Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #05297



To: SG Sparkyg@seark.net, BEAM beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Richard Piotter richfile@rconnect.com
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 00:40:24 -0500
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Advice needed!


Glad you're having such luck! Hehe. I can't wait to put video of Bronco
on my web page!!! It bounces (like a bronco... Hehe! Get it! :) when it
has a new battery. It runs better when it's run a while and drained a
little battery power. It walks about a foot every 5 seconds and is
around 4-5 inches long! It's a nice bot! I know EXACTLY how I want my
Spyder to walk, but I'm too lazy to assemble it, and I may have to scrap
the 8-Motor H-bridge board cause the transistors will smoke in
saturation!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!

I might just have to rebuild the circuit from scratch!!! Screw Tilden's
design!!! Have you seen how patheticly Tilden's Spyder moves! It looks
like a drunk bug that's already crippled!!! If you've seen The TLC
Extreme machines show, you'll know what I'm talking about! Yikes!

SG wrote:
>
> >
> >You said earlier that you skimmed over the LED section. I was >refering
> >to that!!!
>
> Yup! and it was a mistake to do so! but you gotta give me this: I'll nevre
> NEVER forget that LED's suck up the current and need a resistor!
> >
> >frankly, you asked a question that wasn't needed. you could have >figured
>
> yeah! and i think my true frustration the other day was due to the fact
> that i realized this and was imbarrased that i asked a question that was
> such basic common knowledge! To be honest, i never thought those LEDs
> drew hardly any current at all! -having read somewhere they were lit by
> radiation and not a filimant. now i know how they suck up the juice!
> NOTE:
> disconnected the leds and MAN!!!! i thought the walker did well before
> (i mean when charge evened itself out by wearing battery dwn... truth is..
> i think the circuit didn't have enough power to respond to the feedback
> when batt was worn, and thats why i thought it was actuall werking in sinc)
> the adaptive behavior, (response to feedback) is AMAZING!!! I actually
> thought something else was wrong! till i figured out the legs were reacting
> to rear leg slippage due to leg design ajustments i have yet to make.
> keep in mind i have never seen a BEAM walker before, and i am dumbfounded!
> i finally see what all the fuss is about!
> i am now looking at my neighbors' kid's "powerweels" car and thinking those
> motors and gearbox could really provide hrs of experimintation fun!
> hmmm... maybe he'll park it to close to my fence one day.......
> Thanks for the help! and i have a MIMS question i want to ask you but
> don't wanna clutter the mailing list with if you have the time..
> -Sparky

--


Richard Piotter
richfile@rconnect.com

The Richfiles Robotics & TI web page:
http://richfiles.calc.org

For the BEAM Robotics list:
BEAM Robotics Tek FAQ
http://people.ne.mediaone.net/bushbo/beam/FAQ.html

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