Vol. 5 No. 11SERVOMAGAZINETOUCH BIONICSKILLER ROBOTSHUMANOIDSANDROID ARMSNovember 20070 4 744705828511>U.S. $5.50CANADA $7.00Cover.qxd10/10/20077:56 PMPage 84Order 24 hours a day, 7 days a weekwww.Jameco.comOr call 800-831-4242 anytimeJameco Electronics.*According to the line cards on their web sites on August 28, 2007. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.OTHER JAMECO ADVANTAGES: More major brands of semis than any other catalog. 99% of catalog products ship the same day. Lowest prices guaranteed, or we pay 10%. Major brand names and generic equivalents for even greater cost savings.5101520Were passive aggressiveWhen it comes to passive products, we dont pullany punches: we stock more major brands ofpassive components than any other major cata-log distributor.* So whatever brands you needfrom AMP or AVX to Vishay or Wakefieldyoure more likely to find them all at Jameco.Check our stats below and see for yourself. Its another Jameco advantage.JamecoDigi-KeyMouserNewarkAMP AMP AMP AMPAstec Power Astec Power Astec Power Astec PowerAugat AVX AVX AVXAVX Bourns Bourns BournsBourns Cherry Cherry CherryCherry Corcom Condor Power CorcomCondor Power CTS Corcom Elco ConnectorCorcom Elco Connector Elco Connector GrayhillCTS Fox Electronics Fox Electronics Intl RectifierElco Connector Grayhill Intl Rectifier KemetFox Electronics Intl Rectifier Kemet MolexGrayhill Kemet Molex OsramIntl Rectifier Molex Panasonic PanasonicKemet Osram Potter & Brumfield Potter & BrumfieldMolex Panasonic Teledyne Relays VishayOsram Potter & Brumfield Vishay WakefieldPanasonic Power-One WakefieldPotter & Brumfield VishayPower-One WakefieldTeledyne RelaysVishayWakefieldFree shipping on theseand 83 other major brands.Call for details.CoverInside.qxd10/10/200711:34 AMPage 2First-class customer service...Youhaveprovidedpolite,detailedsupportwhenhave needed it, have been more than accommodating when it comes to purchasing assistance as well as providing me with lightning Iast email responses, prompt delivery and have met and greatly exceeded my expectation Irom a retailer in every regard Robert 0ordon University, Aberdeen0R0ER 0NLNE:WWW.A0TVE-R0B0T5.00M -TEL: + I0J171 23 27Robonova-1 H0KUY0 PB5-03JN nIrared range nder Iorindoor environmentsAUTH0R5E0 H0KUY0 0EALERH0KUY0 UR0-0LX state oI the art laser range nder5ensor Mounting HardwareRobot chassis, parts & accessoriesEasy 5tep 3000, advanced stepper motor drive and control systemMicromouse chassisEntry level controller suited to small robotics and control applicationsFull Page.qxd8/8/20077:54 PMPage 34 SERVO 11.2007ENTER WITH CAUTION!22The Combat ZoneDepartments06 Mind/Iron07 Bio-Feedback18 Events Calendar20 New Products31 Robotics Showcase46 Robo-Links72 SERVO Webstore82 Advertisers IndexColumns08Robytes by Jeff EckertStimulating Robot Tidbits10GeerHead by David Geer2007 FIRST Robotics Competition Winners14Ask Mr. Roboto by Pete MilesYour Problems Solved Here56Robotics Resources by Gordon McCombLearning Robotics From the Worlds Robotics Labs62Twin Tweaksby Bryce and Evan WoolleyWelcome to the (WowWee) Family68Dif ferent Bitsby Heather Dewey-HagborgNeural Networks for the PIC Microcontroller Part 3 Hebbian Learning76Appetizer by Bryan BergeronThe Black Widow Contest Winner78Then and Now by Tom CarrollHumanoid RobotsPAGE 62TOC Nov07.qxd10/10/20074:58 PMPage 411.2007VOL. 5 NO. 11SERVO 11.2007528 AUTOFLEX 2.0by Brian CieslakA new and improved autonomous programming tool for FIRST robots.32 Killer Robots Are Our Friendsby Brett DuesingA look inside the mechanics of combat robots.36 Do You Want it Now?by Fred EadyGet instant gratification with the Firgelli PQ-CIB controller hooked up to their linear actuator.42 Control a TOPO 1by Robert DoerrBreathe new life into an old robot.47 Building an Android Armby Mark MillerPart 2: Putting it all together.51 GPSby Michael SimpsonPart 2: Take a look at the Etek EB-85A,Copernicus, and Holux GPS modules.Features & ProjectsSERVO Magazine (ISSN1546-0592/CDNPubAgree#40702530) ispublishedmonthlyfor$24.95peryearby T&LPublications, Inc., 430PrincelandCourt, Corona, CA 92879. PERIODICALSPOSTAGEPAID ATCORONA, CA AND ATADDITIONALENTRYMAILINGOFFICES. POSTMASTER:SendaddresschangestoSERVOMagazine, P.O. Box15277, North Hollywood, CA 91615 or Station A, P.O.Box 54, Windsor ON N9A 6J5; cpcreturns@servomagazine.comPAGE 47PAGE 42PAGE 32PAGE 36TOC Nov07.qxd10/10/20075:20 PMPage 5Published Monthly By T & L Publications, Inc.430 Princeland CourtCorona, CA 92879-1300(951) 371-8497FAX (951) 371-3052Product Order Line 1-800-783-4624www.servomagazine.comSubscriptionsInside US 1-877-525-2539Outside US 1-818-487-4545P.O. Box 15277North Hollywood, CA 91615PUBLISHERLarry Lemieuxpublisher@servomagazine.comASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/VP OF SALES/MARKETINGRobin Lemieuxdisplay@servomagazine.comEDITORBryan Bergerontechedit-servo@yahoo.comCONTRIBUTING EDITORSJeff Eckert Tom CarrollGordon McComb David GeerPete Miles R. Steven RainwaterMichael Simpson Kevin BerryFred Eady Brett DuesingBrian Cieslak Mark MillerRobert Doerr James BakerChad New Bryce & Evan WoolleyHeather Dewey-HagborgCIRCULATION DIRECTORTracy Kerleysubscribe@servomagazine.comMARKETING COORDINATORWEBSTOREBrian Kirkpatricksales@servomagazine.comWEB CONTENTMichael Kaudzewebsite@servomagazine.comPRODUCTION/GRAPHICSShannon LemieuxJoe KeungmanivongADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTDebbie StauffacherCopyright 2007 by T & L Publications, Inc.All Rights ReservedAll advertising is subject to publishers approval.We are not responsible for mistakes, misprints,ortypographicalerrors. SERVOMagazineassumesnoresponsibilityfortheavailabilityorcondition of advertised items or for the honestyof the advertiser. The publisher makes no claimsfor the legality of any item advertised in SERVO.Thisisthesoleresponsibilityoftheadvertiser.Advertisersandtheiragenciesagreetoindemnifyandprotectthepublisherfromanyandallclaims, action, orexpensearisingfromadvertisingplacedinSERVO. Pleasesendalleditorialcorrespondence, UPS, overnightmail,andartworkto: 430PrincelandCourt,Corona, CA 92879.In the commercial robotics world,alleyesareontherecentiRobot vs.RobotFXpatentinfringementlawsuits, in which iRobot is seeking topreventRobotFXfromsellinganymoreNegotiatorrobots.Whilethereareanumberoffacetstothecasedestinedforthetabloids,oneundisputedpartofthestoryisthatthesuitcomesontheheelsofacompetitionbetweenRobotFXandiRobot for a $280M contract with theUSmilitary.RobotFXwonthecontract. Whether iRobot maker ofthepopularPackbot getsanothercrackatthecontract,thesuitisimportantinthatitmarksanimportant milestone in the growth ofthe military robot industry.To follow my reasoning, considertheGartnerHypeCycle,apopularmodeloftechnology-basedproducts,firstproposedbytheGartnerGroup(www.gartner.com)in1995(seeFigure1).Accordingtothemodel, thefirstphaseofaHypeCycleis thetechnologytrigger,markedby asignificantbreakthrough,publicdemonstration,productlaunch,andrelated events that generate press andindustry interest.Thenextphase thePeakofInflated Expectations is marked byover-enthusiasmandunrealisticexpectations.Inreality,theremaybesomesuccessfulapplicationsofthetechnology,buttherearemorefailuresthanwinners.Theonlyenterprisesmakingmoneyatthisstageareconferenceorganizersandmagazinepublishers.Followingthisover-hypeanduser/investorfrustrationfromunmetexpectations,technology-basedproductsenterthetroughofdisillusionment.Becausethepressusuallyabandonsthetopicand the technology, this is the end formany products. Productsthatsurvivethetroughofdisillusionmentwhichmaylastmonths, years, or decades are keptalivebycompaniesthatunderstandthetechnologysapplicability,risks,andbenefits.Theslopeofenlightenment marks the time whenthereispractical,commercially-viableapplicationofthetechnologythatis,somecompaniesenjoycash flow.Finally,theproductand underlying technologyreachtheplateauofproductivity,whichismarked by the appearanceofstable,accepted,second,andthirdgeneration products.Becauseitsoftendifficulttodirectly trackthefewcompaniesthatarecommerciallysuccessfulduringtheMind / Ironby Bryan Bergeron, Editor Mind/Iron Continued6 SERVO 11.2007VISABILITYTIMETechnologyTriggerPeak ofInflatedExpectationsTrough ofDisillusionmentSlope ofEnlightenmentPlateau ofProductivityGARTNER HYPE CYCLEFIGURE 1Mind-Feed Nov07.qxd10/10/20079:54 AMPage 6slope of enlightenment, external events such as lawsuits serveasusefulindicators.Idliketoproposethisisthelawsuit point (shown in red in Figure 1) between the troughof disillusionment and slope of enlightenment.Historically,companiesproducingproductsarentbothered as long as theyre in an academic lab or smolderinginacompanybarelymakingaprofitonthetechnology.However,assoonasthetechnology andmarket aremature enough to generate significant, sustainable revenue,then holders of patents (and their attorneys) take notice. Themotivation for a suit may be strictly monetary. Some patentholdersdevelopandholdontoapatentwithnointentofdeveloping a product. Instead, they hope that a technologywillbecomeviablebeforethetermoftheirpatentends.Asuitmaybemotivatedbycompetitionfromarivalinthemarketplace. In some cases, a suit is simply to establish theright of a company to compete in a given market.TheiRobotRobotFXsuitsuggeststhatthemilitaryrobotics industry has survived the trough of disillusionmentand is well on its way to the slope of enlightenment. Therehavebeenlawsuitsinmedicalrobotics,asignthattherobotics industry is making progress in this area, as well.How long before we see major lawsuits for home robotsorassistiverobotsisunclear.However,whenwedoseelawsuits, itll be a sign that the field is maturing. Hopefully, therobotics companies involved in these suits will be financially fitenoughtonotonlysurvivebutthriveintheneweconomicenvironment.SVDear SERVO:Regarding the 09.2007 issue beginning on page 67, TwinTweaks Robot vs.Wild ... the problem stated was that theautomotivesteeringvehiclehadtroublemakingtightturns.The Wooleys solved part of the problem quite accurately withthe Ackermannsteeringgeometry, butyoustillhaveasolidrear axle (wheels, axle, and drive gears acting as a single unit).Thus, drivingbothrearwheelswithrelativelyequalforcewhen you try to turn, the front end gets pushed and you windup going in a wider radius than the front wheels are set for. Intheprocessofturning, therearwheelswanttoslipbecausetheoutsidewheelistraversingalargerarcthantheinsidewheel. Ifyouregoinginastraightline, likedragracersdo, asolidrearendisgreat. Butifyouwanttomakesometurns,then you need a differential. And they almost had it lookingat the photo on the bottom of page 69 titled Vex Differential.You need to cut the axle in two (a loose sleeve joining the twoendswillallowindependentmotionandstillkeeptheaxlesrelatively concentric) and put a bevel gear on each axle end sothat they mesh with the third bevel gear thats attached to