity...
(never mind, those questions might be better in a thread by themselves...)
The Big Brain has now assimilated the Apple iPhone ...
By "assimilated", you mean what, exactly? Is there communication between the iPhone and one or more Propeller chips? If so, can you describe the interface for us? What kinds of data are exchanged?
Obviously, the iPhone has complete integration/assimilation with the right brain via the provided cable and its full support by the iTunes-bellum lobe. Due to issues with the BIG corpus callosum between the left brain and the right brain, at this time, "whole brain" assimilation is limited.
I'm thinking the "air Brain" (the hellicopter) is limited to manual interfacing for now. Telepathic connections should be available inthe future.
Beginning List of programs not yet installed
Programming Languages
Oscilloscope
Planetarium
Panorama Maker
Voice Recognition
Music Recognition
Designer
Web CAM
Radio
Document Scanner
Bar Code Scanner
Google Earth
Books
Laser
Etc.
My robots are also missing all of these programs. There's just not enough room, even in a BS2E!
My robots are also missing all of these programs. There's just not enough room, even in a BS2E!
Get an iPhone and connect it to your BASIC Stamp - there's plenty of space to run all these programs. If I go to Settings/General/About on this iPhone, I see 65 installed programs filling 6.9 GB with 5.9 GB available. That's more than just program usage - it's everything including many photos, voice & text data, and lots of music too. I think all these new additional programs could be installed.
With the new OS and folders, this is no longer a limitation: 129 applications (16 apps per page x 9 pages = 144 apps - the 15 stock apps taking up home screen space) does not necessarily = 7 + GB of data. http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=567362
Beginning List of programs not yet installed
Programming Languages
Oscilloscope
Planetarium
Panorama Maker
Voice Recognition
Music Recognition
Designer
Web CAM
Radio
Document Scanner
Bar Code Scanner
Google Earth
Books
Laser
Etc.
Actually it's more likely the iPhone could assimilate the entire Big Brain rather than the other way around based on the memory which can store and run programs in two Partitions. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next several months.
Rounding..
32,000 x 100 = 3,200,000 (a hundred stock Propellers)
8,000,000,000 (stock iPhone)
Even if one adds the 32K EEPROM to a 100 Prop array, it's still not enough to equal the iPhone (in memory terms, not in parallel processing power). So combining the iPhone with the Right Brain makes a very powerful combination, and combining the Right Brain with the Left Brain is the right stuff.
BTW, the iPhone is connected to Propellers through the BWM using sound. Remember when you could hear the data move through modems? This links to frequency signature, records it from the BWM and stores it (reviewed in a post) which is linked from the Props, then feeds the signal to the Right Brain for analysis.
Three barbell plates were obtained from a weightlifting set to test the structural support capability of the new Airport. Combinations of weigh made with these three plates are .5, .8, 1.3, 1.6 and 2.1 kilograms.
To initiate the test, plates were set centered on top of the airport pad and the side of the pad was push tested. The time from the initial push to no observed motion was recorded in seconds. If the dampening was less than one second, it was considered negligible.
At .5 kilo through 1.3 kilo, the transparent plastic platform is very stable. At 1.6 kilo, the Airport is stable though taking on weight significantly more than that the weight of Telescope 1, the helicopter, batteries and sensors combined.
At 2.1 kilo, the platform was under due stress with the sideways push test and some wobble instability was introduced laterally. Its determined the maximum structural stability of the airport is in supporting no more than 2.3 kilos.
The Airport is most satisfactory for supporting the full range of scientific instruments, telescopes, cameras, and various aero Micro Space Craft. It exhibits great stability at .5 kilo and .8 kilo for telescopic mounting.
At .5 kilo, dampening is at 1 second while .8 kilo is 2 seconds. The dampening of a telescope should not exceed 1 second. The Airport can support a telescope weighing .5 kilo or less with dampening of 1 second or less.
The Big Brain 1st Telescope weights approximately .1 kilo (currently) which is five times less than the maximum telescope weight allowed.
With the addition of the weight of the telescope driving Azimuth and Elevation servos, the weight will remain extremely light at about .2 kilo. The Airport will also support Telescope 2 which is slightly lighter than Telescope 1 without adding any lenses. When adding a lens, it is estimated Telescope 2 would weigh about the same as Telescope 1. Both telescope peripherals are suitable for mounting on the Airport.
(The Meade refracting Telescope 3 is too large and too heavy for the Airport and must set externally to the Big Brain.)
A large glass lens could increase either 1 or 2 telescopes weight but again this is of no significance as it remains less than .5 Kg total weight and maintains 1 second or less damping.
SD Card Added to Big Brain
1 GB SD & 128K EEPROM memory add on
This project adds 1 GN memory to the Left Brain (Propeller Side) of the Big Brain project.
