Do we get to see a project write-up like some of the other project posts?
How are you using the camera?!· CMUCam?
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Steve http://ca.geocities.com/steve.brady@rogers.com/index.html "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."
the cmucam is, so far, used for color tracking.· i have alot of work to do on the software side.
rounder:· there is a small video of the (cam/less) version of the bot· firing off a complete set on my website: http://www.danwoolston.com/Default.aspx?tabid=120
Dave:· For the most part I'm happy with the tread kit.· Altho, i dont know if you guys can modify it, but the treads are very slack...so much so that they will slip off on pivot turns.· and i did try the modification from the manual of adding the spiked wheels on the bottom.· I'm trying to adjust the in/out main sprocket cause the belt is closer to the bot on the main sprocket than the other wheels, so occassionally the tread comes off the wheel.· maybe adding a washer between the hub and the servo.· we'll see.· other than the few tension and alignment issues, the treads are pretty damn cool.· well worth what i paid for them.
see the attached picture for the idea that i had on the tread plate...if it can be fixed.
edit:· the picture has a typo - its supposed to read "add a slotted groove to the REAR" not read.
The problem with tensioning is that on classic track designs, like tanks, the rearmost wheels are the drive-wheels, and the tensioners are at the top.
(Mounted on a sort, spring-loaded arm)
Tensioning at the ends is much more difficult, but can be found on some tracks for heavy digging machines(Don't know the correct name
On those they can't always have the free height needed for tensioning at the top.
Therefore one of the wheels on each side have the axel in long grooves instead of going through holes, and in the grooves are blocks and a very powerful spring.
You don't try to remove the wheel without blocking that spring as it will shoot out with enough force to kill someone stupid enough to stand in its path.
My father used to drive and maintain one of these beasties, and told me about this danger.
He not only taught the manufacturers mechanics how to split the machine from its undercarriage in the field, using only a jack and a couple of logs, he also rebuilt the top, moving the engine a couple of inches back to improve the balance so that it wouldn't thrash its bearings again. So I believe him when he says something should only be messed with by experts...
Back to the track-kit...
There's no easy placement of a tensioning wheel as it is designed. The one place it looks like it would fit is behind the servo, but that might make it lift the thread off the drive-wheel. (It would have to push down, but the track isn't designed for that)
What you need is to fit a swing-arm to either the front or rear wheel and tension it with a spring....
I've sketcheed up one in this picture, using red for the arm and pivot point, and blue for the spring.
Obviously, the further back the pivot-point is, the better it'll work as having it at such an angle will result in it lifting the wheel when it takes up slack.
If so, thread it through your elongated hole and use a copule of prings to push it as far back as possible.
This will not only take up the slack, but will help it handle bumps and such.
see attached image for what i did with the treads.· seems to work pretty well.· dont overtighten them or you'll bog down the servo.· Also, you may find (as i did) that no amount of tightening or alignment will keep the teeth from skipping a few links on the tread.· They're a little too small and it is after all a toy tread product.· The bot will loose grip occassionally and veer off, but i imagine if you had a compass mod and range finder, you could compensate and adjust the travel.· They're still a big ole' bag of fun tho and they look cool too.· o.k. parallax, send me my check now.·
Man that robot is awesome...But how dare you make me look like a slacker to my kids...now they want their robot to fire nerf missles at the dog....CURSES!!!
Can you send me e-mail at work with all of the·pictures, wiring diagrams and code?· Send it to dandreae@parallax.com and I'll see what I can do?· I don't want forget about it, and at work we get so busy that's why I need the e-mail for a reminder.
Interestingly enough, the web page title for the Nerf-Bot reads "Environmental Data Logger". So that's what we've been doing with all those missiles in various foreign countries... gathering environmental data. Now why would that make anybody mad.
WAHOOOO!
Just received word from SERVO magazine that they're going to feature the bot!
Its slated for the June issue, so everyone make sure to pick up a copy.
Thanks to anyone at Parallax that might have pulled some strings.
I cant wait. wooohoooo!
Neat project, I see the inspiration that gadget has although i don't see the science behind it, I mean use a iR sensor or something, What's the something because the iR sensor will not work in daylight. I seems you'd be better off making a TOW missle ,· that is wire guided , the milatary uses them on humvees alot... the soldier fires the rocket and has 12s to guide it afterwards... I say this not to be mean but because I am working on a similar project.
I plan on putting guidence on the rockets later but your better off useing the platform (FYI mines a hayes smart modem 1200bps from 19080). I paln on using a ping ultrasonic sensor in that same fashion as the memsic accelerometer car alarm available on parallax's site (memsic-motion.bs2) scan with my tilt pan kit from crustcrawler and use the accel sensor and servo reporting to bind the distance data to the position on the tilt pan kit after the first 2 sweeps are averaged compare the new data from subsequent scans with the new data if there is a difference then we have movment. movment = target = fire missiles.
