tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19787284246571002622024-03-04T23:36:03.132-08:00Narobo BlogThis is the official blog of Narobo.com, where I upload anything and everything thats on my mind.
www.Blog.Narobo.comErichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-2031053223899332322012-07-06T10:37:00.000-07:002012-07-06T10:37:08.073-07:00The Wild Inventor BlogHi All!<br />
I'm migrating to a new site, WildInventor.com ( if that doesn't work yet, please visit <a href="http://www.narobo.com/wildinventor">www.narobo.com/wildinventor </a>)<br />
<br />
Please check it out and update your subscriptions!<br />
<br />
I'll be writing a ton about engineering and design, splashed with stories of my outdoor adventures.<br />
<br />
See you on the other side!<br />
<br />Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-62515879680080910752011-08-29T17:27:00.000-07:002011-08-29T17:27:34.796-07:00Need Me to Design and Create Projects?Lately I've been wanting to take on another project or two.<div>So I'm available for hire to design or create any project or product. I usually charge fair rates, sometimes don't even charge at all. Its usually just a matter of how interesting the project is to me ;)</div><div><br />
</div><div>I live and breathe electronics and microcontrollers, especially PCB design and microcontroller firmware coding. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Email eric at narobo dot com if you have a project or idea in mind.</div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-17622042705777932502011-08-29T17:09:00.001-07:002011-08-29T17:34:10.523-07:00Final Project - Knock LockHeres my final project for digital logic design. Video after the schematic. Notice how little chips were used, not a single microcontroller, all logic design. And if you're experienced with electronics you'll pick up on the little tricks I used to save chips - using a XOR as an inverter, using slower chips so that I could keep a single MRST signal, some other tricks hidden on the page.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HLlR7sNBa2W0-cRGa1uXWvHDK6HT7nfr4pPTl8cmUJCdwuanZKL6a4jQRJS5fyoPZdydUatTCezOiwzU2EMb4i6eKFMR_yjEfW-YuTFwE4bE8IlmcbqKCqHKQlPH7aYlI2hCX28SR4o/s1600/lock.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HLlR7sNBa2W0-cRGa1uXWvHDK6HT7nfr4pPTl8cmUJCdwuanZKL6a4jQRJS5fyoPZdydUatTCezOiwzU2EMb4i6eKFMR_yjEfW-YuTFwE4bE8IlmcbqKCqHKQlPH7aYlI2hCX28SR4o/s640/lock.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/fvPfXka4dDY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-49000639917681964932011-08-29T16:45:00.000-07:002011-08-29T16:45:07.402-07:00New Post - my labBeen a while since the last post, been developing a secret product and a few not so secret projects.<br />
More posts will be following.<br />
<br />
Anyways, here are some pictures of my home workshop for the curious or interested. Check out my space<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaPUOcey3rFqRfkv7bJX6peEYmFF2vAtH6wWx2VPZiJc7mTWthJXQTSSOTZ8asXvTMlJoRDtBH2SgwUQx74W2RK-7YXjtapjGft4CwS4uQg2RnNqqVN899pLXzmQLqC0nH5Wkh8LWFWE/s1600/100_1217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaPUOcey3rFqRfkv7bJX6peEYmFF2vAtH6wWx2VPZiJc7mTWthJXQTSSOTZ8asXvTMlJoRDtBH2SgwUQx74W2RK-7YXjtapjGft4CwS4uQg2RnNqqVN899pLXzmQLqC0nH5Wkh8LWFWE/s320/100_1217.JPG" width="320" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEEacRbFOTzv9lxpzML8UdVg9xSma9adwKH1sEKPFYIfKyxolBgL3STRFPFbHlLb25kzGqAZeOpILOGvlBxn4fHxvtzGZDhwe2UmNh5PU4vvsVybvNFZXKY8MGU_KLYJiAUimYKXJ54E/s1600/100_1215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEEacRbFOTzv9lxpzML8UdVg9xSma9adwKH1sEKPFYIfKyxolBgL3STRFPFbHlLb25kzGqAZeOpILOGvlBxn4fHxvtzGZDhwe2UmNh5PU4vvsVybvNFZXKY8MGU_KLYJiAUimYKXJ54E/s320/100_1215.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcrCtY7SeVR56Nk362sH1MODRZUbna1zCfSyLW8fhfYevvx_G_qlfAwQu50ltiFTw5ZY1hJgkvIO_404YZXEHEcgEiGt9JBotyDF6wIGuSomd4pvKQmx7EfmnY1rabwPjCeGYjeV6x2Q/s1600/100_1216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcrCtY7SeVR56Nk362sH1MODRZUbna1zCfSyLW8fhfYevvx_G_qlfAwQu50ltiFTw5ZY1hJgkvIO_404YZXEHEcgEiGt9JBotyDF6wIGuSomd4pvKQmx7EfmnY1rabwPjCeGYjeV6x2Q/s320/100_1216.