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Author Topic: Couple of noob questions  (Read 1671 times)

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Offline spottedzebraTopic starter

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Couple of noob questions
« on: June 15, 2010, 02:42:43 PM »
First:

what is the best language to learn for coding robots? i know some c++, html, css, and javascript of which the last three are irrelevant except that i know multiple languages and i can pick them up somewhat quickly.

i have heard C was good but very strict and tedious. i have also heard python is very flexible but i am not sure if it is applicable to robotics.

i also understand that there may not be a "best" choice but maybe some ideas where to start. also somewhere like w3schools.com to learn and somewhere i can find real world exercises as i find that the best way to really learn code.

second:

i can consider how the code will look as far as accepting input from sensors and giving output to motors. they only part i really don't understand is where the variables come from and how to integrate them on a microprocessor.

third:

how hard is it to learn to design a robot from the ground up? i have theoretical knowledge of circuits. some experience in code and the mechanics will be the easiest part of the design for me. I know that many people will tell me to follow a basic robot design for my first time but i think learning from the most basic up is going to benefit me more.

ps. this is my first post and i am hoping to learn a lot here. i have along way to go to get where i want to go, ie. designing a full robot from code to mechanics. i have an engineering background, i am a student at the local uni looking to get into a new hobby and use some of what i am learning to do something.

long post i know but i am jumping in with both feet.

Offline waltr

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Re: Couple of noob questions
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2010, 07:12:34 PM »
The $50 robot is a great start. This gets your feet wet building some hardware, wiring a processor and sensors then writing code to go beyond. After that you will have a better idea of what you may want in a robot and some knowledge of how to go to the next step.

Most robots use micro-controllers (processors) ans each processor has its own assembler language. Since you do know programming I'd suggest you learn some assembler for the processor you choose as it doesn't hurt to know how the code works at this level. Otherwise, C is the language of choice for embedded systems. I think C++ is harder to use than ANSI C. There are free tutorials for many of C compilers available and these cover to details of how C works with the processor.

I won't go suggesting any particular processor as there are plenty of threads discussing the pros and cons of each (read through the threads in this forum).

Good luck and have fun.

Offline Conscripted

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Re: Couple of noob questions
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2010, 09:36:14 PM »
third:

how hard is it to learn to design a robot from the ground up?

Well this is going to depend on what it is that the robot is going to do. It is possible to design and build a robot to do almost anything the mind can imagine. The more complicated the task the robot is going to do the harder the design is going to be. Size also can complicate the design process. When you start to get really big or really small things get difficult.

I recommend starting with a couple of starter robotics projects. I've built the $50 robot a couple of times. It is well documented and may be a good place to start. You won't do much of the design work though. You may consider building a line following robot or an object avoider. Those are pretty straight forward projects that will help you get your feet wet.

Good luck in your endeavors
Conscripted

 


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