Electronics > Electronics

Using a TI graphing calculator as a robot "brain"

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Brandon121233:
Hey
I've been doing a little research and it sounds like the TI89 is not capable of controlling the Arduino board because they are both slaves and require drivers to work on a computer. However I think I might have found something that might be plausable and in the end a little simpler. I was thing of getting a USB to parallel port adaptor http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_e/105-1113754-9449251?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=USB+To+Parallel+Adapter+&Go.x=11&Go.y=10&Go=Go and then just controll the robot with the parallel port. I have never done anyhting with parallel ports before so I was wanting to know if someone thinks this is plausable, or I should just give up on the Calculator robot?

JesseWelling:
If your first goal is to hack a calculator: no, don't give up.
If your first goal is to make a robot: yes, find a microcontroller that makes your life easy.

dunk:
hey Brandon,
so can you just clarify what you want to do with the USB to parallel port adapter?

is there a USB port on your calculator which you want to plug it in to?
if this is your plan then no, it won't work. the calculator's USB port (if it has one) will only be a USB device port. as the USB to parallel port adapter is also a USB device you wouldn't be able to connect the 2 together.
one of the devices in USB communications must be a USB host, for example a PC.

if on the other hand you intend to use the USB to parallel port adapter on a computer and controll your bot from your computer then yes, this can work.
on some operating systems you can controll the pins on a parallell port independently allowing you to controll up to 12 output pins with only very simple circuitry.
i know this works under DOS, Linux and easily versions of Windows but i think i read somewhere it doesn't work under XP...
as for how to write the software, i can't remember the exact command but it's 1 line in a C program running on your PC to change the pin's voltage. you'd have to research that bit yourself.

dunk.

Brandon121233:
Yeh that was kinda the plan to plug the Parallel to USB adaptor into the TI89 titaniums build in usb port, and controll the robot via the parallel port, but that sounds like its not going to happen. So now I think the only remaining way to controll a robot with a calculator is through the I/O port (the TI89 has one of those too), and I know that has to be possible somehow cause Kam Leang has done it. However he has not responded to my attempts to caontact him on how he did it, but I assume he used the I/O port and auctually used two of the digital inputs on a microcontroller to tell it what to do. Does anyone know if this sounds about right?

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