Announcing my new product... drum roll please.....
DroneCell!What is it? Its a cell phone for your robotics/electronics/minicomputer/anything project.
It has a simple 3.3V to 5V UART interface, so it can be easily connected to any 3.3V or 5V device, like most AVRs, PICs. All the necessary voltage level shifting is done onboard, so there isn't any headache. Connect it to your Arduino, your STAMP, your Gumstix board, your Axon, your whatever.
It is completely breadboard compatible, so its perfect for any prototyping rig. Plus it comes with two neat little LED indication lights, so you can visually see and understand whats happening.
No more stupid Xbees that have limited range, use DroneCell for nearly unlimited range! It will work anywhere you have a cell tower. Control your robot in Los Angeles from your laptop in New York City.
Imagine sending a text message to your custom circuit which starts your car. Or sending data wirelessly over the Internet to your UAV that flying over Afghanistan. Or getting GPS and weather data from your high altitude air balloon. Or even having your butler robot( like my own Chives, look on Narobo.com for details) dial your cell phone and email you when he detects an intruder. All this is possible with DroneCell!
I actually used a slightly different version of the DroneCell in a major commercial product, so I have tons of code available. All the hard work is done, so enjoy it in your different projects!
Videos and software to be uploaded this weekend and next week. I'll post up the new info as its available.
Currently, I am sending out samples to several retail stores and very few personal friends. Expect DroneCell in a robotics store near you in about 2 weeks. If you absolute MUST have a DroneCell, email me and we can work something out.
Heres a laundry list of the features and possible applications:
FEATURES:
LED indication for both network status and power
Small footprint (5cm x 5cm)
Breadboard compatible for easy prototyping
5VDC-16VDC power supply input
3.3V to 5V UART Interface (voltage-shifting is done on board)
High serial data rate (up to 115200 baud)
GPRS communication rate (86.5 kbps downlink) – cellular to server communication
CSD (up to 14.4 kbps) – cellular to cellular communication
Software configurable baud rate
Works with any SIM card
Quad band cellular connectivity
Internal switch to detect SIM card presence
Dial and receive phone calls (however, no microphone or speaker interface setup)
Send and receive text messages
Send and receive data to any Internet connected computer
Send and receive data over TCP or UDP sockets
Super long range (anywhere there is cell reception)
High altitude (at least 10,000 feet, up to 30,000)
Phonebook entries and storage
Software libraries for AVR
Real time clock, synced to cellular tower time
User set alarms
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:
UAVs and Balloons – live data reporting – GPS, pressure, altitude, streaming video
set waypoints, camera commands, etc.
Cars- remote start, car alarm notification, GPS tracking
Security systems – cars, boards, sheds, etc.
Home automation – thermostat control, lighting
Robots – data transfer, remote commands
Processors and computers- data transfer, wireless ssh, telnet
Wireless Industrial Systems – reset computers, activate pumps
Wireless Asset tracking – GPS track your car, your spouse, your cat
DATA TRANSFER METHODS:
iPod server/client socket app
Hyperterminal
Custom socket server/client – Perl, Python, C#, etc.
