OPTIONAL You can connect the Micro Serial Servo Controller directly to a regular computer serial port (you will want a serial cable of some sort to cut up), but if you want to use a USB connection, you will also need a USB to Serial Adapter
OPTIONAL To use the USB to Serial Adapter, you will also need a USB A to Mini-B Cable, but you can probably find one of these around
To make a microcontroller based servo-walking robot with sensors, you will need:
Batteries or rechargeable battery pack (~6V), or other power source
Servos
A microcontroller (like a Basic Stamp, or a [url=https://www.pololu.com/products/pololu/0215/]Baby Orangutan)
The right programmer/debugger for your microcontroller, like a Board of Education for a Basic Stamp, or the Orangutan USB Programmer for a Baby Orangutan, or other AVR microcontroller board NOTE The Parallax Homework Board is both a microcontroller and programmer, and they cannot be separated NOTE The Pololu Orangutan USB Programmer has an integrated USB to Serial Adapter which you can use, so you don’t need to another one separately. It also requires a USB A to Mini-B cable
OPTIONAL You can still use a serial servo controller to generate the servo control signals. This is probably a good idea if you plan on using many (i.e. 8) servos.
In either case you will need to build a chassis of some sort to support the robot. You will also want wire, solder, and a soldering iron to make all the necessary connections. You may also need some components to interface the sensors and the microcontroller, like resistors, or possibly even a transistor or two. Most of all, you will need time and patience.
What is the program you found? The kind of program you will need to write to control the robot will depend on what kind of computer/microcontroller you are using.
Ok thank you so much! By the way, this is the page i dowloaded the program from: robomind.net/
Its a game looking program where you can write you code on a board and a little “robot” will do as the code says!
That looks like a really fun program, I hadn’t seen it before, and eventually you may get your program to the point where you can have commands like turn right, but to have high level commands like that, you’re going to have to start out writing lots of low level functions first.
Basically, you’re going to start out by generating servo position commands, which will drive each joint in your robot to an angle. If your robot legs each have a knee and a hip, you might do something like:
knee(1,+32);
hip(1,-50);
You will then have to work out orders and combinations of these angles that produce different kinds of motion, usually referred to in robotics as gaits. Once you have developed a turning gait function and a walking forward gait function, you can write motion programs like the one you found. Until then, it won’t be nearly that simple.
Oh ok, so what i need to transfer info by USB (not sensors and that) is just 2 things (i have to buy here) micro serial servo controller and a USB to serial adapter?
Oh, great! but if i later decide i want to add sensors so it will be avoide obsticals i can purchase sensors and all i need and just connect them to what i already have? Or if i buy and connect the 2 things i cant add sensors later?
To add sensors later you will probably need to add a microcontroller to your robot.
You can have the microcontroller just gather information from the sensors and send this information back to your computer over the USB adapter, or you can have the microcontroller control everything, replacing the computer completely.
One exception to this rule is the Maxbotix LV-MaxSonar-EZ1. One of these can send range information directly to a computer serial port (not USB), but it would still be nicer to have a microcontroller to handle the sonar operation, especially if you want to have a few of them on your robot. Also, these are kind of overkill for your first obstacle avoiding robot.
So 4 1,5 AA batterys would be enough? couse you said 6V, and i have a battery holder able to hold 4 batterys laying around 4v*1,5V = 6V.
But i have started to question myself if i realy should buy the RadioShack kit, couse i already have the instruction book, i have a USB kabel, i can buy a servo cheaper and the software for my computer to program the robot can be bought cheaper, the only thing is how much is the microcontroller worth?
The only reason to buy the kit is to have everything at your fingertips to work through the book right away. Its a good way, but its not the only way, and certainly not the cheapest way, to get started.
What servo size should i get for my walking robot, it won’t be as big as a human, far from it. Its made by wood. I have never used servos so i dont know the strenght and the torque of the servo.
