[Butia-list] [IAEP] XO robotics

[Jorge]

On 27/09/12 13:35, Yama Ploskonka wrote:> 1) I wouldn't say better... 
rather, complementary, and certainly
 > cheaper. Visiting the Butiá pages, the only picture I see showing an MCU
 > http://www.fing.edu.uy/inco/proyectos/butia/images/pistaButia.jpg is
 > showing an Arduino. Add a motor driver, and we are well above $30, plus
 > shipping. The USBButiá board is maybe cheaper IF done in quantity by
 > experts (then add labor).

Besides the microcontroller the USBButiá board provides standard 
connectors for attaching sensors. It allows autodetecting what sensor 
you connected and were (something like the NXT brick, but with a wider 
spectrum of attacheable stuff, more connectors, easier to hack, and 
plug&play).

We sidestepped the motor driver issue using digital servos.

 > MSP430 + (L293D OR some darlington array) can be "free" if you get them
 > as samples from TI, or less than $5 when purchased, /plus shipping/, the
 > old bane. the advantage of using a darlington driver is that then you
 > may use plain DC motors, which can be free if lucky with old electronic
 > parts (beautiful gear system available in old CDROM drives)
 >
 > 2) yop - the XO "drives" the vehicle with the MSP430 option also. Now, I
 > put quote marks as I have no idea - yet - on how to send data direct
 > realtime from the XO to the robot, bypassing the MCU. What seems to be
 > happening is that Butiá depends on sending code/program to the Arduino,
 > and the the 'duino does the brains of the robot.

Nop, the control runs fully on the XO. MCU only interfaces 
sensors&motors and supports the plug&play functionality. No user logic 
runs on the MCU.
The user programs on the XO access sensors/actuators connected the MCU 
and whatever the XO provides (mic, cam, accelerometer if there is one) 
transparently. The most frequent programming environment is TurtleArte 
(kisds already know it), but there are also Python and Lua environments 
for when the problem or the user outgrows Turtle Art.

In my opinion, what MCU is used is not actually important. What is 
important is the programming environment, how it interfaces with 
whatever your robot offers, and the mechanism you provide for adapting 
your robot for solving different problems.

Jorge