PENGUIN Fact or Fiction????
I, as well as many other DIE HARD, HARD CORE, Parallax Junkies, need a fix!!
You teased us with the info you posted a while back! And left us JONESING
for a Penguin of our verry own, have they been scraped due to final cost?????
I currently own 1 boe, 2 sumo, 1 toddler, and 1 hitec robonova 1,·I need to put a Penguin on my list! Love your bots, and your service its seconed to none!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. love to see a Parallax Robo J1 competition bot!!!!
Post Edited (Zax) : 2/23/2006 3:21:01 AM GMT
You teased us with the info you posted a while back! And left us JONESING
for a Penguin of our verry own, have they been scraped due to final cost?????
I currently own 1 boe, 2 sumo, 1 toddler, and 1 hitec robonova 1,·I need to put a Penguin on my list! Love your bots, and your service its seconed to none!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. love to see a Parallax Robo J1 competition bot!!!!
Post Edited (Zax) : 2/23/2006 3:21:01 AM GMT
Comments
As has been noted in the previous thread (and I mention this not with mallice) the Penguin "limited production run" is primarily a "promotional" gift for the major distributors, with excess being made available to the public. As such, its priorities are relatively low, probably below those projects being "actively managed", and as a result, I would suggest that any guestimates on availability and price are a tad on the soft side. While I'm sure Parallax is not intending to "take a bath" on this run, it is not viewed as a "product" or as a "profit center".
In other words, it is a fun "side job" that recieves attention when someone has some "free time".
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John R.
8 + 8 = 10
Also, Ken Gracey has posted drawings so you can build your own Penguin at www.parallax.com/html_pages/robotics/penguin.asp
I'm aware it's primarily a promotional gift for the major distributors. but was just hopeing, on some more updates to price and posible date of sales.
Perhaps, I should become a distributor, LOL!!
John What propeller thingy??????????
It's a brand new Parallax product. All of the official information released to date can be found here: http://www.parallax.com/propeller/
Regards,
Bruce Bates
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It's for real - I promise! While you've been waiting we've been making some design improvements to Penguin's PCB. Now you have a USB mini-B for programming and a nice socket for RF/Ping additions, not to mention an HM55B compass which is no longer affected by the presence of servo motors. Not being an "official" Parallax product it has to be finished on our free time. In this case, these silly·RoHS requirements (new lead-free rules)·have caused a·delay·so we could make a few PCB updates to other products.
And to answer your other question - it's really expensive to make but that won't stop us from making it available for general sale.·There was no value engineering on this product and it's all made in the USA.
No release date on the kit, but I saw that the final prototype PCB was sent off today! That means I'll have pre-production units late next week.
Ken Gracey
Parallax, Inc.
P.S. Propeller is part of the delay, too. Now I suppose you will want a Propeller chip on the Penguin. . .
They have a stunting fear of lead based solder.
For the reply, but thank's more for the great amount of effort, you put in to such
a small piece of hardware safisticated yet simple!!!!!!!!!
Can't wait to see what else you guys conjour up!
Now that propeller looks POWERFUL!!!
Hmmm, I wonder if Parallax Is considering building a ROBO ONE CLASS J COMPETITION
bot around that!
I'll answer your question about Robo One. No, we are not currently planning a Robo One robot around Propeller. We see that Robo One designs have already been engineered really well, so we'll probably not jump into that market. Hitec did a great job with the Robonova design, too.
Ken Gracey
Parallax, Inc.
LOL.
Doc
What about something else, do you have something else in the works as far as new bots for the future???????????????
No humanoids.
I'm experimenting with gas-powered tracked robots. This is something I mentioned in another thread when I was considering a hydraulic proportionally-controlled transmission. Since then I've changed the design approach to use a mini 4-stroke connected to an automotive alternator with electric drive motors. Now I'm trying off-the-shelf hydrostatic drives for snowblowers. But the commercial potential of this is very limited - mostly just hobby at this point.
What kind of robot do you have in mind?
Ken
As an iteresting point on the power source for your tracked explorer:
A number of years ago (over 15) I was experimenting with different types of R/C land vehicles including 1/16 and 1/8 scale tracked and tired vehicles.
I wanted gas/nitro power because I didn't want to deal with battery charging, as well as the high cost of battery power (in terms of weight and volume.
I also started looking at hydraulic and even mechanical drives off internal combustion engines. I even had a reversable transmission worked out.
In the end, I decided electric power made more sense. I could use battery for early development, and then replace the battery with a generator/alternator driven by an internal combustion engine, or even solor power (for very light vehicles). Control was a whole lot easier, and there were more options available.
Heck, you could probably even develop a "hybrid" vehicle....
Just food for thought.
As far as commercial products, I'd like to see not so much "finished products" but some type of "erector set" type group of components to build with. Something like some of the Lynxmotion stuff, but bring in some of the R/C land and water based stuff so that something a little bigger and more mobile could easily be build. The current R/C chasis seem a bit "cartoonish" in terms of the stuff big enough to do some exploring with. (Monster trucks).
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John R.
8 + 8 = 10
Nothing In my mind!
I was wondering If you had something on yours!!
Just wondering if you had something on the drrawing boards thats all!!
Thanks Ken,
Rick