thedifferentialcarrier. Thiswillallowcontinuouspowertobeappliedtobothrearwheels, irregardlessofeachwheelsspeed. You guys are doing great hang in there. Youll neverknow what you can do until you push your limits. Phillip PotterSERVO 11.20077continued on page 75Mind-Feed Nov07.qxd10/10/20079:55 AMPage 78 SERVO 11.2007Autonomous RefuelingDemonstratedTheDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency(DARPA,www.darpa.gov)hasaddedtoitsbag ofaeronauticaltrickswiththeAutonomousAirborneRefuelingDemonstration(AARD)program,throughwhichithasdemonstratedthefirst-everroboticsystemtorefuelairplanes in flight.Inarecentseriesoftests,theAARDwasfittedtoaNASA-ownedF/A-18HornetfighterandoperatedoutofCaliforniasEdwardsAirForceBase.Usinginertial,GPS,andvideomeasurements alongwithsomespecialguidanceandcontrol techniques theAARDmanagedtopoke a refueling probe into a 32-inchbasketwhiletraveling250mph at18,000ftabovetheTehachapiMountains. Some tests were conduct-edinstraight-and-levelflight,under a range of turbulence conditions thatinvolvedasmuchasfivefeetof side-to-sidemovementofthedrogue(the small windsock at the end of therefueling hose).Initsmostsuccessfulconfigura-tion,theAARDhitthetargetin18outof18attempts.Italsomanagedtomaketheconnectionwhenthe707-300tankerandF/A-18wereexecuting a turn, which is not usuallyattemptedwithahumanpilot.In thetests,thefighterwasoperatingautonomously;thepilotsshowninthephotowereonboardforsafetypurposes.UAV for FarmersMostofthegloryintheUAVarenagoestoexoticmilitaryand securityaircraft,butafleetof miniatureplanesmaysooncreateabuzz over the fields and forests of theheartland,providingsurveillanceforfarming,environmentalmonitoring,and forestry.MicroPilot,Inc.(www.micropilot.com), based in Stony Mountain,Manitoba,offersarangeofUAVs,autopilots,andsoftwareproducts,includingtheMP-Visionairplane.Earlierthisyear,MicroPilotsCropCamdivision(www.cropcam.com)introducedaversionthathasbeenconfiguredspecificallyforagriculturaloperations.TheCropCamAUVisaGPS-guidedcraftthatcoversa preprogrammed flight pattern over aquartersection(160acres)andtakesdigitalphotosalongtheway.Withanoveralllengthoffourfeetandawingspanofeightfeet,thesix-poundplanecanclimbto2,200feetandcompleteasurveyinabout20minutes.GuidanceisprovidedbyaTrimbleGPSunit,andyoucanchooseamongthreePentaxcameramodels to get up to eight megapixelresolution for stills and 640 x 480, 30fps, in video mode.Power is provided by a 0.15 cu inenginethatdrawsfromasix-oztank,butitappearsthatyoucanalsogetonethatisdrivenbyanAxibrushlessmotorandlithiumpolymerbatteries.Rumorhasitthatitwillrunyou about $7,000.Bionic Hand Now AvailableTheTouchBionics(www.touchbionics.com)i-LIMBHand,formallyintroducedinJulyatthe12thWorldCongressoftheInternationalSocietyforProstheticsandOrthoticsin Vancouver, Canada,looks like a great innovation forpatientswhoaremissingahandthroughaccidents,actsofwar,orbirthdefects.Designedtolookandoperateliketherealthing,itissaidtobe the worlds first commercial-lyavailableprostheticdevicewithfiveindividuallypowereddigits.The device operates on anintuitivecontrolsystemthatusesatraditionalmyoelectricsignal input to open and closeits fingers. Myoelectric controlsThe AARD system performs better than a skilled pilot.Photo courtesy of DARPA.Image taken by a CropCam AUV.Photo courtesy of Cropcam, Inc.The i-LIMB Hand looks and acts like the real deal.Photo courtesy of Touch Bionics.by Jeff EckertRobytes.qxd10/9/20077:56 AMPage 8useelectricalsignalsgeneratedbymusclesintheremainingportionofapatientslimb,withthesignalbeingpickedupbyskin-mounted electrodes. Not shown in the photo istheavailablecosmesiscovering,which makes it appear more lifelike inuse. The device is already being fittedtopatientsinmanyclinicsintheUSand Europe.Build Your Own ROVItsnotpretty,butatleastitsprettycheap.Designedforages12andup,theROV-in-a-Boxkitfrom!nventivity(www.nventivity.com)sellsfor$249.95andincludesalloftherequiredparts(frame,motors,light,camera,tether,controller, andbattery),plusaninstructionmanual.Italsocomeswith propellers,switches,connectors,buoyancydevices(presumablythechunks of plastic foam shown in thephoto),andprettymucheverythingelse.AllyouhavetoprovideisPVCcement, tools, and a video monitor.Accordingtothevendor, independent left and right props giveit good controllability and zero-radiusturning,andthelightisbrightenoughtoallownightmissions. Seethecompanyswebsiteforasixminute video.Interactive BoybotHelooksquiteabitliketheJapanesecomicbookcharacterAstroBoy,butthenewZenobotfrom Hanson Robotics (www.hansonrobotics.com)isactuallynamedaftertheinventorsson.Zenosmainclaimtofameishowwellheimitateshumanfacialexpressions,buthealsowalks,talks,andcanlearntorecognizeindividualhumanbeings(usingacameralocatedbehindoneofhiseyes)andaddressthem by name.Like other Hanson creations (recallthe familiar talking Einstein bot), ZenoisbasedonAIcapabilitiesthathelphimlearnandinteractwithhis environment, a complex range (62, tobeprecise)offacialandneck expressions,hissomewhatweirdFrubber polymer skin, and the abilitytodevelopauniquepersonality.AccordingtoHanson,Zenoandhispalscanbeusedineducation, psychiatry,militarytraining,and character development for animation.Somepeoplefindhimadorable,andothershavedescribedhimascreepy,soyoullhavetojudgeforyourself.Zenoisstillaprototype,buttheplanistohaveacommercial version on the market in two years forabout $300. SVRobyt esThe ROV-in-a-Box kit comes more or less complete.Photo courtesy of !nventivity LLC.Zeno a 17-inch mechanical boy walks, talks, and interacts on a personal level.Photo courtesy of Hanson Robotics.SERVO 11.20079Robytes.qxd10/9/20077:57 AMPage 910 SERVO 11.2007In2007,theWorcesterPolytechnicInstitute(WPI)supportedMassachusettsAcademyofMathematicsandSciencesatWPI(orMASSAcademy,Team190)wontheFIRSTRoboticsWorldChampionship intheGeorgiaDomeinAtlantaonApril14.Team190designedand constructedthewinningrobotGoat-Dactyl early in the season.Goat-Dactylisawheel-locomotiverobotwithsensorsforautonomouscontrol and R/C for remote. Team 190designedtherobottoaccomplish specific,competition-relatedtasksaspartoftheFIRST2007competition.Therobotcompletesthetasksaspartof a game in competition and collabo-ration with other teams robots.ThisyearscompetitiongamecalledRackNRoll testedthe students and their robots ability to (1)hanginflatedcoloredtubesonpegs,configured in rows and columns, on a10-foot-highcenterrackstructure;(2) program a robotic vision system tonavigate the robot; and (3) lift otherrobotsmorethan12inchesoffthefloor, according to Brad Miller, a Team190 member.Theleadersofthecompetitionformedtheaforementionedrack structureoutofeightcolumnswiththree pegs each on which robot teamscould place their tubes.Everyothercolumnhadagreenlight.Theteamscalibratedtheirrobotscamerastotrackthelight. Sixrobotstookthefieldduringamatch.Officialsassignedtherobotstoeithertheblueorredallianceforcompetition.Theteamsearnedpoints by hanging their alliance-coloredtubesononeormoreoftherackpegs, says Miller.AccordingtoMiller,eachhungtubewasworthtwopointsunlessitwascontiguous(eitherverticallyorhorizontally)withanotherhangingtubeofyouralliancecolor.Thetotalpointcountinthiscasewasequaltotworaisedtothepowercorrespondingtothelengthofthematched tube row or column (e.g., onetube=twopoints,twotubes=fourpoints, three tubes = eight points ... afullcircleofeighttubes=256points!), Miller explains.Team190madetheGoat-Dactylrobot from a kit that every team had toadhere to. The kit includes parts for therobotspneumaticandelectrical systems, as well as a choice of motors.Therobotitselfconsistsoffour CIMFR801-001motors,whichdrivethe robot.Thelarge,broadmetallicgripperthatistheprimarycapabilityoftherobot opens and closes with the aid ofan RS-540 gear motor (Banebots). TwoGlobe409A587motorsactuatetherobots ramps.TheteammachinedboththeContact the author at geercom@alltel.net by David Geer2007 FIRST RoboticsCompetition WinnersThe FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)Robotics Competition pits high school robotics teams against each other(and themselves!) with a different robot kit and task each season.Students with Goat-Dactyl competitionrobot and control console queuing upbefore a match. The driver is thinkingabout strategy. Dan Jones, robotoperator, is in the foreground andColin Rody, driver, is in the background.Goat-Dactyl, mouth wide open, justbefore completing the lift of alliancepartners. Dan Jones, operator, operatingthe controls in the background.Photos are courtesy of Brad Miller,Team 190 member.Geerhead.qxd10/9/20077:53 AMPage 10GEERHEADchassisandgripperelevatorfromscratch.Theyused6061aluminumC-channelandLexanmaterials.Theycuttheliftingrampsvialaseroutof5052aluminumsheetmetal.Theyusedsheetmetalingaugesrangingfrom .02 to .065 in thickness.Team190foldedthealuminumrampsover,dimpledthemwithholes,andthenrivetedeverythingtogether.ThegrippertopisLexan;thegripperbottom is fiberglass.ThepneumaticsincludedaThompsoncompressor,accumulatortanksfromClippard,solenoid valvesfromSMCandParker,andBimba actuators.Theactuatorspecsincludedthree1.5boreby3strokecylinderspersideoftherobot,whichpresentedsufficientforcetoliftcompetingrobotsoffthefloorbymorethanafoot.Therobotalsofeatureda.75boreby8strokecylinderforgrabbingontoandliftingthelargeinflated rings.Bothofthesemaneuverswere useful for competition scoring.Computer ControlledEachteamisconstrainedtoa kitthatincludestwoPIC18F8722 microprocessors.Oneistheslaveandoneisthemasterprocessor.The masterprocessorcontrolsthemotorandcommunicationsandinterfaceswith the human operator.Theslavecontainsalltheoriginalprogrammingfromtheteamscoders.Therobotpassessomedatabetweenthemasterprocessorandtheslavetoprocess the actuators values.Team190codedtherobotsprogramintheClanguage.ThecodersusedboththeMicrochiptoolsthatcomewiththekit,andtheEclipse IDE.While teams in the FIRST competi-tioncanstickwithMicrochipstoolsthat come with the kit, they are free touse other programming tools.OurstudentsuseEclipseasthedevelopmentenvironment(IDE)fortheirin-classprojectsandareveryfamiliarwithit.So,weadaptedsomeworkdevelopedbyotherteamstomakeadevelopmentenvironmentthatsuitedus.Eclipsehasahugenumberofcollaboratorssoeventhoughitsfree,itismuchhigherqualitythanmanyofthecommercialproducts, says Miller.Team190alsousesasoftwarelibrarynamedWPILib,whichisa development framework that supportsthestandardFIRSTdeviceslikespeedcontrols,theCMUcamera,andgyros,for example.Command andControlTeam 190, as other teams, built acustomcontrolsystemforinterfacingwiththecompetition-specified operator interface. That interface is thecontrols that enable the drivers and therobot to talk to each other.TheFIRSTsuppliedcontroller connectswithjoysticks,switches,potentiometers,andothercontrolhardware.Thecontrollertransmitscontrolpositionstoandfromtherobot. This enables the robots driver tomanipulatetherobotincompetitionwhiledesigningauniquesetof controls for their purposes.Team190usedtwojoystick