BoeBot IrDA???????????
Humanoido
Posts: 5,770
Has anyone developed an IrDA remote control program for the BoeBot
so it can communicate with a computers' built in function?
humanoido
so it can communicate with a computers' built in function?
humanoido
Comments
IR Remote Control has been a very stable and reliable way to operate T.V.s, stereos, and whatever that exist within the same room as the user. The output is bright enough to cover distances across a room. The 38.5Khz carrier eliminates confusion with all the other possible IR sources, like electric lights and tea pots.
IrDa is IR Data Transfer. I suspect it is bi-directional, it is certainly serial, and maybe 115K baud -but it could be slower. I have used it between my cell phone and PDA to send out SMS messages that are more easily composed on the PDA's user interface than on the cell phone buttons. It can be really handy for this particular use. It is no good to completely backup my PDA though - too much data to transmit, verify, and retransmit. To use it, I have to put the PDA and the cell phone next to each other's IrDA port. So, you see. It really is not a remote control broadcast.
I suspect that the high Baud rate is part of what cuts the distance way down. The IR LED just doesn't have a brightness that reaches out over distances. Also, I suspect it isn't modulated, like the IR remote. So any random IR can easily interfer - mostly 50/60 cycle hum from lights.
You might be able to develop a workable 'hybrid' scheme. If you use the BasicStamp's simple RS-232 serial software to drive serial data over a 38.5 KHz carrier to an IR LED at a reasonably slow rate, you would eliminate the interferance AND get more distance. They you would receive with the typical 38.5Khz IR remote control demodulator and recieve just a TTL level RS-232 signial.
It woud take two setups to be bi-directional. Only one could transmit at one time or nothing would get through. And it would only be of use within a room or other small distance. Indoor is better than outdoors because of less background IR.
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"Everything in the world is purchased by labour; and our passions are the only causes of labor." -- David·Hume (1711-76)········
You're right - the IrDA range is limited as
some sources quote within 5-feet.
However, I do have good
applications for a Basic Stamp
desktop bot that never strays farther
than five feet from the computer.
humanoido
What got me started on this was when my
computer was setting next to another one
across the table. Suddenly I got a message
that the two were linked and communicating
back and forth on the IrDA port. This gave me
some ideas about using the same built in
standard with a desktop bot. Since Boebot
and similar robots already have means to
transmit and receive IR signals, and with
the faster 2px, the bot would only require
the software and no add-ons. There's probably
not too many interference issues by keeping
everything within a 5-foot range.
humanoido
The second question was in regard to a blanket Basic Stamp processor version (BS2 or otherwise). I first did browsing in the Basic Stamp section of the forum, since there are over 10 Basic Stamps and versions manufactured by Parallax Inc., and found many development applications regarding various versions of Basic Stamps, some of which included infrared. This is obviously a different audience and the best place to post this second question.
What I did not realize was the number of master genius', such as yourself and Kramer, who frequent ALL or many or more than one forum(s). Therefore, if two postings, because they both involve IrDA, have offended you in any way, you have my sincere apology. I will also give you a blanket sincere apology at this very moment, as I'm sure there will be many postings with multiple topics in various sections of the forum and some of these will have overlapping elements.
humanodo
Half the information arrives in one place and half in another. No one has the time to put it all together.
Someone at Parallax can and WILL remove one of the two.
It may work for you, but there are a lot of people that don't log on, but use the Forum as a resource. This creates a lot of extra searching and server traffic.
If you want to ask someone directly, a PM is okay.
I personally feel that Standard IrDA is NOT reliable at 5 feet. Mine only works well in all conditions at about 6 inches. Of course, some of it might be my hardware and I am sure some of it is affected by outdoor use.
So far we have onlly talked hardward. If you really want to get it working properly their are IrDA software protocols in several layers. Everything needs to be in a proper packet, etc. I usually avoid this kind of thing as I am not trying to know all about every personal computer standard. The PC has come a long way and gathered volumes of information that takes time to sort through and get working. And then Microsoft or someone changes the standard.
Usually I've been·referred to as a 'master idiot' or a 'know-at-all thread jumper', not a 'master genius'.· I try to help out, but things do go awry.
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"Everything in the world is purchased by labour; and our passions are the only causes of labor." -- David·Hume (1711-76)········
Mike, you must be assuming that EVERYONE reads ALL forums. They don't. Given that this post was put in two specific forums whose members might not read the other, I think it was appropriate.
Also, given the problems with the embedded SEARCH function, nobody can rely on that to find things here. If the search engine engine worked reliably, multiple posts sould be transparent.
The fact that you admit that 1/2 the answer will be in one place and 1/2 the answer in the other fully supports my contention that it is OK for humanoido to address the two audiences individually. That is exactly the point.
Actually, Kramer, if you look at the Penguin sticky, we have been accumulating disparate posts that are relevant to Penguin so there IS ONE SOURCE for info. Listed there are a bunch of links from all over the forums that will help the Penguin programmers. These two were going to make it there as well.
"Extra searching and server traffic" is what the forum is all about! With the inexpensive computing resources available for hosting web sites, I cannot conceive that ANY load from your members is going to affect the cost of hosting or performance of the site... Server traffic and searches are the GOAL of a successful forum, and certainly Parallax should be happy to pay the bill in support of their hardware business.
Heck, I have purchased FOUR Penguins because of humanoido's posts - the first that hooked me was the Happy Feet video. That pays for a lot of server CPU...
I respect the concept of not posting in too many places, but it looks like humanoido was trying to get responses from TWO different audiences.
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slashsplat
/* Ira Chandler */
BotConnect.com
Post Edited (slashsplat) : 9/29/2007 2:37:48 PM GMT
There is a simple way to get going with the Stamp's RS-232 port.
Microchip has a chip that does nearly all. Google the MCP2120 - Infrared Encoder/Decoder. One only has to add an 'optical tranceiver' which consists of an IR LED for Tx and an IR sensitive phototransistor for Rx.
According to the PDF, IrDA is indeed modulated and does normally go up to 115.2K baud and can do 312.5Kbaud all out.
This is ONLY the hardware level of IrDA. Please don't expect to immediately communicate with your PDA, telephone, or PC as there are software protocols that I know nothing about. But you may be able to communicate with a PC through resident RS-232 terminal software. And, you can exchange data between two Stamps. Also remember, the slower you go, the more likely you are going to get clear communications at a distance.
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"Everything in the world is purchased by labour; and our passions are the only causes of labor." -- David·Hume (1711-76)········
Posting (shotgunning for effect)·in multiple Forums isn't court.
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=562370
[noparse][[/noparse] Update -- Corrected search address. ]
Post Edited (PJ Allen) : 9/30/2007 6:44:12 PM GMT
The Microchip 2120 just say a 'IR tranceiver' is required, but Maxim supports decrete Tx and Rx components.
The Tx side is the same in both - an IR LED and a current limiting resistor. But Maxim has a better Rx side that allows you to simply use an IR LED as an IR photosensor. Inside the chip they boost the signal with an Op Amp and then clean it up with a Schmitt trigger before being put to use. So it seems like there is one less chip to buy.
I don't see that the Microchip product includes the Op AMP.
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"Everything in the world is purchased by labour; and our passions are the only causes of labor." -- David·Hume (1711-76)········