The HYDRA SD Max comes with 1GB SD card pre-formatted FAT16 as well as a complete e-Book (in PDF form) describing how the sample SD card drivers work from the ground up. The manual covers SPI (serial peripheral interface), SD protocol, as well as a complete treatise on DOS FAT16 file systems to get you up and running with SD card media. With this knowledge you will be able to write your own low level drivers or interface your SD cards with the PC. Additionally, a complete SD card driver API is included with source code and examples along with detailed explanations and tutorials in the manual.
Features:
Supports standard SD card media from 64MB to 8GB
Design supports IO signals for Write Protect and Insertion Detect
Design supports SPI, single wire and parallel SD modes
Built in 128K on board EEPROM. Allows firmware to be loaded onto EEPROM rather than HYDRA main board
80+ page tutorial e-book on SPI, SD protocol, FAT16 and the complete development of the API and driver
The HYDRA SD Max comes with 1GB SD card pre-formatted FAT16 as well as a complete eBook (in PDF form) describing how the sample SD card drivers work from the ground up. The manual covers SPI (serial peripherial interface), SD protocal, as well as a complete treatise on DOS FAT16 file systems to get you up and running with SD card media. With this knowledge you will be able to write your own low level drivers or interface your SD cards with the PC. Additionally, a complete SD card driver API is included with source code and examples along with detailed explanations and tutorials in the manual.
The HYDRA SD Max has the following features:
Supports Standard SD card media from 64MB to 8GB.
Design supports IO signals for Write Protect, and Insertion Detect.
Design supports SPI, single wire and parallel SD modes.
Built in 128K EEPROM on board, so firmware can be loaded onto EEPROM rather than HYDRA main board.
80+ page tutorial eBook on SPI, SD protocal, FAT16, and the complete development of the API and driver.
1239 Updates to the Online Index
1240 New Big Brain Dictionary1241
Page 63
1241 First Proceedings of the Propeller Big Brain Anniversary Celebration
1242 Ttailspin, brain conversation
1243 Machines Teaching Machines - Left Brain Converses with Right Brain - Brain Machines Talk Together - Machines Learn from Each Other - Machine to Machine AI Intelligence Language Conversation
1244 Phil Pilgrim
1245 erco
1246 publison
1247 Phil
1248 NikosG
1249 Dave Hein
1250 Humanoido
1251 Humanoido
1252 Big Brain Presentation Development
1253 Humanoido
1254 BIG Brain in the News, Project of the Month at Dangerous Prototypes
1255 Historical Brain Wave Machine in 1935
1256 BIG Brain Assimilates a Parallax Propeller HYDRA
Another Propeller is added to the collective
1257 prof_braino, arm, sensor input about environment
1258 erco, arm
1259 Sensors & Airport Pad for Aerial Swarming
1260 Arm, Brain Stub, Basic Stub
Page 64
1261 Right Brain Goes Multi-Lingual
Talk with Right Brain in Four Languages
1262 Big Brain's BWM and the Brain Wave Machine of 1936
1263 The Real Father of Neuroscience - Please step forward
1264 ElectricAye, Pure Robotic Conversation
1265 Pure Robotic Conversation
1266 Humans Take the Turing Test - Is it machine or human?
1267 The Ultimate List of AI Conversational Programs
Over 7,000 AI bots ready to chat with you!