controlsfordriving,andaseparatecontrolboxofarcadebuttons andswitchestocontrolthetubemanipulatorandrobot-liftfunctions,accordingtoMiller.Twooperators handletherobots,onecontrolling the drive and the other controlling themanipulator and peripheral functions.Therobothasmanysensors,whichhelpautomatetaskssuchas loweringtherobotsliftsand raisingthetubemanipulatorto SERVO 11.200711Team 190 members Dan Jones, operator,(back) and Paul Ventimiglia, mechanicallead (front) making last minute repairs on the robot between matches.Team 190 putting a tube on therack despite blocking attempts by a robot from the red alliance.Team 190 hanging a tube on themiddle section of the rack.Duringselectionforteamalliesbeforecompetition,Team190 choseteamswithcompatibledesignsand tactics.Throughourexcellentscoutingandintelligenceprogram,wewereabletopickteamsthatweknewwouldmakeouralliancestrong.Littledidwerealizethattheywouldalsomake us look good, as well, says BradMiller, a Team 190 member.Fromamongallthepossibilities,Team 190 ended up collaborating withteamsthatallhadmaroonteamshirtcolors similar to their own.Denying that matching team shirtswasoneofourselectioncriteria,wenonethelesstookthisasagood signandhavesincecelebratedthisoccurrencebyproducingDontMessWithMaroonchampionshipshirts,says Miller.SELECTING ALLIESGeerhead.qxd10/9/20077:53 AMPage 1112 SERVO 11.2007pre-specified heights.Thegoalsfortherobotweretoendowitwillthebestabilitiestowinthegamesetbeforealltherobotswhile staying within competition limits.Themajorconstraintsfortherobotsinclude weight 120 lbs and under totalsize,theabilitytorecognizeotherrobots,competebetterthanotherrobots,andtostaywithin cost limitations.The AnswersInresponsetothesegoalsand limitations,Team190workedon loweringtheirbotsweightwhileattaining its overall goals.Our original robot-lift design wasdoubletheacceptableweight.Wewentthroughmanydifferentdesignapproaches,includingusingaluminumhoneycombsurfacesormakingourownfoam-coresheets,beforefinallysettlingonauniquesheet-metalboxstructurewhichwasdimpledforimproved strength. This same approachwasusedinnearlyallaspectsofthedesign, says Miller.Thetubegripperlaysinfrontoftherobottograbtubesfromthegroundandcatapultthemhighintheairtorackthemupforscoring.(Thetube gripper is in the front of the robotthatcangrabtubesfromthegroundand lift them to any height on the rackfor scoring.)Twooftheuniquefeaturesofthegripperare:Itcangrabtubes onthefly,withoutrequiringthe robottocometoastoptopickthemup;andsecond,itclosesandlifts usingamechanismdrivenbya singlepneumaticactuator.Usually twomotionslikethiswouldrequiretwoactuators,butduetosome cleverdesign,onlyoneisneeded,Miller explains.Theteammountedthetubegripperonanextensionmechanism(elevator)togetittotherightheightafteritgrabsthetubeandsetsittotheproperangle,Millerfurtherexplains.Thegripperisempoweredbyasingleaircylinderthatbothclosestherobotsclawandraisesthetubesuptoa55degreeangleinasingle motion.Inaddition,saysMiller,the topdigitoftheclawisafourbar articulatedlinkagethatcurlsaroundthetube,givingusmaximum wrap, while allowing it to fit within ourstarting box.SVGEERHEADWorcester Polytechnic Institutewww.wpi.edu/index.htmlWPI FIRST Robotics Resource Centerhttp://first.wpi.eduWPI Robotics Engineering Majorwww.wpi.edu/Academics/Majors/RBEWPI Winning Robotics Team 190http://users.wpi.edu/~firstRESOURCESGoat-Dactyl using its tube gripper tolift a tube during competition.The robots tube gripper is mounted onan extension mechanism (an elevator)that it uses to get it to the right heightafter it grabs the tube and sets it tothe proper angle.Team 190 between finals matches, on the field resetting the robot to play again while being overlooked byhead ref, Aidan Browne.Tormach PCNC 1100 Features:Q Table size 34" x 9.5"Q R8 Spindle 1.5 hp variable speed to 4500 RPMQ Computer controlled spindle speed and directionQ Precision ground ballscrewsQ Digitizing and tool sensing supportQ 4th axis and high speed spindle options3 Axis Mill$6800plus shippingWhen youre serious about hardware, you need serious tools. Whether milling 0.020 traces on prototype PCBs or cutting steel battle armor, this CNC mill can do it all. Weighing in at more than 1100 lbs, the PCNC can deliver the hardware end of your combined hardware & software projects.Precision CNC MachiningMill includes Control, CAD and CAM software. Optional stand, coolant system, computer and accessories are extra. Product information and online ordering at www.tormach.comGeerhead.qxd10/9/20077:54 AMPage 12SERVO 11.200713Full Page.qxd10/10/200711:40 AMPage 1314 SERVO 11.2007Q. ItismyunderstandingthattheHSR-8498HBservosthatareusedintheRobonovahumanoidrobothaveposition feedbackcapabilities,soIboughtacoupleofthemfromTowerHobbies. Ihavebeentryingforseveraldays now to figure out how to get positiondata from these servos. FromwhatIhaveseenontheInternet,allIhavetodoissendtheservoa50microsecondpulse,and itwillreturnapositionsignalthatissimilartotheregularpulsewidth tomovetheservo.Iammissing something here. Can you help me? Pete SenganniA. Thekeytodoingthisistouseapullupresistoronthesignalline.Thisisrequiredfor bi-directionalcommunicationsince thesignallineisanopencollector.Figure 1 shows a simple schematic forconnectinganHSR-8498HBservoto a BASIC Stamp. Here, I used a 1K ohmresistorasapullupresistoronthesignalline.Withouttheresistor, youwillnotreceiveasignalback fromtheservo.Figure2showsasketchofthePWM(PulseWidthModulation)controlsignaltimingthatisrequiredforthisservotoreturnitscurrent position.Toobtainthecurrentpositionoftheservo,youneedtosenda50spulsetotheservothenwaitfora minimumof2msbeforemeasuringthewidthofthereturnpulse.The criticalelementrequiredtomeasurethepulsewidthistomakesurethat theservosignallinethatisconnectedto the microcontroller is changed froman output signal line to an input signallineimmediatelypriortomeasuring Tapintothesumofallhumanknowledgeandgetyourquestionsansweredhere!Fromsoftwarealgorithmstomaterialselection,Mr.Robotostrivestomeetyouwhere you are and what more would you expect from a complex service droid?byPete MilesOur resident expert on all things robotic is merely an Email away. roboto@servomagazine.comP1P5P7P6P3P4P2VSSP0SINATNSOUTP14BASICSTAMP2FAMILYP10P8VSSP9P12P11P13P15RESVDDVIN1 K+5VSIGNALGND4.8-6.0V+4.8 - 6.0V SERVO POWERHSR-8498HB SERVO AND CABLESERVOFigure 1. Connecting an HSR-8498HB servo to a BASIC Stamp for positional bi-directional control.MrRoboto.qxd10/9/200710:34 AMPage 14thepulsewidth.Ortherewillbe noreturnsignalfromtheservo(thatyou can see).ThefollowingBASICStamp samplecodeisallthatisneededtomeasurethepositionfeedbackfromtheHSR-8498HBservo.Thiscode sampleassumesthatthesignallineisconnected to P15 on the BASIC Stamp.TheDelay_50usconstantof63istheconversionfactorfora50stimedelay on a BASIC Stamp 2px. This delayconstantwillbedifferentfordifferentStamps.Thetmp*8/10isa conversionfactortoconvertthePULSINvaluebacktomicroseconds onaBASICStamp2px(againthis conversionfactorwillbedifferentfordifferent BASIC Stamps).Tmp VARWORDPosition VARWORDServo_Pin CON15Delay_50us CON63READ_PWM:LOW Servo_PinPULSOUT Servo_Pin, Delay_50usPULSIN Servo_Pin, 1, tmpPosition = tmp*8/10DEBUG CRSRXY, 0,0,DEC5 POSPAUSE 5GOTO READ_PWMBecause of the pullup resistor, thelogicstateoftheServo_Pinwillbehighwhenitisnotdriven.SincethePULSOUTcommandonaStamptoggles the current state of the outputpin,itismanuallysetLOWpriortosendingthe50spulsetotheservo,sotheservowillrecognizethe50spositivepulse.OnaBASICStamp,thePULSIN command auto-maticallychangesthepinsstatetoaninputstate,sonothingspe-cial needs to be done tomeasuretheincomingpulse from the servo.Thisprogramwillcontinuallyreadthepositionoftheservoanddisplaytheresultsonadebugwindow.When the servo horn ismanuallyrotatedbackandforth(fromlefttotheright),thepositionwillchangeonthedebugwindow.NoticewhatIsaidhere whentheservohornismanuallyturned.Wheneverthe position is being read, the power to theinternalmotoroftheservoisturnedoff, which allows the servo horn to beeasilyrotatedbyhand.Thisisactuallyagoodfeaturetohavewhenyouareposing a humanoid robot for teachingnewbodypositions.Thedrawbacktothis,however,isthatthemotorlosespower for a moment when the positionisbeingread.Thismaycausesomeservojitteringinsomeclosedloopposition control applications.TheHSR-8498HBservodoesrequire the position command pulse tobeupdatedevery20ms,likeregularanalogservos.Ifyoucontinuallyreadtheservospositiononcebetweeneachpositionupdatecycle(i.e.,onceevery20ms),theservowilljitter,andhaveabouthalfthenormaloutputtorque.Itisbesttoreadtheservotorqueonceeveryseveralpositionupdates,suchasonceeveryfiveupdatecycles(oronceevery100ms).This will begin to minimize the amountofservojitterandtorquelossduetoreading the servo position.For those that are not familiar withtheHSR-8498HBservos,theseservosarespecificallydesignedforroboticapplications.Theylookquiteabit differentfromstandardR/Cservos.Figure3showsaphotooftwoofthem. One of the nice features of theseservos is that they can be reconfiguredfordifferentapplications,whichincludesabearingjointatthe bottomoftheservocase,sothatthemainservohornisntsupportingtheentireweightoftherobotwhentheservo is used as a joint.Figure 3 shows one of these servosSERVO 11.200715Figure 3. HSR-9498HB servo configurations;traditional servo configuration (left); RoboNovaservo-bracket configuration (right).50s500 - 2500 s2s (MINIMUM)OUTPUT FROMMICROCONTROLLERTO SERVOOUTPUT FROMSERVOTO MICROCONTROLLERGNDVHIFigure 2. PWM signal for position feedback for the HSR-8498HB servo.Operating Voltage 4.8V-6.0VNo-load Speed @ 4.8V 0.26 sec/60No-load Speed @ 6.0V 0.20 sec/60Stall Torque (4.8V) 84 oz/in (5.2 kg-cm)Stall Torque (6.0V) 103 oz/in (7.4 kg-cm)Idle Current Draw 8 mANo-load Current Draw,Running200 mAStall Current Draw 1200 mAPulse Range (~180) 600-2350 sCentering Pulse 1500 sDimensions1.57 x .78 x 1.85(40 x 20 x 47 mm)Weight 1.92 oz (54.7 g)Table 1. HSR-8498HB specifications.MrRoboto.qxd10/9/200710:34 AMPage 15configuredtolooklikeastandard R/Cservo,andtheotherservois configuredforarobotickneejoint.Eachservocomeswithanaccessorypackagewiththedifferentconfigura-tionoptions.Table1showsthe specifications for this servo.In Figure 3, you may havenoticedthatwirestotheservo are all black, and not thetraditionalyellow-red-blackcoloredwiresinotherHitecservos.Thiscanmake determiningthesignalwirefromthegroundwireabitchallenging. The signal wire isactually dark-gray in color, butitcanbedifficulttosee.Thesignalwireisthewireclosestto the two tabs on the side oftheconnectorhousing(seeFigure 4). The power wire is inthecenter,andthegroundwireisontheothersideof the connector.OneoftheadvancedfeaturesoftheseservosisthattheycanalsobecontrolledandprogrammedviaRS-232serial communications.Infact,127oftheseservoscanbedaisy-chainedtogetherononesignalline.Inaddition,the serialcommunicationprotocolcanallowchangingtheproportionalandderivativegainsanddeadbandsontheservo,servoID,batterystatus,position, current draw, and turning theservo on and off.TheservosthatIusedforthisanswerhadanolderfirmwareversionwhichdoesntallowfortheserial communication.Theminimumfirmwarerevisionmustbeatleastv1.10.Thereisalittlestickerontheinsideoftheservosbottomplatewhich identifies the firmware version. IhavesentmyservosbacktoHitectohavethefirmwareversionupgraded.Nextmonth,Iwillcontinuethistopicwith a discussion on how to use serialcommunications to control this servo.FormoredetailsaboutthePWMpositionfeedbacksignalsandtheserialcommunicationprotocol,gototheHitecRoboticswebsite(www.hitecrobotics.com)andlookunderthedownloadpageforthePulseofHMIProtocolsubject.ThereyouwillfindafilecalledHMIprotocol.pdf,thatwillkeepyoubusyuntilnextmonth.SV16 SERVO 11.2007Figure 4. Closeup view of the connector for the HSR-8498HB servo the control signal wire is dark gray in color located next to the side tabs on the connector.HE8EJIFH;?J;9)0' The results of an informal poll taken recently at the First Annual World Domination Symposium are now in. Robots prefer Hitec servos 3:1 over other servo brands. They know the wide selection of Hitec analog and digital servos provide them with the power and depend-ability needed to eventually take over the World.Make your robot happy, use Hitec servos. 