updated 2006-02-20.
This is something I threw together that I thought you might find useful. I can only write about what I hear about, so if you know something that I've left out, please tell me. Comments?
includes:
Much of that stuff isn't used in most robots, but I haven't found a better way to organize it yet. [FIXME: this is getting long. delete redundant stuff ... break into several files ?]
2002-07-25:DAV: I had no idea. According to http://www.androidworld.com/prod05.htm , as of 03/10/2002 my little collection of links here is the 4th largest robotics page in the world. Whee !
David also maintains related files:
[Consider making a "parts" section of robot_links; make CPUs a subs-section.] [FIXME: this page is way to large. Split into smaller pages and cross-link; trim out some of the lower-quality stuff]
[FIXME: do I need a section on AI (artificial intelligence) ?
]
(see also #androids for some amazing pictures).
[FIXME: should I comb out prosthesis and put them in a seperate section ?]
the da Vinci(TM) Surgical System(ISRG on NASDAQ)
Frederic Moll, M.D., Robert Younge and John Freund, M.D. formed Intuitive in 1995 based on foundational robotic surgery technology developed at SRI International
the da Vinci Surgical System is ... still [2002-12-11] the only operative robotic system FDA-cleared for performing any type of cardiac surgery.
see also tiny CPUs computer_architecture.html#simple_cpu .
On one end of the scale we have isolated autonomous robots.
In the middle we have swarms of small robots that communicate, but try to avoid crashing into each other.
Over at #modular I talk about robots that are built out of physically attaching many identical modules. In theory, the base module can be even simpler than the simplest isolated autonomous robot.
Some ideas that drive me towards tiny robots:
some "tiny robot" projects:
The Cricket is a tiny computer, powered by a 9 volt battery, that can control two motors and receive information from two sensors. Crickets are equipped with an infrared communication system that allows them to communicate with each other.
... based on the Microchip PIC ... User programs are downloaded to the Cricket via its infrared communications system. ... LEDs on the Cricket ... Crickets are programmed in a dialect of the Logo programming language ...
[FIXME: very cool. build some ?]
Cricket Logo http://el.www.media.mit.edu/people/mikhak/sas99/
tiny robots
[Some of these overlap into my "flying robots" category -- merge ?]
the single chip mote vision is a reality. The high level details are that it measures approx 2mmx2.5mm, has an AVR-like RISC core on it, 3K of memory, 8 bit On-chip ADC, FSK radio transmitter, Paged memory system, communication protocol accelerators, register windows, 32 Khz oscillator, SPI programming interface, RS232 compatible UART, 4-bit input port, 4-bit output port, ... memory-mapped active messages, FLL based frequency synthesizer, Over-sampled communication synchronizationJason Hill [FIXME: read more about "TinyOS"]
Many devices (printers, etc.) now use not just standard Internet Protocol but have a small web server embedded in them for input and to indicate status rather than using floppy disks or LCD panels or tiny little keyboards or other proprietary communication protocols.
[FIXME: Is there a better file for me to keep this category ?]
web appliances; embedded web server
TINI Networked Microcontrollers http://www.maxim-ic.com/products/microcontrollers/tini/
1. IP (Internet Protocol) and ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) 2. TCP (Transport Control Protocol, supporting two concurrent sockets) 3. UDP (User Datagram Protocol) 4. ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) 5. DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) 6. HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) 7. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
From: plackle bart Subject: Re: Accessing HTTP through a serial port Date: 31 Aug 1999 00:00:00 GMT Newsgroups: comp.arch.embedded Mike Godin wrote: > I'd like to be able to access an embedded controller with a HTML browser. > It should be pretty easy to get the embedded controller to speak HTTP, but > getting it to speak to a network is going to be pretty difficult. It can > only talk through a serial port, so I'd like to use my PC as the network > interface. Is there an easy way to tell a network that my serial port is a > remote computer? Is there another kind of serial-to-network device I can > use? > > Thanks in advance, > Mike Godin Probably, the most easy way to interface with the embedded controller . 1. setup an http deamon on your system (e.g. apache for linux) 2. write / use the program which connects serially with the embedded system. 3. place this program under the cgi-bin directory. 4. to send commands to this cgi-program (e.g. localhost/cgi-bin/yourprogram ? first param + second + ... 5. the httpd browser pipes this information towards your program 6. your programs serializes this via a specific protocol 7. your serial program (display towards the stdout) prints the html response 8. this responce will be fed back towards your browser So this all you need to do Kind regards Bart Plackle
I hear "netcat" could be useful. ftp://avian.org/src/hacks/nc110.tgz
Other than Apache, http://www.imatix.com/ also has a free web server. Lots of open source software here.
anonymous proxy server in 100 lines of Perl http://www.ics.uci.edu/pub/websoft/libwww-perl/archive/1996h2/0404.html
See also nanotech.html and computer_architecture.html#replication for some more ideas on self-replication.