1268 128K EEPROM Added to Big Brain
1269 Phil
1270 Publison
1271 Duane Degn, Blade mSR RTF helicopter
1272 Ratronic, blade mcx2 helicopter
1273 Humanoido, Blade mCX BNF by BLADE
1274 Humanoido, Blade mSR RTF by BLADE
1275 Extreme 512K SRAM Added to Big Brain
1276 Hacking the Brain & Brain Bots
1277 Prof_Braino, bug brains book chibots
1278 Ratronic, helicopter payload weight
1279 Circadian Rhythm Clock
1280 Humanoido
Page 65
1281 Duane Degn, helicopter
1282 erco, spinster helical, camera for helicopter
1283 ratronic, helicopter
1284 RonP CX2 its larger than a mCX but could handle a small camera helicopter
1285 Eyecam 2.4GHz Color Micro Wireless Video Camera NTSC
1286 RonP mCX or mCX2 helicopter
1287 ratronic helicopter
1288 Duane Degn mcx helicopter
1289 RonP weight of mCX and mCX2 helicopter
1290 ratronic helicopter differences
1291 Humanoido
1292 Helicopter Camera & Orientation
1293 Duane Degn heicopter camera mCX2 mCX pan & tilt
1294 Reducing Breadboard Capacitance in High Speed Propeller Circuits
Hack your Overclocked Brain Breadboards
1295 Humanoido
1296 ratronic helicopter application
1297 Big Brain AIRPORT Becoming a Reality
1298 Humanoido
1299 Ttailspin
1300 Humanoido
Page 66
1301 Big Brain Airport - Flying the S107G - Part 1 Introduction - a precursor to Propeller control
1302 Apple iPhone joins Big Brain's Propeller BWM
Use iphone to generate notes as calibration waveforms
1303 Big Brain Airport - First Mission
Airport Peripheral Begins to Take Shape
1304 Big Brain Airport - Budget Control
1305 Big Brain Begins Micro Space Program - Introducing Micro Space
1306 Humanoido
1307 Humanoido
1308 Humanoido
1309 Phil
1310 Big Brain Robotic Space Telescope - Propellers Slated for Telescope Interface - Moon Photo
1311 Second Big Brain Robotic Telescope - Telescopes as Propeller peripheral devices
1312 Right Brain Left Brain Experiment
1313 Big Brain's First Telescope
1314 iPhone Digital Telescope for the Big Brain
1315 First Telescope Image from Big Brain's 1st Camera, Moon
1316 Mike G
1317 Propeller PIR Motion Sensor for Flight Recorder
1318 Big Brain Automated Telescope Control
1319 Big Brain Telescope Mount Design
Creating a Propeller Altazimuth Big Brain
1320 Telescope Control Panel Defined
Both BASIC Stamp & Propeller compete for the position
Page 67
1321 namochan
1322 Phil
1323 Mike G
1324 Ttailspin
1325 Humanoido
1326 Big Brain Airport Build - Part 1 of 3 Parts - Getting Started
1327 Big Brain Airport Build - Part 2 of 3 Parts
1328 Big Brain Airport Build - Part 3 of 3 Parts - the Conclusion
1329 Big Brain Telescope Software for the iPhone
1330 Martin_H
1331 Big Brain Assimilates Apple iPhone
1332 Ttailspin
1333 Phil
1334 Mindrobots left right brain air brain telepathic
1335 erco
1336 Humanoido, iphone
1337 Humanoido, iphone compare
1338 Phil
1339 Big Brain Airport Structural Tests
1340 SD Card Added to Big Brain - 1 GB SD & 128K EEPROM memory add on
1341 Index Update to Page 67
1342
Ganzfweld Phenomena Tricks the Brain
Can Sensory Deprivation Delude the Machine Brain?
How will sensor deprivation affect the Big Brain and other machine brains? Being deprived of sensor input can lead to misjudgment and lack of ability in machines. It can limit and curtail functionality and end up in systems that do less, loss of judgement, and potentially gross manifestations.
A sensor laden machine can lead to one that is feature rich in ability. Is there a machine deprivation? Yes. Is there a Ganzfweld Phenomena in machine brains? It can happen. Will the machine brain invent and fabricate to compensate for sensory deprivation? It's likely to happen. A machine brain algorithm could expand severely limited existing data by extrapolating between insufficient data points with an outcome of borderline delusion.
At first this might sound like a bad practical joke. Begin by tuning a radio to a station playing static. Then lie down on a couch and tape a pair of halved ping pong ballsover your eyes. Within minutes you should begin to experience a bizzare set of sensory distortions.
Some people see horses prancing in the clouds or hear the voice of a dead relative. It turns out that the mind is addicted to sensation so that when there’s little to sense (that’s the purpose of ping pong balls and static) your brain ends up inventing its own...
"The ganzfeld procedure is a mild sensory isolation technique that was first introduced into experimental psychology during the 1930s and subsequently adapted by parapsychologists to test for the existence of psi--anomalous processes of information or energy transfer such as telepathy or other forms of extrasensory perception that are currently unexplained in terms of known physical or biological mechanisms. Parapsychologists developed the ganzfeld procedure, in part, because they had become dissatisfied the card-guessing methods for testing ESP pioneered by J. B. Rhine at Duke University in the 1930s. In particular, they believed that the repetitive forced-choice procedure in which a participant repeatedly attempts to select the correct "target" symbol from a set of fixed-alternatives failed to capture the circumstances that characterize reported instances of psi in everyday life."
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.
No offense Phil, but speak for yourself. The internet is too big and life is too short for me to hunt down everything interesting on my own. It's fun to see what Humanoido posts, regardless of whether who did it.
Does it hurt anyone that Humanoido documents his research in this thread? Does it affect anything in any way? I realize that it might affect you as a moderator, if you have to read every post; can you leave it to someone else?
First of all, I'm not a moderator; my cat Browser is, and he uses his mod authority sparingly -- mainly because he can't read. Second, you don't need to worry about offending me.
