Author Topic: NOW PUTS OUT FLAME!!!! Three wheeled omni directional robot (Read 13936 times)

sonictj · « **Reply #30 on:** August 05, 2009, 04:18:01 PM »

I just added the wiimote tilting mechanism to GatorKS I will be extinguishing flames soon.

sonictj · « **Reply #31 on:** August 07, 2009, 12:21:35 AM »

I just got x and y axis tracking via wiimote. This is got to be my best work so far. I used PI controllers for both axis. The robot was incredibly smooth and responsive. I've actually already got the bot putting out the flame, but its kinda loud, and my parents are sleeping (I'm home for the summer).

[youtube]RjATFO7m7Fs[/youtube]

Joker94 · « **Reply #32 on:** August 07, 2009, 02:56:02 AM »

that is brilliant sonic

SmAsH · « **Reply #33 on:** August 07, 2009, 03:05:55 AM »

that robot is shaping up to one hunk of killing robot!
props to you, this is all going really fast!
cant wait to see this guy with mounted lasers soon

gaurav.p · « **Reply #34 on:** August 07, 2009, 03:28:05 AM »

gr8 work sonic

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #35 on:** August 07, 2009, 06:25:22 AM »

Nicely done! Is it easier/cheaper to interface the Wii mote than a Termopile array? Does the Wii mote "see" humans also? I was considering using a TPA81 termopile array for my robot to be able to detect humans and flames, but if this is a cheaper solution, I'll gladly switch.

Admin · « **Reply #36 on:** August 07, 2009, 06:38:15 AM »

Wow . . . thats sooooo much more accurate and reliable than the flame tracking I did with the Blackfin camera . . .

ukesh · « **Reply #37 on:** August 07, 2009, 07:38:19 AM »

Awesome man!

sonictj · « **Reply #38 on:** August 07, 2009, 08:15:45 AM »

Quote

Wow . . . thats sooooo much more accurate and reliable than the flame tracking I did with the Blackfin camera . . .]Wow . . . thats sooooo much more accurate and reliable than the flame tracking I did with the Blackfin camera . . .

Thanks, Its likely due to the PI controllers. They really smooth things out.

Quote

Nicely done! Is it easier/cheaper to interface the Wii mote than a Termopile array?

probably not easier. The way I do it is a bit conveluted. but the wiimote approach will only set you back $40 if you already have xbee or bluetooth.

1) Use a program called glovepie to convert the x,y values of the remote into a PPJOY joystick (a virtual joystick).
2) I use Processing to read the joystick data and encode it into Serial data.
3) I use a bluesmirf to get the the data from Processing to my microcontroller.

Processing has some weird quirks. I discovered that it likes to wait and send serial data in packets which is craappy for this. However if you tell Processing to print the xposition some spaces, and then the yposition for some reason everything is peachy.

just in case anybody wants to know I encoded the wiimote data pretty ingeniously (I'm biased lol). As you may know ascii charters like '\r', '\n', and ' ' are less than 33. To save processing time and ease I converted the resolution of the wiimote to 100x100. I mapped the data as char datatype to send out via uart. 33-133 is an x value, 134-234 is a y value. This allows me to send spaces and newlines from Processing, and requires only two 3 statements in my micro controller code for sorting. Its a tad sneaky

.

Quote

Does the Wii mote "see" humans also?

no, unless your sporting a couple of IR leds

.

sonictj · « **Reply #39 on:** August 07, 2009, 08:26:54 AM »

Quote

Wow . . . thats sooooo much more accurate and reliable than the flame tracking I did with the Blackfin camera . . .

@Admin or anyone else with a blackfin

I bought a blackfin too, but have been very disappointed. Mine from the start unreliably would turn on, and I haven't been able to make it communicate with my microcontroller. I can talk to a pc no problem (ftdi cable) but when I use my micro all I get is garbage data even though the baud rate is correct. did you have any problem implementing communication due to the blackfin being a 3.3V device. I turned on the pullup resistors on my mcrocontroller's RX pin to try and help. Still nothing. My other thought is that the error associated with a 115200 baud on a 16mhz (on the uC side) crystal could be causing the problem, but I communicate at that baud all the time. If you or anyone else has suggestions I'd appreciate it.

