Re: Black box again

Hi Dave,

"fire and forget"? USB's are getting easier to play with on the device
end, anyhow. The PC side? Well, I'm not anxious to write a special
windoz driver! If a std. driver can be used (must need something like a
printer dump, right?), then that will simplify the task. Then you'd
have to write the application in windoz too! I think ActiveWire (was
mentioned the other day) has some type of driver for DOS.

http://www.activewireinc.com/

I don't think I'd put all the smarts of a controller down in the USB
(8051), probably just generate the pulses.

Open source for PIC code to run 3 axis? Can I see? ;>)

Timed updates. Yup, there is a USB xfer mode (isochronous) that I think
does that within the 1ms frames.

Talk about re-inventing the wheel. Saw a model of "Ezekiel's Wheel" the
other night on one of the "robot wars" type of show (I only watch for
the technology). Also saw a tube with wheels in it at right angles used
for steering. Clever, but I didn't get a good enough look to figure out
how it worked. The tube was rotated to steer somehow.

Alan KM6VV


dkowalcz@... wrote:

>
> To list,
>
> Well, I'm currently co-developing a dumb box with another semi-
> commercial hobbyist. It's an open source, PIC based device that
> handles 3 axes via serial port. Drawback is that it requires more or
> less timed updates still, just fewer and farther between. Still in
> development - I'll let the list know when it's done, if it flies that
> is.
>
> I think a good "fire and forget" USB smart controller on one chip
> is long overdue in this hobby. Commercial ones are around, sure, but
> they start at about a G-note and typically aren't scalable. So I got
> some PIC's to engineer one the other month.... That's still cooking
> too, but *way* on the back burner.
>
> Dave Kowalczyk
> Seattle WA
> not a huge fan of wheel re-invention either!