Best way to control the Basic Stamp over the internet?

latigerlilly

Hi guys,

I would like to receive data from the BASIC stamp and send commands to the BASIC stamp over the internet in real time, wirelessly. I am guessing that I will need a PC to provide the internet connection and a wireless internet connection for the BASIC stamp. I would like to remote control my BASIC stamp's servos over the internet, wirelessly. What is the easiest way to do this?

Would an EmbeddedBlue Transceiver AppModd be OK?
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=30068

OR would the Microsoft Robotics Studio?
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28118

OR use PINK connected to a laptop that has wireless?

I am a novice. I've built a BOE BOT and some very simple medical devices with simple on/off switches using the BOE. That is my total robo-education....

Thanks a bunch,
Lilly.

Zoot

The Pink gives you really nice internet interface capability in both directions. You don't need the PC, though:

Stamp -> Pink -> Battery-powered Wireless LAN Access point (9V) -> Building Wireless Access/Router -> Building Internet Connection

You can get wireless access points for less than $30 online, and maybe just a bit more in the stores. Check the power jack info -- most the access points and wireless routers I've used need a 9V wall-wart, so if you get it power, and you already have wireless in your building, you would pretty much be ready to go. Remember that you still need some kind of web page or server-side script that takes care of sending the info over the 'net to the Stamp. It can be as simple as an HTML form for sending variable data.

But some of this depends on comfort level with the technology, of course. An advantage here is that if the Pink is talking to the Stamp, the rest is a fairly straight-forward internet connection scenario and it's easier to get friends/family/colleagues who do that sort of stuff to help out
Others will have different opinions, I'm sure. Microsoft Robotics Studio is network ready, but then you are somewhat committed to their platform for running, as opposed to using any browser that is online.

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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST

latigerlilly

Hi guys,

I am not sure, but I think that the following are true (please correct me if I'm wrong);

I can remote control a dozen servos connected to a parallax servo controller connected to a stamp 2p40 on a professional development board by using PINK. The PINK will send data back and forth over the internet between 2 stamps equipped with PINK using UDP messaging. In other words, I can use 1 stamp with PINK as a remote controller (sort of like a RC toy's control box) and I can use another stamp with PINK with servos to be controlled (sort of like a toy RC plane). The transmission medium here is the internet and not radio waves (here is where PINK differs from RC). Are my statements correct?

Also, I can send data from sensors on one stamp to another stamp via the internet using 2 stamps, each equipped with PINK?

Finally, I do NOT need a PC to connect this stuff to. I can wirelessly do everything using the connection scheme described by Zoot?

If these statements are true then the Parallax's stamps are REALLY COOL!!!

Thanks again, guys,
Lilly.

Post Edited (latigerlilly) : 1/20/2007 7:36:24 AM GMT

Zoot

Somebody said...
I can remote control a dozen servos connected to a parallax servo controller connected to a stamp 2p40 on a professional development board by using PINK. The PINK will send data back and forth over the internet between 2 stamps equipped with PINK using UDP messaging. In other words, I can use 1 stamp with PINK as a remote controller (sort of like a RC toy's control box) and I can use another stamp with PINK with servos to be controlled (sort of like a toy RC plane). The transmission medium here is the internet and not radio waves (here is where PINK differs from RC). Are my statements correct?

Yes. Although a more detailed explanation of what you are trying to accomplish might be helpful. It is possible that the above scenario is more complex than you need. Or not

Somebody said...
Also, I can send data from sensors on one stamp to another stamp via the internet using 2 stamps, each equipped with PINK?

Yes. Although you might want to reframe your thinking -- you can send any kind of data (just numbers really) from one Stamp to another -- whether or not it's control data (for your servos), sensor data, the time of day, whatever, is more a programming and logical issue than a technological issue.

Somebody said...
Finally, I do NOT need a PC to connect this stuff to. I can wirelessly do everything using the connection scheme described by Zoot?

Correct. Although in rereading your initial post, depending on budget and expertise, you could use a wireless laptop/desktop as an access point and/or your "remote control". In other words you could possibly save the purchase of a Stamp/PINK rig by using a wireless laptop and programming the laptop to do useful stuff using Visual Basic, C++, etc. running locally on that machine. Again this depends on your own expertise, needs and budget.

