We've been having fun playing with the L293D driver chip. It's one of those things to see how much you can make it do by itself (like with any BEAM application!). Grant McKee has been experimenting with some simple additions to the chip to make it (unto itself) a suitable brain for a simple mini-sumo […]
Sumovore Brainboard - the PICAXE!
Dave Hrynkiw
November 5, 2008
It's been a bit long in the coming, but it's finally here: The Sumovore PICAXE Brainboard for the Solarbotics Sumovore!
One of the biggest tripping points we see from going from the pure digital/analog realm of BEAM to microcontrollers is learning the ins-and-outs of microcontrollers. The PICAXE nicely fills this void by offering a programming interface that is ...just a flowchart! Draw your logic diagram, hit program, and you're off and running!
We initially designed the PICAXE Brainboard to support both the 18X and 28X1 chips, but we've decided to simply package the kit with the PICAXE-28X1, which is a $10.50 chip itself. The 28X1 has enough I/O to support all the sensors (the 18X only supports 3 edge sensors), plus it has more memory and support for I2C (handy with several I2C-It sensors).
Here are the specifics:
- Support for the PICAXE-18X, 28X/28X1 microcontrollers
- Easy PICAXE 1/8” jack programmer interface
- 5 indicator LEDs
- Official PICAXE PWM Interface IC to drive motors
- Microprocessor reset switch
- Standard 0.1” expansion interface holes for breadboard add-ons
- Spot for optional resonator for more accurate timing
It's another convenient way to expand the capabilities of your Sumovore!
MORE POSTS
Solarbotics WCRG mini-sumo workshop
The night before WCRG, and all through the office, not a creature was stirring...except two dozen mini-sumo robots - AAAHH! Thanks to Alberta Printed Circuits, we were able to sponsor a mini-sumo workshop to build 24 robots to compete in the next day's Western Canadian Robot Games.
New Wheels
Remember those bad-boy wheels you saw on Strongbad? Well, they're now available! But be warned - we don't have the sleeve to fix the 2mm shaft to 1/8" hole diameter gap, so you'll have to improvise something yourself. Otherwise, your robot will have a bit of a lope to its roll!
Closed March 29
Ok, so tomorrow is apparently not a regular Friday, but a good one. I would say, that is a very honest thing to call it, because what else would you call a Friday that is a day off? Sure, it's good. So that's what we are doing on that day - being closed and away, […]
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Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.