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What to do

2021-08-05
2021-08-08
  • stan cartwright

    stan cartwright - 2021-08-05

    I don't know what to do as a next project. Anything that is not easier/cheaper than say ebay..... which has solutions for problems I never knew existed.
    I got a sd card reader from picaxe days and record / change my voice with software and a ssd1306 to show eyes that go with the sound which is supposed to go with the "robots" that just don't bump into anything cos US and gcb supported laser but everyone does that and don't know what to try next.
    i got a "transistor tester " that uses a 328 and does inductors, capacitor esr, lots for £5.
    Even my 3d printers use a 328.
    Hard to think of anything within pic capabilities to build and some ideas don't even need a pic being just analogue.
    Check https://www.youtube.com/c/Bigclive/videos for his teardown of poundland stuff. It makes you think why bother when it's so cheap. Fun factor?

     
  • stan cartwright

    stan cartwright - 2021-08-06

    Something for a 7 year old. The sd card mp3 player I got from picaxe works great with gcb, as the demo shows and does a face which seems popular with "expensive" toy robots,
    The picaxe guys liked it but I stressed I'd used "another compiler" to do the graphics which were so easy with gcb. I did get the ssd1306 working with picaxe but it was just plot which with help became a line draw. Stuff gcb users take for granted.
    It became "tron" but picaxe version was slowish.
    I bought a line follower for my grandson 4 years ago for £4. why build one?

     
  • Domenic Cirone

    Domenic Cirone - 2021-08-07
     
    • stan cartwright

      stan cartwright - 2021-08-07

      Cheers for the links but too much money for me.
      I got the code to run mine... well I can control each servo but setting the pattern for movement I haven't sorted as only arduino or python examples to research.
      Anyway it was much cheaper. Bought 20 servos.
      I usually use 50Hz interrupt to refresh the servos as they will be under load ie the weight of the thing and will not keep their position otherwise. The horizontal movement ones would be ok but not the knees.

       
    • stan cartwright

      stan cartwright - 2021-08-08

      Hi @Domenic Cirone.... Seen my ebay link for a robot arm?
      I think you paid too much sir.
      When are you thinking of getting your device working?
      Can I help?

       
  • stan cartwright

    stan cartwright - 2021-08-07

    Do you ever lose code or look at code and wish you documented it better?
    I looked for the multi servo code and found this. I don't remember writing it and all the other versions I found.
    No for next problems at the time it seems or I'd mentioned it.

    #chip mega328p,16
    #option explicit
    #include <PCA9685.h>
    #define PCA9685_ADDRESS 0x80
    #define hi2c_BAUD_RATE 100
    #define hi2c_DATA PORTC.4
    #define hi2c_CLOCK PORTC.5
    hi2cMode Master
    
    'The call IS required to setup the device
    PCA9685_Initialise
    
    'Set the frequency using the Great Cow BASIC PWM constant
    #define PWM_Freq 60 ;60Hz for servo
    PCA9685_SetFreqency ( 60 )
    dim servo as byte ;which channel ..ie servo
    dim servopos as word ;servo angle
    
    
    do
    
    for servopos = 209 to 389
    ;  for servo = 1 to 2
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED0 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED1 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED2 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED3 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED4 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED5 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED6 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED7 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED8 ,0, servopos )
    ;  next servo
      wait 10 ms
    next servopos
    wait 1 s
    for servopos = 390 to 584
    ;  for servo = 1 to 2
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED0 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED1 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED2 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED3 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED4 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED5 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED6 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED7 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED8 ,0, servopos )
    
    ;  next servo
      wait 10 ms
    next servopos
    
    for servopos = 584 to 389
    ;  for servo = 1 to 2
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED0 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED1 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED2 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED3 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED4 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED5 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED6 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED7 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED8 ,0, servopos )
    ;  next servo
      wait 10 ms
    next servopos
    wait 1 s
    
    for servopos = 388 to 209
    ;  for servo = 1 to 2
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED0 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED1 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED2 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED3 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED4 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED5 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED6 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED7 ,0, servopos )
        PCA9685_WriteChannel  (PCA9685_LED8 ,0, servopos )
    ;  next servo
      wait 10 ms
    next servopos
    
    Loop
    
     
  • stan cartwright

    stan cartwright - 2021-08-08

    @Anobium - I would buy the ebay arm and get it working if there were any other gcb users, apart from you, that were interested in it.
    Like many interesting... to me, devices. I thought it would be cool if a few other people were involved in the project... like gcb has had a few people working on it but for a device that looks interesting. Is a robot arm that interesting for others?
    £25 is not much for the hardware and "fun" getting it working...
    would make a nice angle poise lamp :)
    Seriously, what do gcb users use it for? What would they like to see and if enough people want to get into the same project then bouncing ideas would be nice.
    Using pics for a practical idea is a li-ion battery spot welder... another post but thinking of a project.

    I mentioned the robot arm to a friend who said "can it hold a pen?"...
    sort of says it all.

     

    Last edit: stan cartwright 2021-08-08

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