12115 Paine Street | Poway | California | 92064 | 858-748-6948 | www.hitecrcd.com>_j[YEj^[h8hWdZ.EW2OBOT3ERVOSHSR-5980SGSpeed: 0.14 secTorque: 417 oz/inSteel GearsHSR-5498SGSpeed: 0.19 secTorque: 187 oz/inSteel GearsHSR-5990TGSpeed: 0.14 secTorque: 417 oz/inTitaniumALL SPECFCATONS AT 7.4 VOLTSMrRoboto.qxd10/9/200710:35 AMPage 16Full Page.qxd10/10/200711:42 AMPage 17KnowofanyrobotcompetitionsIvemissed?Isyourlocalschoolorrobotgroupplanningacontest?Sendanemailtosteve@ncc.comandtellmeaboutit.Besuretoinclude the date and location of your contest. If you have awebsite with contest info, send along the URL as well, so wecan tell everyone else about it.Forlast-minuteupdatesandchanges,youcanalwaysfind the most recent version of the Robot Competition FAQat Robots.net: http://robots.net/rcfaq.html R. Steven RainwaterN No ov ve em mb be er r3 DARPA Urban ChallengeThe former George Air Force Base, Victorville, CAAutonomousgroundrobotscompeteagainst eachotherinasimulatedurbanenvironmenttocomplete a waypoint-following course.www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge10-11 Canadian National Robot GamesOntario Science Center, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaEventsincludenovice,advanced,andmaster mini-Sumo,full-sizeautonomousandRCSumo,fire-fighting,line-following,photovore,awalkingrobot race, and a search and rescue contest.http://robotgames.ca16-17 All Japan MicroMouse ContestTsukuba International Conference Center,Tsukuba, JapanIncludesMicromouse,MicromouseExpertlevel,and Micro Clipper events.www.robomedia.org/directory/jp/game/mm_japan.html17 DPRG RoboRamaMuseum of Nature and Science, Dallas, TXTheusualassortmentofeventsincludingQuick Trip,T-Time,wall-following,line-following,and canretrieval.Anoutdoorwaypoint-followingeventknown as the Long-Haul will also be included this year.www.dprg.org23-24 Hawaii Underwater Robot ChallengeUH Manoa Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex, Oahu, HIROVs built by university and high school students com-pete in this event, which is part of the MATE (MarineAdvanced Technology Education) series of contests.www.marinetech.org/rov_competition24 ROBOEXOTICAMuseumsquartier, Vienna, AustriaAcompetitionforcocktailrobotsthatincludeseventssuchasservingcocktails,mixingcocktails,bartending conversation, and lighting cigarettes.www.roboexotica.org/en/acra.htm24 Roaming Robots Grand FinalKent, UKRemote-controlled vehicles destroy each other.www.roamingrobots.co.uk/events_calendar.htm30 ARADBOTSantiago, Dominican RepublicAutonomous robots compete in line-following andmini-Sumo events.www.aiolosrd.com30 Texas BEST CompetitionTexas Tech University, Lubbock, TXStudents and corporate sponsors build robots fromstandardized kits and compete in a challenge thatchanges each year.www.texasbest.orgD De ec ce em mb be er r7-8 Souths BEST CompetitionBeard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum, Auburn University, Auburn, ALRegional BEST teams from multiple states competein this regional championship.www.southsbest.org8 Penn State Abington Robo-HoopPenn State Abington, Abington, PAAutonomousrobotbasketballeventinwhichrobots must pick up foam balls and shoot or dunkthem into a basket.www.ecsel.psu.edu/~avanzato/robots/contests/robo-hoopsSend updates, new listings, corrections, complaints, and suggestions to: steve@ncc.com or FAX 972-404-026918 SERVO 11.2007Events.qxd10/9/200711:28 AMPage 18Full Page.qxd10/10/200711:44 AMPage 192 MHz Pulse-Width ModulatorMicrochipTechnology,Inc.,nowofferstheMCP16312.0MHz,high-speedpulsewidthmodula-tor(PWM).Thehighlyinte-grateddevicecontainsa1ampereintegratedMOSFETdriver,high-speedcompara-torforover-voltageprotection,andbothbattery-currentandvoltage-senseamplifiersinonesmallpackage.Protection features, such as under voltage lock out (UVLO)and over-temperature protection, come standard with thePWM,whichiscapableofchargingmultiplebatterychemistries, including Li-Ion, NiHM, NiCd, and Lead Acid.TheMCP1631PWMprovidesameanstoclosethefeedbackloopinSwitch-ModePowerSupplies(SMPSs)thatusemicrocontrollersforgeneralsystemintelligenceand control. The integration of the PWMs SMPS input andoutputinterfaceviaitsvoltagecomparator,battery-voltage,andcurrent-senseamplifiers plusits1A MOSFET driver enable designers to use this single deviceto perform many different functions in their designs. Theresult is a smaller design footprint and lower overall cost.Additionally,theMCP1631iscontrolledbyaneasily-programmable microcontroller, meaning that exact chargeprofilesforavarietyofbattery-chargingsystemscanbeaccuratelymet,whileclosingthefeedbackloopwiththespeed and precision needed for safe charging and long bat-tery life. The PWMs UVLO and over-temperature protectionfeatures enhance the safety of battery-charger designs.High-voltageversionsoftheMCP1631PWMare available (Part # MCP1631HV), which operate from 6V to16Vandincludealinearregulator(LDO).Thestandardversions of the device operate from 3V to 5.5V, and do notincludeaLDO.PossibleapplicationsincludehandheldNew ProductsCONTROLLERS & PROCESSORSNNEEWWPPRROODDUUCCTTSSMaximumRobotics.com1-800-979-9130Wiring Robot Controller Atmel ATMega 128 128k Memory 43 Digital I/O Pins 8 Analog Inputs 8 External Interupts 6 PWM Channels 2 Serial Ports including Bi-Directional USB The Wiring Programming LanguageThe Wiring language provides a simplified subset ofC or C++ that hides more advanced concepts likeclasses, objects, pointers (while still making themaccessible for advanced users). You get the powerof C or C++ with the ease of a language like Basic.Programs execute at full C++ speed on the board.$69.95Robot ControllersARC1.1 Robot Controller Atmel ATMega16 1k SRAM, 16k Flash Dual 1.1 amp motor drives Supports motors up to 25V Dual quadrature encoder support Programming cable included with kit No additional hardware needed Works with BASCOM and AvrDude programming softwareIdeal for controlling your small robot. With a Microcontrollerand onboard motor controllers, you get all the electronicsthat you need (except sensors) on one board.Kit $37.95 / Assembled $41.95Programmable Robot KitsINEX MicroCamp Mega8 Atmel ATMega8 Dual DC motor drivers 2 Buttons, 2 LEDs Serial port 5-Analog ports for sensors +5V switching power supply No soldering required Supports In-system Programming via ISP connectorwith included PX-400 Serial ProgrammerIncludes eveything you need to build a simple mobilerobot. Add your own additional sensors for evenmore complex robots.$59.95MicroBric Viper Screw-together Assembly BasicAtom Microcontroller 2 motor modules Bump sensor modules Switch Modules IR Remote & Receiver ModuleWith microbric, you can build complex electronicdevices with little or no prior electronics knowledge.As no soldering is involved and the parts are fullyreusable, you can build and rebuild programmablerobots as many times as you like.$89.95Also Available:Electronic ComponentsServosMotorsHardwareWheels & Tiresand More!More New Products on the way!20 SERVO 11.2007Nov07NewProd.qxd10/10/20074:56 PMPage 20medical,consumer,andindustrialelectronicdevicesthatrequire power management and SMPS technology, with afocusonbatterycharging.Examplesincludeintelligentpowersupplies,smartbatterychargers,RFremotedevices,handheldscanners,parallelpowersupplies,andAC power factor correction.For further information, please contact:Robot ControllerBoard That Does it AllEfficientComputerSystems,LLCannounces the BOTLOGIC Controller.This 4 x 6 inch board controls up to 32RCservos;24oftheseservochannelshaveloadsensingcircuitrytoallowrobotstodetecttheamountofforcebeing applied by each servo. This servofeedbackwillhelparobotsensewhenaleghastouchedtheground,aswellashowmuchoftherobotsweightisoneachleg.Whenusedwithagripper,itwillhelpdetectwhenthegripperhastouchedanobjectandhowmuchforcethegripperisactuallyapplyingtoanobject.Twentyuserinputsareavailableforconnectingtobumperswitchesorothersensors,allowingyourrobot to explore its environment. Also on-board is a three-axisaccelerometerwhichisperfectfortodaysbalancingBOTs. The built-in SD card interface can be used for load-ing new programs into the robot, as well as storing dataandsoundfilestousewiththebuilt-inaudiorecordingandplaybackcircuitry.Usermessagesordiagnosticdatacanbedisplayedonthe2x16characterLCD.High currentLEDdriverscandeliverpowertouptosix externally mounted high brightness LEDs to illuminate theenvironment,showsystemstatus,orjustlookcool.Thethreetwo-ampsolenoiddriverscanbeusedtopoweraccessories such as motors or fans. The daughterboardconnectorallowsforfutureexpansionorcustomadd-on features.Controlyourrobotwiththeoptionalwireless interfacetoaPCorthroughmostwireless/wiredPlaystation2Gamepadcontrollers.Developmenttoolsare available for both Basic and C.For further information, please contact:Website: www.microchip.comMicrochipNew ProductsSERVO 11.200721MOTOR CONTROLLERSWebsite: www.BOTdeveloper.comEfficient ComputerSystems, LLCNov07NewProd.qxd10/10/20074:57 PMPage 21Featured This MonthParticipation22 Being a Safety Jerkby Kevin Berry23 Rules for First TimeParticipantsby Kevin BerryFeature23 Updating the British Fleetby James BakerTechnical Knowledge26 Building a LightweightLaunch Bot by Chad NewEvents25 Results Aug 11 - Sep 1127 Upcoming Nov & DecInmyopinion,thereisnotougherjobataneventthanbeingtheSafetyOfficer(exceptforEventOrganizer,thatis).Mostofthebuildersareyourfriends, theyve worked hard toget ready, and are very posses-sive of their designs. You asthe person in charge of keep-ing people from getting hurt havearealresponsibilityto do the right thing.ThefirststepwhenaskedtobeaSafetyOfficer is to have a