1) hack into Forum server to make this thread invisible to Ken
2) Solicit input from the Foum Rats to see what they would be interested in (...ask for seconds and thirds to build a statistical base)
3) Tally up the numbers (by now it will take fingers AND toes)
4) Prepare preseantation for Ken on "Matt's New Product Ideas"
5) Casually ask Ken if he "has a few minutes" to go over some ideas.......
6) bask in the warm after glow of the words "innovative", "forward thinking", "entrepreneurial"
1) hack into Forum server to make this thread invisible to Ken
2) Solicit input from the Foum Rats to see what they would be interested in (...ask for seconds and thirds to build a statistical base)
3) Tally up the numbers (by now it will take fingers AND toes)
4) Prepare preseantation for Ken on "Matt's New Product Ideas"
5) Casually ask Ken if he "has a few minutes" to go over some ideas.......
6) bask in the warm after glow of the words "innovative", "forward thinking", "entrepreneurial"
mindrobots - is that avatar a cat or a robot? I'm waiting for the eyes to change colors while the cat starts talking to me.
Matt is truly on a development rampage lately. Still trying to figure out what fuels him in this way. Tried some cat food, fish jerky and animal crackers but he takes them all the same.
I work for Matt and I'm already impressed. I don't know anything about the stuff discussed on this thread though, but I understand some of the terms used (sensor, robot, chip, etc.). But here's where you get me - I love the buzz words you brought up: innovative, forward thinking, etc. That's the kind of thing that brings me to the edge of the chair! Heck, I might even grab a Business Week or Inc. magazine to fantasize about the ideas. Wait, I don't have a tie. Where will I get a tie?
Well, we don't even need anybody to tell us what to do anymore because we have all of you. So, thanks for the content provided on this thread.
@Ken, it's one of our cats. An amazing thing about animal eyes is that instead of experiencing "red eye" in reaction to poor flash photography, they give you "green eye" or "yellow eye".
I'd be happy to be a "buzz word" consultant for Parallax. In a past life, I worked pre-sales for a mainframe vendor. With the paradigms being similar, I'm sure I could leverage the linguistic synergies to mutual benefit.
Speaking of a need for a tie......this does open up the door for Matt's line of Propeller clothing and accessories.....I could go for a Propeller tie, certainly Propeller t-shirts, Propeller socks (8 to a pack), Propeller jackets (I could use one of those!), golf shirts...those are the kinds of things Parallax Semiconductor will need to offer to engineers to sway opinions.
Seriously, it's so refreshing to see Parallax's interaction with the user community.
A Prop powered cat food dispenser. Several different ways to go about this:
1) dispense a certain amount so often through a chute
2) pop open hatches on a programmable timer - the hatch would cover a small pre-loaded food cup
3) a rotating lid with a window that moves over food compartments
It seems these could be used throughout the Parallax offices for M&M dispensers.
1) hack into Forum server to make this thread invisible to Ken
2) Solicit input from the Foum Rats to see what they would be interested in (...ask for seconds and thirds to build a statistical base)
3) Tally up the numbers (by now it will take fingers AND toes)
4) Prepare preseantation for Ken on "Matt's New Product Ideas"
5) Casually ask Ken if he "has a few minutes" to go over some ideas.......
6) bask in the warm after glow of the words "innovative", "forward thinking", "entrepreneurial"
Dang. The Light of Truth has exposed me for my nefarious intentions...I'll get you, my sweetie! (Many will say that "I'm just mad because a house fell on my sister".
Matt,
I would like to suggest the creation of a "X-Y rotated base kit".
I don't know if the above title is the most appropriate but this kit will be perfect for many applications and projects.
The kit will have two motors (servos or stepper) and will be able to make rotation horizontal in X-axis and vertically in Y-axis
Customers will be able to use this Kit in conjunction with Parallax electronics for many purposes in various projects like:
1) Mini tracking solar PV systems (It also suggested by erco and sam_sam_sam Posts #2,#3)
2) Rotated base for Laser (we can use it to fasten a laser on it. post #31 by iDave)
3) Rotated base for cameras or other sensors (we can adapt anything on it, see post # 7 by DaveJenson and many other posts)
4) Rotated base for Grippers (post#9 post#23 by erco , Post# 12 by Maxwin , post#29 by WBA consulting)
I would like to suggest a hexapod kit. You can use and improve my code. It's already in the "projects" forum. Paul K. even has a really cool body/kit Parallax could sell.