Admin · « **Reply #40 on:** August 07, 2009, 08:30:13 AM »

Quote

Thanks, Its likely due to the PI controllers. They really smooth things out.

Nah, its just that the Blackfin has trouble distinguishing the flame from the background. In the IR spectrum, assuming no sunlight, its like a bright light in a dark room.

Quote

I bought a blackfin too, but have been very disappointed. Mine from the start unreliably would turn on, and I haven't been able to make it communicate with my microcontroller. I can talk to a pc no problem (ftdi cable) but when I use my micro all I get is garbage data even though the baud rate is correct. did you have any problem implementing communication due to the blackfin being a 3.3V device. I turned on the pullup resistors on my mcrocontroller's RX pin to try and help. Still nothing. My other thought is that the error associated with a 115200 baud on a 16mhz (on the uC side) crystal could be causing the problem, but I communicate at that baud all the time. If you or anyone else has suggestions I'd appreciate it.

Do you flush the buffers? Did you use my blackfin code?

sonictj · « **Reply #41 on:** August 07, 2009, 08:37:58 AM »

flush the buffers?could you elaborate?

no I havn't tried your code yet. I didn't get that far. If I can't read the version than I definitely cannot receive data. I have to fix the communication problem before I can truly communicate

.

Admin · « **Reply #42 on:** August 07, 2009, 09:01:00 AM »

Yea definitely look at my code then. Or just use it

Its a single file, and my ERP is a good example of using it.

sonictj · « **Reply #43 on:** August 07, 2009, 09:33:08 AM »

Quote

Yea definitely look at my code then. Or just use it Tongue

Its a single file, and my ERP is a good example of using it.

I don't follow you all the data I'm getting from the blackfin is garbage on my mcu. I'm connecting it just like you did, I looked over your tutorial. Even though I set the correct baud and I'm getting rid of flow control the mcu just recieves stuff like $@&^%%(R&^R$&#*&* instead of "Blackfin version 1" or whatever the 'V' command returns. I'm simply connecting the camera to one uart and outputting the data to another through hyper terminal. I've looked over your code and I see what needs to be done in software, but at the moment I've got a hardware problem. I'm pretty sure I have everything hooked up right because the same arrangement works with an ftdi cable to my PC.

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #44 on:** August 07, 2009, 04:42:49 PM »

Quote from: sonictj on August 07, 2009, 08:15:45 AM

Quote
Nicely done! Is it easier/cheaper to interface the Wii mote than a Termopile array?

probably not easier. The way I do it is a bit conveluted. but the wiimote approach will only set you back $40 if you already have xbee or bluetooth.

1) Use a program called glovepie to convert the x,y values of the remote into a PPJOY joystick (a virtual joystick).
2) I use Processing to read the joystick data and encode it into Serial data.
3) I use a bluesmirf to get the the data from Processing to my microcontroller.

Quote
Does the Wii mote "see" humans also?
no, unless your sporting a couple of IR leds .

Well, in this case a termopile array looks like it's much easier to interface (I2C comm), is able to "see" body heat and flames and looks like it's overall cheaper. I guess coupled with my AVRcam and an ultrasonic sensor, all mounted on a pan/tilt mechanism I get everything I need. Cool!

sonictj · « **Reply #45 on:** August 08, 2009, 10:57:35 PM »

I just got GatorKS to chase down an put out an oil lamp. Its a little rough but I think with a little time I will get the thing running quite smoothly. The speaker used for blowing out the lamp is a little under powered, and the robot does not always position itself quite right. This is why the robot sits so long trying to blow out the flame. There isn't anything I can do about the speaker, but I should be able to tune the robots placement a bit better. Right now the robot is performing with ~%90 success rate, but some times it takes a while for the flam to finally go out.

[youtube]XVLXg9lcECQ[/youtube]

what should I make GatorKS do next?

gaurav.p · « **Reply #46 on:** August 09, 2009, 04:41:12 AM »

make it semi autonomous like make it remote controlled when u want and the make it autonomous when required .like sort of switching modes .

-gaurav

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #47 on:** August 09, 2009, 06:12:56 AM »

Cool! You use a PWM signal to run the speaker? What power amplifier you have? And what frequency is the signal?

