Post by thread:[PIC]:Ideas for using PIC with 1 Gig Microdrive?

I am teaching an electronics class in which we are building robots. I have been programming computers for ~25 years but am new to microcontrollers. My department has been offered some 1 GB IBM Microdrives for free if we can think of interesting projects. (Microdrives are tiny hard disk drives with a Compact Flash II interface.) 've found information on interfacing PIC with CFII so know it can be done. Any ideas of what to do with a PIC and a gig of slow but non-volatile memory? Ellen Spertus spam_OUTspertusTakeThisOuTmills.edu -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email .....listservKILLspam@spam@mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body

> -----Original Message----- > From: Ellen Spertus [spertusKILLspammills.edu] > Subject: [PIC]:Ideas for using PIC with 1 Gig Microdrive? > Any ideas of what to > do with a PIC and a gig of slow but non-volatile memory? Data loggers are always popular. Anything that can be monitored can have the results logged in the microdrive. -Mike -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email .....listservKILLspam.....mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body

Ellen, I am working on a project right now that will result in web access for the project. I could use a drive of this size and form factor. Would you be willing to let one go to me, and in return, I'll help you with the interfacing tasks? Please advise. Regards, Jim On Tue, 06 March 2001, Ellen Spertus wrote: {Quote hidden}> > I am teaching an electronics class in which we are building robots. I have > been programming computers for ~25 years but am new to > microcontrollers. My department has been offered some 1 GB IBM Microdrives > for free if we can think of interesting projects. (Microdrives are tiny > hard disk drives with a Compact Flash II interface.) 've found information > on interfacing PIC with CFII so know it can be done. Any ideas of what to > do with a PIC and a gig of slow but non-volatile memory? > > Ellen Spertus > EraseMEspertusspam_OUTTakeThisOuTmills.edu > > -- > http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! > email listservspam_OUTmitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body @spam@jimKILLspamjpes.com -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email KILLspamlistservKILLspammitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body

How about this strange idea: You have a robot with a 1 gig drive and a ccd camera. Map the surface of an entire parking lot or basketball court. Data log the images to the drive. Weave the collected image into one giant bit-map. Why? Well, there is a really cool reason to do this. What it is, I don't know. ;-) It is a lot like a satellite taking images of the earth and making one big picture from them. Get a cooperative team of interacting robots working as a collective. -Robert Severson http://www.usbmicro.com http://usbsimm.home.att.net http://www.jged.com http://www.annatechnology.com > {Original Message removed}

Ellen: Internet appliances come to mind that you could plug into your TV and the phone lines. How about a Pic based personal computer or MC68HCxx type for that matter. Something like a keyboard and a gig flash drive and a connection to a TV. You could write the OS for the thing and put it into flash. The PC could have a printer port. serial port, modem and cost less than $50. If you have been around for 25 years then you remember the Kim1 or the Cosmac or some of the old computers that are now museum peices. You could build a Kim 1 type but with 1 gig of storage space. See: http://www.6502.org/oldmicro/buildkim/buildkim.htm That would be pretty cool. Other ideas are using these as removable hard drives... With a USB port. or parellel port. Mp3 players, PDA's ........ From Steve Not all Heroes wear tights and a cape. http://www.homestead.com/bergerson/index.html {Original Message removed}

MP3? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ellen Spertus" <RemoveMEspertusTakeThisOuTMILLS.EDU> To: <spamBeGonePICLISTspamBeGoneMITVMA.MIT.EDU> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2001 8:46 PM Subject: [PIC]:Ideas for using PIC with 1 Gig Microdrive? > I am teaching an electronics class in which we are building robots. I have > been programming computers for ~25 years but am new to > microcontrollers. My department has been offered some 1 GB IBM Microdrives > for free if we can think of interesting projects. (Microdrives are tiny > hard disk drives with a Compact Flash II interface.) 've found information {Quote hidden}> on interfacing PIC with CFII so know it can be done. Any ideas of what to > do with a PIC and a gig of slow but non-volatile memory? > > Ellen Spertus > TakeThisOuTspertusEraseMEspam_OUTmills.edu > > -- > http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! > email RemoveMElistservTakeThisOuTmitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body > > > -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email listservEraseME.....mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body

Record "generate" sensor data on the hard drive (at n samples/second for whatever sensors are typical on your robot), and design a circuit that replaces the sensor inputs on the robots with the hard drive. This way you can check for "appropriate" robot behavior using "constant" sensor data, rather than having to factor in real world variability. BillW -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email EraseMElistservmitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body

