#robotics Logs

Nov 25 2015

01:45 zhanx Pics?
01:45 anonnumberanon just a sec
01:49 anonnumberanon https://u.teknik.io/E9Rz09.JPG
01:51 mrdata what does this do?
01:52 mrdata anonnumberanon, ^
01:52 anonnumberanon Each one is connected to a certain servo to move it to desired position (there are 5 and each robot leg has 5 servos).
01:52 zhanx Ok
01:54 anonnumberanon I'd definitely draw a pcb and order it for something like this if I have to do it again. But something tells me this one will last a long time :)
01:56 mrdata ok, so .. manual control
01:58 anonnumberanon mrdata, i cry of laughter when i see people click on sliders on the computers to move their servos and record positions
01:59 anonnumberanon mine will be all tactile
02:54 anonnumberanon mrdata, what do you think?
02:56 mrdata well, clicking on sliders on screens is a bit silly
02:57 mrdata i had a manual control for a robot servo, but it was mainly a manual over-ride
02:57 mrdata the software control was programmed
03:07 anonnumberanon yes that's what I'm doing, using these sliders for rough positioning for the beginning, and fine adjustments, then will find a way to compute the points in between in a manner that it's smooth and proportional
03:08 anonnumberanon i actually i may use two sliders to record a walking gait as well
03:08 anonnumberanon one per leg
07:36 robotustra morning
07:36 maiden morning
07:56 akem hi
07:59 robopal hi akem how do you do
08:01 akem robopal, doing ok drinking coffee, what about you?
08:03 robopal ok, I will also drink some
08:04 Snert yea coffee is the ticket :)
08:45 robotustra my old project https://mitm.mooo.com/~onick/cqr.mp4
09:14 rue_mohr what are the odds thats worth clicking without it being a youtube link
09:14 rue_mohr will it play with vlc?
09:15 robotustra should
09:15 robotustra use mplayer
09:15 robotustra under linux
09:15 robotustra my old experiment https://mitm.mooo.com/~onick/mtest99.avi
09:15 rue_mohr if its gonna be a tossup I dont know if I want to try
09:16 rue_mohr the only way to be sure someone can view a video is to post in on youtube
09:16 robotustra you don't use linux in 21st century?
09:16 rue_mohr there are toooooooo many format combinations and codecs, 98% of the combinations dont work
09:17 rue_mohr not even windows can play most avi's
09:17 robopal2 rue rue, question
09:17 robotustra I told you, mplayer play 99.9% of all formats
09:17 robopal2 hmm no ok later maybe
09:17 rue_mohr 98% of all formats are not valid combinations of codecs, sizes, and rates
09:18 robotustra install linux in virtual box and watch
09:18 rue_mohr robopal2, I'm waiting for the question
09:18 robopal2 ok.. here it is
09:18 robopal2 say I would like to make my own function gen
09:18 robopal2 what specs should I go with for version 1
09:19 rue_mohr depends how fast a DAC you can find
09:20 robopal2 well, i believe i can harvest one of those...
09:20 robopal2 got a encrypted tv decoder
09:21 rue_mohr I'v considered pll->counter->rom->dac->amp
09:23 rue_mohr usually a microcontroller cant shovel the actual data fast enough to generate the waveform itself, not even a pi, but it you do it in hardware direct and have the hardware cotnrolled by a micro
09:23 rue_mohr that said, a video card might be hackable
09:24 rue_mohr I wonder what the horizontal retrace time is, if there even is one
09:24 rue_mohr that would only take you a little over 15Khz prolly tho
09:24 rue_mohr then again, you could do a few cycles
09:24 rue_mohr at 1024... you could get 4 high rez cycles
09:25 rue_mohr thats 60Khz
12:52 akem Y,
12:55 adam789654123 hello
12:56 robopal hello
12:56 adam789654123 hey robopal
12:56 robopal what's wrong with zero adam?
12:56 adam789654123 zero is a very important number
12:56 adam789654123 nothing wrong with it
12:56 adam789654123 ;)
12:57 adam789654123 besides that its just a bit out of the way of the others
12:58 robopal haha
12:58 adam789654123 :D
14:02 maiden robopal, regarding the function generator, why not use a FPGA or CPLD ?
14:03 robopal no I am newbie and I have no time for those
14:03 robopal I will start simple
14:04 maiden http://opencores.org/project,dds_signal_generator
14:04 maiden an open source implementation in hw
14:04 maiden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_digital_synthesizer
14:05 robopal yes I have no time for this sort of thing
14:06 robopal I am talking '80-'90 electronics magazine project
14:06 robopal I will find something...
14:06 maiden robopal, take a look at this: http://papilio.cc/
15:05 Snert there's alot of cheap function generator kits.
17:34 foul_owl Hi folks. Generally what bolts are used to attach the servo horn to whatever it's being attached to?
