Analyseur logique / Logic analyzer

Mon nouvel outil :

Zeroplus Logic Analyser LAP-C (16032)

Un analyseur logique USB qui offre aussi la possibilité d'analyser des protocoles standards (RS232, I²C...). Un vrai couteau suisse pour le développement. Le logiciel qui l'accompagne est complet et j'apprends tranquillement à l'utiliser.

Les 16 entrées disponibles permettront par exemple de surveiller toute l'activité du BS2 en une seule mesure...

Dispo chez Lextronic.

Additionnal lighting -Details and tests

As you can see on the following schematics, this new accessory is powered with +5V from the power supply PCB.
Note that it's got 2 inputs, which allows to switch the LEDs on from the BS2 or from the PC104 (printer port).
Each input has a pull down resistor to avoid floating status.
Diodes + Transistor = "OR gate"

This little device is not going to change everything because the available power is limited, but the first vision tests prove that it's an improvement. I re-used the Roborealm routine "object tracking" without moving the robot or changing the poor lighting condition of the room :

Without the additionnal lights, the yellow item is not detected

With the LEDs on, a blob appears and can be processed

What next ?

LEDs orientation still need to be tuned

The second input has to be tested. Roborealm would be able to switch the lights on just when needed, simply through a "Parallel_Port" module.

Lights on...

First project after a couple of months without doing anything on the robot : build additional lighting on the cam.

• Light source:

6 ultra bright LED (26000 MCD), approx. 20 mA, 5V.

• Switch:

I made a little PCB to manage the power. It's got 2 logical inputs that could be connected to the BS2 and to the PC104 printer port. Both inputs can trigger one 2N2222 transistor, through pull down resistors and diodes. It works correctly but the collector-emitter voltage is only 4.5V to 4.55V. Consequence : to have an efficient light production, the current in the LEDs will be higher than expected. Bad news for autonomy.

Additional lighting : Switch PCB and LEDs PCB

As you can see on the photo, the lighting assembly is not mounted on the cam chassis yet, but a first simple test demonstrated the improvement of vision processing. To be confirmed on the robot.

I am also thinking about completing this device with 2 fixed "headlights", maybe mixing regular and IR LEDs that could improve edge detection in poor lighting conditions.

Back to school...

Après un déménagement, après une saison pendant laquelle on peut jouer dehors, après plusieurs mois sans toucher à mon robot préféré, c'est la rentrée !

Pas mal d'idées de programmations et d'améliorations matérielles. A ce sujet, il y a des soldes intéressantes sur le site de Parallax. Je viens de craquer pour un Basic Stamp 2px dont je prendrai possession dans quelques semaines. Pourquoi ce choix : puissance de calcul, configuration programmable des entrées/sorties. A suivre...

Du coté programmation, je vais "à nouveau" m'intéresser à MSRDS. La programmation séquentielle de RoboRealm a ses limites, par exemple, pour la gestion des concurrences, ou pour la répartition des tâches entre BS2 et PC104.

Je parlais plus haut de déménagement ; je suis maintenant parisien ! Avez-vous connaissance de "clubs" d'apprentis roboticiens dans la capitale ?