The Propeller chip is programmed in an object oriented language called Spin or in its native assembler. The Propeller uses an SEEPROM also. It loads the Spin interpreter from there. The complete Propeller manual is downloadable from the Parallax Propeller page. I am using a board called the Propeller Robot Controller. It is not fancy, but provides all the necessary connections do do whatever you want to do with it.
I have just received my PRC kit today and have not even had time to finish building it up. However, I have read through the Propeller manual, and I like what I see very much. With a little luck, I will have the rest of the components for my development robot by this coming Friday so I can start playing with it this weekend.
My next robot will be a full 4 wheel drive independent steering 8 legged Walk 'n Roll bot. I think the Propeller’s processing power will come in real handy for some of the things I want to do. Actually, my development robot will eventually be 4 wheeled and 8 legged also, but on a full octagonal base.
I received the Octabot II base kit from Budget Robotics today. I have it all assembled and ready to put the controller and batteries on. Thos Octabot base was easy for even me to assemble, and I am not one who is good at mechanical things as a rule. Oh, and I got this base in Lynxmotion Yellow.
I won’t have a controller for it until next month though, or until I find somebody to finish building the Propeller Robot Controller for me. I am planning to order an Atom Bot Board and an Basic Atom for it next month. I will just put the Propeller on hold for awhile, because I am not able to finish building the board.
Thanks for the info. I’m actually fairly well read on Propeller. Since you’re using Spin/ Assembler, your board doesn’t add any higher-level robotics routines. That was what I was asking about. For example the SCC-32 is an amtel but the firmware makes it into a servo controller/ bot board and the new version even has gate engines. Although I kind of assumed it didn’t, it would be cool if a board had both the power of Propeller and the ease of use of an integrated robotics functions. As far as your experiences with the chip go, please keep us posted.
I’ve got a few pictures of my assembled Octapod II robot base. Here is the first one. They are a bit fuzzy because I took them with my cell phone. I don’t have my webcam back yet. There are a few more pictures on my website. This robot will get a Basic Atom on an Atom Bot Board next month.
I’ve rethought my assembly plans for my bots and have decided to leave this Octabot II base as is, since it is my first robot and all. However, I am going to order two more of the add-on decks and use those as the base for the Round Octapod. I’ll still be using the Octabot II for sensor and control experiementation which will benefit the other Octapods. I’ve decided to use a Basic Atom on an Atom Bot Board becauseI hope to be able to take advantage control software for Quadrapods and Hexapods as I gradually add more legs.
While I am building and testing legs for the Round Octapod, I will be experiementing with sensors on the Octapod II base. This should keep me from getting bored while I am building legs. With me being on a fixed income, this will be a less expensive way for me to work with robotics and still be alble to eventually reach my goals. My 3rd robot will be the SES Octapod.
I am not aware of any stand alone robot microcontroller boards that add higher level routines for robots. I don’t count the SSC-32 as a stand alone board because it still needs a master microcontroller to tell it what to do when.
I have put the Propeller on hold for now, but still really want to use it as a controller. I am having difficulty assembling my Propelller Robot Controller board due to many reasons - bad eyesight, not having the proper assembly tools, etc. I’ll have to find somebody local to complete the assembly for me in the hopes I have not already damaged something on the board.
I will be using fully assembled electronics from now on.
I have completed my first leg designs! This is actually my second design, but the first one I finished. I stopped work on the first design when it was apparent I was not getting the amount of leg extension and maximum height I am looking for. This leg design does not retract as well as the first design, but I think it is the best compromise so far.
I don’t know if the stress will be too much on the new hip vertical joint or not, and the clearance when it is fully extending is very narry (but I do think it will clear). I am hoping this version of the leg works out. If that offset bracket were just a little bit longer, there would be no doubt that my leg designs would be workable, even if maybe not completely practical. I do plan to try this design out and see how it does work in the real world of robots.
wow, that looks realy neat!!! I am wondering if it is going to put too much presure on the L bracket, I know that it is realy strong but if you put a lot weight maybe it could bend… I am not sure. Its a real nice desing giving you alot of possibilties, with stronger servos, maybe even be better that Jim’s round hex!!! And your wheels look good too, I was thinking about doinf something like that before I bought my BRAT, maybe I will do it latter on.
