New "Brain" for W.A.L.T.E.R

Lynxmotion
1

I’m going a little different way than I want to, mainly because I can not afford a Hammer right now and won’t be able to get one until at least February or March at the earliest.

I’ll be adding two dsPIC30F4012’s and an MCP23017, in addition to my Bluetooth DIL module. It’s going to be a tight fit on my LPC2148 Proto Board, but I also have the space underneath the DIL socket I can use for components. :slight_smile:

I’ve pretty much decided where I have to put the Bluetooth module, and the three 28 pin DIPs. There isn’t much choice! :slight_smile:

This will get me the two quadrature encoder modules I need for the encoders I am installing on W.A.L.T.E.R.'s motors, one per dsPIC. I will also gain all the analog inputs I need for Sharp IR Rangers and the 3-axis accelerometer I have. The MCP23017 will provide some interesting abilities, including interrupt on pin change and ability to use it as two 8-bit I/O ports or one large 16-bit I/O port.

Now I just have to figure out where to put all the connectors I need, such as 3-pin servo type headers, and analog headers for sensors. There will also be a breakout of at least one of the two I2C and SPI buses. The LPC2148 will be the Master on these buses. The other I2C and/or SPI buses will allow the LPC2148 to be a slave to a more powerful processor. I will probably put connectors on a separate perf or similar board.

This configuration should give W.A.L.T.E.R. more than enough I/O to handle what I want to do with him. Well, at least it should last for awhile… :wink:

8-Dale

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dale, got any pictures of walter?

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There are quite a few pictures and links to some videos in my W.A.L.T.E.R. thread in Rovers. There won’t be any more pictures until I get the new decks and rebuild W.A.L.T.E.R.

8-Dale

4

I got a real nice surprise in e-mail! The nice folks at Tin Can Tools, makers of the Hammer have offered me a Hammer to tinker with. In return, I will document everything I do with Hammer on their Wiki. This is a full Linux capable (not uCLinux) system in a 40 pin DIL package. It fits into a standard 40 pin DIP socket. I will still be adding the dsPICs and GPIO expander to my proto board because I need two quadrature encoder modules and each dsPIC has one.

I will eventually be adding a second board (same form factor) for the Hammer and any connectors I need. This will also give me plenty of room to add other stuff, like my 3-axis accelerometer, compass, etc. The new board will also have a place for my Bluetooth DIL module. :slight_smile: I’ll be using perf board for this board to avoid having to have a PCB made.

8-Dale