Great price on Tab Sumo-Bot

Forrest

I just picked-up a Tab Sumo-Bot (with an on-board Parallax BS2) http://www.tabrobotkit.com/ from CompUSA for $29.99 (CompUSA P/N 317015). I was surprised to find this robot kit so inexpensively - as it's list price is $99 and even Amazon.com's price is $99.

steve_b

you yanks get some good deals!

It's listed for 'in store pick up only' and of course, compUSA isn't up in Canada! haha· go figure!

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·

Steve
http://members.rogers.com/steve.brady
"Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be learned... something that's got to be remembered."

rounder

A collge buddy of mine works in Comp USA supply chain, just spoke with him. There are 600 units left throughout the country, they are not shipping them under any circumstances, I was told this was to prevent wholesalers from snatching them up and reselling them on ebay.·The northeast seems to be out of them but there are plenty throughout the other regions of the country. Use the compusa website to search for local stores that may have inventory left.

pb

I was lucky, I found one in Boston, but called about 7 stores within about 50 miles to find it...

Tom Walker

Apparently my local CompUSA was not aware of the "not shipping under any circumstances" ruling and cheerfully agreed to have 2 of them transferred from a store 90 miles away (who, it turns out, WAS apparently aware). Well, it took two weeks and they eventually had to have them shipped from half-way across the country, but they arrived today.

YMMV

I haven't opened them yet, but doe anyone know if there are modulation options so that two can fight without control signals getting "interesting"...or is it a matter of addressing in the control protocol?

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XYZZY...PLUGH...*poof*

Forrest

There's a switch on the Sumo-Bot and the IR Remote so you can have two Sumo-Bot's running on different frequencies.

Tom Walker

Thanks muchly for the info...maybe this weekend I'll get a chance to play...<sigh>

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XYZZY...PLUGH...*poof*

allanlane5

While you can set one SumoBot and remote set to 'A' and one to 'B', the unfortunate truth is the two remotes will 'jam' each other. Thus while 'A' is pressing a button, 'B's signal won't get to it's bot. I've done this, because I wanted them to compete with each other under remote control.

I haven't found a way around this, yet. Sigh.

You can start them and stop them with the remotes, as long as the 'other' remote is not active.

Also, the built-in behaviors only run under the remote for 200 mSec at a time -- so to move forward continuously, you need to hold down the remote button. Sigh again.

I have seen an application that controls 3 Lego robots at a time -- but it does this with a Visual Basic program that only talks to one robot at a time, then the next, then the next. Thus the program prevents command jamming.

pb

You have to open up the remote control and toggle a small switch to get the second remote on the other channel.

Russ Ferguson

I worked with a class that had 10 of the Tab SUMOBOTS and can vouch for Allan's observation. It does not matter what channnel is selected, all receivers will attempt to interpret the infrared signals in the room. When multiple infrared transmitters are used then the light signals mix with each other and cannot be interpreted.

The Robosapian has the same problem. It is also contolled using an infrared controller.

gelfling6

Yes, the two remote signals do jam each-other.. (yes, I admit it, I bought two, Pre-December-25th, 2004.)

the Yahoo group, http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/tabrobotkit/ , has a file, code, and idea for letting
two Sumo's battle autonomously, in an arena, with a red LED & CDS Cell detector off the bottom, to
detect the arena border, then, once it detects an object (the other sumo, it hopes) to fire off at full
duty cycle to push.. Even has a small video of it in action, pushing a styrofoam block from the arena.

I've hit the jamming problem too, with the BOE-Bot running in fast IR Roaming, any time I pressed a
button on the sumo's remote, the BOE would stop/go in a jerky fashion, because of the serial pulses
from the remote, making it false-detect.

If the PIC on the TAB Sumo, was as easy to program as the BS2, it sure would've been easier, and
more practical, to set the A & B settings at different frequencies, instead of the same frequency,
but sending altered serial data. (the A/B switches tell the PIC, to expect specific values to the
serial data, but it's still sending at the same rate. Hence.. a Sumo set to recieve "a" signals, would
look at the "b" signals, understand part of it, then see the "b" identifier info, and ignore it because it
wasn't ment for it.

allanlane5

Well, it turns out that the IR-Detector hardware is frequency specific. You can get a part which detects one of 32 Khz, 36 Khz, 38 Khz, 40 Khz, or 42 Khz. And I don't think they really filter out the 'other' frequencies very well, either. Mind you, this technology is designed for hand-held remote controls talking to TVs. Jamming is not an issue there.

