> And, obviously, I feel like it would be much faster to
> prototype this way.
</snip>
The OOPic is very fast for prototyping. I doubt there is any other uC
that is as easy to use in that regard.
But maybe it is better to think of the objects as building blocks with
parameters because there is nothing really OO about the way they work.
There is no concept of polymorphism or inheritance. There are no
local objects either. Everything is global
Just a suggestion: use the Basic syntax because that is by far the
most commonly used. You may find it more difficult to get help if you
use one of the other choices. I know; who wants to use Basic in the
21st century. But that's the way it is.
<snip>
>I plan on using IR distance sensors
> pointing down, mounted on the edge of the bot to determine when the
edge is
> hanging over the table (distance suddenly jumps above several
inches), and
> sense that as a boundary.
</snip>
Reflective sensors might work but the distance sensors I have seen
don't measure distances less than 4-6". They don't have to be mounted
on the bottom of the 'bot but getting a clear measurement may be a
challenge. These are commonly used when there is adequate contrast:
http://www.junun.org/MarkIII/Info.jsp?item=14
<snip>
>turn around 180 degrees (moving over X inches in the
> turn), and go the other way.... repeat....
> 2 - find an algorithm on the net to assist with the area coverage
> calculations.
</snip>
You can do odometry (measure the 180 degree turn) with WeelWatcher:
http://www.nubotics.com/index2.html
You can have plenty of code space for a reasonable algorithm but you
don't have much variable space. Code execution is slow; it isn't what
the OOPic was designed for.
The OOPic does objects and virtual circuits. Within that framework it
does well. Try to work outside that framework and you will find it
quite slow. In concept, the OOPic interpreter evaluates all the
objects in an internal loop and then works a user instruction. The
more objects, the slower user code runs. But objects linked together
by virtual circuits are quite fast.
> Also - what base kits does everyone here like? I was looking at an
Octabot
> (http://www.budgetrobotics.com/shop/?shop=1&cat=58&cart=530520) or
Tankbot
> Servo
(http://www.budgetrobotics.com/shop/?shop=1&cat=51&cart=530520) kit
> from Budget Robotics. I'm concerned about payload capacity, though,
because
> I would need to carry about five to ten pounds of tooling for the task I
> want the robot to accomplish.
</snip>
I would think that ten pounds is a lot of overhanging weight for a
pair of servos. In that regard, the Tankbot is probably a better choice.
You can get quite a lot of torque from a pair of HS-645MG servos - 133
oz. in. versus 44 for the servos that come with the bot. See
http://www.lynxmotion.com/Category.aspx?CategoryID=38.
The 645's are
a little larger so you might need to do some figuring.
I'm not certain that the digital servos can be easily hacked. If not,
you wind up gutting all of the electronics and driving them with
H-Bridges. That makes it a pretty expensive right angle DC motor/gearbox.
<snip>
>I have no idea how to calculate the carrying
> capacity of these kits. I'm assuming that the problem would lie in
whether
> the torque of the servos would handle moving the weight. Are servos
or DC
> motors / wheels better for my locomotion?
</snip>
If I was thinking heavy, I wouldn't be thinking about Tamiya tank
treads. There are a lot of bases including just about everything at
Lynxmotion www.lynxmotion.com.
Servos are easy to hack and become nothing more than DC motors with
gearboxes. In fact, completely gutting the internal electronics and
using H-Bridges results in much better speed control.
You need to figure out how to implement whatever coverage algoritm you
want to use. Then see if it will fit in the OOPic and run at a
reasonable rate. Figure, at most, you can execute 400 lines per
second. Some lines are faster than others. Oh, and no floating point...
Richard
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