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-42597073988708920222011-05-02T05:46:00.000-07:002011-05-02T05:51:26.120-07:00DroneCell Update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://store.diydrones.com/v/vspfiles/photos/BR-Dronecell-01-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 499px; height: 499px;" src="http://store.diydrones.com/v/vspfiles/photos/BR-Dronecell-01-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The new DroneCells are available and on sale at DIYdrones.com <br />http://store.diydrones.com/DroneCell_p/br-dronecell-01.htm<br /><br />They cost $120.00 and come with an antenna and antenna cable included. <br /><br />If you're considering using the DroneCell in an industrial application or you're considering to incorporate it in a product - please email me! There are significant price breaks for industrial users and applications!Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-30196708137043737532010-07-21T12:30:00.000-07:002010-07-21T12:33:26.093-07:00DroneCells Available Now!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://themakerspace.com/images/photo.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 300px;" src="http://themakerspace.com/images/photo.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />So I just released the DroneCell at HOPE this past weekend. I also made a cool demo of the DroneCell for the hacker conference:<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M1wGBfT4HFg&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M1wGBfT4HFg&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />They're $100 and come with antenna and antenna cable included. They come preset to 115200 baud and you can easily set it to whatever baud rate you'd like over UART.<br /><br />Buy it here: <a href="http://themakerspace.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=6">http://themakerspace.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=6</a><br /><br />Let me know of any cool projects you guys make!Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-75384719273982637552010-07-14T07:20:00.000-07:002010-07-14T07:21:40.098-07:00Configuring Microcontroller Settings on DroneCellSimple tutorial on configuring DroneCell for microcontroller interface<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObfD645UhnM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObfD645UhnM</a>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-41967137890969524032010-07-14T06:17:00.000-07:002010-07-14T06:18:30.212-07:00New DroneCell Video<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/L8eSg5MRlzk&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/L8eSg5MRlzk&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-34890507287668459142010-07-11T14:44:00.000-07:002010-07-11T14:48:19.464-07:00DroneCell Video TutorialsDroneCells are making their way to the proper distributors, and I've been working hard on software and documentation.<br />Here are some video tutorials showing how easy it is to utilize the DroneCell.<br /><br />Introduction to DroneCell<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71IFZ8_cvEI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71IFZ8_cvEI</a><br /><br />Hardware Setup<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmDN1qngPTE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmDN1qngPTE</a><br /><br />Phone Calls<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7is4PnLacCA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7is4PnLacCA</a><br /><br />Text Messages<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD8DLryzSL0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD8DLryzSL0</a><br /><br />Enjoy!Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-34689023306530774252010-06-20T19:03:00.000-07:002010-06-20T19:21:45.094-07:00DroneCell Final Description<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywvNY_BA2A2d07iTiHhs30mYwceHJM83KOoPHFqMnat6MC3mZ__NRWK9c2PwETkwwN_9UrfirhroC_Nx55gO44Inb37-QGx2QlSrwQ4qBPGuWA1Yu6aSQHkc0NpLoYt6JLQqgv1JpQJU/s1600/100_0888.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywvNY_BA2A2d07iTiHhs30mYwceHJM83KOoPHFqMnat6MC3mZ__NRWK9c2PwETkwwN_9UrfirhroC_Nx55gO44Inb37-QGx2QlSrwQ4qBPGuWA1Yu6aSQHkc0NpLoYt6JLQqgv1JpQJU/s200/100_0888.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485046380592353698" /></a><br /><br />The DroneCell is a cell phone for your robotics/electronics/minicomputer/anything project. You can make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, communicate over the Internet, and do nearly everything else your regular phone can do.