Author Topic: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller  (Read 4087 times)

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Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« on: October 24, 2009, 09:49:19 PM »
I would like to make my own microcontroller like the one in the $50 robot tutorial but i dont know how to read the diagrams for IC chips. How do I know where sensors gor and where servos go and how would i wire it. Please can some one give me a clue on how to read IC schematics thank you. Also can you inter link multiple microcontrollers?
« Last Edit: October 26, 2009, 12:02:24 PM by Kylepowers »

Offline Soeren

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Re: Making a Micro Controller
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2009, 02:06:02 AM »
Hi,

I would like to make my own microcontroller like the one in the $50 robot tutorial but i dont know how to read the diagrams for IC chips. How do I know where sensors gor and where servos go and how would i wire it. Please can some one give me a clue on how to read IC schematics thank you. Also can you inter link multiple microcontrollers?
First off, you don't make your own microcontroller, you use one with other components to make a microcontroller board.

Secondly, you shouldn't worry about multiple controllers or what goes where in something that doesn't exists - with your selfdeclared zero electronics capabilities, your only option presently is building something already designed, like eg. the $50 robot.
Regards,
Søren

A rather fast and fairly heavy robot with quite large wheels needs what? A lot of power?
Please remember...
Engineering is based on numbers - not adjectives

Offline Joker94

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Re: Making a Micro Controller
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2009, 03:29:28 AM »
the $50 robot board is a good board as it can be used for alot of robotic platforms, and it will probably give better results than designing and building your own.

Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Re: Making a Micro Controller
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2009, 12:01:24 PM »
Yes I see but once I build that is there a way to get more ports for servos that you know of? I want to have a few more ports so I can add more to my robot. If you do can you tell me how to wire that up?

Offline SmAsH

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2009, 03:02:53 PM »
the $50 robot board does not utilize all of the available ports on the microcontroller, how many do you need?
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Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2009, 03:04:32 PM »
At most i would need about 2 to 4 more if that were possable. How many can you have on it though? Thanks
« Last Edit: October 26, 2009, 03:05:47 PM by Kylepowers »

Offline SmAsH

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #6 on: October 26, 2009, 03:08:16 PM »
. . . The atmega8 has about ~15 digital ports on it. only two of them are in use on the $50 robot.
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Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #7 on: October 26, 2009, 04:56:22 PM »
Really well then how would i split them up. Would it be like 5 for sensors and 10 for servos? How do i get that setup because that would be what I want.

Offline Pierre

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #8 on: October 26, 2009, 05:24:20 PM »
A picture would probably help you.

     You have all the reading you need in this forum. If you want more Google it.

     I suggest to do the $50 robot tutorial as start.


Offline Razor Concepts

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #9 on: October 26, 2009, 06:15:37 PM »
. . . The atmega8 has about ~15 digital ports on it. only two of them are in use on the $50 robot.

Actually the "analog" ports are just digital ports that have the ability to read analog voltages. 14 digital + 6 digital w/ADC = 20 digital pins. If you dont have a crystal then that adds another two. High voltage programming will give an additional 1 (the reset pin).

Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2009, 09:01:48 PM »
Thanks to all of you. I have another question is there a way to add more memory to the microcontroller by adding more IC? If you have any suggestions please let me know.
« Last Edit: October 27, 2009, 07:00:19 PM by Kylepowers »

Offline SmAsH

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #11 on: October 27, 2009, 11:50:22 PM »
Not really unless you get an external memory controller...
If you need more memory than an atmega8 has, look into atmega328's. They have much more.
By memory did you mean flash space or ram?
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Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2009, 06:29:26 AM »
Flash space so I can put larger programs on it. But would RAM increase proccesing speed?

Offline SmAsH

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #13 on: October 28, 2009, 03:00:17 PM »
Yeah, with flash space, you can increase it with external chips.
Im not too sure of ram though :-\
how much more did you want?
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Offline Soeren

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2009, 05:33:53 PM »
Hi,

Flash space so I can put larger programs on it. But would RAM increase proccesing speed?
You cannot increase the program storage space!

It's a common thought for a newbie to think a lot is required, but a microcontroller is not like a PC, where the graphics makes the programs very large. Just 1kB can hold a lot of program in a controller.

More RAM (up to a point) in a PC will speed things up (depending on your usage pattern) since it's faster to keep data in RAM than to fetch code/data from a HD.
In a microcontroller however, adding RAM won't help, since you cannot add to the stack space or scratchpad memory.

You can use RAM (whether flash based or not) as data storage space, if you want to collect a lot of data eg. for logging every move a robot makes for later study, but that's an entirely different story.

Just use the project as designed for now and build up some experience. That way you may get to a point where you will be able to modify such parameters in a sensible way, but for now, you are best served by using the standard configuration, which has proven itself usefull for a number of first timers.
Regards,
Søren

A rather fast and fairly heavy robot with quite large wheels needs what? A lot of power?
Please remember...
Engineering is based on numbers - not adjectives

Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #15 on: October 29, 2009, 09:31:04 PM »
True When i get farther along ill post about catologing those movements. Thanks again.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2009, 11:00:14 PM by Kylepowers »

Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #16 on: November 08, 2009, 11:14:32 PM »
Is the Atmega8 BS2 compatable?

Offline SmAsH

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #17 on: November 08, 2009, 11:26:36 PM »
Do you mean can it be switched out one for the other? No.
Atmega8 is atmega, bs2 uses a pic i think?
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Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #18 on: November 08, 2009, 11:32:30 PM »
can you use basic stamp 2 on it is what my question is actually to program it if not dose it work with the lynxmotion bot board 2?

Offline SmAsH

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #19 on: November 08, 2009, 11:38:36 PM »
So you want to do the $50 robot tutorial with a bs2?
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Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #20 on: November 08, 2009, 11:40:15 PM »
Yes but i was just trying to see if the Atmega 8 will work with the lynxmotion bot board 2? If i wanted to connect it to that board latter down the line.

Offline SmAsH

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #21 on: November 08, 2009, 11:40:43 PM »
what do you mean by "connect it to the board"?
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Offline KylepowersTopic starter

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #22 on: November 08, 2009, 11:42:26 PM »
Can i plug it in to the board sence it has a place for 24 to 28 pin microsontrollers. It has a socket for you to choose what microcontroller you want to use with it. Pic of board is attached
« Last Edit: November 08, 2009, 11:43:58 PM by Kylepowers »

Offline chelmi

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Re: Modifying the $50 Robot Augmented Microcontroller
« Reply #23 on: November 09, 2009, 11:16:45 AM »
Can i plug it in to the board sence it has a place for 24 to 28 pin microsontrollers. It has a socket for you to choose what microcontroller you want to use with it. Pic of board is attached

No you can't. For this board you need a basic stamp compatible micro-controller board (It looks like you can plug a micro-controller directly in the socket, but actually you plug in pcb which contains the actual MCU, eeprom and voltage regulator).

Chelmi.

 


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