Radio Shack Mobile Robot About the Controller Board, Basic Stamp II Installation, Programming

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About the Controller Board

The Controller board is the brains of ARobot. It contains circuitry to control the steering and drive mo- tors, read the whiskers, control LEDs, speaker, buttons, etc. The controller board has a socket that ac- cepts a Basic Stamp II control computer chip designed by Parallax Inc. www.parallaxinc.com

The Basic Stamp II is programmed with a desktop PC through the serial port in the PBasic Language which is much like standard Basic but with some interesting additions.

Expansion Proto Area

Body

Steer Motor

Drive Motor

Powerful

Connector

Connec-

Connector

Connector

Output

Basic

 

 

 

Battery

Stamp

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connector

LEDs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mounting

Holes Power

Switch

Coproces-

Reset Jumpers Buttons Serial Port Speaker

H-Bridge

5 Volt

Button

Motor Driver

Regula-

Basic Stamp II Installation

The Basic Stamp II is the computer that controls the robot. It plugs into the controller board. When in- stalling the Basic Stamp II, remove the battery cable from the controller, then insert the pins into the socket noticing the pin 1 indicator. Make sure that no pins are bent. Installing the Basic Stamp II in- correctly may damage it or the controller board. To remove the Stamp, remove the battery cable and use a small screw driver to pry it up without bending any pins. **NOTICE PIN 1 INDICATORS!!!

Pin 1

Programming

You’ll be programming the Basic Stamp II in a language called PBasic. Documenta- tion for PBasic is available free from the Parallax Inc web site at:

http://www.parallaxinc.com

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Contents Assembly and User Guide ARobot Mobile Robot Connectors About ARobot IntroductionBasic Stamp II Control Computer Feature List What You’ll NeedTechnical Specifications Precautions Component Locator ControllerGlossary of Terms Glossary of Terms Glossary of Terms Assembly Overview Quantity Description Used For PartsAbout Screw, nut, and washer sizes Parts Motor Brackets Painting SandingPaint Primer Finish CoatSummary WhiskersHow it Works Whisker Detail Full Scale Whisker Wire Pattern Drive Motor and Brackets Encoder Sensor Front Wheel Assembly Steering Motor and Rear Wheels Steering Motor Mounting Wheel and Axle Steering System Controller Board Don’t install batteries yet Battery PackSummary Don’t install batteries yet Body Cable Finishing Up About the Controller Board Basic Stamp II InstallationProgramming Cable to your PC PC Editor/Downloader SoftwareUSB Port Programming NoteSteering Adjustment Program STRAIGHT.BS2 ProgramsTest Program TEST.BS2 Wander Program WANDER.BS2About the Controller Board Reset Button Power On/Off SwitchBatteries LED indicators SpeakerPush Buttons and Jumpers switches Drive Motor and EncoderSteering Motor Coprocessor Command Summary Example !1M11200E7RC Servo Motor and Steering Motor Control Coprocessor Communication RulesHexadecimal, Binary, Bytes, Words, etc Battery Connector J9 Body Connector J8Serial Port J12 PinoutRC Servo Motor Connectors J2-J5 Drive Motor Connector J10Powerful Connector J11 Voltage 12 volts Maximum Current 500ma PinoutExpansion Connector J1 Expansion Port RC Servo Motor SignalsExpansion Port Circuit Examples Switch Input Example Digital/Power OutputDigital Inputs Sensor Input ExampleAnalog Inputs Basic Stamp II light sensor example codeCoprocessor Network Expansion CommunicationsUsing ARobot’s controller as a coprocessor Using Other ControllersCabling between ARobot’s controller and another controller Suggested Reading Component Suppliers Sava Industries Small PartsStock Drive Products SuperCircuitsInternet Robot Resources Web SitesInternet News Groups Newsgroup NameDescriptionTroubleshooting Warranty Information Arrick RoboticsRobotics.com