Re: Looking for Robotic Arm STuff

[paySlick <Slick_RCBD@hotmail.com>]

What if the poor guy doesn't know 6502/65C02 assembly language? Could he
do it with BASIC?
Erick Wagner wrote:
> 
> Rubywand wrote:
> > Evidently, all or most of the robot kits come with a PC diskette
> > with control programs in Parallax BASIC. So, if you can convert the
> > programs for Apple II or use the programs as a guide for new Apple II
> > programs, you should be in business.
> 
> Jim Frye of Lynxmotion provides some sample applications/info to help
> people get going with their kits. In the early days, he sold the
> kits in various forms depending on your needs/skills. However, as
> business picked up, he found that too many newbies were getting
> themselves
> into trouble and changed the kits to includes most everything you would
> need. He packages his kits with a small microcontroller board called
> the Counterfeit (a kit that is a Basic Stamp I clone). The Counterfeit
> features a preprogrammed Microchip/PIC microcontroller that is
> configured to run Parallax's PBASIC interpreter. A small on-board serial
> EEPROM allows for storage of a tokenized BASIC program. Unfortunately,
> PBASIC is proprietary and the only tools I'm aware of are for the PC;
> the BASIC stamps (from Parallax) are typically hooked up (as needed) to
> the PC parallel port for programming.
> 
> If someone wanted to use one of the Lynxmotion robot arm kits with the
> Apple II, the Counterfeit board would be unnecessary since it is only
> practical to use with the PC development tools.
> 
> At KFest 96 (I think), I demo'd the [Scott Edwards Electronics] Mini SSC
> (serial servo controller -- a kit that costs $29) with an Apple IIc+.
> I wrote a small 6502 assembler program to send simple commands
> (identification
> of board/servo and servo position) to the MiniSSC through serial port 2.
> It was an interesting challenge to prove that it would work -- I had to
> build
> the correct cable for the IIc+ and I had to figure out how to control
> the
> ACIA chip (I used 7-8 reference books that seemed to have conflicting
> info).
> It was a joy when it began to work :)  Although the MiniSSC can control
> up
> to 8 hobby R/C servos, I had only two connnected.
> 
> If you use the MiniSSC, you'll have to rig up a small wiring board or
> cable to
> power and interface the 3-conductor servo connectors to the 2-conductor
> (per
> servo) connector on the MiniSSC.
> 
> Scott now offers the MiniSSC II (I think that's what it is called) which
> provides 3-conductor connectors that are better suited for interfacing
> with
> the servo motors. It is advised that the MiniSSC be powered from a
> different
> power source than is used for the servo motors.

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