Anyway, you're probably right, and maybe I should just leave well enough alone, although I'm not sure I can. To me, the subtext of all this "research" is more of a smokescreen for a lack of substantial work on the titled project than anything that will move the project forward. We're all guilty of avoidance behavior from time to time, but this thread seems to celebrate it. If it were completely harmless, I'd ignore it. But the danger I see is that a newcomer might happen by and, without a critical read, think that the things talked about in the context of a Propeller "brain" have actually been accomplished and, from that, form a misleading opinion about its capabilities. I've been hoping that my occasional jabs would prod the chef to provide more meat and less bun. It doesn't seem to be working.
Get an iPhone and connect it to your BASIC Stamp -
Believe me, I will be the LAST guy on the iPhone bandwagon. I'm counter-trend. Whatever there's an APP for, I run in the opposite direction.
God forbid Parallax comes up with an iPhone app to wirelessly program a Basic Stamp; that's the last you see/hear of me! I'll retreat to a cave with my old vacuum-tube based Heathkit CW gear and morse-code away my golden years.
I love how this candle burns so brightly from both ends...
One end burns with future progress, and the other end burns with protecting the progress that is...
This thread is an incredible study in humans interfacing with new ideas,
It was a hoot to read from the lets build robots forum, The reactions range from
"Grogg not understand Big Brain, want smash Big Brain" to "Hey, I get what you are trying to do, can I help"
and nearly every reaction in between. What an amazing study all by itself...
I would not worry to much about a newcomer not catching on quickly,
Because "critical read" is exactly what is required to absorb nearly 1500 posts,
And not even Browser can stop someone from starting in the middle of the candle, and that very someone expecting results.
My advice to the newcomer is to start at the start... :nerd:
And in case you are a newcomer starting in the middle. This is a work in progress,
and much of the content is from contributions from many good folks around here.
Feel free to contribute, one way or the other...
I believe much of the pursuit of this thread is in "Multi-Core" operations and how they can be implemented whether real or imagined.
Whether or not an iphone gets connected is still to be determined, and the bulk of that task most likely being done by others.
It bothers some folks that this very thing has not already been done, And the flame of future progress burns brightly...
We did get a weight bench/Heli-Port,(you are a brave man humanoido.)
And that is much beef for to fill a bun... for now...
-Tommy
P.S. erco, I can picture the crossed plywood swords you use to guard the entrance...
Phil: Thank you for your critique. Different people seem to have different needs and interests. My projects and the way I share them seem to be interesting to some people, but unsatisfying to others. Sorry.
@Mike G,
As a member of this community, you are always entitled to ask for further information on performance of a project. That's how people find out whether a particular project is useful for them. Some projects are very well documented to where they can be easily and reliably duplicated. Some projects have very well defined goals and do a good job of essentially teaching how to reach those goals. Some projects have pretty pictures. Some projects have great descriptions. Some projects don't seem to have any of these things. You have to decide what you need, spend time with the project descriptions and other threads that help and inspire you, and pass over the ones that don't.
Comments
Welcome to the forum! Sometimes it takes a newcomer to (re)state the obvious!
-Phil
Welcome to the forum namochan,
this is one of thousands of available threads in the parallax forums, Design criteria is all important here,
what kind of stuff are you into building?
-Tommy
Welcome to the Forum! It's an honor to have your first post in the Big Brain thread.
You are definitely right about the Borg.
Part 1 of 3 Parts - Getting Started
The following is a full step by step summary of how to build a Big Brain Airport for brain owned aircraft projects and robotic aerospace research programs conducted in Micro Space. Refer to other posts for a detailed definition of Micro Space and various programs to be conducted in Micro Space. More on this topic will follow. The Assembly will be divided into three sections, each unique in reaching the final goal, and to facilitate the edit add of a greater volume of material and the add on of numerous assembly illustrating photos.
This is an automated airport controlled by the Big Brain, now under construction, with Parallax Propeller chips in which various features will be added over time as they are imagined, designed, built, tested and put into use.
Photo 1 (BUILD1) - the first build photo shows the install of the first airport truss spacer, attached by angle iron. The spacer is a total of 6-inches long. Note the two airport command and control antennae. Clearance above these antennae is set at 1-inch.
The HYDRA is removed for relocation. It may be reattached to the Propeller Arrays rather than the EXO or become the connection access to a Big Brain Remote Entity. (The Big Brain Remote Entity is currently in the design phase and not posted) The HYDRA may also be dedicated to running the Airport along with other Propeller chip resources.
__________________________
NOTE
You may want to wait until all three parts to the airport build are posted before beginning construction.