Thanks. I have been wondering about the stresses on the various parts als, particularly the “L” brackets. I’ve seen them used in many assemblies the same way I am using them, so there should not be a problem with stress.
Thanks again. I am already planning to use the HS645MG servose for the Hip Vertical and Knee joints with an HS475HB at the Hip Horizontal joint. I am working on the design for my wheeled Octapod now - I just came up with what I think is a really cool and interesting design. This new design will be much simpler, not to mention a lot less expensive to build - and still with 100% SES parts.
Here is a new steerable wheel I designed. My goal for this design has been to get the center of the wheel as closely to centered under the steering servo as possible. With the wheel as close to centered under the steering servo, the drag when steering the wheel will be reduced greatly when the bot is stationary since the wheel will just be pivoting (or very close to pivoting).
This just might work the way I want it to with the large buggy wheels I have for the wheeled system of my Octabot. In any case, I am not sure I could get it any closer using servo erector set parts.
I am ressurrecting this project, but am taking it in a slightly different direction. I’ll still eventually be building the large Hybrid Octapod with the four wheel drive system, but that will have to wait for a bit. Building my first Octapod this way will let me ease into it sooner, and this robot (Octabot) will still be a hybrid.
I have been thinking a lot about how to get into working on walkers as soon as possible and ways to utilize what I already have on hand as much as possible. Well, since I am already building this litle differential drive Octabot II kit, I figured the natural evolutionary process, since it already has eight convenient sides, would be to go ahead and add legs to it.
I’ve designed a new leg just for this Octabot, as short as I can make it and still have it be able to walk. Since the wheels on this robot are not retractable, the legs have to be long enough to take the wheels totally off the floor for walking.
Yes, the two very front legs are much longer than the rest of them. I will be accessorizing them with various items and these will be the first two legs that I build.
In these pictures, the left legs (except for the very front one) are down (fully extended) and the right legs are all up. This should show what I have in mind. I wanted to be able to retract all the legs so they are totally above the wheels.
I think I like the round shape for a walker. I’ve already added the accessory attachments to the longer front legs in the model. If you noticed something similar about the base platform this hybrid is being built on, there is definitely some. The base is my little differential drive Octabot II kit I got from Budget Robotics. It is being assimilated into a larger organizm - an Octapod called Octabot.
Yes, I did. I can hide the various planes and axis.
Thanks.
Here is a picture of it with all legs down, in walking mode from the front. I think it looks pretty impressive. I have since shortened the two front legs a bit by removing the AHC-01 square hub.
Can you make the background a dark color? Black would probably be to dark for the servos to show up. Perhaps a dark navy blue? this will be easier on the eyes when looking at your design images.
I wish I could modle like you do. It would make designing ideas a little easier.
I will look into doing this. I can always change the backgound for taking snapshots and then put it back to what I use when modeling stuff.
I have only been doing 3D CAD for a couple months now, so I am a newbie to all this. It’s all a matter of having good software and support. I got sick and tired of having to depend on trial versions or limited functionality in CAD packages I could afford. When I found Alibre Design and discovered they would let me pay for it in monthly installments over a year, I took the leap and went for the Expert package ($1995.00 full price). I also got a nice discount and an extra year of paid support in my deal. I have been wanting a good CAD package for so long and now I have it.
I just learn what I need as I go along, and I got some great training video CDs with my software (set of 4 CDs).
That’s exactly what I thought when I discovered Alibre Design. They have a base package that is just $995.00 and the Professional package which is $1495.00 if I remember correctly. The training CDs can be purchased separately for $295.00 and are included only in the Expert package.
8-Dale
(Corrected the price of Alibre Design Professional)
I received my Basic Atom Starter Kit yesterday afternoon! I now have Octabot all wired up, including the IRPD, but nothing is fastened down yet. I thought I had a serial cable, but I don’t, so I need to get one ASAP so I can play with Octabot. I’ve posted some pictures and a short video on my website.
I have designed the main decks for my long Octapod hybrid/crawler. So far, after checking hole alignment between the decks, they look good. I have not yet tested leg alignment or other part connection. These decks are just under 12" long.
I have it all assembled and ready to put the controller and batteries on. Thos Octabot base was easy for even me to assemble, and I am not one who is good at mechanical things as a rule. Oh, and I got this base in Lynxmotion Yellow. 
And your wheels look good too, I was thinking about doinf something like that before I bought my BRAT, maybe I will do it latter on.