[Edu-sig] The Educational Robotics Platform

[Morris, Steve]

Is a PC/104 based solution really any cheaper than the handy board and
similar platforms? It isn't intuitive to me that there should be a cost
benefit. The 68hc11 is a much more integrated solution (lots of I/O on the
micro) than the x86 family (used by PC/104) which is really aimed at
workstations. It seems to me that the strength of PC/104 is availability of
software (for example Python) because it is xx86 based. It is not clear to
me that it would end up cheaper, in fact the opposite seems more likely.

Personally I would love to see a Python based robotics platform but I can
afford a more expensive platform.

Are you considering embedded Linux? Seems like an obvious strategy.

 > -----Original Message-----
 > From: Jonathan Pennington [mailto:john@coastalgeology.org]
 > Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2001 5:10 PM
 > To: edu-sig@python.org
 > Subject: Re: [Edu-sig] The Educational Robotics Platform
 > 
 > 
 >  
 > * Arthinator@aol.com <Arthinator@aol.com> [010318 10:16]:
 > > Python-centric educational robotics, in process
 > > http://eggo.sourceforge.net/
 > > Aimed at middle school.  Site has a lot  
 > > of documentation on the project's intentions.
 > > Quite interesting.
 > 
 > Thank you! That's quite a complement coming from this list!
 > 
 > And, of course, questions (and more importantly: suggestions) can be
 > made to me directly. I'm hoping to get a beta version by summer's
 > end. Including the code and documentation on controlling a number of
 > servo & motor controllers, sensors and other outputs. After the beta
 > and standard docs will be a lab-based manual.
 > 
 > The EGg0 (that's a zero) system as a whole is currently being
 > developed around a PC/104 board, but all software 
 > development is on my
 > Linux system with communication through a serial port and is being
 > "ported" to the embedded platform. Primary consideration is the use
 > of the software for all on desktop systems. I am developing an
 > entire platform with computer and controllers, however, so 
 > that it can
 > be used at all levels of education from K-12 (with the software and
 > maybe Lego sets) through college and into industry (with the full
 > PC/104 board, GPL'd Real Time OS, and system software).
 > 
 > The hard part is developing it so that the good people on this list
 > and beyond will still find the software useful, even if they
 > can't/don't get all of the hardware. GPL'd source is no good 
 > if I only
 > program it for certain hardware. I'm trying to hit every major servo
 > controller and DC motor controller used in hobby robotics (Honestly,
 > not as hard as I'd thought, since similarities abound). The software
 > is a package of modules, with a seperate module for each discrete
 > controller, and a (hard|medium|easy) way to use them, so that all
 > levels of programming can be taught.
 > 
 > I'll also be working up (relatively) inexpensive circuits and selling
 > kits (near cost) as well as posting the full parts lists and
 > schematics/diagrams. Hopefully, I can get cost down so that it's
 > available to all. Goal is that at the low end someone can 
 > spend $20 or
 > less on supplies from Rat Shack, stick them all into a bread board,
 > connect them to a serial port, and control a couple servos while
 > learning to program with the software. At the high end, use the
 > complete platform and software suite (maybe the graphical Control
 > Station) to allow non-programmers to control an industrial robot.
 > 
 > Always with an emphasis on the educatioal aspects. Wish me luck.
 > 
 > -J
 > 
 > -- 
 > Jonathan Pennington	|	john@coastalgeology.org
 > 
 > 	 "A computer without windows is like a dog
 > 	    without bricks tied to its head."
 > 
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