FYI in the US you may add guidance and control to a rocket legally YOU MAY NOT ADD A ORDINANCE (EXPLOSIVE) anything like a rocket that explodes consitutes "possesion of an indencary missile device" at least in PA it is illegal (I am speaking from experence) case in point ESTES the model rocket maker makes a glider that can be fitted with either a motor or standard rocket and is r/c control and very much legal. however if you plug the ejecton charge of a rocket engine to make it explode or add powder to the ejection charge that would require some kind of permit. good luck though let me know how your tilt/pan kit is going, and yes I know there are many mis-spelled words in this post, I just don't care, congrats on the servo article!
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··············... We Are··Spiritual Beings Having·A·Human Experence"
I was mostly letting my brain go wild, but an IR sensor should work IF you can filter out the background 'noise' and it's an overcast day.
OK, it's not the same sensor quality as on a Sidewinder 9L or something, but those sensors not only costs too much, but you also need coolants.
It would also work if the intended target is wearing a powerful IR transmitter...
TOWs are OK, but if you're firing a NERF missile, it just won't work.
(They don't have the mass needed to pull copper wires behind them)
I think I've seen that Estes model, and that particular one is a Glider, not a traditional rocket. Sticking a rocket motor in it makes it a rocket-powered RC-plane, not a self-guided missile.
The difference?
The RC plane is limited to the range of the transmitter and to where the pilot can observe it, while the other can go anywhere it want as long as it can stay up in the air for long enough.
It's not too difficult to take a BS2, a GPS receiver, possibly a gyro, and a RC model and end up with an autonomous(self-guided) aircraft.
In fact, the only difference between that and a modern cruise missile is the speed, carrying capacity and price-tag...
Not that you need a payload.
My 'Gentle Lady' type RC-Glider(Kit from Carl Goldberg. 2metre wingspan, slope soarer) has a hard balsa block as nose-cone, and if I took it into a dive it could build up enough kinetic energy to punch right through the windscreen of a car.
But I have yet to land it in one piece...
Luckily, I enjoy building planes even more than flying them.
Not that I've done much flying the last few years.
(I have a 27MHz AM RC system, and there's too much Smile like toy walkie talkies on that band now, so I don't dare fly it before I get a new 35 or 42MHz FM set)
The SRF04 or the new Ping would work great. I have sonar on my current project and love it. You could add servos to tilt the
angle of the launcher for target distancing.
Very true gadget, although I think a sx key would be the ideal MCU it has no on board LDO (voltage regulator) and is more affordable to blow up! af for the iR sensor i am still not convince that it would work well UNLESS like you said the target was wearing a iR xMitter or it was painted by someting else either way the rocket has no idea what it is seeing and cannot compar it to the backround or horizon but if you perhaps used a few of them, I still believe that processing the target data on the ground would be the most effecient method, if you know where its been you can guess where it might go launch the rocket there. keeping in mind a direct hit is not required to inflict damage, if youve ever had a rocket igni in your hand you allready know this, when the ejection charge is plugged or better EXPOLSIVE cargo tied to the tip with the drilled out eject charge would be effective. I intended to use the srf104 on my project but the distance is short and the data takes to long to propagate, it would be long gone before you got a lock on it. LiDar would be great but information on that tech seem to be unavailable on the web. What about that wire? I would love to play with some of that where can it be gotten.
p.s. what is a windscreen and a metere?
hehehehe (joking)
noah44 look at my project in the above post a tilt pan works great!
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··············... We Are··Spiritual Beings Having·A·Human Experence"
Comments
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Ben Damon
And may God Bless America!
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How are you using the camera?!· CMUCam?
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·
Steve
http://ca.geocities.com/steve.brady@rogers.com/index.html
"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."
PS
This is also sold under the name megatech missile launcher
http://www.hobbytron.com/Megatech-Mega-Missile-Launcher-Tank.html
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Is it supposed to smoke like that?
rounder:· there is a small video of the (cam/less) version of the bot· firing off a complete set on my website:
http://www.danwoolston.com/Default.aspx?tabid=120
Dave:· For the most part I'm happy with the tread kit.· Altho, i dont know if you guys can modify it, but the treads are very slack...so much so that they will slip off on pivot turns.· and i did try the modification from the manual of adding the spiked wheels on the bottom.· I'm trying to adjust the in/out main sprocket cause the belt is closer to the bot on the main sprocket than the other wheels, so occassionally the tread comes off the wheel.· maybe adding a washer between the hub and the servo.· we'll see.· other than the few tension and alignment issues, the treads are pretty damn cool.· well worth what i paid for them.
see the attached picture for the idea that i had on the tread plate...if it can be fixed.
edit:· the picture has a typo - its supposed to read "add a slotted groove to the REAR" not read.
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**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
Post Edited (bishop) : 3/5/2005 5:51:42 PM GMT
Great job!
Dave
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Dave Andreae
Tech Support
dandreae@parallax.com
www.parallax.com
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**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
(Mounted on a sort, spring-loaded arm)
Tensioning at the ends is much more difficult, but can be found on some tracks for heavy digging machines(Don't know the correct name
On those they can't always have the free height needed for tensioning at the top.
Therefore one of the wheels on each side have the axel in long grooves instead of going through holes, and in the grooves are blocks and a very powerful spring.
You don't try to remove the wheel without blocking that spring as it will shoot out with enough force to kill someone stupid enough to stand in its path.