<br />It has a simple UART interface that can 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.<br />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. Additionally, there are several pins that give you extra functionality. <br />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.<br />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. All this is possible with DroneCell!<br /><br />FEATURES:<br />LED indication for both network status and power<br />Small footprint (5cm x 5cm)<br />Pushbutton power up<br />Lots of filtering capacitors for smooth voltage supply<br />Breadboard compatible for easy prototyping<br />5VDC-16VDC power supply input<br />3.3V to 5V UART Interface (voltage-shifting is done on board)<br />High serial data rate (up to 115200 baud)<br />GPRS communication rate (86.5 kbps downlink) – cellular to server communication<br />CSD (up to 14.4 kbps) – cellular to cellular communication<br />Software configurable baud rate<br />Works with any SIM card<br />Built-in SIM card holder<br />Quad band cellular connectivity<br />Internal switch to detect SIM card presence<br />Dial and receive phone calls (however, no microphone or speaker interface setup)<br />Send and receive text messages<br />Send and receive data to any Internet connected computer<br />Send and receive data over TCP or UDP sockets<br />Send and receive emails<br />Communicate with FTP servers<br />Super long range (anywhere there is cell reception)<br />High altitude (at least 10,000 feet, up to 30,000)<br />Phonebook entries and storage<br />Software libraries for AVR<br />Real time clock, synced to cellular tower time<br />User set alarms<br /><br />POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:<br />UAVs and Balloons – live data reporting – GPS, pressure, altitude, streaming video<br />set waypoints, camera commands, etc.<br />Cars- remote start, car alarm notification, GPS tracking<br />Security systems – cars, boards, sheds, etc.<br />Home automation – thermostat control, lighting<br />Robots – data transfer, remote commands<br />Processors and computers- data transfer, wireless ssh, telnet<br />Wireless Industrial Systems – reset computers, activate pumps<br />Wireless Asset tracking – GPS track your car, your spouse, your cat<br /><br />DATA TRANSFER METHODS:<br />iPod server/client socket app<br />Hyperterminal<br />Custom socket server/client – Perl, Python, C#, etc.Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-57107323770364237292010-06-15T14:19:00.000-07:002010-06-15T14:23:29.729-07:00New DroneCell - Pictures and Updates<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbJM2hjUZEBIuq_BqsLa_bauqP9Sw5l3cpoKyHPZYIgCUD0_bLfGYRjtcvobr2HdnJOwqZ4Dvn0P_oJeeiuSknkVst1tSc_w2y6Gu3_O0e4BkHSroc6W42c0qu5jIodS1cYVHN8N1VdA/s1600/top_dimension.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbJM2hjUZEBIuq_BqsLa_bauqP9Sw5l3cpoKyHPZYIgCUD0_bLfGYRjtcvobr2HdnJOwqZ4Dvn0P_oJeeiuSknkVst1tSc_w2y6Gu3_O0e4BkHSroc6W42c0qu5jIodS1cYVHN8N1VdA/s200/top_dimension.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483114160300713986" /></a><br /><br />Hello All,<br />I am happy to say that progress is moving along nicely, I have enough parts for a batch of around 50 DroneCells, so they should be in stores in the very near future!<br />I'm working on compiling a Getting Started Guide, as well as filming some video tutorials of the DroneCell in use.<br /><br />So as promised, here are some pictures. Note the addition of the pushbutton, SIM card holder, and the tons of additional filtering capacitors.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzXevtnyOXtXTW1YPhKWpTov6O4rqP7tNGd0NsO3o4cmcHgHUATghlNCBydqkzD_kkM10-601uU713GUxugMOK38J6JEEYO1lrsmeTehBsoUK4u0JCW5GPSgrzIe7rewZ_m6ea2PLmdA/s1600/Top_Label.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzXevtnyOXtXTW1YPhKWpTov6O4rqP7tNGd0NsO3o4cmcHgHUATghlNCBydqkzD_kkM10-601uU713GUxugMOK38J6JEEYO1lrsmeTehBsoUK4u0JCW5GPSgrzIe7rewZ_m6ea2PLmdA/s200/Top_Label.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483113873241274914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKxFPQjHtlGB3SXtW3xXBhUnS9CIf_8rdaONQLUVrZhxnjTqi-mdzn4BT4LiElLYFjubGdsfJW7nPw0hBhR0nX9eXID_lH58dEfs7bYTZJHDSl0Nh9HX-iTy1ORzTg0QSDFHQc1ErD-w/s1600/bottom_dimension.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKxFPQjHtlGB3SXtW3xXBhUnS9CIf_8rdaONQLUVrZhxnjTqi-mdzn4BT4LiElLYFjubGdsfJW7nPw0hBhR0nX9eXID_lH58dEfs7bYTZJHDSl0Nh9HX-iTy1ORzTg0QSDFHQc1ErD-w/s200/bottom_dimension.