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Minutes20110406

Gumstix and ROS Status

  • ROS Open Source code for interfacing with AVR
    • Edit it and get it on repository
  • No updates for Gumstix. Attempt to finish it by April 15.
    • Get Diamondback on Gumstix
    • Want to start writing drivers.
    • Use dev out with 40 pins to test stuff

Board/AVR Status

  • Send Kwoo a list of spares and a populated board and tshirts.
  • Want to test out what is wrong with the power supplies and make sure that all the ICs are receiving power.
  • Test out other stuff using firmware. Need drivers.
  • Get thread with issues with board
    • Contains: issue with the 3.3V rail not coming up to the right voltage
    • small list of bugs already found
  • Board needs to be rerouted/respun

Issues with Board

  • Board does not power up:
    • Contains: issue with the 3.3V rail not coming up to the right voltage
    • Fixed by mid-May
  • If this gets fixed we can address other issues
  • Want to get a new Gyroscope that is cheaper and better
    • Feasibility of moving things around because it uses different pins
    • Would require rerouting

Mechanical

  • Pretty much done
  • We can add $20 wireless-N card for wireless if we wanted to

Repository

  • We're using git
  • the board and schematic are located in the Scout HW repository
    • go on Scout EE and then HardWare

Bandwidth and Ports

  • Do math to figure out interrupt overhead
    • pending rough packet structure design
  • Get UART ports and SPI ports to be the same so we dont have to worry about changing it.
  • Find out Colony 3 hardware bandwidth
    • Contact Rich Hong about this
    • 250 kbit per second for wireless
    • 1/2 mb per second on avr
  • We only want to be using 50% of our bandwidth

Moneys

  • Need money to build more Scouts
  • People should talk to RI contacts for money
  • $5000 - $10,000
  • Ben and Priya will go to Howie Choset and George Cantor for moneys
  • Other companies to ask money:
    • DigiKey
    • Sparkfun
    • Places we get parts from

Packet Protocal

  • Prashant will research how best to send packets over network
  • Discuss a rough packet structure next time.
    • Lead into figuring out interrupt overhead

Sensor Testing & Drivers

  • Test station for BOM
    • Test if a BOM reading from two different frequencies has data collision and other issues
  • Figure out how fast sonars can poll with fastest speed of scanning
    • Driver that controls both sonar and stepper and ties then together
  • Sonar has an automatic calibration to hone where front of robot is.
  • What drivers would look like, where to read data from etc, functions, etc.

Things To Do:

  • Find the ROS Open Source code for interfacing with AVR and start looking at it.
  • Get ROS Diamondback on Gumstix by April 15/next meeting.
  • Send Kwoo a list of spares and a populated board and tshirts.
  • Fix issue with the board powering up by mid-May:
    • Contains: issue with the 3.3V rail not coming up to the right voltage
  • Figure out the feasibility of getting a new Gyroscope that is cheaper and better
    • Board may require rerouting
  • Perhaps add $20 wireless-N card
  • Find out Colony 3 hardware bandwidth
    • Contact Rich Hong about this
  • Ben and Priya will go to Howie Choset and George Cantor for moneys
  • Contact the following companies for funding:
    • DigiKey
    • Sparkfun
  • Prashant will research how best to send packets over network and get ideas for a rough packet structure.
  • Figure out how fast sonars can poll with fastest speed of scanning