Updated! More Success! Web Controlled bot!
Dgswaner
Posts: 795
Ok I'm just a little excited! I just drove my bot around my house (room no web cam....yet) via the web. It's a mile stone I've been working toward for a few months now. I still have to work out a few bugs and most likely trade the BS2 for some thing faster so I can get higher baud rates. but it is operational! yay!!! I'll get some of the bugs worked out and let some of you try it out!
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
Post Edited (Dgswaner) : 10/26/2007 2:33:20 PM GMT
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
Post Edited (Dgswaner) : 10/26/2007 2:33:20 PM GMT
Comments
> RF modules <----> BS2sx. I have made quite an elaborate, interface, perhaps too elaborate, I'm still working out a few bugs with it. one of the main issues that I'm having is delay, it can take up to 2 seconds for the command to get to the bot. I'm communication at 2400 baud, so I'm considering either a buffer or a swapping out the bs2 for a bs2sx so I can up the baud rates. I'm already seeing a real need for more than just standard controls, I was trying to drive it down a hall way and it was near impossible. so an command like rotate to a specific direction, or turn x degrees will really make it easier to operate. their are some really cool things you can do with sensor inputs, having control over server side variables give you a lot of options
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
Post Edited (Dgswaner) : 10/19/2007 3:30:32 PM GMT
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--DFaust
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Whit+
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
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Never give up when things go wrong.
robosapienv2-4mem8.page.tl/
I have been working on a similar project but with the eb500 and MSRS with not so great results.
But this is trully exciting !!
Please, when you can share with us as much information as you can.
I am new to the eb500 and writing programs for VB is let's say fustrating for a newbe.
Can you post some pic's before you release some info ?
Rob7
How can I remotely reset the Parrallax USB Servo controller. I use a Web Cam to remotely guide the unit over WiFI. When I run into walls other other things the USB drops out. I need a way to reset the servo without pushing the button.
Any ideas?
This project was three years in the making. I am working on stability. I want to build something I can clean up my yard remotely.
Depending on the platform, Microsoft has a portmon executable that will help with the serial I/O problems to the USB or serial. Also Microsoft has a USB View program that can help you work through the problems with too many USB devices on a single USB Hub or controller.
You've got to get up a screen shot of the control panel and some more info on this. Very cool.
By the way, this is off subject but I got this ad this morning - http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=203922248&adid=17653&dcaid=17653 - it is about the Roomba. Watch the video - I guess I didn't realize how much this thing is doing some of the stuff we've talked about as regards mapping. Hard to believe for $149 bucks!
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Whit+
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
look forward to get the details and once we have a Mapping-Bot .. whaaaw, then we make it Web Controlled.
regards,
Ed
added:
as soon as I have this working solid I will post all my code and info.
Skywalker... I've been severely side tracked on the mapping bot, I am hopping to wrap this up in the next few days and get started on the mapping quest! I'm also working on a wheel encoder solution.
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
Post Edited (Dgswaner) : 10/23/2007 4:43:01 PM GMT
added:
this is just a video test page, the arrow controls won't work. only the sliders, the camera is on my desk not on my bot. which you can see if you look in the lower left of the field of vision.
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
Post Edited (Dgswaner) : 10/26/2007 2:58:23 PM GMT
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
So what's the chance that you can be convinced to write up a set of instructions so others (like the very jealous me!) can replicate your great work?
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
Check this viideo out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxMVshpYYyk
How's that for mapping!
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Whit+
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
Bot Control with Cam X/Y tilt.
Hardware/software requirements:
PINK
*The Pink is The key to this, I'm using an original pink (non-updated). as far as the example code goes here is my Variable usage:
- Nb_var00 holds the IP address of the camera, I recommended this as when you local to your cam you can't view it threw your external IP. so rather than rewrite the code you just change the variable.
