Computer display for PICAXE/ computer interface.

[D n T]

I would like to find out a way to make a display on my screen that is more user friendly and proffesional looking.
I would like to be able to control a "sled" and an articulated arm. There will be a video feed so I suppose I could use a seperate screen for that.

So I would like to know how to interface the key board with the picaxe on the end of the progarming lead or an RS 232 or is it RS 323 interface.Can I use existing PICAXE commands or do I have to use third party software to do this.

 

[xnederlandx]

I'm not exactly sure what your asking, but if you want keyboard interface to picaxe, just look at the picaxe organiser shematic, and it has the connections for a USB keyboard.

 

[D n T]

Driving and monitoring a remote unit from a laptop with a video feed.

I am trying to work out the optimal controller for an ODU or bomb disposal robot. I have worked out how to control it with a hacked Playstation II controller but I need a stand alone monitor to view the cameras on board. I thought of using the VR goggles from RS components. While that would look "coool" I don't know about the functionality of it.

It would be nice to be able to create a display that could graphically show me information, eg, battery level, speed, attitude etc that is make it look and be, more proffessional. What language or program can I use to create a user interface with my laptop to then contol and monitor my little beast??

 

[Dippy]

It looks like you have 2 subjects in one here.
1. A display for on-board cameras.
2. A display for data.
(or both on a single display).
VR goggles would be flashy wouldn't they, but wouldn't the operator wish to see the Real World whilst driving your beast?

Getting data back into your PC + Display of data is a piece of cake with VB or similar.
Getting video signal back to a standard monitor I would have thought was pretty easy too.

Are you planning to use cable or radio? I don't think I'd want my bomb disposed using a $3 Chinese Ebay radio module however

I get the feeling you should take a step back and plan your project clearly. Then list the sections you need to do (aims) and how you want to achieve them (methods) and how you'd like others to help (delegation).

 

[hippy]

Also, are you really trying to connect a keyboard to the PICAXE or are you trying to control the PICAXE from a laptop which has a keyboard ?

The inbuilt SERIN, SEROUT and SERTXD ( plus HSERIN and HSEROUT when available ) allow a PICAXE to communicate serially with a PC and vice-versa. You can send whatever you want; turning what is received into a professional looking display will require sending the right data but most of the effort will probably be in the PC software which takes that data and converts it to graphs, bar charts and guages.

A top-down approach to your system design should help you determine what will be needed overall and a quick analysis shows you will have to deal with at least the following sub-project area -

* Handling input for control
* Sending data to the buggy
* Receiving data at the buggy
* Converting data received at the buggy into action
* Determining status on the buggy
* Sending status back from buggy
* Receiving status from buggy
* Converting status from buggy into a displayed form

Conversely, a bottom-up approach to system implementation is probably best. I'm not sure what your previous experience is with remote controlled systems but the general rule is to start simple, get the basics working and then build on that. For example, what will be professional displays can start as just numeric displays. Working incrementally, get one bit working then the corresponding other side working, and increasing complexity as you move forward is probably the best way forward.

 

[Dippy]

There you go dnt, hippy has got the ball rolling.
Now it's your turn to get planning....

And one last thing.... your budget.
A fiver?

 

[hax]

It sounds like you are fishing for a program to run on your PC which will show graphically what is happening to your robot.

I am just getting into LabView at work. It is a measurement and control type program that allows you to easily draw different types of buttons and images and then allows RS232 control of anything. The buttons and images on the virtual control panel can then behave how you want them to behave. Only drawback is that it costs around $7000 and there is a bit of a learning curve, but it is quite intuitive.

 

[Brietech]

Labview is definitely the way to go, i think. It is used for this type of stuff fairly frequently (mainly in lab settings, but still).

 

[hippy]

I doubt it likely that anything which costs $7K will be considered seriously as the way to go for a PICAXE project and a hacked games controller.

Quite impressive graphical and industrial displays can be created using Visual Basic and most other programming languages and often with very little effort at no or low cost.

 

[jodicalhon]

StampPlot - http://www.selmaware.com/stampplot/home.htm might be worth a look. It's free.

EDIT:
In fact, there is an example here:
http://www.selmaware.com/stampplot/samples/bluetooth_cambot/default.htm
that seems to be just what the doctor ordered.

 

[andrewpro]

I'm with hippy. VB is the way to go. I've actually used it to do almost exactly what you want to do (if I'm understanding correctly)

As was mentioned, what is your budget? what kind of video feed are you using? Is this going to be wired or wireless? There is a lot more that goes into a control interface than just the pretty pictures, and the viability of any suggestions really hinges on that.

--Andy P

 

[andrew_qld]

It would be nice to be able to create a display that could graphically show me information, eg, battery level, speed, attitude etc that is make it look and be, more proffessional

Another Idea would be to use a video overlay module.

The Picaxe could send serial data to the unit which was then overlayed on your video signal. Sparkfun & HTT Consulting sell serial video overlay modules based on SX & propellor chips that do NTSC and PAL at 4800 baud.

The 16 x 16 character board is $35 US at http://www.hittconsulting.com/products/sxvideomodule/ or http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=749

The hi-resoloution version is $129 US at http://www.hittconsulting.com/products/hcosd/ and http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8421

Andrew

 

[D n T]

The story so far for those who came in late...

This project has been a progression, or the ultimate goal of my little learning experience thus far.
This is the progression of idea so far.
My original plan was tho build a mobile buggy with a serial wire link to a hand control
Did that, next,
Buggy with radio link, did that too
Buggy with proportional speed control, did that, next please.
Sensing current, speed etc....
Doing that, very primative, ACS750 SCA 50 for current, theory for speed: slotted wheel, still got to get the reference time right.

Articulation for arm, enter stage left, worm drive and actuator testing and "playing with".
I cant program it to pick up an egg but I have puored a can of coke into a glass... and on to the bench etc.
Drive calculations and power of drive motors, electric car stuff about three years.

Getting the picture onto my computer screen: So far only using store bought trancievers but I have the raw modules( 2.4ghz) and might build my own or I might just stay with the umbilical idea until I can justify it, and have a coaxial as part of the umbilical. To get the image onto the computer screen I guess I could use a web cam through the umbilical, but I want to build it not buy it. However I thought that if I use a CMOS camera set up to go into a TV then I could buy or what ever a convertor and run it on its own display on the lap top ( think the retore down and resize window icon on the top right of this screen).

The other information could be read on board, converted to ADC then sent serially to the controller then MAGIC MAGIC MAGIC ( I haven't found this out yet) displayed on other displays on the same screen.

OR I will just have a couple or three 16 x 2 LCD displays mounted next to a 7 inch LCD TV screen ( think in the car TV ) and the image can come up on the 7 inch screen and the onboard sensor data can be diplayed on the 16 x 2 LCD displays.
And I will just sit there a with my cold can of coke and a Play station 2 controller in hand watching me drive the beast 50 metres away and pick up stuff and put it some where else.

The driving and monitoring through my laptop was an idea that I needed to investigate and I do like the idea

Also It would be the most awesome teaching aide for my students and I would be able to claim some or more as a tax deduction.

I just want to because I can, wouldn't you??
Ive been working on this or a mutant frankenstein of it for a few years , during which I went to uni and even courted and married my wife, so this is not going to be a rush job, its a lot like Demonicpicaxeguys UAV.

Sorry to go on a bit but do you have a better idea about what and why I want to do it??
Thanks for you help once again, the responses will keep my busy for a while.

 

[Steve Joblin]

In terms of display on your computer, take a look at Microsoft Robotics Studio and RoboRealm.