Post by thread:[EE]: Optical mouse as position monitor.?

I was reading the rate of change thread and I got to thinking, has anyone tried using an optical mouse on a robot to measure the distance traveled? Or current position? This could be quite interesting very fast and very accurate. Anywho just a thought, most likely been done lots already though. :) Aaron -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList spam_OUTpiclist-unsubscribe-requestTakeThisOuTmitvma.mit.edu

I'd like to see it too Brendan. Thanks, Josh -- A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams Brendan Moran wrote: > > I great alarming fact, I just did almost precisely that. > Want the code? > > > I was reading the rate of change thread and I got to thinking, has > > anyone tried using an optical mouse on a robot to measure the distance > > traveled? Or current position? -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList piclist-unsubscribe-requestKILLspammitvma.mit.edu

On Wed, 10 Jul 2002, A.J. Tufgar wrote: >I was reading the rate of change thread and I got to thinking, has >anyone tried using an optical mouse on a robot to measure the distance >traveled? Or current position? Yes. Someone used a mouse as the 'third' wheel on a two-motor robot (similar to Roman's, which is great btw). The mouse ball provided both the wheel and the sensing. In ym experience i will collect dust like a magnet. However, it is not easier than ever to build a small desktop robot. Get a mouse with a large body, add two motors and a wire parallel to the existing one (or use a wireless one), rewire the buttons as collision sensors and voila. >This could be quite interesting very fast and very accurate. And very cheap. Pick any two. >Anywho just a thought, most likely been done lots already though. :) Been done but not so succesfull. Dirt will kill it very dead and it will only work on a flat surface. Peter -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList .....piclist-unsubscribe-requestKILLspam.....mitvma.mit.edu

What were your results? Did you do any accuracy testing with it? -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: pic microcontroller discussion list [PICLISTspam_OUTMITVMA.MIT.EDU]Namens Brendan Moran Verzonden: woensdag 10 juli 2002 22:01 Aan: @spam@PICLISTKILLspamMITVMA.MIT.EDU Onderwerp: Re: [EE]: Optical mouse as position monitor.? I great alarming fact, I just did almost precisely that. Want the code? All you really need to do is implement a PS/2 host controller. --Brendan -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

>I great alarming fact, I just did almost precisely that. >Want the code? >All you really need to do is implement a PS/2 host controller. There is also code for a PS/2 host for both mouse and keyboard in the USB PIC example files and app notes. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 > What were your results? Did you do any accuracy testing with it? Actually, yes. The results I found with a Microsoft optical scroll mouse (the bottom-of-the-barrell variety that everyone seems to be getting) Were that its results were silghtly more than 2x the 1 count/mm setting I had initialized it to. Since the PS/2 mouse protocol allows up to 8 counts/mm that means that with one of these mice, you can get upt to slightly over 16 counts/mm. That is, unless someone can find an error in one of my routines that would cause this problem. As to the repeatability of results, as long as the surface has enough distinguishing characteristics, the results are completely repeatable to within 1mm at 550mm. Not bad for accuracy if you ask me. I only have tested one axis, however, and I do not know if the other axis behaves the same way. From what I know of how optical mice work, I doubt if it could fail to behave the same way on both axes. I must relate once more, that they will not detect rotation, only translation. I'm sure that the chips have the ability to handle rotation, but the protocol definition doesn't include it, so it's not possible to read via PS/2. Hope ths helps, - --BJM (Brendan) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPfreeware 6.5.8 for non-commercial use <http://www.pgp.com> iQA/AwUBPS27aAVk8xtQuK+BEQIcVwCgtqvwtXTbFxHn5Dd/Qhr6vLxKR8oAoKa/ jxgwhDNxZahX9BTVzusfWUL7 =XjTu -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads