新车间 [XinCheJian]

Flamingo EDA brought to the Xinshanzhai talk is the Lego compatible sensor block! This is very awesome. I WANT ONE! Actually, I want a DOZENS and a bucket of Lego blocks! ]]>

Xindanwei end to end. Ricky kicks off the event with A.R.T. and gave a short introduction to how he got started with the project and how ART was built. Then we have the introduction to the HCR robots by the presenter also named Ricky. HCR is an open source robot built to for home caring. And some random photos from the events. ]]>

新车间的机器人课程是针对对物理运算有兴趣了解的朋友提供入门的课程和实践机会，适合十岁以上的人参加。 课程内容为： 8小时的授课时间：

• Arduino入门
  • 电子和物理计算硬件概念
  • 编程语言处理
  • 物理计算: 软件與硬件的互动
• 机器人入门
  • 什么是机器人？
  • 如何用遥控车和Arduino來做机器人
  • 自主玩具机器人 (A.R.T.) 入门

16小时的实验室时间：

• 实验室共有2〜3个教师提供援助
• 动手做自主机器车

对于15岁以下的孩子，我们希望看到家长一同参加。 课程总费用为1500元，包括8小时授课时间和16小时的实验室时间，Arduino材料费，玩具遥控车一台和基本传感器（价值500元），并赠送两个月的新车间超级会员（价值4000元）。 课程時間為周日下午，有兴趣参加可以写邮件到 [email protected] 报名。 Robot class@Xinchejian aims to promote the understanding of physical computing and provide hands-on experience with Arduino platform. This class is designed for 10 years old and more. The robot class consists of 8 hours of lectures and 16 hours of practice. 8 hours of lecture:

• Introduction to Arduino
  • Hardware Concept of Electronics and Physical Computing
  • Processing programming language
  • Physical Computing: Interface Digital and Physical world
• Introduction to Robotics
  • What’s robot?
  • Robotics using RC car and Arduino
  • Introduction to A.R.T.

16 hours of supervised hands-on labs:

• 2 ~ 3 teachers in labs offering assistance
• make your own autonomous robot car

For kids under 15, we’d like to see parent participate. The cost of the courses is 1500RMB, including 8 hours of lecture plus 16 hours hands-on lab, the Arduino starter kit, RC car and basic sensor (500RMB in value). We will also provide you two-month Xinchejian super membership (4000RMB in value) for free. The classes will be on Sunday afternoon. For class registration, please send email to [email protected].]]>

ARTv4 to have interesting, pseudo-intelligent behaviors (and not running out of SRAM which causes it to reset randomly…), I’m also working on the next generation electrical design for ART… I’m naming the bundle of software and electronics ARTv5. The plan is to support more infrared and ultrasonic sensors with an RF transceiver for sending telemetry information.  I also want to start producing and using PCB boards to get away from the fragile breadboards. More specifically, these PCB will take the form of Arduino-shields that I can stack on top of each other. The plan right now is to create three boards that are stackable:

• One for the ultrasonics sensors (front, rear, left, right);
• One for the infrared sensors (front, rear, left, right);
• One with four connectors to ultrasonics sensors, infrared sensors, motors control in addition to the connector for the RF transceiver.

The last “shield” will also host the CPLD (Xilinx xc9536). All incoming and outgoing signals go through the CPLD to give me the flexibility to do additional processing using digital logic instead of the microcontroller code. In addition, I also have a Texas Instrument CC1101 chipset transceiver (supposedly RFC1100-A but the board they sent me has FT1100A-100) with Power Amplifier that I’m adding so that the Microcontroller can send back telemetry information to the PC… So there’s the following connections:

• Ultrasonics sensors shield: 10 wires (1 VCC, 1 GND, 4 echos, 4 triggers);
• Infrared sensors shield: 6 wires (1 VCC, 1 GND, 4 signals);
• RF transceiver: plugs into two 9×2 headers (1 VCC, 1 GND and the SPI wires);
• Four control motor wires for the H-bridge (used right now to connect directly to the RF transmitter as a hack).

To do the design, I’m still using the fantastic Fritzing 0.4.3. Although it does crash regularly and has various nitpicks that, if solved, would make this even better there’s nothing really comparable. The workflow feels natural and the results are attractive. I haven’t been able to produce etchable versions of my PCB design due to what seems to be a bug, but the Gerber RS-274X files it generates seem to work fine (if GerberView output is any indication). I’ve compiled a list bought so far and the cost so far is a bit under 800 RMB. On the basis of that new design I need to add to the wishlist a whole bunch of stackable female headers in addition to figuring out the cost of producing the PCB. The BoM generated by Fritzing for the ART Shield says:

• 1xGeneric female header – 10 pins;
• 1xGeneric female header – 2 pins;
• 2xGeneric female header – 4 pins;
• 1xGeneric female header – 6 pins.

[gallery]]]>

IDEO模式: 山寨设计是创新的开放平台 时间: 2011年元月二十二日，下午两点到五点 地点：徐汇区永嘉路50号新单位（近陕西南路） 费用:  30元/人 山寨是一个为草根创意阶级提供的开放式创新平台: 复制苹果, 诺基亚, 三星智能手机, 这些仿冒品由原产品改装而成同时加入了更吸引于中国消费者的设计. 山寨设计师为电子产品注入闪光点和关键元素. 其目的正是为了使产品在价格, 外观, 价值和用户需求上能接近普通消费人群. 山寨设计为国际公司向中国本土消费者介绍他们的品牌提供了一个机会, 他们也能借机观察中国本土文化如何作用于他们的产品, 如何相互磨合与适应. 这些公司怎样通过观察山寨设计来学习? IDEO 将分享他们对于这一重大领域的观点和方法学. 2:00pm 开放: 新单位CEO 刘妍介绍活动内容,演讲者, 来宾, 目标阐述 2:15pm 1. 山寨设计作为一种商业创新的开放平台- IDEO (15分钟) 2. 怎样山寨? -快速原型-IDEO-30分钟 -原型的工具 -Arduino – Flamingo EDA -20分钟 – Android –20分钟 -从原型到制作 – C2Tech –20分钟 4:30pm Android原型板以及工具的使用说明 参访新车间, 相互认识新朋友. Shanzhai Design as an Open Platform for Business Innovation – Pattern from IDEO Time: 14:00 – 17:00, Jan 22, 2011 Location: Xindanwei, 50 Yongjia Rd Cost: 30yuan/person Shanzhai is an open platform for grassroots innovation. Apple, Nokia, and Samsung smartphones get copied, but the knockoffs adapt the original designs in ways that appeal to Chinese customers. Shanzhai designers might add a flashlight, key in areas with unstable electricity. The effect is to make products accessible to common folks in terms of price, aesthetics, values, and needs. Shanzhai designs are an opportunity for international companies to introduce Chinese consumers to their brands, and then observe how local Chinese culture adapts their offerings. How might companies harness learning by observing Shanzhai designs? IDEO will share their perspectives and methodologies on these big questions for business. 2:00pm Opening: Introduce the event, speakers, guests and talk about the goals, by Liu Yan(xindanwei) 2:15pm 1.IDEO: “Shanzhai as an open platform for innovation” – 15 minutes 2.How to Shanzhai? – “Rapid prototyping” – IDEO – 30 minutes – Tool of prototyping – Arduino – Flamingo EDA – 20 minutes – Android – – 20 minutes -From prototype to production – C2Tech – 20 minutes 4:00pm Part Two: Android prototype boards and tools demonstration Followed by a visit to Xinchejian and networking ]]>

As I was trying to hook up the motor to Arduino, I realized that there wasn’t any H Bridge and it was way too cold to go out and get it. Hmm… I figure there must be some H Bridge on the control board I just rip out of the car. As I located the two H bridge on the board, I notice the RX-2 chip. Out of curiosity, I decide to google for this chip. To a pleasant surprise, I found RX-2/TX-2 Datasheet in Chinese and guide for exactly the board in the car and remote. Decide to replace RX-2 in the car with Arduino so the H-Bridge on board can be reused and the RF for the remote can still work. Still trying to figure out what I am going to do with those remote control signal. A few facts about RX-2/TX-2 chip I found is that the RC frequency can be adjusted by different resistance from 100K to 500K Ohm between OSCI/OSCO pins. ]]>

Been researching wireless solutions to transmit in real-time sensor and decision information from ART in addition to possibly enabling minimal controls (on/off/behavior switch) and perhaps even wireless firmware updates.