Hi Alan,
WOW! 8)
Very impressive work with your steam engines! I wish I had a CNC machine too…
But let’s move back to the topic 
I would appreciate to get some feedback about the PEP manual (tutorial, how to … whatever…) I’m working with. Do you think I’m on the right track?
The manual and PEP sheet are available for downloading here lynxmotion.com/images/html/proj098.htm
And please put your comments about the PEP and manual here lynxmotion.net/viewtopic.php?t=3117
Thanks!
Hi Kåre,
Sorry about that! I don’t know how we got to CNC and Sherline!
Thanks for the complements.
I’m afraid I haven’t had time to read your newly posted manual (yesterday). I’ll have to get back to you on that. Maybe I can do a little more with your program now.
How does one get to it from the list of projects on LM? OOPS! I see there is now a link.
Are you making inroads into getting your gaits into Atom BASIC as regular gaits?
Alan KM6VV
P.S. My 'Bot is walking too!
No, not yet. Maybe later, who knows…
Cool!
Let’s see some videos!
Yes, videos have been kinda lacking here lately. I would love to see a video! 8)
Hi!
I’m still working with my new project Oxyopus, an octapod. I must say it has been a bit time consuming. This is also a experiment because I have choosed to try some cheaper servos. Of course you get what you pay for… 
But I didn’t want to take apart my Phoenix yet. And I can’t afford buying 24 645MG Hitec servos right now…
All 8 coxa parts (coxa and femur servo) are complete now. But my little experiment with the femur parts didn’t go so well, so I have to remake them.
I have made a sketch of the body and I don’t want to make the tibia parts before I’m finished with the body. I’ll make the body in January 2008.
The PEP version for a 8 legged octopod is finished. Here is a cropped screenshoot of the PEP where you can see the bodyshape. The legs are in the middle of a alternate tetrapod gait (scorpion gait) sequence. It seems to work well. But I can’t wait to see it “alive”! 
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc6/ZentaOlbaid/Oxyopustetrapod.jpg
Edit: I’ll make a new thread about this octapod (octopod or octapod?) as soon as I have some pics… I’m on a Christmas holiday for the time.
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc6/ZentaOlbaid/XYZdrillingmachine.jpg
My question is this: do you push on the vise to cut?
I see that you have 2 aluminum part. One part is to hold down the part ( bracket) and the other one is the part you want to cut.
You screw down the part you want to machine with 2 screws.
You screw it to the long aluminium bracket that is clamp on the vise.
Then you push on the vise with your hand to make the round cut?
I bought a 600lbs mill and I am still learning 
Do you have any link on the web that show Mill technique?
thanks!
Jerome
Yes, with a firm handgrip and a smoothly movement.
Correct.
Yes, you got it!
Lucky you!
No, sorry I don’t have any link.
Hi Kåre,
645MG servos! I can’t afford them either! I did get the 6 additional '475HB servos from my two boys. I’ve also got some experiments in sensors to try out on a tibia, but I hate to cut them! I did make one extra, so That’s not so bad.
I’ve designed my next body (octapod), all but generating the Gcode. Still might be a little tight between the front legs. Next question, Polycarb or aluminum?
I look forward to seeing it! Although I think I’m going to start just with a simple tetrapod gait. Scorpion, you say? Not a spider?
from oricomtech.com/projects/leg-time.htm
[Scorpion Gait]
“This gait is similar to both the hexapod tripod and ripple gaits, but is a level more complicated. Here legs on opposite sides work together as “tetrapods” rather than tripods, but rather than all moving together, the 4 legs in each tetrapod move in a wave-like succession.”
This sounds superior, but more complicated to generate!
I’m also milling 4 new decks for Dale’s 'bot, and octapod. I was able to test out some theories on using multiple fixture setups to mill decks (bodies) bigger then the work envelope of my Sherline mill.
Alan KM6VV
Thank you!
Keep up the good work!
Happy new year too!
Jerome
I’ll make rest of the parts (body, femur and tibia) of the same plastic material I used on Phoenix.
Edit: Scorpion and spider gait are not so different, but I’ll try to make one. It has been hard to find some good docs about real life spider gaits.
Scorpion, yes this one:
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc6/ZentaOlbaid/Scorpiongait.gif
It was a bit hard to find out how many steps there was in one cycle, but I came to 10 steps. Here is a screendump of PEP showing the steps in a scorpion sequence: Edit: For one single leg!
