help for my project

[srimannarayanakarthik]

hi
i need help for my project.i need to design a PC controlled robot. which can move in all directions.actually i searched in internet but unable to narrow down my search. i found many sites but i am unable to filter out all of them
can u suggest me good links and ideas to complete my project.
i need a robot which will travel in all the directions,and has to be controlled from a pc.it can be either connected directly from a serial port or can be IR remote controlled

 

[srimannarayanakarthik]

does no one has any ideas for my above project

 

[akg]

the best thing to do now . is sit down , break ur idea to small manageable chunks and then search. i'm sure u can find the corresponding relevant information

 

[srimannarayanakarthik]

ya i broke ot down... can u suggest me some ideas of how to contol a device from a pc.i mean the programming part. any suggegions about the programing using a assembly language. i am new to asvembly language.

 

[akg]

in dos ,u could use C functions for the control using the parallel port

in windows u could use VC++ / VB to develop application to communicate thru the parallel or serial port , already described elsewhere in this site.
See :-
VC++ - MSDN-> CreateFile() API
VB - MSComm control

 

[srimannarayanakarthik]

thanks for the above suggestion,,,,,,,,i am gonna work on it

 

[srimannarayanakarthik]

help to select a microcontroller

hi
can anyone suggest me the way by which i can select a microcontroller. i have no much idea about what to select and how to select.can u suggest me some tips in selecting the microcontroller. what are all the factors i need to consider.

 

[desperadogear]

this will help you control things using your printer port using C language

#include<dos.h> /*include this header file*/
outb(0x0378,0x0c)/* 0x0378 is the address of the printer port and 0c is the value ouput. so experiment changing different values and check it at the printer port(d-25) using a multimeter. pin 18-pin 25 should be connected to the circuit ground. output is seen in pins 4-12(not sure)*/

so just google for pc based timers and pc based switches and check the code for yourself. its easy..

 

[desperadogear]

microcontroller is chosen according to the requirement.
1.how many output and input pins do you need
2.how big is your code(to select the program memory)
3.how many timers do you need
4.other requirements such as adc, analog comparator..
these are the basics of choosing a microcontroller.

 

[survivingbrain]

as your project is a PC controlled one..

the segments are likely to be...

The PC Part.. which controls the Robot
The interface - communication btw PC and Robot
The Robot hardware - controller, motor drivers etc

PC part - if you are new to windows API, i'll suggest Serial port with VB. use MSCOmm as akg said. its quite easy...

Interface... serial.. but USB, IrDA,Bluetooth adds class to the project..

Hardware. basically some sensors, and motor drivers..
L298 is a good option if you want less than 2 Amps. other options are L293, UCN5804 etc...

Controller - go for lower pin count ones if you dont manipulate too many variables.. like PIC 16F73..

and make sure u use bypass cap for the motors..






and if you are new to API -

Use VB with MSComm control.. quite easy. for the PC part.

 

[srimannarayanakarthik]

as your project is a PC controlled one..

the segments are likely to be...

The PC Part.. which controls the Robot
The interface - communication btw PC and Robot
The Robot hardware - controller, motor drivers etc

PC part - if you are new to windows API, i'll suggest Serial port with VB. use MSCOmm as akg said. its quite easy...

Interface... serial.. but USB, IrDA,Bluetooth adds class to the project..

Hardware. basically some sensors, and motor drivers..
L298 is a good option if you want less than 2 Amps. other options are L293, UCN5804 etc...

Controller - go for lower pin count ones if you dont manipulate too many variables.. like PIC 16F73..

and make sure u use bypass cap for the motors..






and if you are new to API -

Use VB with MSComm control.. quite easy. for the PC part.

can u suggest me where to start for that VB programming...also tell me the place for online tutorials of VB

 

[survivingbrain]

well..

Do u have MSDN?
if not, just google, and you'll find an lot of them sites.
Just gt used to creating forms in the beginning.
Once you have the Mscomm control in your form, set the settings for serial port(baud rate, parity bit, blah blah).. I assume you know how the serial port works..

If you want to send a byte of data, the line will be

MScomm1.output = (the byte you want to send)

This will do!!

 

[srimannarayanakarthik]

well..

Do u have MSDN?
if not, just google, and you'll find an lot of them sites.
Just gt used to creating forms in the beginning.
Once you have the Mscomm control in your form, set the settings for serial port(baud rate, parity bit, blah blah).. I assume you know how the serial port works..

If you want to send a byte of data, the line will be

MScomm1.output = (the byte you want to send)

This will do!!

ya i know of it.thanks a lot.i am working on it

 

[srimannarayanakarthik]

1 more suggestion needed.what shall i go.for a VB or VC++ or use keil to program in c.in mean which is better and easy

 

[fever]

srimannarayanakarthik
sounds like telugu guy.any way hello...
u said u want robotics stuff right go here www.roboticsindia.com
u'll find lot of guys like u.i hope this will help

 

[srimannarayanakarthik]

srimannarayanakarthik
sounds like telugu guy.any way hello...
u said u want robotics stuff right go here www.roboticsindia.com
u'll find lot of guys like u.i hope this will help

ya i am from AP.after seeing your name.i felt u are some where from europe.but,,,,,,anyways.thanks for that website.private msg me about your info

 

[srimannarayanakarthik]

cant i use parallel port instaed of serial port

hi
thank u for all the suggestion u gave me.i need another suggestion also. many have advised me to use serial port. cant iuse the parallel port for the communication of a microcontroller to a PC. i find that parallel port programming is easy compared to serial port. because we can send a byte of data at the same time,but in a serial port its sent only bitwise.

i would use "REGs" command in C++ to assign a specific key of a keyboard and send the AsCII value of that key to the micro using a parAllel port
please tell me the problems i am going to face and do suggest me with good ideas
and, many have told me to use VB.but i preferred C++ because i am familir with it and i fdont know VB. is there any problemin using C++

 

[mister_e]

look at those bellow
**broken link removed**
**broken link removed**

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

hi
thank u for all the suggestion u gave me.i need another suggestion also. many have advised me to use serial port. cant iuse the parallel port for the communication of a microcontroller to a PC. i find that parallel port programming is easy compared to serial port. because we can send a byte of data at the same time,but in a serial port its sent only bitwise.

i would use "REGs" command in C++ to assign a specific key of a keyboard and send the AsCII value of that key to the micro using a parAllel port
please tell me the problems i am going to face and do suggest me with good ideas
and, many have told me to use VB.but i preferred C++ because i am familir with it and i fdont know VB. is there any problemin using C++

Of course you can use C++, there's no advantage to using VB (unless you're already used to VB). However, like everyone else, I would suggest using the serial port rather than the parallel port - it's far easier to use the serial port!.

In fact, from what I can understand of what you want to do?, you could simply use Hyper Terminal to send key presses out the serial port.

 

[akg]

However, like everyone else, I would suggest using the serial port rather than the parallel port - it's far easier to use the serial port!.

particularly in the windows environment .