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483114044267812850" /></a>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-17065075840388787852010-05-12T14:10:00.001-07:002010-05-12T14:10:57.654-07:00DroneCell UpdatesI'm sorry for all the delays.<br />I had a batch of DroneCells that required external SIM card holders. After conferring with some friends in the industry, I've made the decision to release a new version of the DroneCell, a version that has a built-in card holder. This obviously has resulted in some delay, so expect the final release in stores to happen within the next three weeks.<br />As of now, DIYdrones will be stocking the DroneCells, as well as one more electronic hacker oriented store.<br /><br />Some stuff I added to the new DroneCell:<br />Built in SIM card holder<br />Better power supply regulation<br />Power on/off button for manual turning on<br /><br />Pretty much everything else is the same, so all coding samples I have will work exactly the same way. Final price on these babies will probably be close to $100 retail.<br /><br />I'll have some more posts as they become available. I'm also considering some sort of preordering thing set up, because the demand for this has been higher than I expected, and we may run out of DroneCells from the first batch.Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-21362375373445570602010-03-21T15:39:00.000-07:002010-03-21T15:45:16.200-07:00DroneCell Update: Ring,Ring VideoI've taken a short demo video of the DroneCell interacting with my laptop and uploaded it online to Youtube.<br />The video shows how easy it is to get things running with the DroneCell. I demonstrate how easy it is to receive a phone call and to dial the DroneCell. In the next series of videos I'll be detailing how to send text messages, send emails, download info from a website, transfer data with a personal server, and more!<br /><br />Enjoy the video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcSa60gpv-E">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcSa60gpv-E</a><br /><p><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HcSa60gpv-E&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HcSa60gpv-E&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="280" height="285"></embed></object>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-69405495876090542542010-03-21T15:38:00.000-07:002010-03-21T15:39:50.196-07:00BattleBots DocumentaryI got this in my email today: <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I'm working on a documentary on high school BattleBots. I've been following multiple teams around since August, leading up to the National Championship. <br /><br />I'm trying to raise funds to film the championship with a multi camera crew, as well as travel to San Francisco to interview the BattleBot creators and builders. <br /><br />The project is at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jdaoud/bots-high-documentary-on-high-school-combat-robo <br /><br />If you would be able to post something about this, it would greatly help me reach my goal and make this the best film it can be. Plus it'll raise awareness of the film at the production stage, so people can be involved in how the film turns out. <br /></span><br /><br />I think its great that there is more awareness with regards to robotics, especially high school level robotics competitions. If you have a couple extra bucks to spare, you should consider donating some to his worthy cause. You even get cool promo items like T-shirts and the like.Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-8562723681558246882010-03-10T13:00:00.001-08:002010-03-10T13:01:08.813-08:00DroneCell Promo Ad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_i1xj42mNKTrjH5fI5lM5Y_O8_z0XFpPRqOvwDwCYqvTQwU3JsiRc6HeorLX1eqrg4mJotMNMGZMaDu8cgNR_aMcGRCQVsstNr-B7ZV1AaM_DC-sgXFcbrH0jzxzfP92A_gZs7QSU10/s1600-h/DroneCell+Ad.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 370px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_i1xj42mNKTrjH5fI5lM5Y_O8_z0XFpPRqOvwDwCYqvTQwU3JsiRc6HeorLX1eqrg4mJotMNMGZMaDu8cgNR_aMcGRCQVsstNr-B7ZV1AaM_DC-sgXFcbrH0jzxzfP92A_gZs7QSU10/s200/DroneCell+Ad.