Control of Stepping Motors, a tutorial Douglas W. Jones http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/step/
Basic Stepping Motor Control Circuits by Douglas W. Jones http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/step/circuits.html
``Peter Dilworth ... at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Leg Laboratory ... That walk put Troody in the vanguard of a small group of elite robots that can walk, run, hop and even perform tucked somersaults. As it turns out, getting robots to walk on two legs is a surprisingly difficult task.'' ... It took Dilworth two years to put together the aluminum bolts and springs that make up Troody's body. ... it took Dilworth one year to get Troody just to stand up. After another year, he got Troody to step side to side. Three years later, he got Troody to balance on one foot. In the end, five years had passed before the fateful October night when Troody took her first steps. ''
"Servo Basics" by Ahmet ONAT http://geocities.com/ahmetonat/servobasics.html has a nice, simple, NE555 + variable resistor, schematic for testing servos /* was: http://turbine.kuee.kyoto-u.ac.jp/staff/onat.html */
Newsgroups: comp.robotics.research From: Dave Novick Subject: Re: Looking for Walking Robotic web sites. Organization: Center for Intelligent Machines and Robotics Date: Sat, 5 Apr 1997 10:42:59 GMT > Looking for Robotic web sites that have Biped or two leged robots or > walking robots of any kind.
----------------------------------------------------------------
/| |___| |\ David Novick
/ | | | | \ 300 MEB, CIMAR
/ | | | | \ Univ of Florida
/ \___/ \___/ \ Gainesville, Fl 32611
| | P: 352-392-0814 Fax:352-392-1071
| DAVEMAN |
\ _ __ __ _ /
\ / | | | | \ / http://www.me.ufl.edu/~dkn/
\ | \ / | / Center for Intelligent
\| | |/ Machines and Robotics
----------------------------------------------------------------
--
************** comp.robotics.research (moderated) **************
Summary: Academic, government & industry research in robotics.
Archives and information: http://www.robot.ireq.ca/CRR
Charter: ftp://ftp.robot.ireq.ca/pub/crr/Charter
Meta-discussions/information: crr-request@robot.ireq.ca
From: (Skip Carter) Newsgroups: comp.robotics.misc Subject: Re: help: Robot movement Date: 20 Nov 96 11:16:41 GMT Organization: Taygeta Scientific Inc. ... deMilo <demilo at geocities.com> writes: |> Hello, |> I'm currently on a project to build a mobile search robot using |> mechanical legs. The thing is, I haven't a clue of how the leg assembly |> would look like. Doesn't anyone know of a source where I can find more |> info on the subject? Also, I've seen something called a pantograph |> mechanism. Anyone know anything about that? |> Take a look at the book: Song, S-M and K.J. Waldron, 1989; Machines that Walk: The Adaptive Suspension Vehicle, MIT Press (ISBN 0-262-19274-8) This book has not only material on leg design but a very useful analysis of gaits for statically stable robots. For dynamically stable robots, the math is quite different, for that kind of walking robot see: Raibert, M.H, 1986; Legged Robots that Balance, MIT Press (ISBN 0-262-18117-7) For a discussion of just leg DESIGN issues (for statically stable robots) see: Binnard, M.B; 1992; Leg design for a small walking robot, S.B. Thesis Mechanical Engineering Dept. MIT There are pointers to other walking robot resources at http://www.taygeta.com/robotics.html -- Everett (Skip) Carter Phone: 408-641-0645 FAX: 408-394-5561 Taygeta Scientific Inc. 1340 Munras Ave., Suite 314 UUCP: ...!uunet!taygeta!skip Monterey, CA. 93940 WWW: http://www.taygeta.com/skip.html
The Walking Machine Catalogue http://www.fzi.de/ids/WMC/preface/walking_machines_katalog.html has lots of links to other walking machines , and MPEG videos of walking and climbing robots.
