Sherwood

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ATTENTION SHERWOOD VISITOR

This is just a quick message to the NXT-GEN visitor from Sherwood, AR. I currently live just outside of Fordyce, AR, and am planning a move to Conway within the next few months to attend classes at UCA in the future.

If you notice on the map there's also a visitor from Conway. I know who that one is, he's a friend from my home town. I'm attempting to reach the Sherwood visitor because it would be great to know someone else interested in robotics. If you could, would you contact me at:

fuseunison@gmail.com

------------------------------------------------------

Thanks

NXTapeMeasure

ENTRY 7

I've been trying to focus more on the programming aspect of NXT robotics lately rather than construction. As you can see, this is most likely one of the simplest uses of the NXT hardware, but the programming was very complicated (at least for me at this stage in my development).

The NXTapeMeasure measures the length of an object by reading the degrees of rotation from the motor and then converting it to either inches or centimeters. No power is actually being sent to the motor.

To use NXTapeMeasure you simply place the wheels on a surface you wish to measure and roll them along said surface. While you're running the program, you can press the left arrow button to have NXTapeMeasure display in centimeters, or press the right arrow button to display in inches.

As always, you can download the NXC code from the Downloads section.

I would like to take this moment to thank John Hansen, "RCX-Inventor", "LM321", and "pEhrlich" for all of their help and advice during the coding/learning process of this program.

Thank you all,

- FuseUnison

-Quote of the Post-
The true meaning of life is to plant trees,
under whose shade you do not expect to sit.
~Nelson Henderson

Zippy - 001 and 001a

ENTRY 6

Zippy started out in theory, as a robot that could "zip" quickly around the house using the US sensor to avoid obstacles. Well, in practice, what you get is a robot where "Zippy" is a name filled with irony. Because of the delayed reaction time of the US sensor, I had to find a happy balance between speed, and reactionary distance. I didn't want the distance threshold to be to far away, so Zippy wouldn't just spin in circles trying to avoid objects so far away that they were of no consequence to him at the time. At the same time I wanted him to be as fast as possible, while still having enough time to react to an objects presence rather than slamming straight into it.

I redesigned Zippy's construction after realizing that the gear ratio I had given Zippy-001 was no longer needed, since excessive speed wasn't a feasible option anymore. That and the single caster-wheel design sagged because of support issues.

Zippy-001a is much sturdier, with a double caster design. Zippy isn't as "zippy" anymore, so his body did'nt need to be set so low. Allowing for more stable construction, his body was redisigned. Although I'm still not completely happy with it.

There will probably someday be a "Zippy 3", but for right now I'm leaving the construction as it is. This bot is mainly for programming practice. I intend to have Zippy avoid obstacles(check), run from loud noises(working on it), and be afraid of the dark(working on that too). W.I.P.

When all objectives are completed, I'll post the code to the downloads section.

- FuseUnison

-Quote of the Post-

We don't live in a world of reality, we live in a world of perceptions.

Gerald J. Simmons

The Legend of Xbot360

ENTRY 5

It's been a few days, since my last post, but a lot has happened since then. For the past few days I've been in contact with Mr. Gary Cutlack. Mr. Cutlack is the features editor for the UK "Official Xbox Magazine". His office being in England, our communications were slowed a bit by conflicting time zones. After all was said and done, however, "Xbot360" will be published within the pages of this fine periodical. I am unsure as to the amount of coverage it will receive, but the fact that it's even getting any at all still amazes me.

"Xbot360" will be published in the July issue of the UK OXM, on sale June 7th. Now that I no longer need "Xbot360" to be assembled for photos, and such, I will get back to work on other projects.

- FuseUnison

-Quote of the Post-
"Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think."
- La Bruyere

Xbot360

ENTRY 4

Everyone, meet "Xbot360". Xbot360 is an original creation(programming and construction). It's based on an idea I had before I even started experimenting with Mindstorms NXT.

After putting about 400+ hours into "TES:IV - Oblivion" for the Xbox360(227 w/one character, and 183 w/another), I decided to try and get my "Thief/Assassin" character's acrobatics level all the way to 255.

Rather than sitting in front of the 360 for hours on end, I designed Xbot360. He's very simple. When you launch the program, Xbot360 says, "Play", and then begins pressing the jump button over and over. While he's "playing", if someone or something blocks his view of the tv, he will stop playing, say "Watch Out!", and when his view is once again clear, he says "Thank You", and continues playing out the time set in his programming(adjustable in code). When he finishes playing, he says "Game Over", and shuts down.

My comfort level with construction, and the NXC programming language are slowly, but steadily growing. This being only my 4th robotic creation, and my first of original design(that actually works), I think I'm progressing at an acceptable pace.

The NXC code for Xbot360 is available in the Downloads section, and you can watch a video of Xbot360 here, or by following the link in the Video section to the right.

- FuseUnison

-Quote of the Post-
"The whole of life is but a fleeting moment of time...
It is our duty, therefore to use it."
- Plutarch

Spike

ENTRY 3

Moving on from "Bumpy the TriBot", I made "Spike". Aside from the extra rubber feet for added traction, and different placement of the tail(so he wouldn't sting himself in the head), Spike's construction remains virtually unchanged(except for the claws, I thought those bionicle ones looked cheesy).

I never took the time to do anything with NXT-G, so I'm not sure what all the Lego Spike was supposed to do, but my Spike wanders around until he feels as though something is too close and stings it. He then turns around and continues his wandering.

