robot halts

[pomprocker]

What does it mean when your robot is going along its merry way, when suddenly it halts and doesnt do anything?

Battery low?
Program stuck somewhere?

It seems to happen when I implement two sensors. When it runs just one sensor its fine.

[Ro-Bot-X]

So your robot has 2 servos for driving, one sensor for distance measuring (Ping) and you added another sensor for distance measuring (Sharp IR)? Did you also mount the Sharp sensor on a scanning servo?

Here is the thing that I think it happens: your robot drives around and at some point it uses the Sharp IR sensor together with (or at a short time) the Ping sensor. Both sensors draw a significant current, that can create a power surge. That means the voltage drops under the limit for a brown out to happen. So your sensors reset your micro. Add a big capacitor (like 1000uF at 16V) in paralel with your battery.

Another thing that may happen is your sensor reading code gets stuck somewhere and the driving servos don't get anymore pulses to drive. Use many rprintf and output them to the computer or LCD to see where the code gets stuck and fix it.

[pomprocker]

thanks ill try this out soon.

the sharp ir is on the scanning servo, the ping is stationary.

Ill try just running it with the ping alone and see what happens. i also charged the battery overnight.

I didn't think about a big cap, is that what the one on the Axon is for?


I keep forgetting to do the rprintf statements XD

[Admin]

I didn't think about a big cap, is that what the one on the Axon is for?

yeap
http://www.societyofrobots.com/axon/axon_FAQ.shtml#big_cap

[pomprocker]

i charged the battery over night and it works like a champ!