From: Richard Steven Walz
Newsgroups: comp.robotics.misc
Subject: Re: Beggining 6legged Walker
Date: 26 Jan 1997 20:15:22 GMT
Organization: The Armory
Lines: 91
In article <503637475wnr@frasco.demon.co.uk>,
><morbidde at sprynet.com> writes:
>> Hi,
>> I'm pretty new 2 that Robotix, I've built the Movit WAO 2 and programed
>> it, I know computers and all, yada yada, but I have a problem, If I were to
>> build a 6 legged insect like robot like
>> so:
>> _____________
>> (6) =====| |===== (1)
>> | |
>> | |
>> (5) =====| |===== (2)
>> | |
>> (4) =====| |===== (3)
>> -------------
----------------------------------------------------
I had to FIX THAT!!
FIRST!!! PEOPLE!!: *NEVER* USE Tabs in An ASCII Diagram!!!! *NOT EVER*
It turns to garbage after it is posted once, as people's OWN Tab settings
make trash of it!! Use SPACES ONLY!!!
-Steve
>> and I set it up so that each leg, represented with a series of = signs, had
>> a servo controlling it. How would I go about, or if anyone of you have, a
>> program to make, for example legs 1, 3, and 5, all move forward, then pull
>> back, then alternate as 2,4, and 6 do the same? Thanx for you time
>> Morb
>>
>> PS. I've heard of a tripod gait and I was wondering if anybody Could
>> explain it to me? ThanX agin
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sure. Simple. First 1,5,3 lift into the air. Then 6,2,4 swing backward
propelling it forward. While this occurs or before or after, 1,5,3 remaining
in the air swing forward. Then 1,5,3 lower to ground and support it, and
then 6,2,4 rise up into the air, and they swing forward, either before,
during or after, the 1,5,3 which are still on the ground swing backward,
again propelling it forward. Turning is a tricky devil, but there are
several work-arounds, namely segmented joints between leg pairs that can
be bent slightly left or right so as to flex the body one way and then the
other and maintain that direction for how ever many cycles of turn you
desire, or you can make the swing of the legs variable for any one leg.
This is a bit fiddlier, but it will be a chore at any rate either way you
go. The reason it wasn't clear to you before is that your drawing has the
legs straight out, which is not at all instructive for the motions which
take place, and the legs usually are stopped with them in "swung"
positions, or with three in the air still if the legs stick out perfectly
straight as your diagram suggests. The diagram is more like this:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
/ \ --- = legs in 3 positions |^| ^
X= foot on ground (tripod) X X----o|o----O
O= foot in air \ |^| v | |
o= hinge o|o | |
^ |^| | | \ |^|
X O----o|o----X | | O ^ |||
|^| / | | v |^| X O----o o----X
o|o | | ||| / | | v
/ | | |^| o o | |
O | | ||| ^ / | | |^|
X |^| X----o o----O O | | ||| ^
\ ||| v | | X |^| X----o o----O
o o |^| \ ||| | |
| | \ ||| o o ^
|^| O ^ | | | | \ fig. 4
||| X O----o o----X ^ O moving
| | / | | v fig. 3 OPPOSITES
o o ^ stopped of fig. 2:
/ | | fig. 2 OPPOSITES all feet moving
O ^ moving of fig. 1: NEW "O"s moving
fig. 1 all feet moving: OTHER feet, forward in the
stopped "O"s, in air NEW "O"s, air, AND while
feet in air, "O"s, move forward, in the air, NEW "X"s move
have just risen, "X"s, on floor after the backward on the
feet on floor,"X"s move backward NEW "X"s floor propelling
were there before propelling it came down. it forward.
those raised up. forward. NEXT: Fig. 1
2, 3, 4 over...
And that's the way it is done by nature's walking-sticks and other insects!
Of course they do fine variation in stride and can back up by reversing the
procedure and while turning as well!
-Steve
--
-Steve Walz http://www.armory.com/~rstevew/
-Lots of New FTP Electronics Stuff!! 700 Files/40 Dirs (Full Mirror ==> *)
--
-Steve Walz ftp://ftp.armory.com:/pub/user/rstevew *
Europe:(Italy) ftp://ftp.cised.unina.it:/pub/electronics/ftp.armory.com *
Oz: (Australia) ftp://gold.apana.org.au:/pub/electronics/ftp.armory.com *
(U.Cinci) ftp://ieee.cas.uc.edu:/pub/electronics/mirrors/ftp.armory.com *
From: Thomas Thornton <mandtsys at ix.netcom.com> Newsgroups: comp.robotics.misc Subject: Re: Beggining 6legged Walker Date: 28 Jan 1997 12:40:22 GMT ... I use a combination of output port (one for each servo) and mechanical linkage to achieve a tripod gait with three servos. 1---4 2-|-5 3---6 One servo drives 1-3 fore and back, one servo drives 4-6 fore and back, and the third servo drives 2-5 vertically. This lifts first 1-3 for the swing phase and then 4-6. Robotic Regards, Tom Thornton KE6NJC http://www.netcom.com/~mandtsys/robots.html
modular robots: robots that are built from *lots* of identical pieces.