Soon I'll create a "Downloads" section where you can download the NXC code for each NXT-GEN entry. As such I won't be putting Spike's NXC code in this post but you can download it, as well as the code for all previous entries(including CrapBot) by clicking on the appropriate links under "Downloads".

- FuseUnison

-Quote of the Post-
"Try not to become a man of success,...
but a man of value."
- Albert Einstein

Bumpy

ENTRY 2

Introducing, ....

Bumpy!

After realizing that it might be a good idea to go through the tutorial projects, to improve my understanding of Technic construction methods. I decided that, since I was most interested in beginning to understand the programming aspect of robotics, I would just make my own little modifications to the starter robots(to still somewhat satisfy my constructively creative needs), and use them to take the NXC tutorial at the same time.

NXC is a text based programming language for Lego Mindstorms. You can find the tutorial here. Also be sure to visit the BricxCC link by clicking on its link over in the links section. BricxCC is an IDE for NXC, and has many useful features like syntax, debugging, and more.

Anyway..., back to Bumpy.

Bumpy, is the "TriBot" that's the first robot your instructed how to build, with a few extras. With help from the NXT Educational Resource Set I used a larger wheel size, and new caster wheel assembly. I also made a poorly constructed "bumper" mechanism for the touch sensor, and extended the "neck" for the US sensor.

I wrote a simple program in NXC that told Bumpy to move forward indefinitely until the receives input from the touch sensor. At which point he backs up, says "woops!", and then turns around and drives in a different direction.

Soon I hope to post links to the code for my projects. Until then, I will include it in my posts, along with line by line explanations.

--bumpy.nxc--

CODE / Description

#include "NXCDefs.h" /load NXC Definitions into memory.

#define MAXVOL 7 /define the term MAXVOL for use. Assign it a value of 7.
#define MINVOL 1 /define the term MINVOL for use. Assign it a value of 1.
#define MIDVOL 3 /define the term MIDVOL for use. Assign it a value of 3.

task main() /Create task.
{ /Start "main" task.
SetSensor (IN_1,SENSOR_TOUCH); /Acknowledge a Sensor(Port: 1, Type: Touch)
PlayFileEx("! Startup.rso", MAXVOL, FALSE); /Play a File(Filename, Volume, Loop?)
Wait(1500); /Wait for program to carry out previously stated function(s)
PlayFileEx("! Attention.rso", MAXVOL, FALSE); /Play a File(Filename, Volume, Loop?)
Wait(1000); /Wait for program to carry out previously stated function(s)
repeat (12) /Repeat commands listed below. (how many times?)
{ /Start "repeat" command list.
OnFwdReg(OUT_BC, 50, OUT_REGMODE_SYNC); /Move forward.(ports, power, sync motors)
until(SENSOR_1 == 1); /Interrupt previous command(s)if(touch sensor activated)
OnRevReg(OUT_BC, 40, OUT_REGMODE_SYNC); /if "until" happens - Move Backwards.
Wait(800); /Wait for program to carry out previously stated function(s)
PlayFileEx("Woops.rso", MAXVOL, FALSE); /Play a File(Filename, Volume, Loop?)
Wait(800); /Wait for program to carry out previously stated function(s)
OnRev(OUT_B, 40); /Spin Motor Backwards(port?, speed?)
OnFwd(OUT_C, 40); /Spin Motor Forwards(port?, speed?)
Wait(1000); /Wait for program to carry out previously stated function(s)
} /end "repeat" command
Off(OUT_BC); /Turn off(port?)
} /end "main" task

-Quote of the Post-

In this life, judge no one,..
but watch out for @$$holes.
- Anonymous

ENTRY 1

Instructions, pffft. "Start Here", the box says, pffft. I had Legos when I was a kid. "This is gonna be a breeze", I say. "Who needs a tutorial?", I ask myself.

Pffffft.....

Well apparently I do.

True, I'd had almost no experience with Technic construction methods(I had a couple of bionicles), I thought it would be easy enough to basically, just fall into. Well, now I can tell that it's going to take some "getting-used-to". Learning the sizes and dimensions of all the different pieces, well enough to be to efficiently build something without tons of trial and error.

As I learned on my first day, you can't just start throwing pieces together and hope for the best. You need at least a "rough-draft" in your mind, on paper, or some other medium, of what you're trying to accomplish before you start. I learned this after my first original building attempt, which I just ended up scrapping less than 1/2 way through construction.

Still trying to create something original, without any preconceived notion of what I was doing, my second attempt wasn't much better.

Enter, CrapBot...

CrapBot was a horror of engineering. Initial design was "amended" as construction continued. By the time all was said and done, the support structure was a "give-and-take" between stability, and the retention of its ability to clear the ground. Pieces were layered in arbitrary places, sometimes providing almost no added support.

I need more experience understanding gear ratios, and proper placement. I've decided to go back and start from the beginning.

-Quote of the Post-
What we do for ourselves, dies with us.
What we do for others, and the world, remains eternal...
- Albert Pike

Welcome
to
NXT-GEN Robotics

This web log(or "Blog")will be an online journal of sorts, for myself to keep track of past creations, and experiments so that I can create an efficient learning process.

Also,

This will be a general hub of Mindstorms NXT Robotica. Links to other useful blogs, forums, and websites. As well as links to informative papers, books, etc.

Quote of the post:

Resolve is never stronger
than the morning after the night it was never weaker.
- Unknown