So it's not really possible to use IR-Detectors to 'filter' the right frequency for the 'bot. I agree this is what is done with RF controlled robots -- each 'bot' gets its own RF frequency, and then two controllers don't jam each other.

TVs use the 38 Khz signal because this lets them easily filter out sunlight, flourescent lights (60hz), and other IR generating sources -- it makes the IR signal much more noise resistant. But its still not resistant to being jammed by another remote.

Ryan Clarke

Awesome, I just found two in my area...going to pick them up on lunch break....

Ryan

Ray Iddings

I have a Tab Sumobot....I think the motors are weak but it is fun to play with and for 30 bucks who can complain.

Ray

gelfling6

Not entirely immune, in the 38Khz range.. I used to have an old Sylvania TV set,
which used to suddenly turn on, and the volume would skyrocket when a GE 'Evergy Saver'
lamp (mercury vapor tube & electronics, in a 'standard bulb' package) was just warming up.

I'd imagine the TAB Sumo, and the BOE-Bot would both have had a field-day with that lamp
(which, has been replaced by a normal incadecent.. )

Stephen (gelfling6)

Ryan Clarke

Just picked up a few more of these, if anyone is interested in one for less than the $99.00 MSRP, let me know...

Ryan

GPSaxophone

I stopped by my local CompUSA and the employee I spoke with said they didn't carry them [noparse]:([/noparse]

How much are you offering them for?

gelfling6

Hmmm... The note about CompUSA hording them might be true...

On another note, I happened to find 3 on the shelf, at a local Borders Books..
The price, was enough to make me high-tail it out of there.. $99.00 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Compared to CompUSA's sale price Pre-December 2004, of $29.95, You'd think these
were RadioShaft/F.I.R.S.T. VEX's fresh out of the factory, but same box as when I
bought Sumo's 1 & 2 at C-USA last year.

Yet another side note.. Trying a little experiment.. A cheap-skates way of controlling either
the TAB Sumo, or the BOE-Bot, Instead of a radio RS-232, I decided Long-Wire...

a semi-flexible 50-foot Modular phoneline extension cord, to pins 2, 3, 4, & 5, w/6 & 7 shorted on
a male & female DB-9, the RJ-11 plugs clipped off..

The TAB Sumo showed a little better promise, hauling the cable behind it compared to the BOE-Bot.
(guess Mike Predko's idea of a mini-Tank was worth it!)

Only program tried, I programmed both the BOE & the Sumo, to just keep driving forward, till
the debug window closed. this was just to keep the bot going, till it reached the end of it's
leash, so to speak. then, re-write the program and send it again to reverse back while I gathered-up
the cable.

Instead of spending $350 for a radio modem pair, only spent $22.10 at RadioShaft for the DB-9's, cable
and two DB-9 hoods.

Stephen (gelfling6)

Jamesonian

rounder said...
A collge buddy of mine works in Comp USA supply chain, just spoke with him. There are 600 units left throughout the country, they are not shipping them under any circumstances, I was told this was to prevent wholesalers from snatching them up and reselling them on ebay.·The northeast seems to be out of them but there are plenty throughout the other regions of the country. Use the compusa website to search for local stores that may have inventory left.

· LOL, LostboY is doing the exact opposite of what rounder heard they were trying to PREVENT people from doing.·
Quote, "Just picked up a few more of these, if anyone is interested in one for less than the $99.00 MSRP, let me know..."

I don't mind, it's a good way for people to get them·for a good price·if there are no stores near them that are in stock.

James

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"Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you'll·land among the stars."

Post Edited (Jamesonian) : 4/29/2005 12:23:52 AM GMT

Forrest

CompUSA must be out of the Sumo-Bot - they've removed it from their web site.

Ryan Clarke

Hehe, I picked up a few because I wanted to play with one- I still have one new in the box. It will probably end up either as parts for other projects or in the hands of a nephew....

Ryan