Buzzwords: metamorphic; reconfigurable; smart matter; ...
reconfigurable robots: robots with parts that can be disconnected and then re-connected in a different configuration. (The really cool ones can reconfigure themselves "self-reconfigure", rather than requiring a human with a screwdriver).
[is this related to replication computer_architecture.html#replication ?]
(Should I move this section to http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Robotics:_Exotic_Robots:_Modular_and_fractal_Robots ?)
robot modules that can reassemble itself (pins and latches) in several different configurations. Apparently each module has its own power and CPU and sensors and 1 or 2 motors. Each module communicates with any modules attached to it via infrared. Lots of details; good pictures.CONRO will be miniature and is to be made from identical modules that can be programmed to alter its topology in order to respond to environmental challenges such as obstacles.
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 23:40:19 -0400 (EDT)
To: nanocomp at coollist.com
From: Bill Spence
Precedence: list
Subject: Molecular Nanotechnology Company Goes Public
(A sponsor of the Team...)
-NEW COMPANY TO AGGRESSIVELY DEVELOP MOLECULAR NANOTECHNOLOGY-
NanoTechnology Development Corporation
(http://DevelopNanotechnology.com)
- Industrial "Digital Matter" Product in less than Two Years-
(Houston, Texas)
NanoTechnology Development Corporation announces formation and a multi-path
approach to development of the Molecular Assembler and Assembler Dependent
Products.
"NTDC" was formed in May '98 with offices on NASA Road One, "...to
aggressively pursue the development of atomic precision manufacturing and
all that such technology entails." according to Greg Timmins, NTDC's V.P.
of Financing.
The Board of Directors includes "Operations Consulting Director", Michael
Rothe, presently Exec. V. P., Contract Compliance & Quality Control of
Rothe Development Inc., a San Antonio, Texas R&D firm contracted to NASA,
DOD and other government agencies. His firm has developed aerospace
hardware and computer technology since the late 1950s. The Board also
includes noted Russian computer scientist and biophysicist Dr. Andrew
Adamatzky, University of the West of England, UK, molecular pharmacologist
Dr. Maharaj K. Ticku of UTHSCSA and Michigan Molecular Institute's Dr.
Donald A. Tomalia. Two other "science board" nominees are expected to be
announced by year's end.
On June 29, the company submitted the required documents for a public
offering of stock directly to New York State investors. Funds will be used
to facilitate a public awareness campaign and a much larger international
stock offering to fund at least three projects, late this year.
Big Issue Solved?
Quoting an unnamed source in the "MNT Community", "I personally believe
that the best thing TODAY is for nanotechnology to be invested in only by
non-profits, or by a very few knowledgeable, patient and wealthy private
investors who go in with their eyes open... ...It would be incredibly easy
... to create hype of that (great) magnitude with nanotechnology... ... the
people who do IPO's have about an 18 month time horizon. I just don't
believe there's going to be payback (in that time frame, resulting in a
-next Artificial Intelligence or Virtual Reality- investor perception, a
spoilage of MNT credibility)."
First Product, to Market in less than Two Years?
NDTC's first development start-up is Robotic Construction International
(RCI). Although assembler and assembler dependent products will require at
least 5-10 years of development (longer for some dependent products), the
RCI "package" is most unusual in that an initial "product" of great utility
and original attributes can be ready for market in less than two years.
RCI uses a "Top Down" approach for scaling down to the molecular realm and
has already produced what may be termed as macro (hold in your hand) sized
"nanorobot" prototypes, possessing AND performing many of the desirable
features of mature nanomachines (as described in Drexler's, Engines of
Creation, Unbounding the Future, Nanosystems, etc.).
Enter, Fractal Shape Shifting Robots, Programmable "Digital Matter"
For the last year, British engineer Joe Michael has been demonstrating
12-inch wide prototype robotic "cubes". They work, and are built with "off
the
shelf" components and a screwdriver. This same basic cube design can be
scaled up to meter size for construction use (NTDC's likely first
commercial product), or scaled down in generations exhibiting greater
industrial value. But along the way, as the dimensions shrink, these
nanotechnology compatible fractal robots have huge markets to explore.
