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Today's Topics:
1. Re: [Butia-list] XO robotics (Tony Anderson)
2. Re: [support-gang] Have You Heard From The Machine? (Kevin Mark)
3. Re: [Butia-list] XO robotics (Caryl Bigenho)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:24:56 -0400
From: Tony Anderson<tony_ander...@usa.net>
To: Jorge<xxo...@gmail.com>
Cc: Proyecto Buti?<butia-l...@fing.edu.uy>, Yama Ploskonka
<yamap...@gmail.com>, iaep@lists.sugarlabs.org, Christoph Derndorfer
<christoph.derndor...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [IAEP] [Butia-list] XO robotics
Message-ID:<5064b618.5010...@usa.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Hi,
I would love to see you at the SF meeting to explain Butia to that audience.
It was my understanding in Montevideo, that the robot is controlled
directly from Turtle Art. For me, the really great thing you have done
is to strap the laptop on the robot platform. This is not for cute
pictures, it is really exciting for the student to see the robot obeying
his or her instructions (right or wrong). The fact that the laptop is
riding on the robot vehicle means that its movement is not limited by an
umbilical cord.
As Yama states, we really need (for me, in English) a parts list and set
of instructions for building the robot so that it can be done by any
deployment. I had hoped that such a session would be conducted in SF as
I would dearly love to be able to set up a robot at the Saint Jacob
school in Kigali in December. Naturally, we will also need some lesson
plans for use of the robot to further the mandated curriculum in Science
(and mathematics).
My example would be to have the student program the robot to approach a
wall as closely as possible without touching it. This would involve some
understanding of the ratio of the wheel diameter to its circumference,
the number of degrees the wheel advances for each forward step, and
whole lot of other interesting concepts. For example, such a contest
could lead to the issue of feedback; how to use a sensor so the robot
knows when it is close. Should this be visual (camera) or acoustic or
the bending of a wire or ....
Tony
On 09/27/2012 02:08 PM, Jorge wrote:
On 27/09/12 13:35, Yama Ploskonka wrote:> 1) I wouldn't say better...
rather, complementary, and certainly
> cheaper. Visiting the Buti? pages, the only picture I see showing an MCU
> http://www.fing.edu.uy/inco/proyectos/butia/images/pistaButia.jpg is
> showing an Arduino. Add a motor driver, and we are well above $30, plus
> shipping. The USBButi? board is maybe cheaper IF done in quantity by
> experts (then add labor).
Besides the microcontroller the USBButi? board provides standard
connectors for attaching sensors. It allows autodetecting what sensor
you connected and were (something like the NXT brick, but with a wider
spectrum of attacheable stuff, more connectors, easier to hack, and
plug&play).
We sidestepped the motor driver issue using digital servos.
> MSP430 + (L293D OR some darlington array) can be "free" if you get them
> as samples from TI, or less than $5 when purchased, /plus shipping/, the
> old bane. the advantage of using a darlington driver is that then you
> may use plain DC motors, which can be free if lucky with old electronic
> parts (beautiful gear system available in old CDROM drives)
>
> 2) yop - the XO "drives" the vehicle with the MSP430 option also. Now, I
> put quote marks as I have no idea - yet - on how to send data direct
> realtime from the XO to the robot, bypassing the MCU. What seems to be
> happening is that Buti? depends on sending code/program to the Arduino,
> and the the 'duino does the brains of the robot.
Nop, the control runs fully on the XO. MCU only interfaces
sensors&motors and supports the plug&play functionality. No user logic
runs on the MCU.
The user programs on the XO access sensors/actuators connected the MCU
and whatever the XO provides (mic, cam, accelerometer if there is one)
transparently. The most frequent programming environment is TurtleArte
(kisds already know it), but there are also Python and Lua environments
for when the problem or the user outgrows Turtle Art.
In my opinion, what MCU is used is not actually important. What is
important is the programming environment, how it interfaces with
whatever your robot offers, and the mechanism you provide for adapting
your robot for solving different problems.
Jorge
.