17:34 foul_owl In my case, I'm using a 9g servo
17:35 foul_owl I have seen suggestions to use glue, but that seems unprofessional to me
17:35 orlock generally its hooks not bolts i thought?
17:36 foul_owl I have a horn like this: http://www.geekmomprojects.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/servo_horn_arms.jpg
17:36 foul_owl That guy looked like he did a poor job
17:36 foul_owl Bolts would be nice since I could unbolt if needed
17:37 foul_owl Self tapping screws are ok, but can damage the part
17:37 foul_owl Especially on something so small
17:37 foul_owl What are "hooks" in this context?
17:39 orlock foul_owl: small bits of wire bent into a hook shape that fits into the hole on the horn
17:40 foul_owl Ah, yeah I don't want to mess with that
17:40 robopal machine screw and locking nut
17:41 foul_owl locking nut for sure
17:41 foul_owl What size are those holes though?
17:41 foul_owl It looks smaller than M2
17:41 robopal m4 ;p
17:41 foul_owl Haha
17:41 robopal dont know, just drill to fit
17:45 foul_owl Thanks!
20:29 fartsnthat hi
20:31 robotust1a hi
21:15 robotust1a king of description http://mitm.mooo.com/~onick/public/
21:15 robotust1a kind*
22:22 rue_mohr its foxy all over again
22:36 ace4016 hehe
22:37 rue_mohr but not as sexy
22:37 ace4016 would rifraf be proud or disappointed?
22:37 rue_mohr I'm sure he would say it would never compete
22:41 rue_mohr armyofevilrobots,
22:41 rue_mohr hey you
22:41 codebam what do you guys think of CHIP? the $9 computer
22:41 codebam for robotics
22:41 codebam https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/chip-the-worlds-first-9-computer
22:42 rue_mohr I presume you got the bits? thats now a complete set from 1/16 to 1/8(-1)
22:42 rue_mohr codebam, get something standard
22:43 codebam rue_mohr: what would be standard for a small price. since I need it in bulk
22:43 rue_mohr well, is the software written in java?
22:43 codebam might need like 20 or 30 of whatever
22:43 codebam might be using java or python
22:43 rue_mohr ah, your screwed
22:43 rue_mohr not cause of the computer, cause of the software
22:44 codebam oh
22:44 codebam what should we be using?
22:44 codebam C?
22:44 rue_mohr whats it going to do?
22:44 codebam itll be the simplest thing ever. probably a catapult or something
22:44 rue_mohr compressed video stream of augmented reality over a realtime video feed with face recog?
22:45 ace4016 use whatever meets your needs
22:45 rue_mohr k
22:45 rue_mohr so, why do you need a computer?
22:45 rue_mohr what controls the catapault?
22:45 codebam some sort of motor
22:45 rue_mohr other way
22:45 rue_mohr e.g.
22:45 codebam we could use adurinos but they are fairly expensive
22:46 rue_mohr human presses a button that goes over wifi to a controller that runs the motor driver that turns the motor
22:46 rue_mohr no, an arduino is $2.50
22:46 rue_mohr or less
22:46 codebam really?
22:46 rue_mohr depending, yes
22:46 codebam nice
22:47 codebam plus wiring
22:47 codebam but should be like $10 each maybe
22:47 codebam plus shipping $15
22:47 codebam not bad
22:48 debam goes to check out these ardur
22:48 ace4016 that computer doesn't look like it handles low level stuff very well
22:48 ace4016 ah, it does have GPIO
22:49 rue_mohr codebam, stand by...
22:49 rue_mohr http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pcs-lot-Pro-Mini-328-Mini-ATMEGA328-5V-16MHz-Free-Shipping-Dropshipping/1931550519.html
22:49 ace4016 sounds like a RPi competitor
22:49 rue_mohr codebam, ^^
22:49 rue_mohr I like these ones, they have an isp header built in
22:50 rue_mohr 10pcs, so total $2.62ea
22:51 codebam wow nice
22:51 codebam thats great
22:51 rue_mohr http://www.aliexpress.com/item/8pcs-X-High-quality-Pro-Mini-328-Mini-3-3V-8M-ATMEGA328-ATMEGA328P-AU-3-3V/32528725646.html
22:51 rue_mohr er, same
22:51 codebam dont really trust that one though ^
22:52 rue_mohr they are the same
22:52 codebam no legitamate seller tells you to contact them with skype...
22:52 rue_mohr its prettymuch explicityly what I use
22:52 rue_mohr you dont contact them, you just buy them
22:52 codebam you have these?
22:52 codebam how are they
22:52 rue_mohr they are fine
22:52 rue_mohr I dont use them as arduino
22:53 codebam yea they say "for adurino"
22:53 rue_mohr I cant get a mega328+crystal+regulator+board for only $2.60
22:53 rue_mohr but I can get hose
22:53 rue_mohr its preloaded with arduino firmware
22:53 rue_mohr you power it up and it blinks the led
22:53 codebam so those work as standalone chips right?
