Society of Robots - Robot Forum

General Misc => Misc => Topic started by: Admin on March 21, 2009, 03:17:25 AM

Title: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on March 21, 2009, 03:17:25 AM
Yeap, I am designing an Axon II. The design is almost complete, but wanted some input before I finish it up and make some prototypes. Feel free to suggest here!

Major changes made from the original Axon:
2x more PWM
2x more external interrupts
much faster, more stable regulated power distribution
four additional I/O
four fewer servos (no one needed more than 20 so far)
green number display
external memory support
lots of various little improvements

With the exception of pinout, the source code is 100% compatible with the previous Axon. Dimensions are exactly the same, too. Price might go down $5, but no promises yet until I get some quotes.

The specs:
Quote
# 58 I/O Total
# 16 ADC
# 25+ Servos
# I2C, SPI
# 3 UART + USB
# Up to 8 external interrupts
# 12 PWM Channels
# 64KB Flash, 4KB EEPROM, 8KB SRAM
# 16 MIPS throughput at 16 MHz
# 6 Timers (four 16-bit, two 8-bit)
# pre-programmed with a bootloader - no programmer required
# numerical LED display
# built in 3.3V, 5V, and unregulated power buses
# external memory support (port A)
# all software is free
# 100% open source, large support community
# Windows, Mac, and Linux compatible
# and more!

Expected Release Date: October 1st

I'll update this picture as I incorporate any ideas.

(http://www.societyofrobots.com/images2/AxonII_vb_top_release.png)
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Ro-Bot-X on March 21, 2009, 06:41:59 AM
It looks beautifull! Congrats!
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Razor Concepts on March 21, 2009, 08:24:30 AM
Is there a particular reason why the 1280 or 2560 is not going to be used? Is the 640 already overkill for most projects?
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: cooldog on March 21, 2009, 08:30:17 AM
good work

i like the number display idea

will the original still be available
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on March 21, 2009, 09:18:17 AM
Is there a particular reason why the 1280 or 2560 is not going to be used? Is the 640 already overkill for most projects?
The 640 has 64KB, but my largest Axon program didn't exceed ~40kb with optimization turned off. No one has reported running out of memory. The 1280 is about the same price of the 2560. The 2560 costs about $5 more each, so lets say I make 1000 units, it'll cost me $5k for memory no one will even use :P

will the original still be available
The original will no longer be manufactured, and will be sold out around the time the Axon II is released.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Ryltar on March 21, 2009, 10:36:50 AM
four fewer servos (no one needed more than 20 so far)

My current (ambitious) design is looking to use at least 33 servos, 13 sensors, and 1 camera >.>
Guess I'll need sub micro-controllers to distribute servo load, though I was looking at doing that already for power distribution reasons.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: BANE on March 21, 2009, 11:57:21 AM
Man, the Axon II!  I planning to purchase the original Axon this summer too.   Is there any chance of the Axon II coming out earlier?

Bane
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: frank26080115 on March 21, 2009, 03:13:25 PM
 I think you should make an Axon-like board with a PIC32MX460F512L instead. The current Axon is pretty much a massive MCU board designed for servos and sensors with a USB to serial converter and power regulation, so why not upgrade it with a better processor that costs less? You'll save even more money by not having that USB to serial converter since the PIC32 has USB OTG.

Have a look at UBW32 http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8971 (http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8971)
It should be easy to make an Axon design with the same chip. I'm surprised people don't just solder that to another board with some headers for a robotics board, sure it won't look nice that way, but it'll save $90, minus maybe $20 for a perf-board and power supply parts. You'll still have enough money to get a PICKit2 if you didn't already own one.

Sure, it's overkill, but you are charging $130 for the Axon already. I'm sure most of that isn't associated with part costs, and the ATmega640 is about $12 while the PIC32MX460F512L costs about $8 according to Octopart, so why not? Your manufacturing costs should be the same and your part costs should be lower.

I'm working on an ATmega644 based quadrotor helicopter right now and an major concern has been processor speed due to the trigonometry and filtering functions, the trig has been sped up by using a look-up table in flash, but the filtering is still slow due to the floating point operations. I think a speed boost would be great, and the 32 bit processor running at 80 MHz would really be great for math intensive robotics projects like mine.