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447113063490615730" /></a>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-5604900464373737242010-03-09T17:14:00.000-08:002010-03-09T18:29:02.993-08:00Announcing my New Product: the DroneCellAnnouncing my new product... drum roll please..... <b>DroneCell!</b><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/DroneCell%20-%20March%202010/100_0753.jpg"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/DroneCell%20-%20March%202010/100_0753.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Picture Album: <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/DroneCell%20-%20March%202010/">http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj202/erobot/DroneCell%20-%20March%202010/</a></div><div>What is it? Its a cell phone for your robotics/electronics/minicomputer/anything project. </div><div>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.<br />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.<br />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.<br />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!<br /><br />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!<br /><br /></div><div>Videos and software to be uploaded this weekend and next week. I'll post up the new info as its available.<br />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.<br />Heres a laundry list of the features and possible applications:<br />FEATURES:<br />LED indication for both network status and power<br />Small footprint (5cm x 5cm)<br />Breadboard compatible for easy prototyping<br />5VDC-16VDC power supply input<br />3.3V to 5V UART Interface (voltage-shifting is done on board)<br />High serial data rate (up to 115200 baud)<br />GPRS communication rate (86.5 kbps downlink) – cellular to server communication<br />CSD (up to 14.4 kbps) – cellular to cellular communication<br />Software configurable baud rate<br />Works with any SIM card<br />Quad band cellular connectivity<br />Internal switch to detect SIM card presence<br />Dial and receive phone calls (however, no microphone or speaker interface setup)<br />Send and receive text messages<br />Send and receive data to any Internet connected computer<br />Send and receive data over TCP or UDP sockets<br />Super long range (anywhere there is cell reception)<br />High altitude (at least 10,000 feet, up to 30,000)<br />Phonebook entries and storage<br />Software libraries for AVR<br />Real time clock, synced to cellular tower time<br />User set alarms<br /><br />POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS:<br />UAVs and Balloons – live data reporting – GPS, pressure, altitude, streaming video<br />set waypoints, camera commands, etc.<br />Cars- remote start, car alarm notification, GPS tracking<br />Security systems – cars, boards, sheds, etc.<br />Home automation – thermostat control, lighting<br />Robots – data transfer, remote commands<br />Processors and computers- data transfer, wireless ssh, telnet<br />Wireless Industrial Systems – reset computers, activate pumps<br />Wireless Asset tracking – GPS track your car, your spouse, your cat<br /><br />DATA TRANSFER METHODS:<br />iPod server/client socket app<br />Hyperterminal<br />Custom socket server/client – Perl, Python, C#, etc.</div>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-63746259582179004542009-10-02T09:23:00.000-07:002009-10-02T11:10:41.423-07:00Divide Bits into BytesAnother useful Python script. Divides text of bits into 8 bits at a time, so you can see everything byte by byte. <br /><br />Python Code:<br /><br />>>> string = raw_input('String = ') <br />String = 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />>>> " ".join(string[i:i+16] for i in range(0,len(string),16)) <br />'1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0'<br /><br />Thanks Keith and #python IRCErichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-33155253920536939452009-10-02T08:55:00.000-07:002009-10-02T09:02:39.380-07:00Reverse Text in PythonI've been doing a lot of work lately dealing with bits, and many times I've had to reverse the bit text in order to actually see what was being submitted ( most significant bits are first not last). I used to do it by hand, but I now use a handy one line python script.<br /><br />The raw data from my microcontroller:<br />0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 <br /><br />The one line Python script : <br /> print raw_input("Enter String to Reverse: ")[::-1]<br /><br />Open up terminal and go into python. Type in that script and press enter.