NEED TO GRADUATE - SENIOR PROJECT with BASIC Stamp

Comments

• Jon Williams Posts: 6,491

  2004-10-29 20:10 edited 2004-10-29 20:10

  If forum members help you with YOUR work, are you going to report this to your instructor?·
  
  
  
  Be sure to download and read the following text books -- they will help:
  
  * What's A Microcontroller?
  * Basic Analog and Digital
  * Applied Sensors
  * Industrial Control
  
  All are free (as PDFs) and can be found on our web site.
  
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  Jon Williams
  Applications Engineer, Parallax
  Dallas Office
  
  Post Edited (Jon Williams) : 10/29/2004 8:44:10 PM GMT
• K de Jong Posts: 154

  2004-10-29 20:20 edited 2004-10-29 20:20

  Well Jon,
  
  Just bring in some very clever code, HE will have to explain this code to his instructor )))))))))))
• Jon Williams Posts: 6,491

  2004-10-29 20:21 edited 2004-10-29 20:21

  That's MY particular "problem" -- I always write code that a ding-dong like me can understand!
  
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  Jon Williams
  Applications Engineer, Parallax
  Dallas Office
• K de Jong Posts: 154

  2004-10-29 20:41 edited 2004-10-29 20:41

  Let's wait and see.......,
  
  Klaus
• coco Posts: 4

  2004-10-29 20:55 edited 2004-10-29 20:55

  I just need an idea on how to approach this project. I have some basic background on C++.
  But once again, the project has to be done in PBasic.
  ·
• Jon Williams Posts: 6,491

  2004-10-29 23:04 edited 2004-10-29 23:04

  If you're a C++ programmer then PBASIC will be no challenge -- other than managing resources since their very small on an embedded micro. The books I referenced will get you going.
  
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  Jon Williams
  Applications Engineer, Parallax
  Dallas Office
• Ken Gracey Posts: 7,386

  2004-10-31 00:49 edited 2004-10-31 00:49

  Coco,
  
  Seems like you will also need a servo on which to mount your SRF04 so you can make a sweep.
  
  This should be an easy project.
  
  Something like this:
  
  DO:
  Rotate servo a few degrees
  Ping ultrasonic sensor
  Get results
  Send them via RF to PC (servo angle and distance to object)
  Increment Servo position
  LOOP
  
  For the PC-side display, you might want to look at StampPlot Pro (free educational download) or simply use the DEBUG terminal with asterisks to show distances to objects. There's also a cool data logging program StampDAQ that imports data into Excel real-time (well, as real as serial gets). You could then create a scatter diagram in Excel to show the data.
  
  And you made another post about USB. You could send the data into the PC via USB if you desire.
  
  This is a nice project, feasible and interesting. You should have no trouble getting it put together. Build it one step at a time and ask us specific questions along the way.
  
  Ken Gracey
  Parallax, Inc.
• coco Posts: 4

  2004-10-31 22:05 edited 2004-10-31 22:05

  How can I connect the SRF08 to the board of education? I never use it before and I don't want to blew my equipments.
  The manual tells me to connect the SCL and SDA lines to pull-up resistors connected to +5v.
  Do I use jumper wires.
  
  Im using a basicStamp2 module.
  Thanks for your feedback
• Ken Gracey Posts: 7,386

  2004-11-01 02:13 edited 2004-11-01 02:13

  Coco,
  
  Have you seen this:
  
  http://www.robot-electronics.co.uk/htm/srf08stamp.shtml
  
  Ken Gracey
• allanlane5 Posts: 3,815

  2004-11-01 15:15 edited 2004-11-01 15:15

  Yes, you need two 47 KOhm pull-up resistors (wired between +5 and the data line).
  If the schematic on the above link doesn't come up at first, hit 'refresh' on
  your browser.
• steve_b Posts: 1,563

  2004-11-01 20:25 edited 2004-11-01 20:25

  Something else to think about....are you planning on having continuous 360deg rotation?
  
  If so, then a standard servo will be just fine (come in 90deg and 180deg rigs).· If you want continous....then you'll have to buy a modified servo (or buy a premod'd one) that will do continuous 360 rotations.
  
  Of course, this brings another problem.· you need to run at least 3 wires to the SRF sitting on top of this servo.· So....unless you are only going to do a couple rotations one way...then reverse directions to allow the wires to un-wind....then you'll want to look at getting some sort of slipring apparatus (or make your own).· The sliprings are just little metallic wires sitting in metal grooves that are attached to the shaft and rotate.· The signal goes through these grooves to the wire spring-like thing and down the normal paths from there on.· There are different ways of achieving the same thing (some use little ballbearings in a cup that rolls along a metal path to do the same thing....).
  
  As far detecting moving objects....well....you'll need to keep track of your steps inorder to ascertain the direction you are ranging.· As the servo will advance 2.5deg (depending on your servo) with each pulse from the stamp...you'll have to know where the SRF is pointing in the first place to know your starting point....then for each pulse you add 2.5 to your previous direction value.
  
  Tracking an object that isn't necessarily the closest thing to you might be tricky.
  
  I'd say, use one of those CMUcams and the radar.·· Use the radar to plot a template of the area...any 'new' echo's would be a case to have the CMUcam turn towards it and use the pixel tracking in it to track your object that way!
  
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  ·
  
  Steve
  http://members.rogers.com/steve.brady
  http://www.geocities.com/paulsopenstage
  
  "Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be learned... something that's got to be remembered."