A simple can opener or a complex asphalt paver are both, single purpose
machines. Ask them to clean your floor or build a radio tower and they
"stare" back blankly. A computer is different, it is a multi purpose
machine -- one machine that can do unlimited tasks by changing software...
but only in the world of bits and information.
Fractal Robots are programmable machines that can do unlimited tasks in the
physical world, the world of matter. Load the right software and the same
"machines" can vacuum the carpet, paint your car, or construct an office
building and later, wash that building's windows. This is the beginning of
"Digital Matter".
Fractal Shape Shifting Robots look like "Rubic's Cubes" that can "slide"
over each other on command, changing and moving in any overall shape
desired for a particular task. These cubes communicate with each other and
share power through simple internal induction coils (or surface contacts in
some
models), have batteries, a small computer and various kinds of internal
magnetic and electric inductive motors (depending on size) used to move
over other cubes.
When sufficiently miniaturized (below 0.1mm) and fabricated using
photolithography and E-Beam methods, the machines may exceed human manual
dexterity and could then be programmed to assemble complex fractal
aggregates or even to maintain the photolithographic and E-Beam equipment
itself! The ultimate goal is self sustaining systems and "self-assembly"
features that can drop cost dramatically and enable successive generations
of robots exhibiting greater utility and value, to be built along the way.
RCI's "Top-Down" work in these areas directly supports the Company's
principal objective of molecular nanorobot development in two ways. First,
the work provides direct engineering experience with large numbers of
independently controllable mobile devices of decreasing size.
This experience will prove essential once the availability of ("bottom-up")
molecular assemblers permits the construction of atomically precise
nanorobots in large numbers. Thus the Company will gain essential knowledge
directly applicable to the control and coordination of large numbers of
nanorobots (when such can be built).
Second, RCI's program is expected to produce a large number of commercially
viable spinoff products which will generate revenue. The Company may use
this revenue to support preliminary molecular nanotechnology device design
and, ultimately, fabrication of molecular nanorobots once molecular
assemblers become available.
The development work to be performed by RCI represents a pragmatic
engineering exploration of numerous issues relating to "Fractal Digital
Control of Matter" using fractal robot technology. This exploration will
include issues of power supply and communication, individual and group
locomotion, integration of spatially diverse real-time sensor data, and
physical and conditional multirobot metaconfigurations. As RCI proceeds to
smaller individual device sizes, RCI's investigations will expand to
include scaling issues, including the changing demands of locomotion in
fluids at low Reynolds numbers, power density and cooling, reliability,
electrostatic vs. electromagnetic/magnetic actuation, and van der Waals and
electrostatic inter-robot adhesion effects.
A definitive technology demonstration is in the works. See:
http://DevelopNanotechnology.com/Family.htm#demo
-Next Assembler Project & First Assembler Dependent Products -
According to the webpage, the next assembler project will be a "Bottom Up"
approach and is now in negotiations. An announcement with specifics is
expected by late-summer. Similarly, the first assembler dependent product(s)
development project that is now in negotiations and will not be announced
until late '98 or early '99. One other such project under consideration but
not presently under negotiation may be announced late summer. All of these
projects possess longer term development time lines, but have long term
return for investor potential unparalleled in present technology. "What
could be more profitable that digital information? Digital matter."
Can Houston beat Dallas in the real Super Bowl?
"It looks like Texas is going to be the field of development (says Timmins,
a New Yorker), with Zyvex (developing an assembler) outside of Dallas and
NTDC south of Houston nestled next to NASA. This is Nanotechnology and not
only are there more than one Assembler design patentable, MNT engineering
for assembler
dependent products is the really big field for expansion, after the
assembler arrives. We will aggressively develop 'ADPs' including some
exciting space systems. We expect to succeed and we expect Zyvex to
succeed, increasing our market for ADPs. Society should be the big winner."
