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Build Your Own Robot For About $89
usgrant writes: "The Robotics Club of Yahoo has grown to 500+ members over the last two years, and now they have created a little something of their own. A few months ago they released their own public robot kit called TRaCY. The kit goes for $89 and has the basic features: IR detection, BASIC Stamp II programmable chip, bump sensors, light sensors, servo motors ...
The chip is programmable and is made by Parallax. Write the code on your comp, and upload to the robot through a serial port. The wizards at TRCY even added sample source code to have the 'bot wander the room. (Sorry, I don't think the software has been ported to Linux...)
They also released the 'parts' list and a PDF manual for instructions. Lots of people contributing to this on their free time, and looks like some new developments are coming in the near future. "
mount a little LCD display on the front, a little chip to control it. A microcontroller attatched to a tiny wireless reciever.. Map out the company floorpan for him. Send a message to Bill in accounting that 'suits' are the root of all evil. See how upset the suit is when he has no idea who sent that little bugger with the LCD in.
See Bill run. Funny, funny Bill. See techies laugh. Silly, silly techies.
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If God Droppd Acid, Would he see People???
What are we going to do tonight Brain?
I'd like to append a law to Asimov's list:
The robots are going around killing everybody! Just wait a few days and there'll be a patch on windowsupdate. *ahem*
Trolls, it must be cool to be that bored.
[end karma killing humor]
Q: What do you think about American Culture?
A: I think it's a good idea.
Q: What do you think about American Culture?
A: I think it's a good idea.
(adapted from Gandhi)
I've used the Basic Stamp for several projects in the past (and present!), and I have found the 'P-BASIC' language fun to use. The projects I've used the Basic Stamp for have ranged from controllers for complex electric doors (that require several motions with different motors in succession, where the stamp registers each motion as complete and starts the next motion) to complex remote operations piggybacked on top of X10 involving sensors, servos, etc etc.
:)
The film industry has used them for some time now for set design and filming equipment - to a greater extent than most people realize. They're cheap, almost infinately flexible, and don't have too rough of a learning curve.
Those of you that are dismissing them as worthless toys ought to have a closer look at them to see what they have been used to create. If you use your imagination you can come up with tons of great things to do with these things. I hate to do that anymore though (imagine), as I've come up with enough such projects to fill three lifetimes!
I hesitate to say this here in fear of killing my karma, but I'd say the usefullness of them surpasses their LEGO counterparts by a significant margin. If you're into such projects, have a look at them, you won't be disapointed.
--SONET (who is not associated with the company(ies) related to this story by any means)
"Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them." -Ann Landers
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do. --Benjamin Franklin
>Why use a cheezy microcontroller that you program in BASIC?
/damn/ cool, but most
Simplicity.
The Cirrus ARM SoC has 208 pins. It's in a TQFP (smallish surface-mount) package.
Have you ever tried to design and print a board
(Let alone hand-assemble) for a processor of that complexity on a hobbist budget?
On the other hand the PIC-based Stamp is a very
simple 28(4?) pin DIP, requires no external
memory, no PROM burner (just a serial link), and is very prevalent in the hobbist community.
I think the PIC is a good choice for a low-cost,
easy to build, easy to program robotics project.
Granted, the ARM SoC looks
hobbists can't afford the tools to design with something that complex.
Anyways, does a little 'Turtle' style 'bot really
need to have a system that powerful, let alone need to run Linux?
SoC datasheet: http://www.cirrus.com/ftp/pubs/ps7111db.pdf
--Kevin
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The Basic 2 Stamp is just a PIC microcontroller with a nice serial interface and a Basic interpreter slapped on. Cost (for 1) about $100 or so (obviously this company gets it cheap in bulk).
Cost of just the PIC without the less useful attachments about $8.
There's no reason for a sig here.