You might argue that AVR has more open source tools, but as I work into more complicated stuff, the more I feel the limitations of the free AVR-GCC compiler. The student editions of Microchip's C compilers are free and have great code support too. The PICKit2 is better than an AVR Dragon for about half the cost, although you can always ship the PIC32 with the USB bootloader.

You'll have one less UART and less PWM, and have 5x 16 bit timers instead of 4x 16 bit and 2x 8 bit, but there's two I2C busses, and the UART has autobaud support
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Razor Concepts on March 21, 2009, 08:27:13 PM
Also the cost for Admin to write whole new source code, and he has to pay for the time for testing the new MCU. He said that the main cost of the Axon was the time put in to design and testing to get it to work just right.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on March 21, 2009, 08:34:36 PM
Is there any chance of the Axon II coming out earlier?
Depends on Atmel's stock and how fast I sell the original. Probably won't come out sooner.


frank26080115, appears its better by the faster processor and built in USB. The disadvantage is that I'd have to relearn a new architecture, rewrite all my tutorials and software, make a new bootloader, and make an extra prototype or two until I figure it out. With the Axon you aren't just buying hardware, but also ready to use software and tutorials and forum support to get a beginner started within hours. That sparkfun link only offers datasheets and schematics, its not plug-n-play at the least . . . That being said, Atmel better get some USB in their ATmegas or they'll lose customers . . .


hmmm Razor just beat me to it!
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: galannthegreat on March 21, 2009, 09:08:30 PM
Wow, it looks great!
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: frank26080115 on March 21, 2009, 09:20:55 PM
You are targeting a $130 product towards beginners? I thought your target market is competent builders who simply need a powerful prototyping platform. I feel somebody who needs all those IOs and peripherals is going to find the slow speed a real bottleneck someday.

How about sticking a microSD card holder on it? Using Tiny-FatFs is really easy.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: offy on March 21, 2009, 09:38:41 PM
what is the point of the number LCD? Will it show how much space is used up?
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on March 21, 2009, 09:41:17 PM
what is the point of the number LCD? Will it show how much space is used up?
it only has one digit, could it just be programmable to display a programmed number?
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Razor Concepts on March 21, 2009, 09:50:05 PM
Looks like the 7 segment LED replaces the status LED from the original Axon. Kind of a waste to use 7 pins on it but I doubt anyone will miss those.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on March 21, 2009, 10:52:22 PM
You are targeting a $130 product towards beginners? I thought your target market is competent builders who simply need a powerful prototyping platform. I feel somebody who needs all those IOs and peripherals is going to find the slow speed a real bottleneck someday.

How about sticking a microSD card holder on it? Using Tiny-FatFs is really easy.
Yeap, and it sells great too :P
I think your quadrotor is an exception, have you considered not using floating point? I multiple everything by 10 or 100 to avoid it. I agree with you that the PIC32MX460F512L appears better (on glance), but it'd require me to learn a new architecture and ditch the current Axon community.

You are the second person to mention the SSD card option, but I decided too small a percentage of people would find a use for it.

Oh and it's only a little more than $1 cheaper (at the quantity that I purchase).

Looks like the 7 segment LED replaces the status LED from the original Axon. Kind of a waste to use 7 pins on it but I doubt anyone will miss those.
Yea I don't think anyone needs more than 58 I/O, and it only costs me ~$1.60 to add it. It uses pins that people wouldn't normally want for anything. It was actually Dunks idea.

offy, SmAsH, it can display any number you want, to represent anything you want. For example, it can display a sensor value, or represent what code it's running at the time. Or perhaps be used as a timer. Or use it to count the number of times you push a button (to specify some value).
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: frank26080115 on March 21, 2009, 11:25:41 PM
I have moved to integer math, everything is multiplied by 10000 since the filter needs delta time and that can differ by 1/10th of a millisecond. Each loop took around 3-6ms using floating point and now it takes 1.1 to 2.3ms.

I think I can agree now that it is probably a better decision for you to keep using AVR, but I'd still rather see an inexpensive and powerful 32 bit board designed with focus towards robotics.

With a massive chip like that, somebody might want to do some on-chip debugging, have you thought about making JTAG easily accessible? It will be a pain in the butt to wire up the interface manually.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on March 22, 2009, 01:49:12 AM
frank, I just sent an email to Atmel telling them we need more USB supported chips . . .