<br /><br />Python 2.5.1 (r251:54863, Feb 6 2009, 19:02:12) <br />[GCC 4.0.1 (Apple Inc. build 5465)] on darwin<br />Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.<br />>>> print raw_input("Enter String to Reverse: ")[::-1]<br />Enter String to Reverse:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 <br />1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br /><br />The reversed code:<br /> 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br /><br /><br />Special thanks to Keith!Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-35736778611779467752009-09-30T21:03:00.000-07:002009-09-30T21:23:30.115-07:00The truth about leaving light bulbs onA common piece of urban folklore: Its better to leave a light on than to turn it off and turn it on a half hour later. The theory is that the bulb takes more energy on startup than it takes while in regular operation.<br />Time to debunk this foolish folklore with some math and specifications.( for incandescent bulbs)<br />Cold resistance of a tungsten incandescent bulb is usually around 1/10 or 1/15 the hot resistance of the bulb.( depending on the bulb). The startup time for the bulb to get from cold resistance to hot resistance is at maximum 1/5 of a second.<br />So when the bulb is starting up and turning on , it has cold resistance. After the the bulb is all turned on, it now has the higher resistance.<br />And we all know that with great power comes great current squared times resistance, or power = current* resistance. So Power = Current^2 * Resistance.<br /><br />Lets take a common incandescent bulb with the following specs:<br />100W power consumption <br />120 volt source<br />Hot Resistance of 150 ohms<br />Cold resistance of 10 ohms<br />Startup Time(cold to hot) of .20 seconds<br /><br />So that means that during that startup time , you will spend 3.16 amps(100 = i^2 * 10) for .2 seconds . Whereas with the hot resistance you will spend 0.81 amps(100 = i^2 * 150). <br />So lets see: upon startup you are spending around 4 times(3.16/.81=3.9) as much energy as you would spend , but only for 1/5 of a second. <br /><br />Lets solve to see how many seconds of hot current draw equals cold current draw.<br />3.16 amps * .2 seconds = .81 amps * X seconds<br />X seconds = .78 seconds<br /><br />Conclusion: <br />It takes less than one second to compensate for that startup current "surge"! Urban myth is busted!Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-15520566950335392262009-08-28T12:41:00.001-07:002009-08-28T12:43:43.330-07:00Working at BugLabsI've been working at BugLabs - buglabs.net for the past few weeks. Its been lots of fun and I got to play with a lot of cool stuff.<br /><br />RFID Module I made: http://bugcommunity.com/wiki/index.php/VonHippel_RFID_Reader<br /><br />I also took my bipedal robot and mounted a BugBase onto it. BugBase talks to my custom Serial Servo Controller.<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zmYkYy2Vs5U&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zmYkYy2Vs5U&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-83332747881029619982009-07-10T13:54:00.000-07:002009-07-11T10:03:08.465-07:00CMUcam Line Follower Tutorial<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://narobo.com/robots/icons/line_vision.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 269px;" src="http://narobo.com/robots/icons/line_vision.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I built a vision line follower robot a couple of months ago and haven't got a chance to document it. Anyways, I wrote up some documentation today - <a href="http://www.narobo.com/robots/line_vision/line_vision.html">http://www.narobo.com/robots/line_vision/line_vision.html</a><br /><br />I have more than a dozen projects and robots to document , so expect a lot more documentation to be upload this week and next week. Also, I'll be uploading a ton of videos to youtube, most of them old stuff I've never gotten around to uploading.