#robotics Logs

Nov 18 2011

03:11 Mahmoud hi - any good book in robotics that you may recommend?
03:53 Tom_itx rue_house too bad the lcd wasn't backlit so we could see it better
04:29 Mahmoud could someone spoon feed me on what to do just to create my 1st robot for fun. no need for the math behind kinematics
04:29 Mahmoud all i need for now: create a software that commands a motor to rotate at a given direction
04:31 Mahmoud i think it's called an actuator?
04:46 HylianSavior what kind of robot, Mahmoud
04:48 Mahmoud HylianSavior: my ulgimate goal is using machine learning to let a robot learn how to walk
04:48 Mahmoud ultimate*
04:49 Mahmoud but for now, i'm happy to create some sort of car with a sensor on top of it
04:49 Mahmoud let's say, a car that moves by silly funny legs
04:49 HylianSavior you can grab a chassis with geared motors on it
04:49 HylianSavior and hook up some kind of MCU pretty easily
04:51 HylianSavior http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10825 + H-Bridge + Arduino
04:52 Mahmoud HylianSavior: is there any chassis that enables me to create a robot that's underactuated in some scenarios (i.e. relies on its own dynamics to make moves)
04:53 HylianSavior uh, i'm not sure if I follow
04:54 Mahmoud i think i'm dreaming too much
04:55 Mahmoud do you recommend any board that all it does is: 1) accept instructions from a computer from imput 2) send some voltage/current accordingly to some output (e.g. rotors?)
04:56 HylianSavior any MCU
04:57 Mahmoud multipoint control unit?
04:57 HylianSavior microcontroller
04:57 HylianSavior Arduino is a gentle start
04:58 HylianSavior MSP430 Launchpad is good too
04:58 Mahmoud what about FPGAs?
04:59 HylianSavior I don't think you need an FPGA
04:59 HylianSavior you could use one, if you wanted to
05:00 HylianSavior they generally cost more, and require more technical knowhow
05:01 HylianSavior if you're not familiar with them, getting one to work is usually a project in itself
05:01 Mahmoud so with an FPGA i'll create the microcontroller itself 1st?
05:02 HylianSavior that's pretty much what you're doing
05:03 Mahmoud a microcontroller is that black box with copper legs comming out of it?
05:03 HylianSavior MSP430 Launchpad is $4.30
05:03 HylianSavior yes
05:03 Mahmoud the clock and other stuff are inside it?
05:03 Mahmoud ram/rom
05:03 HylianSavior yep
05:03 Mahmoud means i can connect it directly to a PC?
05:04 HylianSavior uh, pretty much
05:04 HylianSavior you'd need some intermediate chip
05:04 HylianSavior that goes from USB<->serial
05:04 HylianSavior but it's built into the Launchpad and Arduino boards
05:06 Mahmoud tasty
05:42 Mahmoud HylianSavior: any book you recommend that spoon feeds MSP430 Launchpad how-tos + microcontroller foundations needed to understand it?
05:43 HylianSavior there's this: http://www.amazon.com/MSP430-Microcontroller-Basics-John-Davies/dp/0750682760
05:43 HylianSavior lots of resources on 43oh.com
05:43 HylianSavior and read lots of TI datasheets and app notes
05:43 Mahmoud are they windows-oriented?
05:43 HylianSavior uh, there's no distinction
05:43 HylianSavior since it focuses on the MCU itself
05:43 HylianSavior than the environment you're coding on for it
09:04 rue_house Mahmoud, have you programmed or built machines before?
09:09 rue_house Tom_itx, zhanx ... see the video?
09:09 rue_house ah tom did
12:36 Mahmoud rue_house: no
16:07 aggrav8d anyone here good with python and javascript?
16:23 davem yes and no respectively
16:34 zhanx got my annual review today
16:34 zhanx top notch as normal
16:57 Tom_itx zhanx does that come with a raise?
16:57 zhanx i wish
16:57 zhanx just means i get to stay my rank when the reductions come around here shortly
16:57 zhanx they are cutting out a lot of people
16:58 zhanx i am top 1% so i have no worries
17:33 zhanx so i got this cheap prepaid phone right... thinking pair of watches out of it
17:33 zhanx two nice screens for free
19:37 rue_house I know a little of each agg
19:39 Tom_itx the system wasn't linear with the pot
19:39 Tom_itx but good work
20:42 rue_house yea, its a log pot
20:42 rue_house cause its what was kicking aroun
20:43 Tom_itx i figured
20:43 rue_house zhanx, did you see?
20:43 Tom_itx have you tried a load test to see what the balloon will take?
20:43 rue_house it takes the 60psi
20:43 rue_house I wouldn't expect that so I wont push it more
20:43 Tom_itx it'll lift that or is that psi?
20:44 Tom_itx nm
20:45 rue_house psi
20:45 rue_house dont care much what it can lift
20:45 Tom_itx well, lift.. pull.. push
20:46 rue_house its pretty good