I would like to suggest a hexapod kit. You can use and improve my code. It's already in the "projects" forum. Paul K. even has a really cool body/kit Parallax could sell.
I would like to suggest a hexapod kit. You can use and improve my code. It's already in the "projects" forum. Paul K. even has a really cool body/kit Parallax could sell.
How about this: a kit like the HYDRA, except with a smaller board and enclosure, an optional (small) screen, and that runs on batteries (a portable program-it-yourself game kit)!
I agree with those who said that a air "platform" of some kind would be really cool. Maybe even a quadcopter or something... OR i think Parallax should develop/ sell a new ground robot that is bigger than the Sting-Ray, but not as big as the quadrover. It would be electrically powered and it would be capable of hauling around maybe 20 pounds of payload, while still having a slightly fast ground speed. I think something in the range of $200-300 sounds reasonable for it. We need a beefier robotics platform for outside/ rough terrain without paying 4 grand for a Quadrover... Just my two cents:)
I agree with those who said that a air "platform" of some kind would be really cool. Maybe even a quadcopter or something... OR i think Parallax should develop/ sell a new ground robot that is bigger than the Sting-Ray, but not as big as the quadrover. It would be electrically powered and it would be capable of hauling around maybe 20 pounds of payload, while still having a slightly fast ground speed. I think something in the range of $200-300 sounds reasonable for it. We need a beefier robotics platform for outside/ rough terrain without paying 4 grand for a Quadrover... Just my two cents:)
I agree, an outdoor rover with more ground clearance would be great and a quadchopter would be outstanding!
An add on for the BOE-Bot that is like a sumobot shovel (or whatever the front of a sumobot is called). I always thought that the BOE-Bot was a perfect sumobot platform.
Another add-on for the BOE-Bot: a kit for on-water travel. It would have floats and actual propellers (not the micrcontrollors) or those wheels that work to move on water. Roaming with the BOE-Bot would be even cooler than ever before!
1) Ping (ultra-sonic) distance measuring Sensors, with an I2C or similar interface that can be daisy changed together. These would reduce the number of micro-controller I/O pins required and would simplify wiring.
Where as you might want Parallax to create such a thing, and American made etc. It would be a waste of their skills to re-create something that has already been designed and made elsewhere.
ie http://www.robot-electronics.co.uk/acatalog/Ultrasonic_Rangers.html
Alot of them are I2C controlled.
How about either an I2C or SPI I/O expander board that the I2C or SPI can plug into a breadboard. That way more I/O could be added to the Propeller. I believe the Microchip SPI chips can be addressed rather that using a dedicated enable line. With those chips or I2C you could set it up so you could daisy chain multiple IO boards and let your Propeller slowly take over the world!!!
I have designed an expansion board for the Gadget Gangster Propeller Platform range of boards with I2C expansion in mind. The major concern is that I2C can operate over a range of voltages and ranges, and TI have a range of interface chips to allow this to happen. Of course the I2C protocol is slow compared to SPI. Then again the SPI needs seperate chip select pins.
Comments
7) Profit...
mindrobots - is that avatar a cat or a robot? I'm waiting for the eyes to change colors while the cat starts talking to me.
Matt is truly on a development rampage lately. Still trying to figure out what fuels him in this way. Tried some cat food, fish jerky and animal crackers but he takes them all the same.
I work for Matt and I'm already impressed. I don't know anything about the stuff discussed on this thread though, but I understand some of the terms used (sensor, robot, chip, etc.). But here's where you get me - I love the buzz words you brought up: innovative, forward thinking, etc. That's the kind of thing that brings me to the edge of the chair! Heck, I might even grab a Business Week or Inc. magazine to fantasize about the ideas. Wait, I don't have a tie. Where will I get a tie?
Well, we don't even need anybody to tell us what to do anymore because we have all of you. So, thanks for the content provided on this thread.
Ken Gracey
I'd be happy to be a "buzz word" consultant for Parallax. In a past life, I worked pre-sales for a mainframe vendor. With the paradigms being similar, I'm sure I could leverage the linguistic synergies to mutual benefit.