My father used to drive and maintain one of these beasties, and told me about this danger.
He not only taught the manufacturers mechanics how to split the machine from its undercarriage in the field, using only a jack and a couple of logs, he also rebuilt the top, moving the engine a couple of inches back to improve the balance so that it wouldn't thrash its bearings again. So I believe him when he says something should only be messed with by experts...
Back to the track-kit...
There's no easy placement of a tensioning wheel as it is designed. The one place it looks like it would fit is behind the servo, but that might make it lift the thread off the drive-wheel. (It would have to push down, but the track isn't designed for that)
What you need is to fit a swing-arm to either the front or rear wheel and tension it with a spring....
I've sketcheed up one in this picture, using red for the arm and pivot point, and blue for the spring.
Obviously, the further back the pivot-point is, the better it'll work as having it at such an angle will result in it lifting the wheel when it takes up slack.
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**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
If so, thread it through your elongated hole and use a copule of prings to push it as far back as possible.
This will not only take up the slack, but will help it handle bumps and such.
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**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
j/k
Love the project
i'm hoping that servo magazine will put it on the 'menagerie' page.· so if anyone at parallax has some pull over there...·
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**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
Dave
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Dave Andreae
Tech Support
dandreae@parallax.com
www.parallax.com
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thanks dave!
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**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
This is very cool!
Dave
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Dave Andreae
Tech Support
dandreae@parallax.com
www.parallax.com
·
thanks for the work Dave, you guys rock!
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**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
Jim
bugg
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But I canna change the laws of physics, Captain!
[noparse]:)[/noparse]
hehehe
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**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
Just received word from SERVO magazine that they're going to feature the bot!
Its slated for the June issue, so everyone make sure to pick up a copy.
Thanks to anyone at Parallax that might have pulled some strings.
I cant wait. wooohoooo!
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**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
Great job!
Dave
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Dave Andreae
Tech Support
dandreae@parallax.com
www.parallax.com
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thanks!
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**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=534459
I plan on putting guidence on the rockets later but your better off useing the platform (FYI mines a hayes smart modem 1200bps from 19080). I paln on using a ping ultrasonic sensor in that same fashion as the memsic accelerometer car alarm available on parallax's site (memsic-motion.bs2) scan with my tilt pan kit from crustcrawler and use the accel sensor and servo reporting to bind the distance data to the position on the tilt pan kit after the first 2 sweeps are averaged compare the new data from subsequent scans with the new data if there is a difference then we have movment. movment = target = fire missiles.
FYI in the US you may add guidance and control to a rocket legally YOU MAY NOT ADD A ORDINANCE (EXPLOSIVE) anything like a rocket that explodes consitutes "possesion of an indencary missile device" at least in PA it is illegal (I am speaking from experence) case in point ESTES the model rocket maker makes a glider that can be fitted with either a motor or standard rocket and is r/c control and very much legal. however if you plug the ejecton charge of a rocket engine to make it explode or add powder to the ejection charge that would require some kind of permit. good luck though let me know how your tilt/pan kit is going, and yes I know there are many mis-spelled words in this post, I just don't care, congrats on the servo article!
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·"We Are Not Human Beings Having·A Spiritual Experence,
··············... We Are··Spiritual Beings Having·A·Human Experence"
OK, it's not the same sensor quality as on a Sidewinder 9L or something, but those sensors not only costs too much, but you also need coolants.
It would also work if the intended target is wearing a powerful IR transmitter...
TOWs are OK, but if you're firing a NERF missile, it just won't work.
(They don't have the mass needed to pull copper wires behind them)
I think I've seen that Estes model, and that particular one is a Glider, not a traditional rocket. Sticking a rocket motor in it makes it a rocket-powered RC-plane, not a self-guided missile.
The difference?
The RC plane is limited to the range of the transmitter and to where the pilot can observe it, while the other can go anywhere it want as long as it can stay up in the air for long enough.
It's not too difficult to take a BS2, a GPS receiver, possibly a gyro, and a RC model and end up with an autonomous(self-guided) aircraft.
In fact, the only difference between that and a modern cruise missile is the speed, carrying capacity and price-tag...
Not that you need a payload.
My 'Gentle Lady' type RC-Glider(Kit from Carl Goldberg. 2metre wingspan, slope soarer) has a hard balsa block as nose-cone, and if I took it into a dive it could build up enough kinetic energy to punch right through the windscreen of a car.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
**************
daniel woolston
Teksystems Inc.
www.danwoolston.com
**************
But I have yet to land it in one piece...
Luckily, I enjoy building planes even more than flying them.
Not that I've done much flying the last few years.
(I have a 27MHz AM RC system, and there's too much Smile like toy walkie talkies on that band now, so I don't dare fly it before I get a new 35 or 42MHz FM set)
angle of the launcher for target distancing.
p.s. what is a windscreen and a metere?
hehehehe (joking)
noah44 look at my project in the above post a tilt pan works great!
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·"We Are Not Human Beings Having·A Spiritual Experence,
··············... We Are··Spiritual Beings Having·A·Human Experence"
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"Robots are just lights...and clockwork."
Detective Spooner
iRobot