BUILD INSTRUCTIONS PART 1
STEP 01 Insert the transmitter and receiver into the host board
STEP 02 Measure the distance from the Vertex Brass Spacer to the antenna top
STEP 03 Add 1-inch to provide clearance
STEP 04 Connect three brass 2-inch long spacers and create four sets of 6-inch spacers
STEP 05 Attach 5/16th angle iron with nuts to each of opposite Vertices on one EXO side
STEP 06 Position the angle iron as shown in the photo
STEP 07 Attach the four spacer sets to the angle iron with nuts and tighten
STEP 08 The truss is now completed
STEP 09 Position the Transparent Plastic long length left to right
STEP 10 Position the EXO largest LCD in front
For reference, this is a view showing the airport clip
on the right hand side. Note the orientation with
respect to the EXO. Also note the 7.5-inch length
of the helicopter has room to spare on the landing
and take off pad.
Part 2 of 3 Parts
This is a Micro Space Airport. The airport adjoins the Big Brain Summit rising a full half foot above the upper-most EXO board. It provides 1-inch clearance for the lower board mounted airport command & control transmitter and receiver antennae. It heightens the EXO to 23 inches.
Photo 3 (BUILD3) - Airport construction is under way in this photo. The four trusses are completed. You will build these spacer trusses and set a full sheet of transparent green plastic atop all four. At this point, the bolt positions are measured and marked for melting. Note the helicopter has ample space for vertical take off and landing. Sensors may be attached to the perimeter.
__________________________
Several features are gained by using Transparent Plastic. Static flight cameras for vertical take off and landing can mount under the airport and image the flights landing or take off through the plastic. An experiment will be conducted with the 1st Telescope after the airport is completed to show and film the sequence of a flight mission.
Photo 2 (BUILD2) - all four trusses are attached with angle iron to four Vertices
__________________________
Light sensitive components can mount on the underside of the airport and see through the base and maintain functionality. The base can also act as a mount for other components mounted on the underside. The base can hold a gantry for the launch of other Micro Space Craft. It can also hold electromechanics such as servos. Although just an idea at this time, the airport may robotically transform to host the telescope mounting structure for the 1st Telescope.
BUILD INSTRUCTIONS PART 2
STEP 11 Set one full sheet of TP on top of the completed truss
STEP 12 Measure & mark 1.5-inches from the left of TP
STEP 13 Measure & mark 2.5-inches from the front
STEP 14 Proportionally mark the right side of the TP
STEP 15 Mark the bolt hole positions from the back, in by 2.75-inches
STEP 16 Mark the remaining bolt proportionally
STEP 17 Hot solder iron the marked holes
STEP 18 Remove flashing
MATERIAL & TOOL LIST
Needle nose pliers
Ruler
Soldering Iron
Protective Mat
01 - Sheet 9 x 12 Transparent Plastic
08 - nuts to fit spacers
04 - Bolts to fit spacers
12 - 2-inch length brass spacers
Part 3 of 3 Parts - the Conclusion
The Micro Space Airport is a large flat surface (9 x 12-inches) with a span wide enough to launch various helicopters and aerospace vehicles. It handles and hosts the Syma 7.5-inch Micro S107G Helicopter. It’s light weight platform solidly mounts at the top of the Big Brain. It protects all components of the Big Brain and the attached host boards below (from the top down) due to its overlapping nature.
Photo 4 (BUILD4) - Top down view shows the completed airport with mounting bolts. Note the helicopter has enough space for vertical takeoff and landing. The large pad space serves several purposes, one of which is to provide a large surface resistance to air flow at takeoff and a stable platform so there's no need to hold the craft. This is step inline with the airport automating as many aircraft controls as possible and lessening the degree of human intervention.
__________________________
Rules & Regulations
The aircraft flight zone around and within the vicinity of the Big Brain is restricted to a flying air space at or above the level of the airport, to prevent crashing into the sides of the Big Brain’s EXO.
Airport Sensor Introduction
Planning shows that optical devices and various sensors can mount around the perimeter of the airport. Use of an ultrasound PING))) can determine when aircraft take off and land, as well as automatically track their distances and positions during flight. Motion sensors may also be used.
More Dimensions
Laterally on each Exo side, there is a 4-inch overlap. To the front and rear - the overall overlap is 2-inches in the front and 2.5-inches in the rear.
Build Instructions Part 3 - the Conclusion
STEP 19 Bolt on the TP sheet
STEP 20 There should be 1-inch antenna clearance to the airport underside
STEP 21 Minor adjust positions of the landing pad and tighten
STEP 22 Set aircraft on top. The Airport is now complete
Notes
Note the metal clipboard clip is on the bottom right side of the transparent plastic sheet. The clip is used to hold sensors, equipment and routing wires and cables which lead to a lower level.
This is the completed Big Brain Airport. It does not
show various sensors that will be installed for more
autonomous operations or more automatic functions.