Speaking of a need for a tie......this does open up the door for Matt's line of Propeller clothing and accessories.....I could go for a Propeller tie, certainly Propeller t-shirts, Propeller socks (8 to a pack), Propeller jackets (I could use one of those!), golf shirts...those are the kinds of things Parallax Semiconductor will need to offer to engineers to sway opinions.
Seriously, it's so refreshing to see Parallax's interaction with the user community.
-Phil
...or maybe a Prop powered robo-mouse toy...
C.W.
1) dispense a certain amount so often through a chute
2) pop open hatches on a programmable timer - the hatch would cover a small pre-loaded food cup
3) a rotating lid with a window that moves over food compartments
It seems these could be used throughout the Parallax offices for M&M dispensers.
Not to self: Don't ever let Phil pick out ties.
Dang. The Light of Truth has exposed me for my nefarious intentions...I'll get you, my sweetie! (Many will say that "I'm just mad because a house fell on my sister".
mindrobots! Hiliarious!
-Matt
Excessive amount of Great Ideas requires DOUBLING the number of winning picks from three to SIX!
As you were...Carry on...
-Matt
I would like to suggest the creation of a "X-Y rotated base kit".
I don't know if the above title is the most appropriate but this kit will be perfect for many applications and projects.
The kit will have two motors (servos or stepper) and will be able to make rotation horizontal in X-axis and vertically in Y-axis
Customers will be able to use this Kit in conjunction with Parallax electronics for many purposes in various projects like:
1) Mini tracking solar PV systems (It also suggested by erco and sam_sam_sam Posts #2,#3)
2) Rotated base for Laser (we can use it to fasten a laser on it. post #31 by iDave)
3) Rotated base for cameras or other sensors (we can adapt anything on it, see post # 7 by DaveJenson and many other posts)
4) Rotated base for Grippers (post#9 post#23 by erco , Post# 12 by Maxwin , post#29 by WBA consulting)
Here's a like to his project that he submitted to Trossen's:
http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/showthread.php?t=4561
Picture:
http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2279&d=1293164106
Too many cat avatars out there. Obviously bonobos make better avatars.
Parallax had a kit, but dropped it. Maybe it's time to look at a new on with a Propeller?
http://www.parallax.com/Default.aspx?tabid=415
I am so sorry Ken , But you with that Blue shirt and tie you SO remind me of this .
ANywhoo
Matt you have your hands full with this contest .
Ill bet you will never have a lack of good ideas here .
Huh. I dunno, I've always liked quadropods better.
Yeah, maybe a hexcrawler and quadcrawler that are propeller powered!
Creepy, how accurate the resemblance is (no offense, Ken)
I think that would be great if they brought hexapods back. Something with 3DOF.
'
P.S. I like the idea of a BS3 !!!!
I agree, an outdoor rover with more ground clearance would be great and a quadchopter would be outstanding!
That is if you ever let him out of the lab....
Robert
An add on for the BOE-Bot that is like a sumobot shovel (or whatever the front of a sumobot is called). I always thought that the BOE-Bot was a perfect sumobot platform.
Another add-on for the BOE-Bot: a kit for on-water travel. It would have floats and actual propellers (not the micrcontrollors) or those wheels that work to move on water. Roaming with the BOE-Bot would be even cooler than ever before!
I mean really, wasn't the BS2 released, like, over ten years ago? Time for a refresh!! A serious refresh, not a BS2abc!
P.S. Aye.
...woooHOOOOOO!!!
Bee - es - three! Bee - es - three! Bee - es - three!!!
:thumb:
Where as you might want Parallax to create such a thing, and American made etc. It would be a waste of their skills to re-create something that has already been designed and made elsewhere.
ie http://www.robot-electronics.co.uk/acatalog/Ultrasonic_Rangers.html
Alot of them are I2C controlled.
I have designed an expansion board for the Gadget Gangster Propeller Platform range of boards with I2C expansion in mind. The major concern is that I2C can operate over a range of voltages and ranges, and TI have a range of interface chips to allow this to happen. Of course the I2C protocol is slow compared to SPI. Then again the SPI needs seperate chip select pins.