Subscribe to:
NanoTechnology Magazine webpage: http://nanozine.com
(808)737-0628 FAX (808)735-0638
4451 Sierra Dr. Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 USA
------------- JOIN the NanoComputer Dream Team ------------
"To Design and Build the World's First Nanocomputer"
http://www.nanocomputer.org
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Free mailing list by Cool List. http://www.coollist.com/
PARTS founder Marvin Green organized the first PARTS Mini Sumo competition at OMSI in 2000. He developed an inexpensive kit to sell to contestants and stimulate interest in the event.[Mini Sumo]
"Use anonymous ftp to obtain a list of a variety of lego information and application programs from: location: earthsea.stanford.edu directory: /pub/lego /CAD/ languages for specifying models /faq/ latest faq for alt.toys.lego /games/ /images/ pictures and drawings of sets and instructions /upload/ Place your files here! ..." MIT has papers on LEGO projects available via FTP from: site: kame.media.mit.edu dir: pub/el-memos file: memo8.* "LEGO/LOGO: Learning Through and About Design"
[FIXME: move elsewhere ... to its own file perhaps ?] [microdisplays ... wearable_electronic.html ]
(in no particular order)
The exact opposite of these LCD panels is huge projection displays such as http://www.virtual-reality.com/ .
microcontroller chips (AVR, PIC, BASIC Stamp, etc.) that can be used to build Robot Brains . (what about 16 bit and 32 bit microcontrollers, like the 680x0 and ARM ?)
cross-assemblers (M680x, etc.)
From: falstaff at xs4all.nl (Frank A. Vorstenbosch)
Newsgroups: comp.archives.msdos.announce,sci.electronics
Subject: as??_108.zip - Assemblers for M680x/8048/6502/8080/Z80
Keywords: simtel, msdos
Summary: Reposted by Keith Petersen
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 00:08:41 GMT
Followup-To: comp.archives.msdos.d
Sender: msdos-ann-request at simtel.coast.net
Organization: SimTel, the Coast to Coast Software Repository (tm)
I have uploaded to SimTel, the Coast to Coast Software Repository (tm),
(available by anonymous ftp from the primary mirror site ftp.coast.net
and the secondary mirrors of SimTel):
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/crossasm/as02_108.zip
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/crossasm/as05_108.zip
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/crossasm/as09_108.zip
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/crossasm/as48_108.zip
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/crossasm/as65_108.zip
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/crossasm/as80_108.zip
ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/msdos/crossasm/asrd_108.zip
SimTel/msdos/crossasm/
as02_108.zip Assembler for M6800/6801/6802/6803 microproc.
as05_108.zip Assembler for M6805 microprocessor
as09_108.zip Assembler for M6809/H6309 microprocessor
as48_108.zip Assembler for i8048/49/50 microprocessor
as65_108.zip Assembler for R6502/65SC02 microprocessor
as80_108.zip Assembler for i8080-Z180 microprocessor
asrd_108.zip Sample code to read as??.exe debug info files
Common Features:
- fast two-pass assembly.
- supports binary, s-records or intel-hex output file formats.
- optionally generates debug information file.
- three segments (code, data, bss) for ROM-based programs.
- 'struct' keyword for easy declarations.
- instruction cycle count in listing.
- full conditional assembly.
- C-style expressions, accept base 2...36, using either % and $
prefixes or <base>#<value> format, 32-bit calculations.
- runs under MS-DOS 3.x or higher.
New in version [1.08]:
- added || and && operators.
- added AS48 assembler for 8048/49/50.
- added Z180 support to AS80.
Copyrighted, but freely distributable on the net. Uploaded by the
author.
Frank A. Vorstenbosch
falstaff at xs4all.nl
including PIC C compilers C language
[FIXME: move all this info to http://massmind.org/ ]
PIC Microcontroller Programmers http://massmind.org/techref/microchip/devprogs.htm
Is this the same as
CCS C compiler for Microchip PICmicro MCU designs. http://www.pic-c.com/
[FIXME: I have 68HC11 stuff scattered back and forth between here and #68HC11. Should I merge them together, or how to discriminate what goes where ? ]
DonTronics http://www.dontronics.com/ has lots of free information. sells "Simmsticks" (tiny, low-cost little boards with a MicroChip PICmicro microprocessor or a Atmel 89Cx051 microprocessor), programmers for them that plug into a PC parallel port, and some software tools to write programs for them (assembly, BASIC compilers, C compilers). Interesting "paperless" business concept: only physical hardware is delivered; everything that other people handle with shipping disks or paper documentation is handled instead via the web or email.
PIC16C84 info http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Network/3656/ including a free C compiler and other GPL utilities for the PIC.
Microchip PIC and parallax STAMP microcontrollers http://www.pacifier.com/~mcginty/
microEngineering Labs, Inc. http://www.melabs.com/mel/picproto.htm sells "raw" PIC prototyping boards (buy the PIC, crystal, capacitors, regulator, etc. seperately) for about $10. (It seems that the board + all the parts should run less than $30 but I can't tell whether it needs a $50 programmer or not).