discus-sionwiththeEO.Youneedtounderstandtheirtoleranceforgrayareasinthe rules. For example, if the rulesays a bot must spin down in 30seconds,whatdoyoudowitha33secondbot?Doyouinsisttheymeetthe30seconds,are youallowedtousejudgement, ordoyoureferthistothe EO?Understandingtherulesofengagementisanimportantstepin avoiding misunderstandings.Thenextstepistocommuni-catewiththeparticipantsaheadof time, if possible. Let them knowyouaregoingtobetoughonenforcement,sotheyarent surprisedduringcheck-in.EOsvary widely on safety, so someonecoming from an easy event to a22 SERVO 11.2007PARTICIPATI NBeing a Safety Jerk by Kevin BerryTheDecembereditionofCombatZonewillbeAllArmor.We solicited articles from builders across thespectrum,fromantweightstosuperheavies,fromnewerbuildersto seasoned pros. Like our WeldingSpecialandHeavyPower editions,thisisintendedtobearesourceforbuilderswhowanttocreate tougher, nastier bots. Whichis really what the sport is all about! Kevin BerryCombatZone.qxd10/9/200710:28 AMPage 22SERVO 11.200723Rules for First Time Participants by Kevin BerryStartinginanynewsport,club, oractivitybringswithitsome uncertainty,hesitancy,orjustplainlackofknowledge.Robotcombatiscertainlythesameway,especiallywhencoupledwiththeconceptofinstant destruction of your hard-built,first creation!Likeanythinginlife,thebestapproach is a combination of humbledemeanorandregular,thoughtfulquestioning.Veteranbuilders representacrosssectionofsociety:fromcasualparticipantstointensecompetitors;toleranttoimpatient;non-technicaltodeeplyspecialized.Nomatterhowtolerantorpatient,nobodywantstoreplytoapostoremail like this one: I want to build arobotandIdontknowhow.WhatdoIdo?Thefirstanswertothistype of question is do the research!There are several good books, manyteam and club websites, and locatorsfornearbycompetitionsthatareavailable to first time builders.Next,layoutadesign.Evenifyou arent sure exactly what you aredoing, give it a try. Builders are muchmorelikelytogiveadviceifitsin context of a potentially buildable bot,ratherthanamythicaldreammachine.IlaidoutthisbotusingtheWhyachigearboxes,butIreallycantaffordthem.Anyonegot experiencewithlessexpensive alternativeslikemodifiedHFdrillmotors?Thiskindofquestionwillbe much better received and moreimportantly getabetteranswer.Buildersarebusypeopleandreallydontwanttospendalotof time educating people who wont do their homework.Finally, try to meet some buildersin person. Sure, wed all like to take abottoourfirstevent,butmaybe abetterapproachistogoasa volunteer,getaccesstothepits,spendtimewithparticipants,andlearn,learn,learn!Therehasneverbeenaneventheldthathashadenough willing hands, skilled or not. Iknowaftergettingeliminatedintheveryfirstfightofathree dayevent,mysonandIspent thenexttwosweepingthebox andwranglingbots,andhada hugelysuccessfulintroductionto the sport.SVAs in the USA, the sport of robotcombatlivesonintheUK,despitethecontinuedabsenceofnewly televised events on the scale ofRobotWarsandBattlebots.Thissport survives only for the efforts ofthosefewdedicatedeventorganiz-ers.OnbothsidesoftheAtlantic,theseeventssustainrobotcombat.Inturn,itistherobotbuilderandtheirmachinesthatsustaintheeventorganizersandtheirtoughonemightbeshockedorangry if they are denied entry.Thefinalstepduringactual safetychecksistomakesuretobecalm, level-headed, and non-involved.That means making the rules the badguy,nottheSafetyOfficer.Idliketo overlook that weapon twitch, butthe rules say no movement, and itsunderlined,soyouregoingtohavetofixit.Anothertackispersonal,butnotthreatening.Ifyouor someone else gets hurt, Im going tofeel terrible about it, even if you sayits not my fault. Lets work togetherto fix that.Sooner or later, though, you aregoingtohaveto86abot.Before Idothat,IconsultwiththeEO, evenifwehavereachedanearlierunderstanding.Goodwillis90%ofrunninganevent,andspendingtheEOs good will ought to involve them.In the long run, out of the frenzy andemotion of an event, its easy to seethatiftherulesareknown,buildersshouldfollowthem,andoursportprides itself on a clean safety record.No builders, staff, or spectators hurt.Period.SVA selection of robots from theXbotz fleet. The current updateaims to use just two speedcontroller types across all of the robots.UPDATING THEBRITISH FLEETEvolution of a Rob t Army by James BakerCombatZone.qxd10/9/200710:28 AMPage 2324 SERVO 11.2007events.Themorecombatrobotsavailabletoeventorganizers,thestronger our sport becomes.MyteammatesandI(TeamXbotz) keep a robot battle fleet big-ger than most, but as in the military,eventhebiggestfleetneedstobekeptup-to-dateandatthesharpedge to survive.TheXbotzfleethasbeen fightingregularlyforacoupleofyearsnow,andtobehonest,arestartingtolookverytired.The technologytheyuseisnowsevenyearsoldinsomecases,soamajorupdate of all the robots is now beingundertaken. This article hopes to givea little insight into the efforts of oneteamtostaycompetitive,butalsopractical,asrunninganactivefleetthis big is a huge drain on time andresources, but I personally think it isreallyworthit.Wearestillbuildingnew machines, as well.For whatever reason, be it arenaconfiguration, available components,orawiderstatementofnationalstereotypes, the past has shown thatthemajorityofBritishrobotslackedthehorsepoweroftheirAmericancousins,relyinginsteadongood controlandagilitytobringtheirweaponstobear,butleavingthemvisibly slower.Byfar,themostpopulardrivesolution for robot combat in the UKwas the Bosch 750 watt, 24V motorwith 4QD speed controllers. This wasagoodsolutionforus,anditwasraretoseesomeonesuccessfully usemorepowerfuldrivesystems. AllofthecurrentlyactiveXbotzheavyweightrobotsoriginallyused4QD speed controllers.Itisabigjobtocompletelyoverhaulaheavyweightfightingrobot,buttoupdateawholefleet ofheavyweights,featherweights,hobby weights, and artbots within arealistictimescaleandbudgetrequired a very clear decision-makingprocess.Wedecidedthattheupgrades must all be reliable; easy touse;offerapackaging,weight,orsizeadvantage;andbegoodvalueforthemoney.Wealsodecided that logistically, having all the robotsoncommoncomponentswhere possible would be a huge advantage.This is mainly so we can carry fewerspares.Firstupgradesonthelistwerechassis,armor,andweapons,butthosesubjectsareawholeother article, so we can skip those for now.Second on the list were drive sys-tems namelymotors,gearboxes,batteries, and speed controllers. Thewheels are fine as they are.Alltherobotshavegood,well-provendrivesystemsalready,soratherthanchangethemotorsandgearboxes, it made more sense to ustoupdatethespeedcontrollersandbatteries only.Speedcontrollersareoneareaof your robot you must get right, oryou will always struggle in the arena.We did not want to take advice andWheely Big Cheese climbsthe fence at a school science fair.Our 60 lb walking artbot Venom withelectric crushing pincers uses a singleRobot Power Scorpion XL and R/C switchers.The 30 lb robot Bug with electric grabber,uses a Scorpion XL for drive and anMtroniks Viper for the grabber.Our 220 lb robot Wheely Big Cheese with250 lb driver James Baker. This robot lostfive lbs just by swapping to a Sidewinder.The 30 lb robot Tantrum uses NiMHbatteries and a Scorpion XL for drive, withseparate NiCd cells for the weapon motor.Our other 220 lb robot Edgehog has swapped4QD speed control and Hawker batteries for aRobot Power Sidewinder and NiCd cells, savingover 20 lbs. This was used for extra armor.CombatZone.qxd10/9/200711:15 AMPage 24SERVO 11.200725then regret it later, so we tried sever-al controllers head to head. I was soimpressed with one particular speedcontroller;IbecametheEuropeanagentforthecompanythatmakesthem.TheRobotPowerSidewinderlookedreallygoodonpaper,and during testing it exceeded our require-mentsbyalongway,sowenow usetheminallofourheavyweightsand one of the featherweights.We had a similar experience withthesmallerbots,identifyingtheRobot Power Scorpion XL as by far thebestcontrollerforallofthesub-30 lb machines, and the artbots,except one. We used a Robot PowerScorpion XXL (a modified XL) for thisonerobot,asitneededtheextrapower the XXL offers.TheRobotPowerSidewinderwas the mainstay of the UK champi-onshipsthisyear,steppingintokeepmanyrobotsrunningwhentheirregularcontrollersfailed.Onekey feature to this was that the speedcontrollerbeingremovedfromarobotwasalwaysbiggerthan theRobotPoweroption,soit alwaysfit.Thespacesavedinour axe-botEdgehogwasunbelievable;swappingalaptop-sizedelectronicsboxforsomethingsosmallgaveusroom to make much needed weaponmodifications.Batteries are also an area whereyou cannot afford to get it wrong oryourrobotisgoingtostruggle.AllXbotzheavyweightsranHawkersealed lead acid batteries prior to theoverhaul,whichalwaysserveduswell, but a switch to nickel cadmiumcellswasaneasyupgrade,allowingustoloseweightandgainvoltage.Twoofthesmallerbotsnowusethese also, with the remainder of thefleetrunningnickelmetalhydridecells.Weconsideredlithiumbasedpower,butdecidedontheNiMHmainly because of the lower cost.Ourthirdareatolookatwasradiocontrol.AllXbotzrobotsuse40MHzFutabasystems,andwesawnoreasontochangethat.Thenew2.4GHztechnologyisveryimpressive,butthe40MHz equipmenthasalwaysdonethejobforus,sothemoneywasbetterspent elsewhere.Theupdatestothefleetare progressing well, with the robots doneto date showing improved speed andagility.WheelyBigCheese,for example,iscompletelytransformed.The whole Xbotz army of robots willbeupdatedbeforethe2008seasonstarts,withdetailedinformationabout each robot, and each event weattendavailableonourwebsite(www.xbotz.com)plusanonlineshopforEuropeanbuilders,thanksto www.leafish.co.uk.See www.robotcombat.comor www.robotpower.com for infor-mationaboutthespeedcontrollerswe use at Team Xbotz.SVRobotBattlesheldtheirannualLaborDayeventatDragon*coninAtlanta,GA.Resultswerenotavailableatpresstime,butwillbefeatured in an upcoming issue. Go towww.robotbattles.com formoreinformation.TheUKHeavyweightChampionships,presentedbyRoamingRobots,wereheldAugust28th-31statHavenHafanyMrHolidayPark,NorthWales.Gotowww.roamingrobots.co.uk for moreinformation. Results are as follows: Heavyweight 1st: Big Nipper; 2nd:Terrorhurtz; 3rd: Iron Awe 5. Annihilator Tilly Ewe 2. Featherweight Little Flipper 2.Robots Live presented a show onSeptember1st-2ndatSportspace Hemel Hempstead. TeamWindPowertookhome1stplaceintheFeathersandHeavies,andTeamBigNippertookhome2ndinbothweightclasses.Gotowww.robotslive.co.uk formoreinformation.SVEVENTSRESULTS August 11th - September 11thA Scorpion XL is at the heart (literally)of our 30 lb artbot Hellraiser.Another 220 lb robot Carnage uses a RobotPower Sidewinder for both drive motors andanother for both weapon motors. The LeadAcid batteries have been replaced with NiCdpacks, saving 10 lbs.CombatZone.qxd10/9/200710:28 AMPage 2526 SERVO 11.2007Thesedays,itseemsthatthetrendwithincombatroboticsisfor people to build two basic types ofrobots.Theyareeitherasuper