Parallax ColorPAL to computer?

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1

Hey guys,

I don’t know very much about robotics. My goal is to connect a Parallax ColorPAL sensor (https://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1608) to a PC, hopefully through something simple like a USB connector. The goal is to use this as an object sensor to detect whether or not my robot does distribute a small spherical object or not. The robot control part works with Matlab and is already implemented (it’s a maestro 18-channel controller with a GoTech servo). Do you guys have any solution on what to buy to be able to extract the information from the Parallax ColorPAL to a computer ? The guide isn’t very clear about this, they say I can connect to a breadboard, but then how do I get the breadboard to my computer ?

Thank you very much!

Jean-Francois

2

Hello.

I think you are going to have to use a microcontroller between the ColorPAL and a computer. It would look like this:

ColorPAL ---(ColorPAL "one-wire" interface) ---> microcontroller --- (TTL serial) ---> USB-to-serial-adapter --- (USB) ---> PC

Or, for the last two steps, a microcontroller solution that already has USB built into it, like an Arduino or a Wixel. For more ideas and support, you could try posting on the Parallax forums.

- Ryan