22:53 codebam oh nice
22:53 rue_mohr you do need stuff to connect the serial port to program them tho
22:53 rue_mohr thats an extra $1
22:53 ace4016 they give you a skype number/ID because they're in China and it's cheaper than setting up an international call. also, you're on the website which means you have access to the internet most likely :P
22:54 codebam we have that already I think
22:54 codebam so great
22:54 rue_mohr codebam, yup, its a mega328 microcontroller
22:54 codebam so we could compile and run C on them?
22:54 rue_mohr I program them in C, write to them with an isp programmer
22:54 rue_mohr yes
22:54 codebam ace4016: lol true
22:55 rue_mohr an isp programmer is slightly more, about $5-25
22:55 rue_mohr you only need one programmer
22:55 codebam whats an isp programmer? what is isp in this context?
22:56 rue_mohr they dont show the back, there are 6 pins that make up a programming port
22:56 rue_mohr Tom_itx, makes good programmers
22:56 rue_mohr ,
22:56 ace4016 In-System Programming programmer
22:57 ace4016 they're meant to allow you to re-program the chip while it's already installed in the system
22:57 rue_mohr http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10-Pin-Convert-to-Standard-6-Pin-Adapter-Board-USBASP-USBISP-AVR-Programmer-USB/2055099231.html
22:57 rue_mohr I'v tried a programmer like this and it worked
22:57 rue_mohr you need to make sure that you have a _6_ pin programmer to use with those baords
22:57 ace4016 i think my programmer was from rifraf
22:57 rue_mohr parallel?
22:57 ace4016 or was it you...
22:57 ace4016 both
22:58 rue_mohr we were making parallel ones
22:58 rue_mohr rif and tom got into making usb ones
22:58 rue_mohr I still think usb is stupid
22:58 ace4016 i believe i had a parallel and serial one in one box
22:58 codebam okay this sounds great. I might buy some of these for myself lol
22:58 ace4016 they don't really make computers with USB anymore :P
22:58 ace4016 and it works
22:58 ace4016 err...serial/parallel
22:58 rue_mohr codebam, just be aware they take about 22 days shipping
22:59 codebam rue_mohr: oh okay. thats not too bad I suppose. its from china
23:00 rue_mohr if you want to communicate with it via serial, get...
23:01 codebam I think we already have serial cables. problem is that we only have like 5 computers in the whole school with serial ports (and enough permissions to use them)
23:01 rue_mohr http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pcs-lot-PL2303-USB-To-RS232-TTL-Converter-Adapter-Module-with-Free-cable-Dust-proof-Cover/1297727781.html
23:01 codebam is there such thing as- yea that ^ lol
23:01 rue_mohr can they seriously ship a sub $1 item for free?!
23:01 codebam usb to serial
23:02 rue_mohr it can connect direct to the arduino
23:02 rue_mohr I think the 2103 is the one with the problems
23:02 rue_mohr if you want I can check
23:03 codebam ah nice. Im going to make a notepad of links before I forget :p
23:03 rue_mohr yup
23:03 codebam rue_mohr: what problems does it have?
23:03 rue_mohr for $30 you have lots of toys
23:03 rue_mohr one of them has an issue with the buffer, if your just hand typing to it, your ok, as soon as a program tries to send a stream of data, characters get lost
23:04 rue_mohr we had fun diagnosing that!
23:04 codebam oh that sucks
23:04 codebam so how long do you think itll take to get all this?
23:04 codebam like a month if we ordered all at the same time?
23:04 rue_mohr iirc, because they all have the same serial number, I was having issues where all of the same model reciever would recieve data that was sent to any of them
23:05 rue_mohr average 22 days
23:05 rue_mohr sometimes as little as a week, sometimes 27 days...
23:05 rue_mohr usually about 22
23:05 codebam is that to US? Im in Canada.
23:07 rue_mohr I'm in canada
23:07 codebam oh nice :)
23:07 rue_mohr if I'm not lucky I'll find myself in bella bella
23:08 codebam bella bella?
23:09 codebam oh BC
23:09 codebam never heard of that sorry
23:09 codebam just googled it
23:10 codebam Im just outside the GTA in a city called Pickering
23:13 codebam well thank you rue_mohr :) I know exactly what Im going to do now
23:16 rue_mohr ok
23:16 rue_mohr canada, where evrywhere is the middle of nowhere
23:17 codebam haha :p
23:33 codebam will these need the arduino drivers to be installed?
23:33 codebam I'll add that to the list of software we need
23:50 rue_mohr no... shouldn't
23:53 codebam oh okay
23:55 codebam okay so if our school blocks access to command prompt. could we compile with cygwin and run it regularly inside windows?
23:55 codebam well. with gcc inside cygwin I mean