Square 1 Electronics http://www.zapcom.net/~squareone PIC book _Easy PIC'n_
``The first and only C++ compiler for PICmicro and Scenix processors'' (Shareware $90) ``Pascal-compiler for PICmicro and Scenix micros'' ``The SmartBow® Software is a way to easilly create an HTML-document with a set of Virtual Controls (LEDs, buttons, displays etc.) connected to you code running on Microchip®, Scenix® or any other microprocessos.'' and other PIC related shareware and postcard-ware. http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Network/3656/ Pavel Baranov
Subject: New BASIC Stamp mailing list! From: Tom Mornini <tmornini at sun.parallaxinc.com> Newsgroups: comp.realtime,sci.electronics,comp.arch.embedded,comp.robotics Date: 26 Jul 1995 06:55:27 GMT Parallax, Inc. is now sponsoring a BASIC Stamp mailing list. This is an open subscription, unmoderated list. It will focus on the Parallax BASIC Stamp, BS1-IC, BS2-IC, and all peripherals and derivative products, including hardware, software, implementation, programming, etc. Please feel free to join into the discussion, or just sit on the sidelines and monitor the conversation. To subscribe, send e-mail to majordomo@parallaxinc.com. In the body of the message, type "subscribe stamps". You will get a confirmation and short instruction page returned to you. This will verify that you are indeed on the list. -- Tom Mornini ---------------------------------------------------------- -- Parallax, Inc. ------------------------------------------------------ -- Makers of really cool PIC development tools & the BASIC Stamps ------ -- http://www.parallaxinc.com ftp://ftp.parallaxinc.com/pub --
Scenix Semiconductor Inc. http://www.scenix.com claims to sell "world's fastest 8 bit µcontroller" Scenix designed the SX-18 ($3.24 in 1,000 units in 1997 Aug _Electronic Design_ p. 50) and SX-28 ($3.48 in 1,000 units in 1997 Aug _Electronic Design_ p. 50) chips to be pin- and object-code- compatible with the PIC 16C5x series from Microchip, but at 50 MHz (1 instruction per clock, branches 3). Also In-Circuit Programmable, 2028x12bits EEFLASH, 136 Bytes RAM, all outputs sink and source 30 mA, etc.
http://www.sx-forum.com/ has an online discussion forum about the SX series of processors from Ubicom http://www.ubicom.com/ (formerly known as Scenix).
Parallax http://www.parallaxinc.com uses the Scenix chips in a $199 "SX Development System" including 2 SX chips, a board, software, and a manual. Includes ICE-like single-stepping, full-speed emulation, in-circuit programming, etc.
Microchip Technology Inc. 1-888-MCU-MCHP
http://www.microchip.com/
produces lots of interesting components:
Produces the PIC "FLASH RISC MCU"
PIC microcontrollers (Don Lancaster is enamored with).
Some PIC chips have "2-wire In-Circuit Serial Programming(tm)".
(free technical library CD-ROM)
KeeLoq code hopping devices
Serial EEPROMs
QuickASIC (?)
$0.75 each (in 1 000s) 25LC640: 8 pin serial EEPROM, 8 K * 8 bits; 2 MHz clock; 2.5 V to 5.5 V (price from EEPN 1998 July p.17)
The chips that have FLASH program memory ($6.60 in ones from Digi-Key) that can be erased and reprogrammed by plugging a In-Circuit Serial Programming (ICSP) programmer into a 5 pin ICSP socket look pretty cool. Too bad that (as of 1998-08-07) none of the FLASH memory PICs have a PWM peripheral. (Looks like they're planning some for next year...) [FIXME: move information to http://massmind.org/
see computer_architecture.html for more about CPUs and microcontrollers in general.
http://www.mot.com/SPS/RISC/netcomm/ "Motorola's Next-generation PowerPC™ (MPC8260 PowerQUICC II™) Communications Processor Simultaneously Supports Fast Ethernet, 155 Mbps ATM and 256 HDLC Channels"
$10 (in 100 000s) ADSP-21065L SHARC 32 bit DSP advertisement in _IEEE Signal Processing_ 1998 May 32 bit fixed point and 32 bit floating point and 40 bit floating point 180 MFLOPS (16.67 ns cycle time => 60 MHz clock)
Also consider using just a small programmable logic chip rather than a full-fledged MCU + RAM.