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:08:37 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kevin Mark<kevin.m...@verizon.net>
To: "Community Support Volunteers -- who help respond to \"help AT
laptop.org\""<support-g...@lists.laptop.org>, IAEP SugarLabs
<iaep@lists.sugarlabs.org>, OLPC SoCal<olpc-so...@laptop.org>
Subject: Re: [IAEP] [support-gang] Have You Heard From The Machine?
Message-ID:
<1348790917.51108.yahoomail...@web84503.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
The version of python on the Mac, Fedora, XO, etc. while they might not be the
same, should be similar enough that all people learning the language should
find 99% of their program code function the same. There is that 1%, but my
estimation is that you would have to use more advanced or esoteric functions to
find a difference. There is the transition to Python 3 but I'm not up on that
difference. So.. dont worry about any issues until there are issues and then
just ask someone with more python skill to explain.
-Kev
________________________________
From: Janissa Balcomb<jani...@silverstar.com>
To: Community Support Volunteers -- who help respond t<support-g...@lists.laptop.org>; IAEP
SugarLabs<iaep@lists.sugarlabs.org>; OLPC SoCal<olpc-so...@laptop.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2012 2:25 PM
Subject: Re: [support-gang] Have You Heard From The Machine?
Network Email
hi caryl& other python students,
?
caryl - you put a burner under my butt with this email. i had gotten the
class email, but it had no links, so i didn?t even think to find the materials
or download python yet. when you say you downloaded the textbook, were you
referring to the lecture notes, or is there an actual textbook?
?
i plan to use my windows laptop running python, not the xo laptop, but i
thought maybe if we have an xo laptop team, we could discuss how to use what
we?re learning in this course for practical use with the xo?s.? i seem to
remember reading somewhere that they were talking about small teams of up to 10.
?
do you know how to find out what version of python the xo?s run?
?
janissa
?
________________________________
?
From: Caryl Bigenho
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2012 9:20 AM
To: Community Support Volunteers -- who
help respond t ; IAEP SugarLabs ; OLPC SoCal
Subject: [support-gang] Have You Heard From The
Machine?
? Hi Janissa and others,
?
If you are signed up for the M-MOOC Python class, read on.... If you aren't
signed up but think you might want to be, see the "P.S." below.
?
I am signed up and I know several others from the so-cal and iaep lists are
as well. I don't know how large the teams are supposed to be. If you looked at
the resource from "The Machine" yesterday, it appears they had teams of 2
for the original MIT class. Maybe this will be different. We shall see.
They also used a specific version of Python,
2.6.x. The version on the XO may be different. I would rather do mine on my Mac,
but we can probably work on a team anyway.
I have downloaded the textbook and Python
2.6.6 and have bookmarked the two MIT OCW classes described in yesterday's
message from The Machine.
Caryl
P.S. You can probably still sign up. The
class starts October 15, but there is some prep work and orientation going on
already. If you want to be a part of this experiment, here is the link:
http://info.p2pu.org/2012/08/21/its-alive-the-mechanical-mooc-offers-gentle-intro-to-python/
?
________________________________
From: jani...@silverstar.com
To: support-g...@lists.laptop.org
Date: Wed,
26 Sep 2012 23:42:46 -0600
Subject: Re: [support-gang] FW: Tonight - A True
History of the MOOC
I signed up for the Python class.? They mentioned that people can work
in small teams.? Is there anyone taking the class who?d like to form an XO
laptop team?? Janissa
?