Quote
With a massive chip like that, somebody might want to do some on-chip debugging, have you thought about making JTAG easily accessible? It will be a pain in the butt to wire up the interface manually.
hmmmm ok I might be able to do this. I'll look into it further. Anyone else require JTAG? If USB is available, I find USB and printing out data to be the easiest debugging method.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: frank26080115 on March 22, 2009, 10:10:24 AM
I've had cases when memory locations were accessed where they are not allocated, sometimes even into the stack, or the stack went too deep, and caused resets and other weird behaviour. Your hyperterminal will not let you analyze things like that in detail.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Gertlex on March 22, 2009, 11:07:04 AM
Progress is great :)

I'd suggest trying to move the reset button back to the edge of the board though, to make it easier to access.  But ya, I can tell you've got a mightily crammed board already.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: TrickyNekro on March 22, 2009, 11:16:12 AM
Nice looking...
I agree with that JTAG think... I know many don't have a JTAG programmer and that's it's more expensive than
ISP... But the quicker downloading (FLASH) and the on chip debugging is nice!
If the JTAG pins are connected to normal IO then you could just ship a wire connector along to get a JTAG pad!!!
Remember that JTAG doesn't need reset to operate... so it's a go go!
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on March 22, 2009, 11:17:54 AM
I've had cases when memory locations were accessed where they are not allocated, sometimes even into the stack, or the stack went too deep, and caused resets and other weird behaviour. Your hyperterminal will not let you analyze things like that in detail.
point taken

I'd suggest trying to move the reset button back to the edge of the board though, to make it easier to access.
I didn't like it where it was on the original - hard to push with the male headers in the way.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: dannytemmerman on March 22, 2009, 11:42:48 AM
What will be the cost of axon 2?

Danny
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on March 22, 2009, 01:28:48 PM
he said the cost will be around the same but maybe like $5 cheaper.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Webbot on March 22, 2009, 04:36:26 PM
Looks like the 7 segment LED replaces the status LED from the original Axon. Kind of a waste to use 7 pins on it but I doubt anyone will miss those.

Dont forget that the digital LED is made up of 8 independent LEDs (7 + 1 for the decimal point). So you effectively have 8 x status LEDs - obviously if you choose to make them look like a number then thats up to you. So its 'a bonus' - 8 leds that can also look like characters/digits.

'The glass is more than half full'.

Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on March 23, 2009, 04:06:16 AM
I looked into trying to fit JTAG . . . there is just no way I can get a 10 pin header onto the Axon board:
http://support.atmel.no/knowledgebase/avrstudiohelp/mergedProjects/AVRDragon/AVRDragon_Board_Description.htm (http://support.atmel.no/knowledgebase/avrstudiohelp/mergedProjects/AVRDragon/AVRDragon_Board_Description.htm)

Considering the Dragon has expand header holes it won't be hard to wire up. Just six wires to the Axon: 5V, ground, and the 4 JTAG pins.

(http://support.atmel.no/knowledgebase/avrstudiohelp/mergedProjects/AVRDragon/image13.jpg)
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: daved on March 23, 2009, 07:06:32 PM
I would like to see the jtag header, not sure where you would put it, but it would be nice.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: paulstreats on March 23, 2009, 07:19:49 PM
2 x 8 segment displays would let you view 8 bit binary as hex for better debugging (00 to FF). You would have some trouble distinguising between 8 and B on the display but I think if there was an option for 2 then it definately be more useful than 1 8segment.

Maybe you could create an LCD standard rather than an inbuilt display. So you could purchase an optional display unit that is plug and play with supported software.

I know that 1 x 8segment display is better than none, but its really neither here nor there. Look at some graphical LCD's rather than just text ones (you might get some people creating a graphical api type software). with graphical displays you can see your maps live.

If you go down this route, and remove the 8 segment display, you might have room for the JTAG connector and also have additional sales through an add on unit.

Combine this with an addon unit for external memory; you just need an input device add on and your close to having a full user able system
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: MrWizard on March 24, 2009, 04:26:07 PM
I think support for micro sd .
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: galannthegreat on March 24, 2009, 09:01:05 PM
How about an integrated bluetooth/rf setup on it.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Gertlex on March 25, 2009, 08:11:14 AM
Quote from: Gertlex
I'd suggest trying to move the reset button back to the edge of the board though, to make it easier to access.
I didn't like it where it was on the original - hard to push with the male headers in the way.