<br />Heres my Youtube Channel : <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Erobots">http://www.youtube.com/user/Erobots</a>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-14114987801444336722009-06-08T04:24:00.000-07:002009-06-08T04:26:20.189-07:00Linear Actuator Demo VideoI've been playing with linear actuator solenoids lately. They're a lot of fun and have tons of applications. Here's a quick video:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/S0_aje6u0tQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/S0_aje6u0tQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-41219401042435555102009-06-08T04:22:00.001-07:002009-06-08T04:24:09.873-07:00Omniwheel Robot Driving AroundI added on some L298 Motor Controllers and wired up everything. The robot is wicked fast! Have a look at this video of it driving<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OtuZ2HUR2yI&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OtuZ2HUR2yI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-16486914317318501482009-06-04T19:18:00.000-07:002009-06-04T19:22:16.576-07:00Omniwheel Robot Chassis<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDW8NKU3xS1q98mOW_A4SfZl7Laqxjei4B-JfQs95uSNR7WxT_4X9-IeaU4QBcedP2He33EV_vtCechFrAiTvIq-5N8WHhrKzot-7Ad3sQFAVwGZs92DvFalvjyTKEUIsryj6vlL2jY0/s1600-h/100_0194.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDW8NKU3xS1q98mOW_A4SfZl7Laqxjei4B-JfQs95uSNR7WxT_4X9-IeaU4QBcedP2He33EV_vtCechFrAiTvIq-5N8WHhrKzot-7Ad3sQFAVwGZs92DvFalvjyTKEUIsryj6vlL2jY0/s320/100_0194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343663084608414002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sOqc8GlvZ3RoaYplGev29UXxjLOTL5E0NLo6bRvqm9HP97wVSN2RZsH2I1BDutNCyxCInKDNLjJb0evL8t7mTKNuxSkae_iSsrU_0fuJr_2TglL5OCvI8AhVWuYezN5GGtKBH9Btk7c/s1600-h/100_0193.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sOqc8GlvZ3RoaYplGev29UXxjLOTL5E0NLo6bRvqm9HP97wVSN2RZsH2I1BDutNCyxCInKDNLjJb0evL8t7mTKNuxSkae_iSsrU_0fuJr_2TglL5OCvI8AhVWuYezN5GGtKBH9Btk7c/s320/100_0193.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343663078659487746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OqTPE4ALI31YCdNTsVUPnvMkK_K1HUQdzkWSAXuTWw0qxU7CDXIKuSjQSPuavWW8cWOqxmhmP1dTh5ULHLRE70tnsjuyjY2EPziJS_gH-95qC6HTvIVmhVzZPkBm6buvWTEzRar_5kY/s1600-h/100_0191.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OqTPE4ALI31YCdNTsVUPnvMkK_K1HUQdzkWSAXuTWw0qxU7CDXIKuSjQSPuavWW8cWOqxmhmP1dTh5ULHLRE70tnsjuyjY2EPziJS_gH-95qC6HTvIVmhVzZPkBm6buvWTEzRar_5kY/s320/100_0191.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343663077317511490" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A lot has been going on the past few months. I have dozens of articles and documents to post up about new projects, and I hope to upload them all when I'm bored and have free time.<br /><br />Meanwhile, here's some photos of my omniwheel robot that I designed. It boasts 4x4 drive and holonomic motion. I should be able to get speeds of 3 ft/second with this robot. I used HDPE for material( buy at McMaster-Carr) , motors are Copal 50:1 Motors, and omniwheels are from Kornylak.Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1978728424657100262.post-46584289752323747492009-03-23T10:32:00.000-07:002009-03-23T10:52:37.199-07:00Dance robot torso finishedI designed a dance robot in Google Sketchup and then had the parts cut out of Sintra.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfM9eMbEJveJ_4XN-DvC3EVUCgiWZwiqOEaGp00cxCPVjfhdFzTOtZzlWNMTdbTeD0arPmwaGsUoHid2sv2vlzywLuT7Jsm4v2E_3li-MQ5pTapLdbpaSB7MKHzJaDJU7Uh3WTvPNsG9M/s1600-h/100_0081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 244px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfM9eMbEJveJ_4XN-DvC3EVUCgiWZwiqOEaGp00cxCPVjfhdFzTOtZzlWNMTdbTeD0arPmwaGsUoHid2sv2vlzywLuT7Jsm4v2E_3li-MQ5pTapLdbpaSB7MKHzJaDJU7Uh3WTvPNsG9M/s320/100_0081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316441182242645010" border="0" /></a><br />Then I mounted my servo robot arms onto the body.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZvpHX5r1ckg5lO5pFQ4n7WSGizYgTFbB_6K9gaMAAqGX5AWk2BT7C6mkM1QbwBfl9TaD1zlzrBLLQpsR7jWKoPVxwTwePwOEs-4WcPoJVQxWyuVVB9nnxSQbJjDFglYBtfKU2fSvwjo/s1600-h/100_0086.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZvpHX5r1ckg5lO5pFQ4n7WSGizYgTFbB_6K9gaMAAqGX5AWk2BT7C6mkM1QbwBfl9TaD1zlzrBLLQpsR7jWKoPVxwTwePwOEs-4WcPoJVQxWyuVVB9nnxSQbJjDFglYBtfKU2fSvwjo/s320/100_0086.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316442331009916146" border="0" /></a>I still have to add on the robot head on top, the drive chassis on the bottom, as well as make the dance robot look cooler. Expect updates this week!Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774826745639335551noreply@blogger.com0