Sami want COGS! GPS smart mode .spin code?

Jeffa

I've been working on SAMI the Semi Annoying Mechanized Instigator. It's a combination and addition to some existing projects such as spingDar http://www.rodaw.com/back2school/spingdar/ I have a ms wpf application enhanced now except for the spingDar radar screen. The wpf application now displays video from the wireless camera. Fun!

This thread has some discussion regarding RC receiver reading. I've got that working with 3 cogs. http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?133716-Suggestions-for-motor-controller-for-Stingray-project

I've run out of cogs to do all I want in SAMI at least using the GPS float_light object(s) Plus I wanted to fit this tennis ball in too.

I'm using the Robot control board that brings out many of the propeller pins to a 5v conversion. I thought that might make it easier to read smart mode data from the GPS. Reading many of the threads from this search: 'gps smart mode spin site:forums.parallax.com' had my head spinning.

I thought about throwing money at the problem - perhaps there is another GPS module that would be easier to read. The new Parallax VPN1513 GPS Receiver Module looks interesting. And it has an entire propeller chip on it! That can be (re)programmed? As I add additional capabilities to SAMI I have thought it might be interesting to run two propellers. I haven't even begun to add AI to SAMI. Right now it's just a ROV.

Any suggestions for concrete tested code and circuit to get smart mode data from the 28146 gps with a propeller?

and/or

How about that new VPN1513 any comments? It sounds interesting for other projects too. Can I get some smart mode data out of it easier than the old 28146 GPS module?

Thanks! - jeffa



Do not read below this line. There is nothing constructive below this line. Just releasing some steam.
What's with the image resizing! I get handles that I click and drag, when I let go the picture goes back to the original size.
Why did my internet go down for three hours this morning? #$^&*()
Why did I run out of COGs? It's converting the ms win form to wpf for the radar I want to work on! I've got all the subsets of SAMI working and have learned a lot but I want to move on to some more practical projects, more practical than teasing my dog from remote with a laser...
Why did subversion give me such a hard time about a directory that was there but wouldn't commit my changes without erroring out saying I had the directory already?
Why was it so difficult to get NAMEWITHELD (not Parallax) to ship the pan/tilt they had already charged me for!
This project is becoming overly complicated and by that I mean time consuming with what I thought would be the easiest part which I already had done - just consuming to many COGS. Getting some ascii data out of the GPS via smart mode.
geeze now what! "You specified a tag that was too short. A tag must be at least 3 characters." How about a line number! Ohh never mind a tag. I had RC as a tag. Pretty dumb tag ehh? Not! Let's try r/c. That worked.

Chris Savage

Jeff,

It sounds like you're having a problem reading the Parallax GPS Module on the MSR1 Board? Can you tell me what is the exact issue you're having? With a few exceptions any other GPS receiver you get will return RAW string data which you will then have to parse and process.

Jeffa

I think that I'm running out of cogs with my current solution that uses float lite and others modules.

However I think if I could find example code

Any suggestions for concrete tested code and circuit to get smart mode data from the 28146 gps with a propeller?

That would go a long way towards me completing this project.

FYI I have purchased the new GPS VPN1513 product.

GordonMcComb

Although their firmware may be different, the 28146 and VPN1513 both return the same data in smart mode. Either one should work, so choose based on whether you want/need the external antenna.

Although I am currently working on some quick code for the Propeller using the 28146 (for the Parallax KickStarts wiki) it's not quite ready -- give me a couple more days it should be up. In the mean time, there are some older threads in the forum here that might provide help, including this one:

http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?135351-Programming-problem-with-GPS-module&highlight=28146

One issue is that for *reliable* operation the 28146 wants a higher voltage to the I/O pin when sending commands to it. Unless you're using a MSR1 (which I understand has built-in logic shifting), you'll want to add that yourself between your Prop and and the GPS. Chris wrote an excellent article on this subject earlier this year in Nuts & Volts magazine, but there are threads here covering the basics as well. The link above includes a reference to one such thread. Of course, also be watching of limiting current from a 5V device back to the Prop.

-- Gordon

PS: The KickStarts are here: http://sites.google.com/site/parallaxinretailstores/

Chris Savage

One other option that I forgot about is that I believe it may be possible to run the 28146 at 3.3V instead of 5V. You could try that. Whether or not it works depends on the brownout setting of the SX IC used to make that module smart. Of course, that firmware can be updated, so it is possible to make these changes. The receiver used on 28146 is capable of running at 3.3V. I hope this information helps as well.