Well it certainly isn't going to be easy to push now.  ???
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on April 03, 2009, 11:20:43 AM
I put a lot of thought into it, but for reasons of my cost/demand analysis, no bluetooth, SD card holder, or JTAG features will be added.

Quote
Well it certainly isn't going to be easy to push now.
You were right, the button was in a really dumb place where a finger can't fit. I moved it under the LED display . . . a bit crammed for manufacturing but better for the user.

See first post image for updated version.

I'll be prototyping the Axon II in the coming days, so if anyone has any more ideas this is your last chance to speak up!

It may just get released 2 months early with a large price drop too, but my lips are sealed for right now :-X
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: galannthegreat on April 03, 2009, 12:47:37 PM
Not really a hardware idea but maybe instead of the typical green PCB's maybe make them red or some other cool colour.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: TrickyNekro on April 03, 2009, 01:22:28 PM
Blue tooth is very nice.... but also hard to implement.... really....
Also a need of heavier boot loader would discourage many many users....
Also no LCD and such ports.... Hardest to implement and need a hell of a room...

I feel JTAG, if not on board should it be very easy to connect...
Basically.... only for debugging reasons I would recomment a 4 piece 7seg....
I know space is very very very tight but it can be very helpful....
Especially if you don't have a pc near or a connected LCD...
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: jpwalters on April 04, 2009, 07:22:16 PM
Looks great, I may just have to purchase one for myself once they come out.  The little display is nice, I can see a myriad of practical uses for that thing.  More PWM is always nice... with 8 servos and 2 motors on our current robot, all being controlled via PWM, we certainly could have used it.  I do agree with the new button placement too, it's much better than on the original Axon.  On our current project, we have piece of HDPE mounted above the Axon for a sensor, and the button is awkwardly placed between the header pins and the standoff such that the only way to press the button is to use a small flat-head screwdriver.   :P

Nice work though, can't wait to see the finished product!
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on April 04, 2009, 11:44:15 PM
Blue tooth is very nice.... but also hard to implement.... really....
Also a need of heavier boot loader would discourage many many users....
Also no LCD and such ports.... Hardest to implement and need a hell of a room...

I feel JTAG, if not on board should it be very easy to connect...
Basically.... only for debugging reasons I would recomment a 4 piece 7seg....
I know space is very very very tight but it can be very helpful....
Especially if you don't have a pc near or a connected LCD...

well you could always make one that plugs into the axon now couldn't you tricky?
or someone could release a breakout board for a 28 seg display for the axon.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: noobinator on April 05, 2009, 12:30:53 AM
smash, do you mean some thing like a shield?
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on April 05, 2009, 01:58:53 AM
smash, do you mean some thing like a shield?
yea kinda, but more like a 28wire ribbon cable from the axons pins to another board with the displays mounted on it.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: superchiku on April 05, 2009, 02:50:20 AM
will there be lottery picking for the axon II and free distribution for special people like me..  :P  ::) i need it but cant afford shipping  :'(
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on April 05, 2009, 03:02:57 AM
you live in Romania? save up a bit for the shipping or make your own board. the shipping's only like 30usd more. or you could get it sent to a member on here and they send it to you if its cheaper?
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: superchiku on April 05, 2009, 03:07:40 AM
nope i live in India... thats the problem..my pocket money per month is 75$ ...and i save around 10-15 $ ..i wont be earning in the coming 3 years so..i cant buy axon...i cant ask for more money coz my parents will kill me then.. .:D coz i already i have a lot of overhead on them. ..
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on April 05, 2009, 03:16:21 AM
i get about $6-$7 a week but might be getting uped to $10-$12ish because im getting good results in school. and at the end of this year im getting a job at my dads work for the holidays which pays about $10-$20 an hour for 4 weeks and i may get a job soon somewhere else. and im selling my ds for about $100. so i still have bad fiances but they're getting better.
EDIT: sorry admin, i shall take my posts elsewhere!
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: TrickyNekro on April 05, 2009, 03:25:22 AM
Hey admin!
Have you considered replacing the ATmega640 with the ATmega32U6
64/128kB Flash and build in USB....
Atmel even has the bootbloader ready for you in C
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on April 05, 2009, 03:45:35 AM
Ok I am now putting up orders to get the Axon II prototyped. I'll have results in at the end of this month. Also starting to request quotes for the final manufacturing run. If I don't screw up, I could have the Axon II released as early as early August.