powerfulKEspinnerwhichtriestodestroyeverythinginitspathorsupertoughwedgetyperobotsmadetowithstandthepunishmentfromthespinningrobots.Somerobotswilldeviatefromthistrend,butforthemostpart,themajorityfall into these categories.InthehalfdozenyearsthatIhave been involved with this sport, Ihavemainlybuiltsub-lightrobots,whicharerobotsthatarelessthan30 pounds. I have always wanted tobuildapneumaticrobotcapableoflaunchinganotherrobotintotheroof;however,duetotheweightrestrictions on the sub-light classes, Iwas never able to build a robot thatcould achieve my goal.OnedayafterseeingvideosofvariousUKpneumaticrobots,Idecided it was time to build a full size60poundlightweightrobot.Thisrobotwouldbesomethingdifferentthanthenorm;arobotthatcould(hopefully)taketheabusefromthepowerfulKErobotsandsendthewedgetyperobotsflyingoutofthe arena.Inthisbuildreport,Iwillgiveadescriptionofhowmy60pound launch bot Rocket becamea reality.The DesignIn todays game, there are manyrobotsthatwieldweaponsthatcandestroyanopponentinshortorder,especiallyinthelightweightclass.Forthisreason,IenlistedthehelpofmyfriendBryanRuddytohelpmeCADanddesignthis robot. After much talking, we agreedonalistofthingsthathad tobeachievedforthisrobotto be successful.Webothagreedthattherobotshouldbecenteredontheflipping system, be highly maneu-verable,haveanarmorsystemwhichcouldstanduptothetoughKErobots,and mostimportantly be able to shoot anopponent to the roof! After a fewweeksofCADing,thisiswhatwecameupwith(Photo 1).DriveThedriveonRocketuses four BaneBot 42 mm16:1(www.banebots.com)gearmotorsupgradedwiththe775sizedmotor.Thisdrivepackagemountedto3wheelsgivesagreatbalanceofspeedandpushingpower.Also,theplacementofthemotorsandshapeofthebase plateweredesignedforoptimalmaneuveringandtoeliminate scrubbingofthewheels.Whenmountedcorrectly,IhavefoundtheBaneBot units to be very durable andwork extremely well.ArmorOtherthanthepneumatic system, the armor arrangement is myfavoritepartofthisrobot.Itwasdesignedtotakeandrepeltheattacks from other robots, as well asfacilitateself-rightingbylettingthearm contact the ground at all times.All of the sides are sloped in order toreducetheamountofsurfaceareathatotherrobotsmightbeabletogetahiton.Thearmorisvery low to the ground making it difficultforverticalspinningrobotstogripand damage.Also,thearmorismountedtothe base plate on a system of customrubberizedshockmountswhichallowthearmorshelltomoveandsomewhat flex when hit. Made from1/8titanium,theshellisextremelydurableandhasalsobeendesignedtoallowvariousattachmentstobeadded,dependingontheopposingrobot;allofwhichhaveyetto be debuted.ElectronicsRocket utilizes some of the bestelectronicsavailableinordertofreeupweightandimprovedurability.ControlishandledbythenewAirtronicsM112.4GHzsystem(www.airtronics.net)whichtheyBuilding a Lightweight Launch BotTECHNICAL KN WLEDGE by Chad NewPHOTO 1. After manyweeks of design,the final CADemerged.PHOTO 2. Parts cut and systemsinstalled, the frame is now readyfor wiring and final assembly.CombatZone.qxd10/9/200710:29 AMPage 26SERVO 11.200727modifiedformebyaddingabuttonwhichcanbepressedwhen I want the flipping armtobeactivated.Thisbuttonallows me to focus on drivingthe robot while giving the flip-ping control to a team mate.Thebatteryisa5,000mAh14.8VLi-PolymadebyThunderPower(www.thunderpowerrc.com).Thispackwasabletofreeupalotofweight, allowing a better distributionfor other items. The speed control isRobot Power Sidewinder; which maybeoverkill;however,itgetsthejobdonewell.TheguysdownatBaneBotsbuiltanddesignedmeacustom voltage booster/timed switchto operate the valve for the cylinder.Thevalverequiresveryhighvoltageandonlyneedstobeopenfora fraction of a second; this device takescare of that task.FlipperTheflippingsystemusesa custom-madepneumaticcylindercapableofwithstandingC02atpressuresgreaterthan800 PSI.Activationofthiscylinderis controlledbyalargesolenoidvalve.Feedingthissystemistwo20ozpaintballtanks,alsowithaninlinebuffertanktoallowforgasexpan-sion.ThisarrangementgivesRocketover 20 shots at getting its opponentoutofthearena.Withthemassiveamountofforcethatthissystem produces, the arms were made from.6 titanium with a .5 S7 steel push-ing plate. Overall, I believe this to beone of the best and toughest flippingsystems in the lightweight class.ConclusionAfterRocketsfirsteventatRoboGames 2007, I found a flawin the design where the armor willrubagainstthearmwheninvert-ed,thusnotallowingthearmtoretractintothebodymakingtherobot able to right itself. I believe thatonce I fix this problem, Rocket will bea serious contender in the lightweightclass. I also hope that by building anexciting pneumatic robot, it will spurinterest in other types of robots, notjustthepowerfulKEspinnersandbrickwedges.Istronglyencourageeveryonetogoaftertheirgoalsbecause you never know what mightcome out of them! SVHORDFall2007willbepresentedbytheOhioRobotClubinBrecksville,OHonNovember3rd.ThiseventisforFairy,Ant,andBeetleweightcombatrobots.ItwillbeheldattheCuyahogaValleyCareer Center (CVCC) (south east ofCleveland).Forcompletedetailsincludingrules,safetyforms,releaseforms,maps,andlocalhotels,seetheirwebsiteatwww.ohiorobotclub.org.RoamingRobotswillpresentaneventattheMaidstoneLeisureCentreinKent,England,onNovember24th,andattheHarveyHaddenSportsComplexDecember1stinNottingham,England.Gotowww.roamingrobots.co.uk formore details.RoboChallengewillpresenttheirThinktankChristmasSpecialDecember 28th-29th in Birmingham,England.Gotowww.robochallenge.co.uk for more details.SVPHOTO 3. Rocket putting theLW wedge Homer into orbit.PHOTO 4. Thearmor mocked uponto the frameready to be sentfor welding.PHOTO 5. Shined up and with newstickers, Rocket, ready for its first event.EVENTSUPCOMING November and DecemberCombatZone.qxd10/9/20072:44 PMPage 27IntheMarch06issue of SERVOMagazine,I introducedyoutoa programcalledAutoFlex atoolusedfordevelopingautonomous routines for FRC(FirstRoboticsCompetition)robot controllers.Theprogramwascreatedby membersofFRCTeam1675whentheyrealizedthattheyweregoingtotheFIRST(ForInspirationandRecognitionofScienceandTechnology)NationalChampionshipsinAtlanta,GAwithoutanyautonomousfunctionalityfortheirrobot.Withouthavingaccesstotherobotuntiltheevent,theyneededawaytoquicklyprogramtherobottoperformsometaskduringtheautonomousperiod.Thesolutionwastocreateaprogramthatwouldallowtheteamsdrivertoteachtherobotwhatithadtododuringtheautonomousperiodbyrecordingthedriverscommandsashedrovethroughtheautonomousroutine.Trainingtookplaceonthepracticefieldbeforethematchesstarted. Atthebeginningofthematch,therobotwouldrepeatthecommandsthat it was taught.In2005duringtheTripleplay competition,therobotscoredtwotetrasduringeachautonomous period.Duringthe2006AimHighcompetition,therobotcoulddrive uptothegoalandshootanentiremagazineofballsthroughthehole(most of the time).Theoriginalprogramwasalittlecumbersome and complicated to use.Whilethedrivercommandedtherobotthroughtheroutinethatwastoberecordedandthenplayeditbackduringtheautonomousmode,aprogrammer withalaptop connectedtotherobotviaaserialcable chased (or was chased by) therobotashecaptureddata.Thedatathenhadtobeloadedintoafileandthewholeprogramwasrecompiledandreloadedintotherobot. From the sidelines, this was funtowatch,butthoseactuallyinvolvedintheprocesswereoftenquitestressed and in peril.Autoflexhasbeensimplifiedandupdatedtoversion2.0totake advantageoftheinternalEEPROMmemoryavailableintheFRCrobot controller. Commands are now writtendirectlytotheEEPROMmemory.Nomore laptops and cables, editing data,andreprogramming.Programmerstress levels have been greatly reduced!Imagine This!Duringpractice,yousetyourrobotontheplayingfield,clickabuttonontheoperatorinterfaceandstart driving. Then you set your robotbacktothestartingpoint,connectadongle to the competition port of theoperator interface and flip the dongleswitchtoautonomousandtherobotwillreplaythepracticesessionyou justrecorded.Dontlikewhatyousee?Justresetthedongleswitch back to the off position and just clickthe program button again to re-recordanothersessionuntilyougetitright.Neat,eh??Yourrobotis AUTOFLEX 2.0New and Improved AutonomousProgramming Tool for FIRST Robots28 SERVO 11.2007FIGURE 1. Team 1675s first robotprogrammed with Autoflex for theFIRST Triple Play competition wouldknow one tetra from the goal andcap the second during theautonomous period.by Brian CieslakPhotos courtesy of FRC Team 1675 The Ultimate Protection Squad.Cieslak.qxd10/9/200711:25 AMPage 28readytorunduringtheautonomousperiod, all in about 15 minutes.Getting StartedA.zipfilecanbedownloadedfrom the FRC Team 1675 website (seeWebLinkssidebar)thatincludesa versionoftheFRCdefaultcodewithAutoFlex included. I/O mapping for thedefault program is as follows:Joystick 1 - Y axis to PWM_1 Joystick 2 - Y axis to PWM_2Joystick 1 - X axis to PWM_5Joystick 2 - X axis to PWM_6Setyourrobottoprogrammodeand download the FRCAutoFlex.hex fileusingtheIFIdownloaderprogram availablefromtheIFIwebsite(www.ifirobotics.com).Attachaprogrammingdongletothecompetitionportoftheoperatorinterface (instructions on how to makeyour own are also available from the IFIwebsite)andsettheautonomousswitchtotheopenposition.Youarenowreadytostartprogramming yourrobotforautonomousoperation.TheFRCAutoFlexCode.hexprogramrecordsfourinputs:joystick1x-axis,joystick1y-axis,joystick2x-axis,andjoystick 2 y-axis.Clickthetriggerontheport1 joysticktostartrecording.Younowhave 15 seconds to drive through yourautonomous routine. After 15 seconds,therobotstopsrecordingcommandseven though it lets you keep driving.Toreplaywhatyoujustrecorded,closetheautonomousswitchonthedongle.Watchout!Yourrobotwillstarttoexecutethecodeyoujustrecorded.Therobotwillplay15 secondsofcommandsandthen stopuntilyouopentheautonomousswitch again.Onceyouaresatisfiedwiththeautonomousroutineyouverecorded,placeajumperonthedigitalinput 1 pins. This write protectsyourautonomousprogramfrombeingaccidentallyerasedifyouclickthetriggerwhiledriving around.Thatsthebasicoperation.Nowyouareanexpert.For theBeginningFIRSTProgrammerIfyouarejustlearning to programaFIRSTrobot,asampleprojectthatisfullyfunctionalisincludedinthezipfileyoucandownloadfromtheTeam1675 website that can serve as a tem-plate to get you started. The program-mingkitthatcomeswithyourrobotincludesadiskwiththeMPLAB-IDEprogrammingenvironmentandtheC18-ComplierVersion2.4,aswellasthedownloaderprogram.Youwillneed these tools to compile and down-load your program to the robot.Adding Autoflex toYour Existing CodeAddingAutoFlextoyourexistingcodeissimpleifallthecallstoyourcontrolfunctions(motorcontrol,manipulatorarm,etc.)aremadefromtheDefault_Routine()functionfoundin the User_Routines.c file.Youmustdothefollowing(referto the sample code provided):1)Copythefollowingfilestoyour projectfolder,thenopenMPLABandadd them to your project:a) AutoFlex.cb) Autoflex.hc VEX_eeprom.cd) VEX_eeprom.h2)Opentheuser_routines_fast.c file.Addacalltothefunction autoflex_playback()totheuser_autonomous_code()functionas showninFigure2.Alsoaddthe#includeAutoFlex.hstatementatthebeginning of the file.3) Open the user_routines.c file. Add acall to the function autoflex_recorder()totheProcess_Data_From_Master_uP()functionasshowninFigure3.Alsoaddthe#includeAutoFlex.hstatement at the beginning of the file.4)Openthemain.cfile.Addacalltothefunctionrewind_autoflex_playback()tothemain()functionasshowninFigure5.Alsoaddthe#include"AutoFlex.h"statementatthebeginning of the file.SERVO 11.200729FIGURE 4. Team 1675s Aim High robotwould drive up to the goal and shootmost of its 10 balls through the hole.FIGURE 2FIGURE 3Cieslak.qxd10/9/200711:25 AMPage 295) Configure Autoflex.h to reflect yourrobotsystem.Sectionsthatyou may want to consider changing includethe following:a)Determinehowmanyinputsyouwant to capture and which ones.