Pioneer Module Mobile manual Experimenter’s Module, I/O Ports

Gripper & Experimenter’s Module

5.Experimenter’s Module

Besides hosting the Gripper, the Experimenter’s Module brings several new features to the Pioneer 1 Mobile Robot, and provides you with a platform for adding your own robotics options and features (Figure 4-1):

Easy access to Pioneer digital I/O, A/D, and timer functions

Speaker with new PSOS “say” command

User-controlled LEDs and switches

8 RC-servo ports (RC0-7)

'8 Analog-to-Digital Input Ports (AN0-7) Range-finding IR connector

Figure 4-1. Experimenter’s Module.

5.1 I/O Ports

By cables connected to the Pioneer microcontroller, the Experimenter’s Module brings both the Nose and General I/O expansion ports onto a single, open platform. All of ports now appear as solderable connections alongside a components pad, complete with power connections (Figure 4-1).

The I/O ports and their uses are summarized in Table 4-1. The Vcc ports supply logic power, so use them for that purpose only. The Pioneer microcontroller has a single A/D port that appears on both the General I/O connector and Nose I/O connector. This port is multiplexed into eight A/D ports on the Experimenter’s platform. And special circuitry on the Experimenter’s board lets you control up to eight separate RC servos.

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