Quote
Have you considered replacing the ATmega640 with the ATmega32U6
64/128kB Flash and build in USB....
Atmel even has the bootbloader ready for you in C
I honestly wish those features were available in the larger ATmega chips. The ATmega32U6 unfortunately has half the I/O as the ATmega640. Only 8 ADC, 10 PWM, etc.

Quote
Not really a hardware idea but maybe instead of the typical green PCB's maybe make them red or some other cool colour.
I'm looking into the pricing difference now.


SmAsH and superchiku, stop hijacking my thread! :P
And save up your money, as I may just drop Axon prices by summer time. ;)
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: superchiku on April 05, 2009, 04:18:55 AM
ty ty.. .sorry for hijacking...may be we could buy one :D

1.plzz make sure that the new axon has some funtionality for higher processing speeds so that i can apply it on some UAV's iam designing...they need faster processing.. if not then also its ok ill try to manage...

2.please some versions where the header pins are situated far apart for connection (dont mind if it gets bigger)coz the female molex connectors u used for the 50$ robot etc arent available here in my place...so i have to use more bulkier relimate connectors which are a little thick than molex connectors
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Razor Concepts on April 05, 2009, 11:10:52 AM
UAVs shouldn't take that much processing... I believe the Mikrocopters, currently the most sucessful quad rotors run a mega168 at 20mhz or something.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: superchiku on April 05, 2009, 11:22:36 AM
UAV DONT TAKE MUCH PROCESSING>>  ??? ??? ??? ??? :o :o :o :o are u allright..the minimum requirement for making a stable uav is around 50mhz... can manage if it is 32 mhz...     

its gonna do gps processing,accelerometers ,gyroscopes,object avoiding,and some other processing and that too fast...and u say it doesnt need a fast processor :D
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: chelmi on April 05, 2009, 04:50:45 PM
UAV DONT TAKE MUCH PROCESSING>>  ??? ??? ??? ??? :o :o :o :o are u allright..the minimum requirement for making a stable uav is around 50mhz... can manage if it is 32 mhz...     

its gonna do gps processing,accelerometers ,gyroscopes,object avoiding,and some other processing and that too fast...and u say it doesnt need a fast processor :D

MHz alone doesn't mean much, without additional details (type of CPU, features of the autopilot system, etc.) it's impossible to tell...
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: TrickyNekro on April 06, 2009, 03:53:16 AM
I think he means having a dsp doing all the calc....
A single processor can not possibly handle all the requirements for a static model...
Dynamic models play more with thrust and drag so it's easier to calculate movements needed speed etc etc etc.....
And smaller dsp start from 50Mhz if I remember right...
So hey, give that guy a break...
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Ro-Bot-X on April 06, 2009, 05:57:34 AM
Are you guys talking here about Axon II or what? Can't you make a new thread with all this side talk?
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: superchiku on April 06, 2009, 07:03:20 AM
sorry for hijacking...the thread...but uav's demand a lot..
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Razor Concepts on April 20, 2009, 05:24:39 PM
Arduino Mega is out, basically the same microcontroller as the Axon 2. Possibly add the Arduino Mega numberings to the silkscreen as well? Having Arduino compatibility would boost sales.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Asellith on April 22, 2009, 05:10:32 PM
Admin you got proposed board dimension for the Axon II? Might be nice if we start this community module project up that the Axon II fits into the system really nice like. Will it be the same dimensions as the Axon I? I know changing the your board size will be a big expense if you have unwanted space just to fit the standard but the module can be any size within reason. Not sure if this is a good idea yet or not but I did want to get an idea of your board size

New life in the community Project can be found here:

http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=7682.0;topicseen (http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=7682.0;topicseen)
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on April 22, 2009, 06:10:32 PM
Its the same dimensions as the original Axon. I did this so they can be compatible.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on April 22, 2009, 06:44:12 PM
the original axon is 2.542"^2 so it wont fit our current design platform, what about a crossover type board?
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Ro-Bot-X on April 22, 2009, 10:47:02 PM
the original axon is 2.542"^2 so it wont fit our current design platform, what about a crossover type board?