//add defines here to assign//commands to user controls that// you want record/#define AUTO_COMMAND1 p1_x//left Joystick x#define AUTO_COMMAND2 p1_y//left Joystick y#define AUTO_COMMAND3 p2_y//right joystick y#define AUTO_COMMAND4 p2_x//right joystick x//#define AUTO_COMMAND5//uncomment to add another input//#define AUTO_COMMAND6//uncomment to add another input// Number of inputs we plan to//record// Default is set up to save 4 inputs.//You can save up to 6// inputs. You can define two auto//command lines above.// then change the number of//inputs on the line below.#define NUM_OF_INPUTS 4ib) You can determine what you wanttouseastheRecordButton.Thedefault is port 1 trigger Button.//define the mechanism that will//act as the record button. //In this example port trigger is a//button on the OI.// that you would press to the//forward position to start recording#define \AUTO_BUTTON_REV_THRESH\(unsigned char)100 // used by Vex#define\AUTO_BUTTON_FWD_THRESH\(unsigned char)154 // used by Vex#define \AUTO_NEUTRAL_PWM_VALUE\(unsigned char)127#define AUTO_RECORD (p1_sw_trig)//port_1 trigger to start recordingc) You can adjust the length of timeyouwanttorecordcommandsbychangingtheTIME_LIMITvalue.Defaultis150tenthsofasecond(or 15 seconds). The maximum valueofTIME_LIMITdependsonthenumberofinputsyouaretryingtosave.Themaxnumberof commandvaluesthatcanbesavedis 1,024. To determine the max timeavailable,usethefollowingformula(1024/number_of_inputs)-1=max_tenths_of_seconds.Forexam-ple:(1024/4inputs)-1=255,soTIME_LIMITcouldbesetto255tenths_of_seconds. (25.5 seconds).//Thelengthoftheautonomous routine in tenths of seconds#define TIME_LIMIT 150d)YoucanassignwhichdigitalportyouwanttouseforyourWRITE_PROTECTjumper.Ifyoudontwanttowriteprotectyourautonomouscodeoryouhaveusedupallyour digitalports,re-defineWRITE_PROTECT to 1.// if jumper in place then do not//record (assuming jumper pulls pin//low)#define WRITE_PROTECT \(rc_dig_in01)e)SinceanFRCrobotusesa longertimingintervalthanVEXrobotsduringautonomousopera-tion,uncommentthe#defineFRC1linetoadjustthetimingifyouareadding Autoflex to a FRC robot.No More Excusesto Sit Idle!WhenIattendedFIRSTRegionalcompetitionsinMilwaukee,WIandCleveland,OHandtheFIRSTNationalChampionshipinAtlanta,Iwas surprised by how many robots sat idleduringtheautonomoussegmentofthematch.OurteamstartedtoutingthebenefitsandsimplicityoftheAutoflexprogramthereandenabledseveralteamstocompeteduringthat15secondperiodatthebeginningofthe match. Even sending the robot outtoadefensivepositionisbetterthanjust sitting there.Idowanttoemphasize,though,thatAutoflexisnotasubstituteforawell thought out autonomous programthatusessensorsandfeedback algorithms.Tobetrulyautonomous,the robot must be aware of and reacttoitsenvironment.Soprogrammers,you are not off the hook.See you in the Pits.SVFor Autoflex fileshttp://team1675.com/teamdownload.htmlFor competition port donglewww.ifirobotics.com/oi.shtmlWeb LinksBrianCieslakisamentorforFIRSTTeam 1675, The Ultimate ProtectionSquad.Hecanbecontactedviaemail at K9WIS@yahoo.com.Contact the Author30 SERVO 11.2007FIGURE 5FIGURE 6. Autoflex was used to programa large claw-like manipulator during theautonomous period at the beginningof the Rack-n-Roll competiton.Cieslak.qxd10/9/200711:25 AMPage 30IMServiceP. 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The events organizedunderthenewnationalRoboticFighting League (RFL) are austereanddown-to-business.Designandstrategy has taken center stage.I think overall its been good to beoutofthespotlight,saysMoon.Itseliminated the people who just wantedto get on TV. Its let the sport progressthe way it should.Moonstartedbuildingrobotsforhimself when he was only 10. Now, attheageof46,heworksatCiscoSystemsasaDistinguishedEngineer,thehighestrankoftechnical professional.Onlyacoupleof dozenmulti-disciplinedNinja-Class engineers work for the firm, taking onspecialprojectsthatrequirethemostout-of-the-boxsolutions.Duringhis professionalcareer,Moonhascreatedmorethan200newpatents,atanaverage rate of one every six weeks.Moon is also a popular guy in theDuesing.qxd10/10/200712:33 PMPage 32office on Bring your Kid to Work Day,whenhewillbringinmanyofhisteamsremote-controlledcreationsforaparkinglotdemonstration.Weekendsarespentbuildingand fightingrobotswiththerestofTeamMoon,asmallcoterieoffamily members and engineering colleagues.TeamMoonbegancompetingincombatrobotssixyearsago,attheheightoftheBattleBotscraze.Itsearlyheavyweightrobot,Vladinator,dominatedmanyofthetelevisedtournaments.NowactiveinthelargerandindependentRFL,aswellastheyearly(untelevised)BattleBotscontest,TeamMoonoperatesaboutahalfdozenrobotscompetitively,eachrankingnearthetopoftheirweight class.Mostcontestsaredoubleelimina-tiontournamentsofthree-minutebouts,wheretworobotsofthesameweight class fight to disable each other.Theoperatorcontrolsincludeatap-outbuttonforwhentheoperatorwishestosurrenderthematchandsaveitsfighterfromfurtherdamage orhumiliation.Mostfightsendwiththisforfeitbutton,whereonerobotobviously dominates.Ifthethree-minutebellrings,judges award points to the contendersbasedonaggression,strategy,anddamage.Typically,ittakestwopeopleperrobottosteertheactionwith radiocontrols onetodrivethebotaroundtherink,andtheothertofireits weapons.Weaponsonsuper-heavyweightrobots (around 340 lbs) are not kiddingaroundanymore.Inathree-minutematch,theoffensivemaneuversconsistingofkineticthrusts,spinningblades,orburstsofflame pushoutupto200,000joulesofenergy, pumpingfrom2,000amp,30voltreserves of electric power.Youmightthinkagoodarmorwould be 1/4 inch thick 4130 or 4340steel,saysMoon.Mostweaponsnow will cut through that like butter.SincethesporthaslefttheTVspotlight, more responsive engines andmore sinister hardware have emerged.Thetopcompetingmachinesare nowdevelopedthroughadvancedengineering software, digitally simulat-ed, and CNC cut.The Devils WorkshopWhats nice about robotics is thatits a full system: mechanical, electronic,andartificialintelligence,Moonsays.Youhavetoknowalittlebitof everythingwhenyourebuildingarobot, and that to me is very satisfying.Forrobotbuildersfascinated withperformance,strength,power,mechanicalmotion,andthegratingsound of metal-on-metal it is appropri-ate that the most advanced addition totheirworkshopis,inasense,arobotitself a robot that uses mechanicals,electronics, and programming.The biggest addition to the Moonworkroom has been a CNC mill, whichcutsmetalpiecesautomaticallyfromthecomputerizedpartmodels.MoonpurchasedoneofthefirstpersonalCNCmachinesonthemarket.Thenewmill,putoutbyTormach,Inc.,isable to precision-cut the thick titaniumarmor, but is smaller and more afford-ablethanthehistoricallyhugefactoryequipment. The personal in the trendof CNC can be likened to the first per-sonalcomputers,wherethetechnolo-gyfinallybecamepracticalforanindi-vidual in cost, size, and performance.And with the advent of easy-to-useCAM(thesoftwarewhichconvertsCAD files into machine cutting paths),CNCtechnologyisbecomingcloser inpracticetojustsendingaWord document over to a printer. Of course,inthiscase,theprinteriscarvingoutthree-dimensional steel parts. Imfarfrombeingamachinistmyself, admits Moon. The Tormach isan excellent example on how easy CNCmachiningisgetting.Ifwecanuseit,then anyone can do it. The technologythewayitisnow,itsveryaffordablecomparedtotakingyourpartstoamachineshopeverytime.Incontrastto factory-sized CNC mills that bottomout at around $30,000, the PCNC 1100costs under $7,000.MyolderboyactuallytookinaweekscourseoverthesummertodotheCAMprogrammingusinga softwarepackagecalledCAMWorks,The Team Moon robot fleet.Team Moon wooden design models.SERVO 11.200733Duesing.qxd10/10/20078:48 AMPage 3334 SERVO 11.2007saysMoon.HesinterestedenoughthathesactuallymakingafewpartsontheTormachmachine,whichisanamazing thing to do for a high schoolkid. My objective for getting him to usetools has surpassed my expectations.Robots Making RobotsSix years ago, a Team Moon robotbeganasacardboardmodel, then a wooden one.Thephysicalprototypesweretestedandtweakedmanually,beforethemetalparts were finally fabricated.Ittookusaboutayeartodesignitandaboutsixmonthstobuildit,becausewe had to do so much stuffby hand.Now, the shop can pushoutthemostmodernmachinesinhalfthetime,thankstoanautomateddesignprocessthatisinmanywaysmoreadvancedthan that of some commer-cialmanufacturers.Robotsare now fully designed in SolidWorks, a3Dsolidmodeler.Forhisnewestcre-ation called Eugene Moon used amechanicalsimulationsoftware(Cosmos) for various mechanical parts,likestressanalysisoftheassembly,orrepair exercises, which used volumetricdatatoensureclearancesinsidethemachine for different sizes of tools.The majority of the robot parts arevery complex in construction, having alotofcurvesandcirclesthatbendinmorethantwodimensions.Forourpurposes,wewouldbenefitfrom having a CNC machine where we couldCAM these difficult shapes, where themachinewoulddoalotofthethinking, rather than trying to doitmanually.TheTormachwasareallygoodchoiceforusbecauseitwasspecificallydesigned for CNC, whereas a lotofsmallermillsareconversionsofamanualmachine.Theresalotmoreyoucandofrom day one with a mill that is set upfor CNC.Despiteitssmallsize,theone-tonTormachmillmaintainsits cutting power enough to craft thethicktitaniumarmor duetothe rigidity of its base and table, which aremadeofcastiron.Themillsfour-axisspindleautomaticallycarvesthe complicatedthree-dimensionalcurves oneswhichwouldbeimpossibletocut by hand in a matter of minutes.The high rate of innovation in thesport of fighting bots can be seen first-hand in the evolution of pieces on themill.Giventheabilitytomakeafewiterations,robotpartsandassembliesevolve into stronger and more effectivedevices.Inthepast,thiswasimpossi-ble.Complexpartsneededtobeordered at a local machine shop, whichwouldtakeafewdaysorweeksofwaiting. Now that Team Moon can cuttheir own parts in the garage, they canspeeduptheconstructionprocess,whileenhancingthedesign.At-homeCNCcapabilitiesgivetheteamthe abilitytorefinetherobotdesignasitgoes along.Eventwoyearsago,thereweresomepartswehadtosendtoamachine shop. I made a mistake duringdesignaboutthesizeofthesprocketfor this