Here is the chassis of the robot, as you can see there is a hole in the side, its the same on the other side. This is where the servo tip will come out and be attached to the “legs”. So know you can see the size, and maybe think a little how heavy it is. So what servo do i need? i dont need so much speed more power, so its strong enough to drive the legs forth and back, i was thinking about the GWS S03T: Torque
kg-cm/oz-in: 8.00/111 At 6V
In the Parallax book i have (PDF file) They describe how to program a robot with one of there microcontrollers, i have downloaded a robot programming program from the Parallax page, they describe how to send the information from the program to the microcontroller with a USB to serial adapter. So i was wondering if the same program works on the Pololu microntroller?: parallax.com/html_pages/down … _stamp.asp
Plz respond, i need a answar pretty fast, so i can order the Pololu stuff!
Pololu Orangutan robot controllers use Atmel’s AVR microcontrollers while the Parallax ones use Microchip’s BASIC Stamp. The programs you write for one will not run on the other. You can use either Pololu or Parallax controllers (or your computer, via a USB-to-serial adapter) to generate the serial commands needed to control a Pololu serial servo controller.
The Orangutan robot controllers are generally intended for advanced users who are familiar with embedded programming and comfortable learning about AVRs using the AVR datasheets. If you feel like you don’t fit into this category, you might want to search for a more beginner-friendly controller.
Ok thanks, this is what im going to buy: pololu.com/products/pololu/0207/ And a USB to serial adapter. NO ORANGUTANG!! The other guy who has been responding (helping me very much by the way) Told me that the microcontroller i told u i was going to buy and a USB to serial adapter was enough for a programeble robot attached to a USB port without sensors or anything like that. The problem is i have never done this before so i have heard i need a program to write my codes im going to transfer to the microcontroller, but i dont know where to get one working on my microcontroller!!
Sorry for the confusion (and being away all weekend, friend’s wedding).
If you got an AVR microcontroller, you would need an AVR programmer, and I was trying to point out that the Pololu AVR programmer has a built-in USB to Serial adapter, so there would be no need for you to buy a Pololu AVR programmer AND a USB to Serial adapter.
What you ordered will be a good start for your robot though, and I agree with Ben. AVR’s are great microcontrollers, but they are not great first microcontrollers!
I’m not a big fan of the standard and larger size GWS servos, but the S03T does have unusually high torque for such an inexpensive servo. Its hard to say what kind of servo would be best for you, so the best thing might be to get one, try it out, then decide weather you need more speed, torque, or both!
I have decided to go for some 8$ servos at unitedhobbies.com. I will buy all at ones because the shipping cost is 29$. So correct me no one last time, what i will need is:
A 6V power source
A Micro Serial Servo Controller
A USB to Serial Adapter
Some servos
Are you using a Windows computer? If so, you should first install the USB to Serial Adapter Driver, following the instructions on this page.
Then, after you wire everything up (don’t be afraid to ask for help on this one) you can test/play with the servos using this program. It lets you move each servo by dragging a scroll-bar.
This should be enough for you to then build the actual physical structure of your robot. Just to be clear, there won’t be anything in your robot (yet) that you can program. The servo controller is really just a translator. It will take serial commands from your computer (through the USB to Serial adapter) and translate them to servo position signals. Without your computer or a microcontroller connected to it, the servo controller won’t do a thing!
Once you’ve got your robot up and running, if you want to write automated motion programs for it, how you proceed will depend on what programming language you want to work with (c, c++, java, python, to name a few). If you decide to start using a microcontroller, how you program it (and what language you use) will depend on the microcontroller you choose.
Ok i’ll come back to you when i have recieved the products!
By the way: the program you told me i could play/test the servos isen’t working, when im downloading it a message comes up:
"Component ‘MSCOMM32.OCX’ or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid"
And also you said:
"If you decide to start using a microcontroller, how you program it (and what language you use) will depend on the microcontroller you choose"
I thought the Micro Serial Servo Controller was a microcontroller?
4v*1,5V = 6V.