We're working on a "Start Here" robot (Picaxe 28x1 project board), but we fried the Sharp sensor (inserted the 3-pin connector backwards), so a Parallax Ping))) (from Radio Shack) was purchased in its place. At least we have eyes again, but sometimes it's like Mr. Magoo driving around.
The sensor readings can be sporadic and erroneous - though the sensor seemed stable when tested alone. (The servo also seems "jittery" during parts of a scan while stepping through servo positions.) For now we just average a few readings and consider the phantom walls it sees as part of the bot's personality. Before I go tracking down bugs in the code, can someone just verify for me that these sensors are prone to electrical noise from the motors? We're out of town on vacation, so I really don't want to make another trip to Radio Shack for components or alternate power supplies, but will some capacitors "fix" the problems, or do I need to look at a separate/isolated power supply for the sensor. How do I troubleshot the electronics here and how do I determine the appropriate capacitance values for electrical noise?
If an isolated power supply is the answer, could I just use a separate 5V supply on V2 of the project board to separate the motor voltages from the sensor supply or would there likely still be too much noise?
I'm sure I've left out some critical information from my posting - ask for clarification or just slap me if I'm missing the obvious. I'll post photos/videos of the build when we get back home.
Thanks.