standard go-cart wheel, Moonsays.Idhavethislittlesupportpieceontheinsideofthesprocketringtogivealittleextrasupport.Inordertoget the piece made at a machine shop,Ireallyhavetoorder10ofthem to make it worthwhile, because of theset-up costs.SoIdorder10,getthemback,and the support wasnt as strong as itcouldhavebeen,Moonrecalls.Itsjustnotcost-effectivetogomakeanother one again. Id just have to livewithit,andremembertochangeitnext time we ordered parts. Today, Idjustmachineanotherone.TheTormach mill gives us quick turnaroundon rework, which has been invaluable. The Spoils of Robotic WarDotherapidinnovationsseeninrobotconstructionhaveanyusesbeyondthearena?Giventherobotswarlikedisposition,thefirstthoughtthat springs to mind might be militaryorpoliceapplications.AccordingtoMoon, there has been military interest,particularlyintheareaofdefensiveA robot named Goosfrabautilizes a flame-thrower aspart of its arsenal. A larger-sized combat bot can exertas much as 200,000 Joules ofenergy during a single three-minute bout. Photo courtesyof Sam Kronick.Team Moons ax-wielding Eugenefights the spinning menance calledthe Shrederator, designed by TeamLOGICOM. The matchup createssparks as the two combat robotscontend for the 2006 national heavy-weight title of the Robot FightingLeague. Photo courtesy of Sam Kronick.Billy Moon and his son Willworking on Star Hawk.Duesing.qxd10/10/20078:49 AMPage 34armor.Someinthemilitaryhaveseenthesportspotentialasatrainingtoolforbothmechanicsandstrategic thinking. British Air Force cadets take acourseinbuildingrobotsandfightthem on the UK bot circuit, the FRA.Thebiggestimpactofcombatroboticsmaybeinthecommercialrealm.Therearealotofpartswehave designed and we ask manufactur-ers to build for us, which actually mayhavealotofuseforpeople,saysMoon.Forexample,electricmotors.We are very demanding on our motors.Wehavethehighestpacked,highestqualitymotorsmoneycanbuy.Theyhavetobesuperrugged,delivercon-stantpower,andbeverylightweight.Fiveyearsago,thatwasjustanoddrequest. Today, having a high perform-ance electric motor is a very interestingthingifyoureamanufacturerofhybrid cars. What would it take to builda hybrid car? Youd need a lightweight,high-efficiencyelectricmotorthatspretty rugged.Because he is an engineer of Ninjastatus,Moonisfortunateenoughtoworkwithsupplierswhogivehim testpartsinexchangeforfeedback.TeamMoonoftengetsprototypesofearly technology that is inaccessible to normal consumers.Therehavebeenalotofmanu-facturersthatweworkwithclosely,Moonsays.Oneofthemhastakenmotorsthatwerefirstdevelopedbycombatrobotsintothewheelchairbusiness.Anothervendorwasin satellitecommunications,andneededmotors to move the parts on satellites.Nowithasawholelineofmotors,basedonwhattheyve learned from combatrobots.Batteriesarealsoabigfactorinhybridcars.Anyelectriccardesignedfor practicalusehastocontendwithlimitationsofbatterylife,reliablepowerdelivery,and time it takes to rechargeat a stop at the gas station orrather,yourfutureroad-side power plant.There are a number of industriesverydependentonbatteries.Somebatterymakershavegivenus experimentalbatteriestotestout,Moon says. The batteries we need forourrobotsarejustunbelievable.Weneed batteries that we can completelydraininthreeminutes.Ineedtocoolthemdown,andthenrechargethemwithin25minutesbeforetheygooutagainforanotherthree-minutedrain.We need that level of cycling. Five yearsago, it was impossible. I have batteriesnow that can perform like that.Ifyoucandothatwithyour battery technology, then you can buildpower plants for electric cars; you canbuild laptops and cell phones that canchargeinacoupleminutesandthenlastallday.Ifthedemandisgreatenough, somebody will build it.Whateverthefutureisforbot-tested technology, the more intangible,butperhapsgreater,impactofthesportmaybeonfuturegenerations.Robotshavebroughtfathersandsonstogether,teachingtheyouthnot justaboutcompetition,buthowto bemechanicallyself-reliant.Ratherthanthepassingontheoldskillsof traditional tools to the next generation,theadvancedscienceofrobotwarimparts kids with the relevant high-techskillsforlaterprofessionalor entrepreneurialsuccess:computermodeling,CAMprogramming,andCNCmachining.Nowthatthese building technologies have come downtoapersonallevelofuseandafford-ability, the future is wide open.SVTeam Moon Robotics is one of theworldstopcompetitorsinroboticfighting, participating in several eventseachyear.Inthe2006RobotFightingLeagueChampionship,theteamplacedfiverobotsinthetopthreeoftheirrespectiveevents.TheMoonfamily lives in Cary, NC.Team Moon RoboticsWill Moon and his friend PatrickVanderbee sitting on their bot The Wall.Moon and his younger son Davidbending some titanium. David is using the blow torch and Moon is operating the press.Eugene. Broken Eugene. Photocourtesy of Sam Kronick.SERVO 11.200735Duesing.qxd10/10/20078:48 AMPage 35TheFirgelliPQ-CIBcontrollerisdesigned exclusively to drive the FirgelliPQ series of miniature linear actuators.In a previous issue of SERVO, you sawjust how easy it was to build and codeaFirgelliL12linearactuatordriverhardwaremodulefromscratch.Doingthe same for the PQ12 series of linearactuatorsisalmosteffortless,aswell.However,ifbuildingelectronicdevicesfrom scratch is not in your mechanical-ly-inclinedforteorifyoudonthavetimetosolderandneedacompleteand proven linear actuator platform inahurry,thePQ-CIBcontrollerisyourbest solution.Inthelinearmotiondiscussionthatwillfollow,welltakealookatthePQ-CIBcontrollerhardwareandfirmware. Well also perform a preflightwalk-aroundonthePQ12miniaturelinearactuator.Inthecourseofourtalksandwalks,welloutlinesomePIC-basedfirmwareandsomeverybasicPIChardwaretodrivethe PQ-CIBcontroller.Thisarticleisallaboutmovingstuff.So,letsgeta linear move on.The PQ12 LinearActuatorThe PQ12 linear actuator you see inPhoto1isformallyknownasaPQ12f.ThefinthePQ12smonikersignifieshigh-force.Thehigh-forcePQ12fcangenerate a force of 15N when the actu-ator is moving at 7 mm/s. A peak forceof 18N can be realized when the actua-torismovingabitslowerat6mm/s.The PQ12f is more than twice as power-fulasitsfasterfirstcousinthePQ12s.ThesheremeansspeedywiththePQ12slinearactuatorbeingabletoextendandretractitsactuatorat27mm/s.Thatsovertwicethemaximumstrokespeedof12mm/sprovidedbythe he-man PQ12f. And, by the way, theforces and speeds Ive just outlined aregood for both retraction and extension.ThePQ12linearactuatorsbothinterface to their control circuitry by wayofaFlex-PCBcable.A1mmpitchFFC/FPCconnectorcanbeusedtoaccessthePQ12fsFlex-PCBcableedgecontacts. However, you may also chooseto solder lead wires into the solder holesofthePQ12scable.TheresnoreasontojeopardizeyourPQ12Flex-PCBcableas you can obtain a Hirose FH21 five-pin1 mm FFC/FPC connector from Digi-Key.Unlessyouspecializeinwireandprintedcircuitboard(PCB)interconnects,theacronymsFFCandFPCareaforeignlanguage you dont speak. In a nut shell,FFCstandsforFlatFlexibleCable.FFCcableconsistsofthinrectangularcopperconductorsthatarelaminatedbetweentwolayersofpolyesterinsulation.Astiff-ener is attached to the cable end to give itthe strength needed for connector matingPHOTO 1. The PQ12 linear actuator isvery compact. It measures 36.5 mm at its longest extent, 22 mm at it shortestextent, and is only 22 mm thick. The maximum extended stroke is 20 mm. YWiInstant gratification comes in many forms. Thismonth, instant gratification comes in the guise of asimple collection of electronic components designedto provide multiple control input interfaces to a high-powered miniature linear actuator. For a robomagicianlike you, instant gratification is a Firgelli PQ-CIBcontroller hooked up to a Firgelli PQ12 linear actuator.by Fred Eady36 SERVO 11.2007Eady.qxd10/9/20073:16 PMPage 36and unmating. Due to the way FFC cablesareconstructed,theyarebestsuitedforstraightone-to-oneconnections.Then,thereisFPC,orFlexiblePrintedCircuit,cable.TheideabehindFPCcableis identical to the FFC cabling concept except the conductors of FFCcabling are etched. This makes FFC cabling the choice for customapplications that may also need an odd cabling geometry. Thesecablingtechnologieshavebeenaroundsincethe1970s.So,unlessyouwerebornjustrecently,youveseenlotsofFPCandFFC cables. You just didnt know what to call them.Unless we only want to completely extend and completelyretractthePQ12fsactuator,wellneedtohavetotalcontroloverhowfartoallowtheactuatortomoveandcomplete controloverwhichwaythePQ12fsactuatorwillmove.Themini-schematic of the PQ12fs internals shown in Figure 1 tellsusthatthePQ12fislogicallyidenticaltotheL12linear actuator we talked about in the previous issue of SERVO. Thatsgood in the sense that if you read about the L12, your learningcurvewillbezeroasfarastheoperationofthePQ12fis concerned.WhetherornotyouknowanythingabouttheFirgelliL12linearactuator,itsratherobviousfromFigure1thatthePQ12fsinternalpotentiometeristhekeytosensingthepositionofthePQ12fsactuator.ThePQ12fsactua-tordrivemotorrequiresapowersupply voltage of +5VDCanddrawsamaximumcurrentof250mA.ThismakesthePQ12fperfect asapowerfulreplacementfor+5VDChobbyservosinapplicationsthatrequirethehobby servo to emulate a linear actuator.PQ-CIB Controller OverviewThe PQ-CIB controller was designed for Firgelli by the BCITTechnology Centre. My PQ-CIB controller is shown in Photo 2.SERVO 11.200737NOTES:1. D3 ISREVERSE POLARITY PROTECTION DIODEV+0-10V INPUT4-20mA INPUTRC INPUTRC INPUTH1INTPGCEXTMCLRH2H10-10 VOLTS INPUTPGD4-20mA INPUTH4H4H3H3MT1MT2MOTOR FEEDBACKH2BATTERY +V+V+ +5VDC+5VDC+5VDC+5VDC+5VDCQ5STD30PF03LR8 10KQ1IRLML2402R910KC42.2uFFH2112345Q6STD30PF03LR10249Q2IRLML2402R11 10KC1.1uFIC2MCP1700T5002E/TTIN OUTGNDC3.1uFQ3IRLR3714Q4IRLR3714R210KR410KR310KR510KR60.27C61.0uFPOT SELECT1 2 3R141.0MC21.0uFLED1R121KC51.0uFICSP12345BATTERY HEADER1 2 3D31N4004D2BAS70R710KCON2SCREW TERMINALS123456IC1PIC16F6761134678910131212145RA2/AN2RA4/AN3MCLR/VppRC4RC3/AN7RC2/AN6RC1/AN5RC0/AN4RA0/AN0RA1/AN1VDDRA5VSSRC510KSCHEMATIC 1. There should notbe anything here a robobuilderlike you does not understand.This is simple PICology mixed inwith basic DC motor control.PHOTO 2. The integrated battery packis designed to be detached from thecontroller. The PQ-CIB controller comesready to rock out of the box. All youhave to do is add some battery power,attach a PQ12, and move the slider toactivate the PQ12s plunger.FIGURE 1. This is pretty simplestuff for such an accurateand powerful device. Withthe help from a very fast PICmicrocontroller, we will haveabsolutely no problem inkeeping up with the positionof the PQ12fs plunger.Eady.qxd10/9/20073:17 PMPage 37Atfirstglance,thefourMOSFETsmount-ed at the top of the PQ-CIB controller PCBstand out. I dont know about you, but tome they are screaming H-BRIDGE! A lookatSchematic1showsusthatthePQ-CIBcontrolleris,infact,mostlyanH-bridge.Everything else is done with firmware thatresideswithintheMicrochipPIC16F676.ThePQ-CIBcontrollerfirmwareaccepts 4-20 mA, 0-10 VDC, hobby R/C, and 1 kHzPWM input