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Replacement for Eddie main board? — Parallax Forums

Replacement for Eddie main board?

bwilliamsbwilliams Posts: 14
edited 2014-05-15 13:05 in Robotics
Hi,

I notice that this board is now scheduled to be retired. http://www.parallax.com/product/28993

Can i ask what is the replacement board for this, or what is the advised route to take when building an Arlo device? Will we need to get a different type of board and make a lot of the additions that are already standard on the eddie board?

Thanks for any help.

Cheers

Comments

  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,400
    edited 2013-12-11 07:30
    Hey bwilliams,

    Welcome to the forums! If you are not going to use a laptop with the base (like an Eddie format, with Kinect and Microsoft tools) then the best route at present is shown here:

    ArloPath-950.png

    Note there are three board choices, or really two (since the Eddie board is EOL). Propeller or BASIC Stamp? For this application, choose the Propeller Activity Board and the two HB-25s. There will be some wiring required and you'll need two 12V/7Ah SLA batteries (Powersonic http://www.amazon.com/Battery-REPL-RITAR-RT1270-HAZE-HZS12-7-5/dp/B008AYQ4VM/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1386775337&sr=1-2&keywords=PS-1270 work well).

    The benefit of using the Propeller Activity Board is tremendous. First, you'll get a multicore processor so you will be able to deal with encoders and motor drive system concurrently and easily. Next, you will indirectly have the support of our Propeller C language used in the ActivityBot. In the ActivityBot there's a C program called ABdrive (ActivityBot drive) that handles the motor pulses and encoder feedback. Andy has recently ported that to a version called Arlodrive. By using Arlodrive instead of ABdrive you'll have full access to all ActivityBot resources, though some adjustments will be required to use them in an Arlo (wheel diameter, turning radius, speed are different of course).

    You'll see that the Arlo concept is currently ala carte. You're buying pieces, and we're still releasing pieces. Some of our future releases might cause you to buy more Parallax product to keep your Arlo current. For example, we have a power distribution board in design with switches and fuses. This board will make the wiring and charging circuitry much faster. There's also an Arlo board in the future. So you might be pulling the Propeller Activity Board off the Arlo in the future and using it for other projects.

    The Arlo chassis is made from HDPE so it's easy to drill, modify and change as you desire.

    Choose the aluminum Motor Mount and Wheel kit if you can afford to and if you plan on carrying lots of weight. If not, the molded plastic Motor Mount and Wheel Kit is still perfectly acceptable and 100% as functional except for weight carrying capacity.

    Sincerely,

    Ken Gracey
    ArloPath-950.png
    950 x 561 - 202K
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,400
    edited 2013-12-11 07:56
    One more thing I forgot to point out. The arlodrive library has not been released, though it's posted somewhere on these forums. We will release it within the coming week through a Parallax Insider post.
  • fataldavefataldave Posts: 61
    edited 2013-12-11 08:05
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    One more thing I forgot to point out. The arlodrive library has not been released, though it's posted somewhere on these forums. We will release it within the coming week through a Parallax Insider post.

    That was in my sensor thread here. Glad to hear the Insider post is coming soon as I was unable to get it to work with what was posted so far. Looking forward to it!
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,400
    edited 2013-12-11 11:50
    fataldave wrote: »
    That was in my sensor thread here. Glad to hear the Insider post is coming soon as I was unable to get it to work with what was posted so far. Looking forward to it!

    Thanks for the follow-up and reminder, Dave. We should certainly sort out the problem you're having, too. I'll include some tips in the Insider post to make sure you've got it all configured properly. The HB-25s have to power up after the Propeller logic - that's a common issue.
  • NikosGNikosG Posts: 705
    edited 2013-12-11 13:33
    Ken,

    Your post is coming in the right time….

    I have the old Motor Mount and Wheel Kit (#27971) with the old
    Position Controller (#29319). If I change the encoders with the 36-position Quadrature Encoder Set (#29321) will be able to use the Andy’s Arlodrive with this synthesis of hardware?
  • fataldavefataldave Posts: 61
    edited 2013-12-11 19:04
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Thanks for the follow-up and reminder, Dave. We should certainly sort out the problem you're having, too. I'll include some tips in the Insider post to make sure you've got it all configured properly. The HB-25s have to power up after the Propeller logic - that's a common issue.

    Sorry was not being pushy, was just pointing out the thread with the code post. I actually had the Activity Board powered up first from a wall wart and then the HB25's after from the 12V battery since I didn't wire in a DC-DC board as the battery is 12V and the max the AB says is 9V, I didn't want to wire that direct to the 12V battery. Anyhow it could be user error or the missing calibrate file. Anyhow I tested the motors and encoders by themselves and all worked well. I will wait for the insider post and try it out again.

    Again, Thanks for the early heads up!
  • bwilliamsbwilliams Posts: 14
    edited 2013-12-17 09:21
    Thanks for all the information guys.


    With regard to a specific point in your post Ken, I do intend to have a separate Mini ATX board running along side which ever board is controlling sensors and drive train. I did wish to continue using the RDS tools for a little while longer yet as this is the fastest route for me to prototype and test with my current resources etc. Does that change your recommendations at all?

    For the foreseeable future, I wanted to be using these components as a base and what will be important is consistency with components, especially if I am running many multiples of the devices.

    Is it possible to apply for the insiders scenario so as I can pose questions and get a better understanding moving forward of what I need to be considering?

    Cheers

    Brennon
  • bwilliamsbwilliams Posts: 14
    edited 2014-05-15 13:05
    @Ken,

    Is there any update on a new board that you eluded to in an earlier post? I need to finalise some things very shortly and this is a concern for me.

    With the activity board as your recommendation, is there any reason why I wouldn't go to the pro-dev board?

    Cheers

    Brennon
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