Society of Robots - Robot Forum
Software => Software => Topic started by: Coleberbot on April 24, 2009, 09:09:30 PM
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I am just getting into the robot thing and I'm hooked already. My question is which microcontroller to buy. I plan to build a simple robot that can be controlled remotely, maybe adding sensors, camera, and Bluetooth control later. Think big right! My question then is which controller to use Axon or Arduino Mega? I'm looking for ease of programming for a beginner and flexibility in the future. All things considered is there an obvious choice?
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I have not used any of those two less, but I would have to go with the Arduino Mega to start with. It is cheaper for a starter robotic. But if you have the money, I would go with Axon. Admin is great with support and lots of people on this forum have used it before so more support for you. And it has a great amount of I/O pins.
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Well, if you only want remote control, I would go with a receiver, 2 servos and a transmitter.
Remote Control Robot Tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfJMeH9asec&feature=channel_page#lq-hq-vhq)
If you plan to build autonomous robots in the future, get an arduino 2009(good for a beginner. You will not use many of the pins) or if you can spend more $$$, get the mega or the axon. Also, you would have to get some kind of device for wireless communication.
If you are looking for ease of programming, get the Arduino Mega. If you are looking for a more serious uC(MicroController), get the Axon 2(should come out soon).
OR MAKE YOUR OWN!
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if your just getting into robotics/electronics i would recommend having a go at admins $50 robot tutorial, the amount you learn from building your own mcu board is priceless! but if you're set on buying one, ive never used either arduino or axon but i would think arduino may be easier to program but with the axon you get support and a lot of programs from all the people on this site that have axons. plus the axon has a power bus ;D
but as blackheart said if you want only remote control then a simple receiver/transmitter pair and some servos will do you well, generally those boards mentioned above are used more for "robots" which generally to me means they can take info from their surroundings and make decisions accordingly.
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Arduino software uses a higher level C programming to make it easy for beginners. Axon uses a lower level C that all professionals use to program their microcontrollers.
Axon uses the same microcontroller as Arduino Mega uses, just has a bit less flash. They both can be programmed in Arduino, but Axon needs a few mods to the files before you can use it. I plan to make the changes in the next few weeks. The difference between them is Axon uses a different USB chip so uploading programs to the Axon from Arduino software will not work directly. You will have to use an external uploader (the one Admin provides) after you compile the hex file with Arduino software. If I find an easier way, I'll let you know.
For robotics, Axon has the 3 pins headers but Arduino Mega does not - so you will need a shield and the available shields were not designed with this purpose in mind.
To resume, both of them have advantages and dissadvantages. If you dont mind making a shield with 3 pin headers, go for Arduino Mega. If you don't mind having to upload the hex file with an external uploader, go with the Axon. Besides, with the Axon you can allways step up to the real C programming and use Admin's Biped Engine for servo control and many other examples on this site. I guess with the Axon you can have the best of both programming environments.