Is this board any good?

[Bubbles]

Hi !

i've been looking around a bit and 'stumbled' upon this controller:

http://www.futurlec.com.au/ATMEGA8535_Controller_Technical.jsp

do you think it is any good for someone who hasn't built a robot before?

(this is going to sound stupid, but...) can i connect any kind of sensor/actuator to it?

[airman00]

yea its good

here i'll quote the controller info and then you can ask questions on individual characteristics

Includes High Throughput Atmel ATMega8535L Microcontroller with 8kb Internal Flash Program Memory
• Operating Speed at 8MHz
• Direct In-Circuit Programming No Additional Programmer Required
• Up to 28 I/O points with easy to connect standard headers
• RS232 Connection with MAX232
• Internal EEPROM
• 8 Channel 10-bit A/D Convertor
• One 16-bit Timer with Two 8-bit Timers
• Power, Programming and Test LED
• Reset Button
• Ideal as an Interchangeable Controller for Real-Time Systems

By the way it can handle 8 analog sensors and 20 actuators  OR 28  actuators or  digital sensors

I'm waiting for Admin's Axon board to go on sale , that will be my first AVR board ( i never used microcontroller boards , just the micrcontrollers themselves) 

[Bubbles]

I'm waiting for Admin's Axon board to go on sale , that will be my first AVR board ( i never used microcontroller boards , just the micrcontrollers themselves) 

y do u do that? isn't it just easier to use a board? and don't you like have to wire up a board-like thing anyway to be able to use it (like in the $50 robot)?

p.s. when i said:

(this is going to sound stupid, but...) can i connect any kind of sensor/actuator to it?

i meant is there a type of sensor or actuator that i could not use if i bought this board? like, do any of them have any special requirements that this board cannot produce?

[airman00]

y do u do that? isn't it just easier to use a board? and don't you like have to wire up a board-like thing anyway to be able to use it (like in the $50 robot)?

I do that because its cheaper and I use breadboards with PIC chips ( which are small) . Easier might not always be better , if I want a small robot or a robot with a certain amount of I/O ports .  I plan to get Admin's Axon board as my first microcontroller board.

I use a breadboard not a perforated board, no soldering involved ( except when soldering on connectors)
Breadboard is this

i meant is there a type of sensor or actuator that i could not use if i bought this board? like, do any of them have any special requirements that this board cannot produce?

I'm not sure since I haven't use sensors that were created in the future , lol 

JK  , but almost every sensor/ actuator will work with this board. Sonar , IR rangefinder ,servos , motors, compass , GPS , they will all work.... I don't know of any specific one that will not work.

[Bubbles]

ok, thanks a lot. however i still do not fully understand as to why you would opt for making your own board when you can get them pre-built with everything you need and example code to go along with them (plus they seem pretty small anyway). 

[airman00]

ok, thanks a lot. however i still do not fully understand as to why you would opt for making your own board when you can get them pre-built with everything you need and example code to go along with them (plus they seem pretty small anyway). 

Because I like to save money  , so that way I can get random robot parts if they seem cheap, and then later when I need those random parts , its on the shelf.

Also, i never knew there was such a thing as an MCU board until I was already making my own ( in a sense). So eventually I'll use them or make my own, i kinda just teach myself as I go along.....

[Admin]

however i still do not fully understand as to why you would opt for making your own board when you can get them pre-built with everything you need and example code to go along with them

although its harder, you learn more from making your own. there are also times when no one sells a board with the specific features you need.

[ed1380]

however i still do not fully understand as to why you would opt for making your own board when you can get them pre-built with everything you need and example code to go along with them

although its harder, you learn more from making your own. there are also times when no one sells a board with the specific features you need.

and usually its cheaper

[Bubbles]

thanks guys.

oh btw can i use a plug to connect my stuff to this board or do i have to attach each wire separately like in the arduino board?

[Bubbles]

i just received this board from futurlec:

http://www.futurlec.com/ATMEGA8535_Controller_Technical.shtml

and after having already read the documentation am still at a loss as to how i connect my stuff to it. like servo's and sharp ir's

i would also like to know if i can connect 6v to it when it says i need 5v

any help would be great!

[Darkbluestar]

Where exactly is the manual, I don't see it anywhere on that page. From looking at the pictures I would guess that those headers on the side have your analog inputs and pins to control the servos. It looks unlikely that you can just plug in the servos though, since there are no 3 pin headers. So you will probably have to take the pins to a different board and add +5v and GND to you SIGNAL wire from the board.

I don't see a voltage regulator on the board so I think it would be safe to assume that you need to give your board 5v of regulated power and not 6v, but I can't be sure of that until I see the manual.
Sorry if none of this makes sense it's pretty late right now. Let me know if you need anything cleared up.

[Soeren]

Hi,

i just received this board from futurlec:

http://www.futurlec.com/ATMEGA8535_Controller_Technical.shtml

and after having already read the documentation am still at a loss as to how i connect my stuff to it. like servo's and sharp ir's

What you have is a so called minimum system, not some kind of robot controller, but just the bare µController, ready to become whatever you make it.

If you want to connect a servo, use an I/O pin and program the system to output servo pulses. A Sharp distance sensor can be connected to another I/O pin (digital output sensor version), or an A/D pin (analog output sensor version) and make some code for reading and interpreting its signals.
 
If this is way over your head, perhaps you should try to get Futurlec to take it back and then buy something that you know that you can use.

i would also like to know if i can connect 6v to it when it says i need 5v

You shouldn't!
The ATMEG 8535 has 6V as its Absolute Maximum Rating, which means that you would stress it unduly and even the slightest burb might kill it.
It needs from 2.7V to 5,5V, so keep it at 5V max. to have a safety margin.
If you don't need any precise reference voltages, you could use 2 diodes in series to drop around 1.2V from your 6V supply.

But... Check if you could take it back as a first step.

[Admin]

now you know why I said it didn't have a power bus in your other post

[Bubbles]

now you know why I said it didn't have a power bus in your other post

srry but i am still not quite sure what the power bus is...
i have read the $50 dollar robot tutorial and have seen it but i still don't really get what it is or why it is needed

[ed1380]

power bus is just a rail or even a single spot from where all the elecronics get their power.

all it simply is like wires but made of something else.

alot of times the chassis (if metal) is used at ground. so technically you can call it the ground bus