New Micros, Inc. includes with their el-cheapo $39 8051-based SBC a monitor in ROM for downloading programs into on-board RAM, a Small-C compiler, BASIC51, MAX-FORTH, and a communications utility for the PC host you download from. New Micros is at http://www.newmicros.com. I'm not endorsing them in particular, just giving an example. (Though $39 is ridiculously inexpensive for what you're getting. Just the parts on the board would tally up to >= $39 if you bought them yourself.) "an I/O board with D/As, A/Ds, encoder counters and some digital I/O lines .... for controlling a PUMA robot w/ the CPU of your choice ... user's manuals avail by anonymous ftp: ftp ftp.cs.cmu.edu login as "anonymous" cd /usr/anon/user/deadslug get trc4um.ps a PostScript file that can be printed or viewed ... get trd0001.ps shows the board diagrammatically."
PC-104 single-board computers. (I suppose one *could* use them for other purposes).
see ucontrollers for more detailed robot brain info (and alternatives to PC-104 Robot Brains).
Also see vlsi.html#pci for more PCI information (relevant for PC/104-Plus) and schematic.html for some information relevant to designing PC-104 boards.
Information about programmable chips, and the devices needed to program them. (FIXME: move devices needed to program ucontrollers such as the PIC to #udevelopment ).
See also vlsi.html ( vlsi.html#PCI_on_FPGA ) for more detailed information on chip design and using FPGAs, and computer_architecture.html#FPGA for information on reconfigurable computing.
-- Robert YoungYou have your choice of schematic capture, VHDL or Verilog. Or you can combine them. Other development "languages" such as Handel-C are available but generally not free. Abel and Abel-like languages are also available free. I typically use VHDL but I know a lot of people who prefer Verilog. In theory, anything you can do in one language you can do in the other. If properly constructed, both should reduce down to the same gate level implementation. Both Xilinx and Altera have lots of extra tools for optimizing, pin selection, I/O drive etc. You can use these tools or just create the configuration files yourself with a text editor and run from a command line instead of the company's idea of a good IDE. Start small, and see if you decide to go with VHDL, the best book I have found is Essential VHDL RTL Synthesis Done Right by Sundar Rajan. VHDL is kinda funny in that you can write perfectly legal code that cannot be synthesized. It will run in a simulator but cannot be made to run in silicon.
-- Herbert GrafThe main contenders are VHDL and Verilog. ... Most companies are switching to only use Verilog in new designs.
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From: Matthias Sauer Subject: Re: FPGA VGA interface Date: 10 Nov 1998 00:00:00 GMT Organization: Siemens AG, Semiconductor Division, Munich Newsgroups: comp.arch.fpga You might want to take a look at Oxford Universities Hardware Compilation Group pages. They did a few examples driving VGA monitors (more or less directly, modulo some resistors to do the D-to-A conversion). They use a C-like programming language to develop the FPGA netlist, which makes it very straight forward to get a VGA driver up and running. The URLs are: http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/oucl/hwcomp.html http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/oucl/groups/hwcweb/video/video_games.html Cheers, Matthias
see also 2-way infrared data communication
The advantages of a decentralized system ... we introduce the Army-ant scenario.
[FIXME: move to "modular robots" ?] (used Matlab) shows that robots can be designed to carry out some task without any central controller -- with no direct communication at all. (see also http://home.earthlink.net/~unsal/ )
[FIXME: mail Dr. Ali A. Minai http://www.ececs.uc.edu/~aminai/sites.html , Bob McDaniel http://publish.uwo.ca/~mcdaniel/weblinks/spaceeconomy/transport.html and http://www.informatik.uni-bonn.de/~belker/mobots.html and http://www.d.kth.se/~d90-mst/courses/mip/ and give them updated links for the above link and for: ]
related links that refer to this thesis: "Complexity and Artificial Life" by Anders Sandberg http://www.aleph.se/Trans/Tech/Complexity/ ,
[FIXME: move to serialport ?]
From: "Zanthic Technologies Inc." <zanthic at zanthic.com> Newsgroups: comp.robotics.misc Subject: Announce: 68HC11/CAN Development System Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 09:10:53 -0800 ... Whether you are doing 68HC11 programming or CAN (Controller Area Network) development, you will want to check out our web page. Our boards power up with a working 1Mbps twisted pair network that allows our Windows based monitor software to download, run, and debug your programs across the network. Routines are provided to send and receive network messages easily both from the 68HC11 and from the PC under Visual Basic or C. ... http://www.zanthic.com/public/zanthic From: efa at teleport.com (Edwin) Ne