Doug, Have you played around with USB servers (http://www.keyspan.com/ products/us4a/) accessed over wilan?
I could see USB servo controllers (http://www.pololu.com/catalog/ product/390) and possibly cameras remotely controlled and/or accessed this way. Steve On Sep 10, 10:41 am, "Doug Conn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Didn't Linksys stop making the NSLU2 ? > > I tried using a webcam server for my tank, but it didn't work very well. To > ensure an uninterrupted video stream, the server would buffer 5-10 seconds > of video before it started streaming. That would introduce the corresponding > amount of latency, so I wouldn't see an event in my video until 5-10 seconds > after it actually happened ! Not good for running a real-time tank. I hope > that the webcam server you found avoids that. > > I ended up writing my own video streaming software using the MJPEG format. > That's a highfalutin way of saying it sent one JPEG image after another. > When I converted to Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio, I just used their > webcam service. It does not have significant latency. The more I use MSRDS, > the more I like it. It's made for distributed asynchronous processing, and > they've built it in a really clever way. You don't need to manipulate your > own threads and synchronization primitives. Plus, I used the skills I > learned building my tank to enter the RoboChamps competition > (www.robochamps.com). I submitted one challenge so far, but it hasn't been > judged yet. The competition is great fun. I recommend it. > > - Doug > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > On Behalf Of SteveH > Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 8:02 AM > To: R/C Tank Combat > Subject: [TANKS] Re: For those mad scientists on the list > > Yaah, I got a Gumstix too. While they're really neat and tiny, the > hardware expandability is problematic (combining USB and serial and > Ethernet is difficult), and the software is pretty immature for a > system designed for user modification. For example, the stock firmware > won't support either function of their Ethernet/SD card stick without > reconfiguring the system from a serial port (that you can't attach > with the Ethernet/SD stick in place), and in the case of the SD card I/ > O, it required rebuilding the kernel and reflashing the CPU. This > problem has remained there over several code releases, too. I'd > expected better from them; they've a way to go yet. > > I've since switched to the Linksys NLSU2, a cigarette-pack-sized $100 > single-board Linux network appliance that's been hacked to install > OpenEmbedded Linux. This system, while not originally designed for > user modification, supports USB, Ethernet, serial I/O, and has lotsa > prebuilt packages that are easy to install and work right off the bat. > In an hour out of the box, I've got a Webcam server running, and have > the I/O capability needed to use the "Slug" as a robot controller. > This is now my baseline embedded controller. I recommend it highly. > (Linksys, when asked about all the folks repurposing their gadgets, > say in effect that they don't actually support this stuff, but > certainly don't mind. I like their attitude.) > > -- Steve H > > On Sep 9, 12:25 pm, Aahz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Doug Conn wrote: > > > I looked at Phidget boards for RocketMan and Bad Kitty. I think they are > > > kind of expensive for the functionality you get. I like the Velleman > K8055 > > > board. It's very basic and very cheap. When I outgrow that, I've been > > > thinking about one of these: > > > >http://www.labjack.com/labjack_u3.php?prodId=53 > > > I bought and experimented with a Gumstix for computerized control > > system for both tanks and robots. If anyone wanted one used I could make > > you a good deal ;)http://www.gumstix.com/ > > > Aahz. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are currently subscribed to the "R/C Tank Combat" group. To post a message, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