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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST

fmx95

I did something just like this in the past. Here's how:

I had a USB camera mounted onto my Serial->USB BoeBot. These were connected to a 4 way usb hub which i cut up and added a 4 wire spiral phone cord (like on a non-wireless telephone receiver) giving me a 30ft tether. (Not wireless.. but cheap!) I had my boe wait for command via serial and then branch out to corresponding sub routines for movement, lasers, beeps.. etc

On my computer i wrote a program in Visual Basic 2005 (Free from Microsoft.. very easy to program with) this program would send out a byte to the boe bot on key presses and on website clicks. This program also displayed the video and saved a scaled down frame to my hard drive (for the website half of this).

On my computer i was running an apache server (free, easy to set up.. check google). On this server i set up a simple html page that displays the saved frame from the boe and gives links for all the boe bot controls. These links linked to a php script 'do.php' and set a GET variable for each action. In this php script it would take that command and analyze it to be sure it is allowed, if it is it will write a file to my hard drive; like '.forward' '.backward' '.beep' (even if you don't know php this only takes a few lines of code)

My VB program sees these files and sends the boe the byte it needs to do the command. After that the file is deleted.

To access my boe i would have to enter my IP into the browser and because i dont have a static IP it would be different every time i got online to use it. So i registered with dyndns.org. Which will take your IP and set it to a URL that you get to choose (subdomain of course.. you.homeip.net .. myboebot.isawesome.com .. that kind of stuff ).

There may be better ways to do this, but i used what i know to get it done. It works very well and is very easy to set up. I had my Grandma 1200 miles away driving my boe around my house! lol With some small changes to image size and rotation i was able to control my boe (at home) from my cell phone browser from on top of Lake Mead. [noparse]:D[/noparse]

Best of all, i spent almost no money on this setup. I had the boe and the camera, the software was all free, url was free. Only a few dollars for the hub. [noparse]:)[/noparse]


I hope this gives you some ideas,

Travis

Post Edited (Travis H) : 1/22/2007 11:11:27 AM GMT

Dgswaner

FMX95, anychance of getting some sample code. you did exactly what I'm tryign to do. I have everything working except the web interface. I'd love not reinventing the wheel on this. and would save me tons of time. My robot is quite a bit bigger than a Boe Bot but pretty much the same configuration. except that mine has an onboard Pentium 3 computer. my thoughts were to have the the basic stamp control the sensor inputs and motor control, and have the computer control the bs2. the computer would have a wireless connection to the internet and could run IIS or Apache to host the web interface. let me know

Thanks

Warrlok

·Dg how did u get by the vibration on the hard drive

Dgswaner said...
FMX95, anychance of getting some sample code. you did exactly what I'm tryign to do. I have everything working except the web interface. I'd love not reinventing the wheel on this. and would save me tons of time. My robot is quite a bit bigger than a Boe Bot but pretty much the same configuration. except that mine has an onboard Pentium 3 computer. my thoughts were to have the the basic stamp control the sensor inputs and motor control, and have the computer control the bs2. the computer would have a wireless connection to the internet and could run IIS or Apache to host the web interface. let me know

Thanks

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Problems are the "roads" of life,
solutions are only "onramps" to the next problem



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Dgswaner

well I don't have it tried and tested to with stand all of the bumping and knocking of the real world, but it cruises around my house with no problem. I did mount it vertically (didn't have much of a choice) and it is isolated with rubber pads. I figure a 10 gig HD is all it needs and they are a dime a dozen now so even if it only lasts for a year I'm ok with that.

good luck

"Hello world!"

fmx95 said...
I did something just like this in the past. Here's how:

I had a USB camera mounted onto my Serial->USB BoeBot. These were connected to a 4 way usb hub which i cut up and added a 4 wire spiral phone cord (like on a non-wireless telephone receiver) giving me a 30ft tether. (Not wireless.. but cheap!) I had my boe wait for command via serial and then branch out to corresponding sub routines for movement, lasers, beeps.. etc

Travis

Hi Travis,

I am interested in connecting to my BS2 via a telephone wire and via the internet.

Thanks for your help,

Matt