Roomba + BS2

Matt Battle · 2006-01-23 21:59

Some questions about this.

1) First off can I call it a Roomba if I take out its "thinking" chip and replace it was a BS2?
2) I was thinking about replacing its battery with two different batteries. 1 for the motors and 1 for the BS2 and sensors.
3) I was thinking about replacing the two motors that controls its wheels with servos.
4) After I get it to work, maybe make it wireless (but what for, what are some things I can do with this)?
5) Has anybody tried to do this?
6) What are some road blocks I am going to come across?
7) Should I even attempt this?

-Matt

Post Edited (Matt Battle) : 1/23/2006 11:04:47 PM GMT

deno · 2006-01-24 22:58

Call it a BoebaBOT....

Matt Battle · 2006-01-25 00:17

Well, when I get my roomba sometime next week, I will know if I can do any of this. Until then it's just alot of planning going on.

-Matt

bulkhead · 2006-01-25 05:13

I saw an article in a popsci mag (Jan 2006) on utilizing the new gen (Oct 2005+) of roombas for robotics. It's supposed to be able to communicate serially and recieve directions (I think it mentions microcontrollers). These things are pretty good for robotics- they have sensors and a solid drive system. They even recharge themselves when they get low on batteries!

I think they around 10 pounds, so I guess they could be considered SUPER-boebots...

MacGeek117 · 2006-01-25 17:09

You can't read the code that is in the MCUs because they will erase themselves when tampered with
RoboGeek

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Matt Battle · 2006-01-25 19:36

bulkhead said...
I saw an article in a popsci mag (Jan 2006) on utilizing the new gen (Oct 2005+) of roombas for robotics. It's supposed to be able to communicate serially and recieve directions (I think it mentions microcontrollers). These things are pretty good for robotics- they have sensors and a solid drive system. They even recharge themselves when they get low on batteries!

I think they around 10 pounds, so I guess they could be considered SUPER-boebots...

hey bulkhead-

I guess I will be picking a copy of popsci from work. I wonder if I can read any of the article online at their site???

-Matt

RoboGeek said...
You can't read the code that is in the MCUs because they will erase themselves when tampered with
RoboGeek

RoboGeek-

Ahh thats okay, I guess I am going to have to code the roomba whole routine. I am going take out its motherboard and put in one of my own.

-Matt

Batman · 2006-01-25 21:03

how are you gonna do that. (take out its motherboard and put in one of my own.)
you might wanna be care full care it might break

if you go to http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=563991·you see·a article about roomba and pictures of·the outside·and·inside of it.

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Post Edited (Batman) : 1/25/2006 9:08:08 PM GMT

Matt Battle · 2006-01-26 05:19

Batman said...
how are you gonna do that. (take out its motherboard and put in one of my own.)
you might wanna be care full care it might break

if you go to http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=563991 you see a article about roomba and pictures of the outside and inside of it.

Batman-

There are many steps I am going to take to "put" in my own board. First thing is I am going to take out the PCB that is in the Roomba and mainly use it for reference. Anything I need off of it I will order instead of stripping the PCB down for parts. I will use a breadboard to work out a working circuit to at least get the Roomba to go forward and backwards. Once I get that working, I will start adding the sensors(bump and IR) one by one until I got them all working which can take me weeks to months of coding. Then I am going to work on the secondary things like battery life detector, vacuum/pump speed, etc. etc.. So what it comes down to it is pretty much replacing the IRobot AWARE system with a BS2. Then once I get all of that working, I wil start working on making a permanent PCB of the same shape as the Roomba original PCB.

-Matt

bulkhead · 2006-01-26 05:45

I searched popsci.com and they don't have it (yet?). It's under the DIY section on p.78 in I think the Jan 2006 issue (if not, maybe Dec, but I'm pretty sure its Jan). The article says the new ones are around $280, but I guess it would be a funner project to buy an older model (around $100 ?) and give it the same features, or even more and better ones than those in the newer models.

Matt Battle · 2006-02-13 14:44

Update: I finally bought a Roomba Pro Elite off of EBay and should have it by today or tomorrow. As soon as I get it I will take some pics and a movie to show its movements and what not. I was told by the seller that the battery doesn't keep a charge for long and that after a few steps the Roomba does a funny dance and then turns off. Once I see what I have to work I will plan my attack and go from there.

-Matt

Matt Battle · 2006-02-13 23:49

Well, I received my Roomba this morning around 10:00 and been messing with it ever since. The battery that it came with is dead. So that means a new battery or a charger or both. Also I will have pics of it as soon as I am done cleaning it and taking some measurements of the inside. I can't believe how much parts this thing has and how they all come together to work as a unit. To bad I have to take it a part haha. Pics of that coming soon too.

Roomba + BS2

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