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Routing wires will install using the truss supports and the support offered by the Transparent Plastic's clip. The Airport will hold various sensors. Some sensors will see and detect through TB from underneath while others may locate near the top. The objective is to keep the platform clear of all obstructions for landing aircraft that may be slightly off-center, so some sensors may span out to the sides at the same plane level.
for the iPhone
You'll need an Apple iPhone to run these programs with the Big Brain's 2nd Micro Space Telescope.
These are found and installed select programs for review and testing (others were deleted) - use with the Big Brain's 2nd Telescope made from the Apple iPhone. Downloads are free at the installed Apple iStore.
__________________________
At first glance, programs adjust color, zoom, light and dark, create artificial special effects, manipulate how photos are taken (timed, touched, swiped, etc.), simulate various ISO film, create artificial flash, set image field of view, and other functions. The programs with Zoom are all different. They have various levels of zoom with different resolutions. Over time, these will be reviewed in greater detail.
The Big Brain has now assimilated the Apple iPhone and for good reason. The list of add on useful functions is very long! Here's some things currently in use that are possible with a tiny iPhone.
Camera
Telescope
Angle
Theodolite
V-Cockpit
Moon Calculator
Moon Map
Distant Suns
SkyORB
Stars
Brain Wave Monitor Frequency Calibrator
Sound Recorder
LIght Beacon
Wireless Monitor
Calculator
Maps
Internet Access
Email
Photo and Message Sender
Digital Image Storage Device
Image Processor
Phone
Accelerometer
Alarm & Timer
Clock & Calendar
Paperless Office
Word Processor
Numerical Converter
Sound & Music File Player
Dictionary
Sound Processor
Translator
Weather
Beginning List of programs not yet installed
Programming Languages
Oscilloscope
Planetarium
Panorama Maker
Voice Recognition
Music Recognition
Designer
Web CAM
Radio
Document Scanner
Bar Code Scanner
Google Earth
Books
Laser
Etc.
And what an excellent Heli-Port it is I might add. I think it is a very important addition to the Big Brain,
as it adds "action and adventure" to something that just crunches numbers and sometime talks to itself...
I know the Big Brain is slated for bigger things, and I do look forward to more innovations and progress.
Thank you for your time in this Humanoido.
As an aside, what is meant by "thread clutter"? Also, how important is thread position? I just ask out of curiosity...
(never mind, those questions might be better in a thread by themselves...)
-Tommy
By "assimilated", you mean what, exactly? Is there communication between the iPhone and one or more Propeller chips? If so, can you describe the interface for us? What kinds of data are exchanged?
-Phil
Obviously, the iPhone has complete integration/assimilation with the right brain via the provided cable and its full support by the iTunes-bellum lobe. Due to issues with the BIG corpus callosum between the left brain and the right brain, at this time, "whole brain" assimilation is limited.
I'm thinking the "air Brain" (the hellicopter) is limited to manual interfacing for now. Telepathic connections should be available inthe future.
My robots are also missing all of these programs. There's just not enough room, even in a BS2E!
With the new OS and folders, this is no longer a limitation: 129 applications (16 apps per page x 9 pages = 144 apps - the 15 stock apps taking up home screen space) does not necessarily = 7 + GB of data. http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=567362
Beginning List of programs not yet installed
Programming Languages
Oscilloscope
Planetarium
Panorama Maker
Voice Recognition
Music Recognition
Designer
Web CAM
Radio
Document Scanner
Bar Code Scanner
Google Earth
Books
Laser
Etc.
Rounding..
32,000 x 100 = 3,200,000 (a hundred stock Propellers)
8,000,000,000 (stock iPhone)
Even if one adds the 32K EEPROM to a 100 Prop array, it's still not enough to equal the iPhone (in memory terms, not in parallel processing power). So combining the iPhone with the Right Brain makes a very powerful combination, and combining the Right Brain with the Left Brain is the right stuff.
BTW, the iPhone is connected to Propellers through the BWM using sound. Remember when you could hear the data move through modems? This links to frequency signature, records it from the BWM and stores it (reviewed in a post) which is linked from the Props, then feeds the signal to the Right Brain for analysis.
Given that, is there any longer a point to this thread vis-
Three barbell plates were obtained from a weightlifting set to test the structural support capability of the new Airport. Combinations of weigh made with these three plates are .5, .8, 1.3, 1.6 and 2.1 kilograms.
To initiate the test, plates were set centered on top of the airport pad and the side of the pad was push tested. The time from the initial push to no observed motion was recorded in seconds. If the dampening was less than one second, it was considered negligible.
At .5 kilo through 1.3 kilo, the transparent plastic platform is very stable. At 1.6 kilo, the Airport is stable though taking on weight significantly more than that the weight of Telescope 1, the helicopter, batteries and sensors combined.