What about taking Axon as the base square and double, or halve that as necessary. The modules are not designed yet, the Axon is.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Asellith on April 23, 2009, 06:43:25 AM
I got my answer so to stop hijacking this thread I moved my topic to here:

http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=7726.0 (http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=7726.0)
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: dellagd on April 25, 2009, 05:23:19 PM
oooh, that would REALLY be cool. (not sarcasm  :P )
Axon w/ built in bluetooth
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: AdvsNoob on May 06, 2009, 09:56:04 PM
OMG LOOKS AWESOME!!!


HERE IS A GREAT IDEA!


PUT MY NAME ON IT!!!

I will give you a cookie!

^_^

what would be cool is if you can add a small lcd screen on there!

i do not think there will be enough room but that would be the only micro controller out there with one build it from my knowledge!

AND THEN THE DEFOULT NAME WILL BE "AdvsNoob said to place me here!"

Lol but really if you could that would be awesome! mostly because im building a robot to do hide and seek (my idea no take) (unless it is already done in which it is most likely has been) and i am making some sort of band that goes on the player to start the S.Y.T.H
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on May 07, 2009, 12:27:01 AM
lcd is really not a good idea for a standard...
maybe as an add on board but it would use too many pins, take up board space and some people would never use one...
to make an add on for the axon would not be hard at all...
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: AdvsNoob on May 07, 2009, 01:37:37 AM
I no its not hard to add on, nor did I really mean he should add it on just that I thought it would be cool for it to out put the data on it (by it self) and so on. And what I really ment by it being hard to add on is the space like I said before...


And I just want my name on it so I feel good inside....

Lol no but really just thought it would be a cool idea.

Fyi when do you think axon ll is coming out, glad I saw this I was going to buy one but then saw this so ima try to save my money and wait and hopefully buy robot parts with it and win the axon along with more money for project S.Y.T.H
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on May 07, 2009, 01:40:16 AM
Fyi when do you think axon ll is coming out, glad I saw this I was going to buy one but then saw this so ima try to save my money and wait and hopefully buy robot parts with it and win the axon along with more money for project S.Y.T.H
you failed to read the first post my friend...
Quote from: Admin
Expected Release Date: October 1st
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on May 07, 2009, 10:23:33 AM
I guess I'll give you guys an update . . .

I started prototyping it yesterday. I haven't found any major problems yet, but I'm not quite happy with the design either. So I'll be making another prototype, meaning another ~2 week delay.

Oh and it will be black.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: GearMotion on May 07, 2009, 11:03:05 AM
Oh and it will be black.

That just isn't very creative marketing. How about "The Axon II is available in your favorite color (provided your favorite is black)"

Or "Axon II: Back in Black"

Or "The Axon: Goth edition"

 :D  ;D
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on May 07, 2009, 02:38:09 PM
hah, goth edition! but getting them in different colors would get rid of the discount you get for having say 1000 of the same...
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on May 07, 2009, 02:48:47 PM
lol or I can be like mac and offer bubblegum pink, sky blue, caramel brown, or delicious orange. ;D

On a side note, I developed a new quick cheap method to soldering tiny chips for prototyping. I took pics so I'll post up a tutorial when I have more time.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: SmAsH on May 07, 2009, 03:05:11 PM
dude, that just made me really hungry!
was that for the smd? i heard the solder wick method works well..
never tried it though.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Indiana_Geoff on May 08, 2009, 08:13:16 AM
what is the point of the number LCD? Will it show how much space is used up?

It could help in debugging.  A number can easily show what part of the program your processor is working on or feed out a sensor reading near real time while the bot is running.  It will save me from setting up an LCD.
Title: Re: Axon II: release and design info, got suggestions?
Post by: Admin on May 08, 2009, 01:09:25 PM
I finished soldering up the Axon II. I also finished programming it. The LED number display is kinda neat and fun . . . everything seems to be working perfectly, no problems. Amazing considering it took 7 prototypes to get the first Axon the way I wanted it . . . But I want to spend a few weeks testing it on my ERP and with many Sharp IRs this time before mass manufacturing it. Looks like it'll be an October-ish release.