________________________________
________________________________
_______________________________________________
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list
support-g...@lists.laptop.org
http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/support-gang
_______________________________________________
support-gang mailing list support-g...@lists.laptop.org
http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/support-gang
________________________________
_______________________________________________
support-gang mailing
list
support-g...@lists.laptop.org
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2012 19:39:53 -0700
From: Caryl Bigenho<cbige...@hotmail.com>
To: Tony Anderson<tony_ander...@usa.net>,<xxo...@gmail.com>
Cc: butia-l...@fing.edu.uy, "yamap...@gmail.com"<yamap...@gmail.com>,
IAEP SugarLabs<iaep@lists.sugarlabs.org>, Christoph Derndorfer
<christoph.derndor...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [IAEP] [Butia-list] XO robotics
Message-ID:<snt112-w631c017526a87d729bc1a6cc...@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:24:56 -0400
From: tony_ander...@usa.net
To: xxo...@gmail.com
CC: butia-l...@fing.edu.uy; yamap...@gmail.com; iaep@lists.sugarlabs.org;
christoph.derndor...@gmail.com
Subject: Re: [IAEP] [Butia-list] XO robotics
Hi,
I would love to see you at the SF meeting to explain Butia to that audience.
+1 Caryl
It was my understanding in Montevideo, that the robot is controlled
directly from Turtle Art. For me, the really great thing you have done
is to strap the laptop on the robot platform. This is not for cute
pictures, it is really exciting for the student to see the robot obeying
his or her instructions (right or wrong). The fact that the laptop is
riding on the robot vehicle means that its movement is not limited by an
umbilical cord.
As Yama states, we really need (for me, in English) a parts list and set
of instructions for building the robot so that it can be done by any
deployment. I had hoped that such a session would be conducted in SF as
I would dearly love to be able to set up a robot at the Saint Jacob
school in Kigali in December. Naturally, we will also need some lesson
plans for use of the robot to further the mandated curriculum in Science
(and mathematics).
My example would be to have the student program the robot to approach a
wall as closely as possible without touching it. This would involve some
understanding of the ratio of the wheel diameter to its circumference,
the number of degrees the wheel advances for each forward step, and
whole lot of other interesting concepts. For example, such a contest
could lead to the issue of feedback; how to use a sensor so the robot
knows when it is close. Should this be visual (camera) or acoustic or
the bending of a wire or ....
Tony
On 09/27/2012 02:08 PM, Jorge wrote:
On 27/09/12 13:35, Yama Ploskonka wrote:> 1) I wouldn't say better...
rather, complementary, and certainly
> cheaper. Visiting the Buti? pages, the only picture I see showing an MCU
> http://www.fing.edu.uy/inco/proyectos/butia/images/pistaButia.jpg is
> showing an Arduino. Add a motor driver, and we are well above $30, plus
> shipping. The USBButi? board is maybe cheaper IF done in quantity by
> experts (then add labor).
Besides the microcontroller the USBButi? board provides standard
connectors for attaching sensors. It allows autodetecting what sensor
you connected and were (something like the NXT brick, but with a wider
spectrum of attacheable stuff, more connectors, easier to hack, and
plug&play).
We sidestepped the motor driver issue using digital servos.
> MSP430 + (L293D OR some darlington array) can be "free" if you get them
> as samples from TI, or less than $5 when purchased, /plus shipping/, the
> old bane. the advantage of using a darlington driver is that then you
> may use plain DC motors, which can be free if lucky with old electronic
> parts (beautiful gear system available in old CDROM drives)
>
> 2) yop - the XO "drives" the vehicle with the MSP430 option also. Now, I
> put quote marks as I have no idea - yet - on how to send data direct
> realtime from the XO to the robot, bypassing the MCU. What seems to be
> happening is that Buti? depends on sending code/program to the Arduino,
> and the the 'duino does the brains of the robot.
Nop, the control runs fully on the XO. MCU only interfaces
sensors&motors and supports the plug&play functionality. No user logic
runs on the MCU.
The user programs on the XO access sensors/actuators connected the MCU
and whatever the XO provides (mic, cam, accelerometer if there is one)
transparently. The most frequent programming environment is TurtleArte
(kisds already know it), but there are also Python and Lua environments
for when the problem or the user outgrows Turtle Art.
In my opinion, what MCU is used is not actually important. What is
important is the programming environment, how it interfaces with
whatever your robot offers, and the mechanism you provide for adapting
your robot for solving different problems.
Jorge
.
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IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org
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End of IAEP Digest, Vol 54, Issue 42
************************************
.