At 2.1 kilo, the platform was under due stress with the sideways push test and some wobble instability was introduced laterally. Its determined the maximum structural stability of the airport is in supporting no more than 2.3 kilos.
The Airport is most satisfactory for supporting the full range of scientific instruments, telescopes, cameras, and various aero Micro Space Craft. It exhibits great stability at .5 kilo and .8 kilo for telescopic mounting.
At .5 kilo, dampening is at 1 second while .8 kilo is 2 seconds. The dampening of a telescope should not exceed 1 second. The Airport can support a telescope weighing .5 kilo or less with dampening of 1 second or less.
The Big Brain 1st Telescope weights approximately .1 kilo (currently) which is five times less than the maximum telescope weight allowed.
With the addition of the weight of the telescope driving Azimuth and Elevation servos, the weight will remain extremely light at about .2 kilo. The Airport will also support Telescope 2 which is slightly lighter than Telescope 1 without adding any lenses. When adding a lens, it is estimated Telescope 2 would weigh about the same as Telescope 1. Both telescope peripherals are suitable for mounting on the Airport.
(The Meade refracting Telescope 3 is too large and too heavy for the Airport and must set externally to the Big Brain.)
A large glass lens could increase either 1 or 2 telescopes weight but again this is of no significance as it remains less than .5 Kg total weight and maintains 1 second or less damping.
Kilograms Pounds
.5 * * 1.1
.8 * * 1.8
1.3 * 2.9
1.6 * 3.5
2.1 * 4.6
1 GB SD & 128K EEPROM memory add on
This project adds 1 GN memory to the Left Brain (Propeller Side) of the Big Brain project.
The HYDRA SD Max card also comes equipped with a 128K EEPROM onboard, so driver firmware can be loaded right on the card. http://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/ProductID/505/Default.aspx
The HYDRA SD Max comes with 1GB SD card pre-formatted FAT16 as well as a complete e-Book (in PDF form) describing how the sample SD card drivers work from the ground up. The manual covers SPI (serial peripheral interface), SD protocol, as well as a complete treatise on DOS FAT16 file systems to get you up and running with SD card media. With this knowledge you will be able to write your own low level drivers or interface your SD cards with the PC. Additionally, a complete SD card driver API is included with source code and examples along with detailed explanations and tutorials in the manual.
Features:
Supports standard SD card media from 64MB to 8GB
Design supports IO signals for Write Protect and Insertion Detect
Design supports SPI, single wire and parallel SD modes
Built in 128K on board EEPROM. Allows firmware to be loaded onto EEPROM rather than HYDRA main board
80+ page tutorial e-book on SPI, SD protocol, FAT16 and the complete development of the API and driver
http://www.xgamestation.com/view_product.php?id=44
http://www.xgamestation.com/products/hydra_sdmax/hsdmax_prod_image_01.jpg
The HYDRA SD Max Storage Card (HYDRA SD MAX) completes the HYDRA system expanding the capabilities of the HYDRA to read and write SD cards via the HYDRA expansion port. The HYDRA SD Max card also comes equiped with a 128K EEPROM onboard, so driver firmware can be loaded right on the card.
The HYDRA SD Max comes with 1GB SD card pre-formatted FAT16 as well as a complete eBook (in PDF form) describing how the sample SD card drivers work from the ground up. The manual covers SPI (serial peripherial interface), SD protocal, as well as a complete treatise on DOS FAT16 file systems to get you up and running with SD card media. With this knowledge you will be able to write your own low level drivers or interface your SD cards with the PC. Additionally, a complete SD card driver API is included with source code and examples along with detailed explanations and tutorials in the manual.
The HYDRA SD Max has the following features:
Supports Standard SD card media from 64MB to 8GB.
Design supports IO signals for Write Protect, and Insertion Detect.
Design supports SPI, single wire and parallel SD modes.
Built in 128K EEPROM on board, so firmware can be loaded onto EEPROM rather than HYDRA main board.
80+ page tutorial eBook on SPI, SD protocal, FAT16, and the complete development of the API and driver.
The Big Brain Index now includes pages 1 through 67 inclusive, updated through post 1,341.
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?124495-Fill-the-Big-Brain&p=977025&viewfull=1#post977025
Can Sensory Deprivation Delude the Machine Brain?
How will sensor deprivation affect the Big Brain and other machine brains? Being deprived of sensor input can lead to misjudgment and lack of ability in machines. It can limit and curtail functionality and end up in systems that do less, loss of judgement, and potentially gross manifestations.
