Hello… Yes sorry me again… but I was wondering whether the Lynx 5 had to be connected to a computer to actually work or is it kind of mobile? If it can operate without the need to be attached toa computer has anybody added a remote control component to it? is it possible?
The majority of users are using a PC with the RIOS program for arm control. However it is possible to control the arm from a Bot Board II using an Atom 28 processor and a PS2 game controller. This is covered in this mini tutorial.
lynxmotion.com/images/html/build091.htm
We are working on a new tutorial that uses only the Atom Pro 28 without the SSC-32. It’s not completed yet, but we can give you the code if you want.
where do iget an atom 28 and bot board II
Ok on this point… maybe a naive question… do i need the Bot Board II and Atom 28 specifically, or are there equivelant measures that can be taken, or other items or means that are available to make my arm mobile (not attached to PC) and remote controlled?
Further, is there a way to make the arm function in a prescribed and programmed way as soon as it is turned on, but not having to connect it to a PC, that is program it to perform something independently whilst being mobile?
The anwser to your question might be “42”. However I think application of this will be limited almost entirely by your ability to define the scope of operation and programming skills for whatever controller you select. Do you think you could possibly be any more vague in asking how to go about doing what you want? 
Well yes I could be if that would be preferred… but i dont think my question was at all vague:
a) is there any means by which it can be remote controlled without Bot Board and Atom?
I see the hexapapods etc walking on their own in a programmed manner, if i attach wheels to the robotic arm, can it also be made to move and be operated without any aid?
sure, but whatever you use to control the arm would just be something functionally equivalent (or better of course) to a bot board + atom. at the lowest level you need to generate servo pulses to control the servo in each axis. those pulses have to come “from” something… could be an r/c radio receiver, or an ssc-32 (or other servo controller) receiving commands from a controller or computer, or a dedicated controller (such as an atom or other microcontroller) or computer generating the pulses directly. you could use a digital i/o board controlled by labview to create the pulses… a popular topic lately.
many of the motor controllers used to control a platform such as the a4wd use the same type of control signal as a servo. so it is quite possible to use an r/c radio with say 7 channels to control left / right motors in a base, and 5 axis in an arm (table, shoulder, elbow, wrist, gripper). on the other end of the r/c communication you need something generating the commands of course… what that is will depend entirely upon the r/c transmitter/receiver used.
by way of an example, this thread is about using a purchased spektrum 2.4ghz airmod transmitter module to create a wireless link between a custom control pad and an atom controller in a robot (in this case an atom is used to decode the r/c signals from the 2.4ghz receiver into more discrete outputs). If you were to remove the atom from between the receiver and the servos / motor controllers in a robot and instead connect the receiver directly to those servos / motor controller then you would eliminate the need for a controller on the robot end. on the transmitter end though you still need to encode the information for each servo into a signal the transmitter understands. What you choose to do this with is wide open… so long as you can meet the timing and resolution requirements of the transmitter input.
I should point out that depending on the scale of your robot, not having a controller of some sort that can differentiate between a valid signal from a radio receiver and just noise (like when the transmitter isn’t turned on) can introduce some potential safety issues. Your call of course but safety should be a consideration in any design where person or property could be damaged by a out of control mobile platform or you are effectively inviting murphy’s horde of lawyers to dine upon your assets. 
thanks for your detailed reply… it was most useful
Hi JT,
I’m jumping in half way so forgive me if I overlooked something. You’re talking about having the arm mobile (not attached to PC). Do you want to:
.
- operate the arm using a wireless connection to the pc. And control the arm with a pc program like RIOS.
- operate the arm without the need of a pc. This way the arm will need his own processor to do his calculations.
If you want to control the arm using a wireless connection from your pc there are about 2 options. You can provide the arm with a SSC and send commands (servo positions) using a serial connection. The pulses for the servos will be generated by the SSC. The serial connection can be made wireless using Bluetooth (BlueSmirf) or Wifi. The other option is to use something like labview with a I/O board like EddieB discussed already. I guess the pulses will be made by the labview I/O board and you can send them using the spectrum module like discussed. I think this is much more expensive and harder to implement.
I’ve recently wrote a program for the AL5B arm. The arm only uses the Botboard and a Atom 28 pro. The Atom generates the servo pulses so there is no need for a SSC. This makes it possible to operate the arm with a PS2 remote without the need for a PC. It’s easy to mount the arm on a rover afterwards and add 2 extra channels to control the wheels. Check this topic for more information and feel free to ask questions.
If you decide to go with the atom processor. Make sure you get the Atom 28 PRO. The pro is more powerfull and directly works with the program Robot Dude mentioned.
I hope it helps.
Xan