Tag Archives: robotics

Dual Sensor Communications Protocol

Posted on May 24, 2012 by engineerzero

Photoresistors are cheap, and the ATMega328 chip has spare analog pins, so why not use a dual sensor configuration for the GRISbot communications protocol? Here’s what the sensor cowling looks like with two photoresistors (aka LDRs) inside: Likewise the screen … Continue reading →

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Protocol Layers for GRIS Communications

Posted on May 22, 2012 by engineerzero

Years ago, I tried to read a book on telecommunications protocols. I didn’t get very far before learning that there were such things as ‘protocol layers’ that made the subject a lot more complex than simply translating voltages (or light … Continue reading →

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GRIS bot photos

Posted on May 17, 2012 by engineerzero

Here she is, the integrated prototype. Note the cowling is fastened on the back and that the breadboard has just the ATMega328, not the whole entire Arduino board. An overhead view showing the arrangement of the servos, wheels, breadboard, and … Continue reading →

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GRIS Calibration Flow Chart

Posted on May 2, 2012 by engineerzero

I spent an hour working on this chart tonight. It shows the calibration procedure program flow. I don’t expect anyone to follow it, this is basically for my own edification when I (attempt to) write the code tomorrow. I sure … Continue reading →

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GRIS Light Calibration

Posted on April 29, 2012 by engineerzero

For some time now, the biggest roadblock to implementing my robot has been with screen communications. Now and then the path data transfer procedure works perfectly, other times it doesn’t work at all. I suspect it has something to do … Continue reading →

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Mintduino Blink Test

Posted on April 12, 2012 by engineerzero

Finished assembling Mintduino. The ATMEGA328 chip not only has the Arduino bootloader, it also has the LED blink sketch pre-installed, so when the battery was attached to the Mintduino, the Green LED started to blink. Tomorrow: attaching the FTDI cable … Continue reading →

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Assembling a Mintduino

Posted on April 11, 2012 by engineerzero

I’ve been assembling a Mintduino, which is a breadboard version of an Arduino. The above photo shows me about midway through the process. The Mintduino case is a mint tin, hence the name. The case holds the electronic components shown … Continue reading →

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GIRC Screen-Flash Communications

Posted on March 20, 2012 by engineerzero

Worst demo ever, but these days I only have two hands. Here I needed three: one for holding the set-up, one for holding the camera, and one for clicking the mouse. Notice the status bar, also that there is a … Continue reading →

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GIRC Demo

Posted on February 20, 2012 by engineerzero

On Saturday I made a brief presentation of GIRC at the monthly meeting of the Seattle Robotics Society. I demonstrated drawing the course and running it, as seen in the video above. Where to now? I want to program with … Continue reading →

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Arduino reads screen flashes with phototransistor

Posted on January 29, 2012 by engineerzero

This is the first test of the communication system as described in the previous entry. The flashes are one millisecond, followed by a one second delay. The serial monitor informs me that the microcontroller is able to count them. Here’s … Continue reading →

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