> You have a robot with a 1 gig drive and a ccd camera. Map the surface of an > entire parking lot or basketball court. Data log the images to the drive. > Weave the collected image into one giant bit-map. Why? Well, there is a > really cool reason to do this. What it is, I don't know. ;-) It is a lot > like a satellite taking images of the earth and making one big picture from > them. Get a cooperative team of interacting robots working as a collective. This gave me another idea. Capture an image once a second or so from a small CCD camera. Attach the whole unit to some animal and see where it goes and what it does. Sorta like a cheap "critter cam". Or put the same unit in a suitcase with a peephole to make a "baggage cam". Ever wonder what the gorillas at the airport due to your stuff after it dissappears thru the little door? ***************************************************************** Olin Lathrop, embedded systems consultant in Devens Massachusetts (978) 772-3129, RemoveMEolinEraseMEEraseMEembedinc.com, http://www.embedinc.com -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email RemoveMElistservspam_OUTKILLspammitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body

> I am teaching an electronics class in which we are building robots. I have > been programming computers for ~25 years but am new to > microcontrollers. My department has been offered some 1 GB IBM Microdrives > for free if we can think of interesting projects. (Microdrives are tiny > hard disk drives with a Compact Flash II interface.) 've found information > on interfacing PIC with CFII so know it can be done. Any ideas of what to > do with a PIC and a gig of slow but non-volatile memory? - A portable "tape" recorder that takes analog in but can dump digital to a PC later. - Interface to a digital camera so that it can store hundreds of high res at max quality pictures. ***************************************************************** Olin Lathrop, embedded systems consultant in Devens Massachusetts (978) 772-3129, RemoveMEolinTakeThisOuTspamembedinc.com, http://www.embedinc.com -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email EraseMElistservspamspamBeGonemitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body

Ellen Spertus wrote: > > I am teaching an electronics class in which we are building robots. I have > been programming computers for ~25 years but am new to > microcontrollers. My department has been offered some 1 GB IBM Microdrives > for free if we can think of interesting projects. (Microdrives are tiny > hard disk drives with a Compact Flash II interface.) 've found information > on interfacing PIC with CFII so know it can be done. Any ideas of what to > do with a PIC and a gig of slow but non-volatile memory? > > Ellen Spertus Dataloggers for alternative energy monitoring. Good growth market with govt grants and tax assistance.:o) -Roman -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList RemoveMEpiclist-unsubscribe-requestKILLspammitvma.mit.edu

----- Original Message ----- From: Rob Severson <seversonSTOPspamspam_OUTJGED.COM> To: <spamBeGonePICLISTSTOPspamEraseMEMITVMA.MIT.EDU> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2001 2:10 PM Subject: Re: [PIC]:Ideas for using PIC with 1 Gig Microdrive? > How about this strange idea: > > You have a robot with a 1 gig drive and a ccd camera. Map the surface of an > entire parking lot or basketball court. Data log the images to the drive. > Weave the collected image into one giant bit-map. Why? Well, there is a > really cool reason to do this. What it is, I don't know. ;-) It is a lot > like a satellite taking images of the earth and making one big picture from > them. Get a cooperative team of interacting robots working as a collective. You also need a gps... so they are in order..... andy n1yew -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList KILLspampiclist-unsubscribe-requestspamBeGonemitvma.mit.edu

At 06:24 PM 03/06/2001 -0500, Olin Lathrop wrote: >- Interface to a digital camera so that it can store hundreds of high res at >max quality pictures. Actually you could just put the Microdrive directly into your Compact Flash-ready digital camera, since that's what it's designed to do. :) mcb ------------------------------------------------------------------- Matt Burch | Pinnacle Technology | tel: (785) 832-8866 Project Engineer | 619 E. 8th St. Suite D | fax: (785) 749-9214 EraseMEmburchEraseMEpinnaclet.com | Lawrence, KS 66044 | http://www.pinnaclet.com ------------------------------------------------------------------- -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList @spam@piclist-unsubscribe-request@spam@spam_OUTmitvma.mit.edu

Idea: Store the entire map of the building in it (you will need the space as you can't really compress everything - it will have to be some sort of bit field and vector set to be usable in realtime by the PIC), and have the robots amaze people by going places where they are told to go. This should occupy the first 10MB of the 1Gig imho. Peter -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList spamBeGonepiclist-unsubscribe-requestKILLspammitvma.mit.edu

Idea2: Incredibly long duration tape recorder (using only RLL compression). At 8k the 1G drive will be enormous. Add a LCD and a few keys and you have a super-boss tape with instant message access. By using a common file format you can play the messages on a laptop with CF/PCMCIA adapter. The 1G drive will hold over 34 continuous hours of speech (uncompressed - it can easily double using RLL and I don't want to know how much speech it can store if using a specialized speech compression algorythm - probably ten times as much). The suggested file format is Sun .au (linear). Peter -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList .....piclist-unsubscribe-requestspam_OUTmitvma.mit.edu