Some 30 years of technology have happened since the Heathkit designers did HERO...any suggestions for any new type gee whiz tech for the redesign in the Heathkit tradition of kit building?
Some 30 years of technology have happened since the Heathkit designers did HERO...any suggestions for any new type gee whiz tech for the redesign in the Heathkit tradition of kit building?
Like I said above, the specific hardware was and is irrelevant. It's the courseware that made the HERO. Since networking hardware is relatively cheap, they could devise a base controller and provide a low cost of entry. Then sell (opened source, of course) various modules to extend the system. Today's (new) HERO would be tomorrow's HERO. There's no need to set a hardware design in stone. That was the idea of the HERO of the 1980s, except they did it with main boards and backplanes -- the technology to learn about then.
I'd probably do a 32-bit main controller, with sub-controllers on a network and/or common serial paths. These are all technologies people need to learn about for a wide variety of 21st Century jobs. The fact that it's in a robot only makes it all fun.
Comments
So no new features?
Keep it functionally the same?
Like I said above, the specific hardware was and is irrelevant. It's the courseware that made the HERO. Since networking hardware is relatively cheap, they could devise a base controller and provide a low cost of entry. Then sell (opened source, of course) various modules to extend the system. Today's (new) HERO would be tomorrow's HERO. There's no need to set a hardware design in stone. That was the idea of the HERO of the 1980s, except they did it with main boards and backplanes -- the technology to learn about then.
I'd probably do a 32-bit main controller, with sub-controllers on a network and/or common serial paths. These are all technologies people need to learn about for a wide variety of 21st Century jobs. The fact that it's in a robot only makes it all fun.