- Nb_var20 holds a value of 1-255 (the horizontal slider)
- Nb_var21 holds a value of 1-255 (the vertical slider)
- nb_var25 holds a single digit for the direction pad. 8-forward 7-left -9 right 5-stop 2-rev (look at the num pad)
I found variables 00-09 too hard to deal with when sending variables because the server variables needs to have a leading "0" Nb_var01 not Nb_var1 which I found hard to get a basic stamp to send 01 in a variable. so I just avoided the extra code for 10 variables and decided to make them all server/web variables only. IP addresses web user names etc.BS2
The bs2 just cycles through a loop reading var's 20,21 and 25. and xmits the value to the bot. fairly simple. I eventually want to write some code that only x-mits when a variable changes, and perhaps some error checking. and also provide support for multiple robots. depending which ones are logged on.
more var's are used on the sensor side but I won't get into that here.
RF Modules
I'm using http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28180. these work fairly well. because I'm using a bs2 I'm limited to 2400 baud, and even the pink docs recommend 2400 baud with this stamp. as also recommended by the docs I'm using simple variables for xmitting, rather than using natural language for variables, "forward" I'm using "8" I did notice a big difference when I implemented this.
your bot
for testing I have my bot running through a loop reading in the var data from the pink and then branching to the approperate code section to move the bot accordingly. I did IRPD over ride, to help with a loss of communication and lag. if the bot sees something with it's IRPD it stops and only lets you go in reverse. I'm going to expand this a little but I think it's necessity for my bots safety. I going to xmit distances using a PING but it's mostly going to be for user info. showing open areas, not directing the bot.
To handle the sliders I found the extents of my servos, 300 and 1500 for using pulsout. I then cam up with the following formula. 1500-300 1200 is my range of movement. 1200/255 (slider max value) =4.7 going to round down since I would rather my servo travel short rather than lToo far. my pulse out command reads Xcam (slider value) * 4 + 300. I'm adding 300 to make the low end work. so if the slider is 1 the result would be 1 * 4 + 300 = 304 this formula seems to work well. I will be adjusting the range of the slider so it more evenly divides into the range of the servo so I get more accurate results. but at 2:00am that's the best I could come up with. is it sits now i have dead spots at the end of my sliders.
Wireless Web cam ok I confess I don't actually have a wireless web cam. I'm using a USB quick cam. the vision GS software supports most cams including wireless IP cams. I've trying to decide if I want to keep my onboard PC, which would eliminate the need for a wireless cam, or to off load to a stand alone PC. I've decided that if I go wireless I'm going to choose one that is both Vision GS, and roborelm. so I don't end up buying another.
Vision GS
This is a great program, I use it in our office for security, I've caught the cleaning crew eating office snacks, it supports multiple cams and has motion detect recording (security bot), it can post stills to a FTP server stream live video and also stream live images. what's the difference...
live video requires a video player, where streaming images just rapidly refreshes images to produce video. I could not get any less than a 5 second buffer for video streaming. unacceptable in this circumstance. still streaming I Was able to achieve less than a second delay. give or take.
I'm more than happy to answer anything I can, I'll post Code later this evening.
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
Post Edited (Dgswaner) : 10/26/2007 7:20:52 PM GMT
Dg, I tried out the video thing, really cool!!!! (Except for the reversed x axis)
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--DFaust
Whit! I would love even 1/4 of what that mapping bot can do! very cool. that bot is going to put me out of part of my job. I often go to job sites to measure them because the record sets are too lousy to be trusted. I have measured entire buildings before.... not fun! the bot can have that part of my job! I just worry what will happen when the bot gets sick of that job too.
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
Of course, Dgswaner, you know I'm going to ask you about your willingness to post the code... any chance?
Again, great work!!!
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
I've done the same thing - sometimes in buildings with all sorts of nasty angles.
Thanks for the the posts too!
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Whit+
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
I can give you info on my "Pink Base station" if you like, it's part of what I talked about. I have the pink bs2 and rf modules in an enclosure, looks like a homemade wireless router. I build a LM7805 based power supply for it also. the one power supply powers the PINK, bs2, rf Modules and status LED's as well as a cooling fan. I'm having communication problems with it so I haven't posted it in the completed projects section yet. but I think I figured out what was going with it last night.
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
...... I don't have to measure too many buildings these days, I'm getting more into civil and Site design.
if someone with vista could let me know also.
Thanks
dg
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster
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A complex design is the sign of an inferior designer. - Jamie Hyneman, Myth Buster