A sensor laden machine can lead to one that is feature rich in ability. Is there a machine deprivation? Yes. Is there a Ganzfweld Phenomena in machine brains? It can happen. Will the machine brain invent and fabricate to compensate for sensory deprivation? It's likely to happen. A machine brain algorithm could expand severely limited existing data by extrapolating between insufficient data points with an outcome of borderline delusion.
At first this might sound like a bad practical joke. Begin by tuning a radio to a station playing static. Then lie down on a couch and tape a pair of halved ping pong ballsover your eyes. Within minutes you should begin to experience a bizzare set of sensory distortions.
Some people see horses prancing in the clouds or hear the voice of a dead relative. It turns out that the mind is addicted to sensation so that when there’s little to sense (that’s the purpose of ping pong balls and static) your brain ends up inventing its own...
http://dbem.ws/ganzfeld.html
"The ganzfeld procedure is a mild sensory isolation technique that was first introduced into experimental psychology during the 1930s and subsequently adapted by parapsychologists to test for the existence of psi--anomalous processes of information or energy transfer such as telepathy or other forms of extrasensory perception that are currently unexplained in terms of known physical or biological mechanisms. Parapsychologists developed the ganzfeld procedure, in part, because they had become dissatisfied the card-guessing methods for testing ESP pioneered by J. B. Rhine at Duke University in the 1930s. In particular, they believed that the repetitive forced-choice procedure in which a participant repeatedly attempts to select the correct "target" symbol from a set of fixed-alternatives failed to capture the circumstances that characterize reported instances of psi in everyday life."
No offense Phil, but speak for yourself. The internet is too big and life is too short for me to hunt down everything interesting on my own. It's fun to see what Humanoido posts, regardless of whether who did it.
Does it hurt anyone that Humanoido documents his research in this thread? Does it affect anything in any way? I realize that it might affect you as a moderator, if you have to read every post; can you leave it to someone else?
First of all, I'm not a moderator; my cat Browser is, and he uses his mod authority sparingly -- mainly because he can't read.
Anyway, you're probably right, and maybe I should just leave well enough alone, although I'm not sure I can. To me, the subtext of all this "research" is more of a smokescreen for a lack of substantial work on the titled project than anything that will move the project forward. We're all guilty of avoidance behavior from time to time, but this thread seems to celebrate it. If it were completely harmless, I'd ignore it. But the danger I see is that a newcomer might happen by and, without a critical read, think that the things talked about in the context of a Propeller "brain" have actually been accomplished and, from that, form a misleading opinion about its capabilities. I've been hoping that my occasional jabs would prod the chef to provide more meat and less bun. It doesn't seem to be working.
-Phil
Believe me, I will be the LAST guy on the iPhone bandwagon. I'm counter-trend. Whatever there's an APP for, I run in the opposite direction.
God forbid Parallax comes up with an iPhone app to wirelessly program a Basic Stamp; that's the last you see/hear of me! I'll retreat to a cave with my old vacuum-tube based Heathkit CW gear and morse-code away my golden years.
One end burns with future progress, and the other end burns with protecting the progress that is...
This thread is an incredible study in humans interfacing with new ideas,
It was a hoot to read from the lets build robots forum, The reactions range from
"Grogg not understand Big Brain, want smash Big Brain" to "Hey, I get what you are trying to do, can I help"
and nearly every reaction in between. What an amazing study all by itself...
I would not worry to much about a newcomer not catching on quickly,
Because "critical read" is exactly what is required to absorb nearly 1500 posts,
And not even Browser can stop someone from starting in the middle of the candle, and that very someone expecting results.
My advice to the newcomer is to start at the start... :nerd:
And in case you are a newcomer starting in the middle. This is a work in progress,
and much of the content is from contributions from many good folks around here.
Feel free to contribute, one way or the other...
I believe much of the pursuit of this thread is in "Multi-Core" operations and how they can be implemented whether real or imagined.
Whether or not an iphone gets connected is still to be determined, and the bulk of that task most likely being done by others.
It bothers some folks that this very thing has not already been done, And the flame of future progress burns brightly...
We did get a weight bench/Heli-Port,(you are a brave man humanoido.)
And that is much beef for to fill a bun... for now...
-Tommy
P.S. erco, I can picture the crossed plywood swords you use to guard the entrance...
Could you share that APP with us? I can't seem to find it.
Community, is there a quantifiable point where it is appropriate to request proof of Big Brain functionality?
As a member of this community, you are always entitled to ask for further information on performance of a project. That's how people find out whether a particular project is useful for them. Some projects are very well documented to where they can be easily and reliably duplicated. Some projects have very well defined goals and do a good job of essentially teaching how to reach those goals. Some projects have pretty pictures. Some projects have great descriptions. Some projects don't seem to have any of these things. You have to decide what you need, spend time with the project descriptions and other threads that help and inspire you, and pass over the ones that don't.