We are interested in using this RoBoard for our 4th year project. We would like to use this board as an expansion board to add sensors and other subsystems for our project. We have some questions relating to this board:
Are the I/O ports and memory expandable?
Which OS would be better, easier and programmer friendly to run on this board: linux, XP or windows Embedded?
Mic line in is not a standard 3.5 mm jack what kind of mic can we connect to this board. Is the sound card half duplex or full duplex?
Is there any additional software to run on the OS to make it more development friendly? May be something which provides direct access to hardware.
From the OS installation demos, I was not clear where did you install your OS? Do we need to have a microSD card to run OS? Do you provide it with the kit?
After installing OS is it possible to run GNU Octave/Matlab applications on it? We are thinking to develop voice recognition system which can run on this board. Do you know if someone has developed such type of applications on this board? If yes, could you provide me the link? Is the processor fast enough to perform such type of functions?
How much bioloid robot can be controlled from this robot? Can we call the predefine movements from this board? Can we also get the feedback from the bioloid robot sensors and actuators?
What type of software support is provided with this board?
1- Memory is not expandable, unless I am not aware of the existence of MiniPCI or USB Memory :rolleyes: It ships with 256MB of RAm and has been run with 2GB of swap space successfully. I/O can be expanded with the use of external devices on the USB ports (such as Phidgets) or even component/module level using I2C for example.
2- Whichever OS you are most familiar with. All 3 are excellent and work great on RoBoard. Debian, XP SP3 and Windows XPE are all tested.
3- Microphone IN is in fact a 3.5mm phono jack if you use the cables. The Audio is use CM119 USB audio chipset. There is no mention of full duplex, but the specifications show it is compliant with USB audio device class specification V1.0.
4- Yes there is an API in VC++ which provides access to the RoBoard hardware. See RoBoard Downloads.
5- We suggest that the OS should reside on the MicroSD card. This process is well documented. You may want to experiment with external HDD or even flash drives but results may varry.
6- Once the OS is installed, treat it like a regular PC. So yes, any application that meets minimum system requirements should work well for you.
7- You can control Dynamixels directly via RoBoard COM ports. Optionally Bioloid Controllers can be puppeteered serially either cabled or wireless (Bluetooth for example) similarly to a regular PC. You should be able to obtain all the functionality you require.
8- This is an advanced robot controller, basic OS support is provided but beyond that this is a small PC. RobotShop supports most issues for our clients, except custom code, via our relationship with the manufacturer.