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc6/ZentaOlbaid/IndSekvScorpionGait.jpg
As you can see in step #1 to #7 the legs are in the stance position (down to ground and walking). Legs are in the swing positions in step #8 to #10.
A small part of the VB code in PEP:
…
'Initiate start StepADR for each leg:
HFTStep = 4 'Right front leg
HSTStep = 8 'Right middle front leg
HBTStep = 2 'Right middle rear leg
HBBTStep = 6 'Right rear leg
VFTStep = 9 'Left front leg
VSTStep = 3 'Left middle front leg
VBTStep = 7 'Left middle rear leg
VBBTStep = 1 'Left rear leg
GenerateGait 'Generate gait sub routine
…
In this part of the code I’m setting the first step and the actual scorpion gait algorithm.
As you can see the Left rear leg start with the leg positioned at the starting point (ref the PEP sheet, step #1).
Hopefully you also se the pattern 1,2,3,4 and 6,7,8,9 for each tetrapod.
Edit/hint: The next step in the scorpion gait would give 2,3,4,5 and 7,8,9,10 for the same tetrapods. And the third step : 3,4,5,6 and 8,9,10,1. And the last step (#10): 10,1,2,3 and 5,6,7,8.
Got it?
Hi Kåre,
I think I missed some of your edits!
That gives me a better idea. I’ll actually have to implement a gait on my 'Bot to try and follow it better. Then to try to write a gait engine for it!
Another thought, since I’m working on Loki (4-servo biped), do you have any plans for bipeds?
Thanks!
Alan KM6VV
Hey zenta, just a few questions about your PEP software.
From what I understand, you are using a wireless link to your computer to control phoenix from the SEQ that uses your PEP spreadsheet.
You have no controller of any kind, right? Like a PS2 incorporated into the sequences. Would it be hard to assign PS2 buttons to sequences?
Also, how difficult would it be to incorporate sensors into your program? Say if you wanted the hex to lean left and right if something got too close to it.
Hi!
I’ve just checked what kind of plastic material I used. It’s ABS structure/texture sheet 5mm .
It’s basically an animatronic robot. There is keyboard mapping in SEQ now, so if you can get a game controller for the PC that allows the buttons to be converted to keypresses you should be able to select the sequences to play from the game controller.
Zentas spreadsheet program creates extensive, accurate, and long sequences that the SEQ program sends to the SSC-32. With the setup Zenta is using this is a limitation of SEQ. Laurent is adding input control to SEQ. Not sure when it will be available.
I think the direction this will eventually go to is embedding all of the sequences into the SSC-32’s EEPROM and controlling the speed and direction of these stored sequences via a host microcontroller.
Wow 
Wonderful work, Kåre,
I think the excel will be very useful to me!
Thank you very much for sharing it!
Can’t wait for that firmware to be released Jim. That would make life much easier so I can concetrate on action/reaction of the bot rather then making it walk
Will these sequences for the 3DOF hexapods be available on the “V1” SSC-32 (with the Atmega8)? Or is there not enough space?
That required GP firmware is already available. The update for SEQ is not required to store sequences in the SSC-32 and control the speed and direction they are being played at. Even when Laurent adds input support for SEQ it’s not likely to be exported included in the sequences stored in the EEPROM or Basic code export anyway.
The mega 8 versio does have GP sequencer support, but it has a minor bug that was unsolvable with that processor. But this has nothing to do with storing sequences on the SSC-32’s EEPROM. The mega 168 version is better and has all the other features as well.
Hi!
For some days ago I heard my Phoenix crying to get some attention… She has been very upset after I took her SSC32 controller board for Oxyopus 
And when she finaly caught my attention she whispered : “Give me a pen!”
A pen? I said, what do you need that for?
She got the pen, and this is what she did:
youtube.com/watch?v=VCb45rq2vKo
I have never seen a hexapod doing that before ! Anyone?
(Sorry about the messy wires above the SSC32…)
Hi Kåre!
Very clever! After reading “Give me a pen!”, I immediately assumed you were going to have the Phoenix emulate a terapen turtle, i.e., draw a pix by moving around on a big sheet of paper. The turtle executed “Turtle Graphics” as I recall, and was a simple programming language for kids; many years ago.
But it’s a great demo! And I believe it demonstrates the accuracy of your legs! I assume you drew the letters with your spread sheet program, rather then a pure software approach using a font table?
Alan KM6VV
You never cease to amaze me, Kare! A hexapod that can write is VERY COOL!
8-Dale