Thanks!

sonictj · « **Reply #48 on:** August 09, 2009, 08:22:20 AM »

Quote from: gaurav.p on August 09, 2009, 04:41:12 AM

make it semi autonomous like make it remote controlled when u want and the make it autonomous when required .like sort of switching modes .

-gaurav

I've actually already done that lol. I used it for when I was tuning wall following

Quote from: Ro-Bot-X on August 09, 2009, 06:12:56 AM

Cool! You use a PWM signal to run the speaker? What power amplifier you have? And what frequency is the signal?

Thanks!

for the speaker circuit I used an sn754410 with external 1A diodes, and a not gate. The sn754410 is enabled all the time. The pwm and inverted pwm are connected to the two direction lines. This makes the speaker operate both in push and pull. I have also attached my test code. I prototyped on an atmega 168, then ported the code to my atmega640. The frequency I used was 100 Hz... unless I calculated wrong

. Either way it works.

Admin · « **Reply #49 on:** August 09, 2009, 01:17:17 PM »

What type of speaker? Base is better?

sonictj · « **Reply #50 on:** August 09, 2009, 02:05:40 PM »

Quote

What type of speaker? Base is better?

The speaker is 668-1125-ND from digikey. The speaker has a range of 100Hz to 20kHz.

If you mean "bass" as in low frequency, then the answer is yes. The lower the frequency the more deflection of the speaker.

here is a picture of the assembly to give you an idea of the mechanism. There is a .5" wood spacer to create an air chamber in front of the speaker. Then there is a .125" acrylic faceplate attached to the wood that has a sub 1/4" hole can't remember the exact diameter. This arrangement creates a focused beam of air.

**I've got more and better video too. I just have to upload it.

sonictj · « **Reply #51 on:** August 09, 2009, 02:44:58 PM »

Here is another video of GatorKS putting out a flame.

[youtube]fdVDwxpHKzk[/youtube]

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #52 on:** August 09, 2009, 03:04:16 PM »

This is such a cool idea! I am thinking of a Tiny25 (has direct and inverted PWM outputs) tied to a single H-Bdridge IC (FAN8082) and a speaker. The Tiny25 also has USI that can be used as TWI. Wow!

About the air chamber. Does it have 2 faceplates, one with a hole and the other without a hole? Or both have the same hole diameter?

sonictj · « **Reply #53 on:** August 09, 2009, 03:16:31 PM »

the wood is cut to the shape of the speaker and the acrylic makes an airtight fit with the exception of the hole in the center. The four holes in all three parts have 6-32 bolts holding everything together.

I'll go get a picture of it close up...

EDIT: Here it is. The hole you see is the only way for air to get in or out

Ro-Bot-X · « **Reply #54 on:** August 09, 2009, 03:47:06 PM »

Thanks, now I get it! Do you think if I add a hose to that hole and attach the hose to my robot's arm so he can point it to the flame to blow it off, will that slow down the air flow and need more air power?

sonictj · « **Reply #55 on:** August 09, 2009, 03:57:52 PM »

Its likely the tube may unfocus the air flow. What I've found out through experimenting is that the cavity, hole size, and speaker frequency have a lot to do with performance. if you decide to make one you should play with these variables one at a time until you get an optimal setup. One things for sure though the bigger the speaker the better. Woody had a much bigger speaker and could put out fire from much further away.

sonictj · « **Reply #56 on:** August 15, 2009, 09:41:16 AM »

I took a few days of respite, but now I got GatorKS putting out fire with a lot more finesse. The jitters seen in the last video are gone.

[youtube]bl3XjNDbe40[/youtube]

WhomBom · « **Reply #57 on:** August 25, 2009, 03:55:10 AM »

wow, great robot sonic! I would have named it delta though...

Joker94 · « **Reply #58 on:** August 25, 2009, 03:56:38 AM »

Why Delta

WhomBom · « **Reply #59 on:** September 02, 2009, 02:31:43 PM »

because of the shape of the bot

News:

Author Topic: NOW PUTS OUT FLAME!!!! Three wheeled omni directional robot (Read 13936 times)