Voltage Differences Cause Issues

Alright, so I got four more Energizer rechargeable batteries, charged them up again like I had to do on the last set, and finally I had a separate power source for my Arduino board.  Hooray!  I then reconfigured my cables on my breadboard to clean it up, hooked up my TX/RX connections between my WiFly module and the Arduino board, and then I ran into another road block.  I wasn't receiving any communication between my laptop and the Arduino board.  After some research and reading over both datasheets, come to find out that the WiFly module's TX/RX connections are 3.3V tolerant and the Arduino's TX/RX connections are 5V tolerant.  Well how can I fix this issue?  I'm needing to step up and step down the voltage for communication to happen between the WiFly and Arduino board.  Luckily, SparkFun has already developed a breakout ready to go for purchase on their site.  Here's the link: Logic Level Converter

I should be receiving it on September 3rd, 2013 so as of right now I'm on hold till then.  All I have to do is run some wires connections between the two to this converter and my problem will be solved.  Apparently, some others have came across this issue and have developed a board to switch between a 3.3V and 5V tolerance.  Very smart idea and something that Arduino should put in place on their next board that they develop.

After this implemented into the project, hopefully by then I will have a new video to post up of the progress.  I hope everyone enjoys the progress and possibly encourage someone to start their own robotic project.  If you decide to take one on, use our forum to post your progress and make a blog.  BizSol Systems Forums It's neat to see your progress as you go along and easy to follow up to see what you've done so far.

Silly Mistake and a New Piece Added

Well with me being so excited with getting past my last hurdle, as soon as I got out of work and ate some dinner, I went to Walmart to get some rechargeable batteries to use for my project.  I put them in my battery holder and I have no power.  What the?  The batteries were completely dead out of the package.  Go figure.  I put them in the Energizer charging base that I already had.  The base tells me they are completely dead and will take a few hours.  NO!!!  I guess that was a sign to go to bed.

I wake up in this Morning to check on the batteries and they are fully charged.  Perfect.  Let me remind you it was late the night before and apparently I wasn't thinking straight.  To get the Arduino Mega 2560 to boot up properly with external power, you need at least 7V.  I only had 4.8V coming in.  So I had to put this to the side till I make another run later today to get some more supplies.

While I made my late night run, I grabbed a cheap soldering iron to do some minor work here and there while I troubleshoot and get everything laid out for Butler.  When I start putting the final project together, I'll get the proper tools to do the job correctly.  When I ordered my wireless WiFly module, I almost got the Electret microphone to use for Butler to hear the voice commands.  I soldered on three different colored cables to connect to the breadboard and adjusted my previous sketch and BitVoicer program to listen to the external microphone rather than the laptop's microphone.  I wanted to get this done ASAP as for some reason the microphone on this laptop was not doing the project justice.  With no issues at all, the microphone is working perfectly.  I even tried it from a distance and no flaws!  Once I get the external power setup, I will create a video to show the last three things done to the Butler project.  Maybe tomorrow I'll have a video for you all to view.

Here's a few photos in the meantime:

 

 

When There's a Will, There's a Way

I'm so excited that after my research of wireless connections, ADHOC networks, and WiFly commands finally paid off with getting the WiFly RN-XV module to connect to a wireless router.  I wrote out a tutorial to hopefully help at least one other person trying to achieve what I was trying to do.  The information was out there but not all in one place.  With the tutorial I wrote, anyone should be able to follow and get the module working with no issues.  You can read the tutorial here.

Now that I was finally able to overcome that obstacle, I can move on to setting up the separate power source and test uploading sketches wirelessly with the new setup.  I will post my update on this once I go get some new rechargeable AA batteries to put in my AA holder that I bought.

Simple math problems solved from voice commands

After many hours of programming, I finally completed quite a feat today.  I was able to successfully run a voice commanded math problem, have Butler run the math problem, and then display the correct number back to me by blinking the LEDS to whatever the number was.  Granted these are simple math equations but until an LCD or voice box is applied, this will do for now.  The main process has been implemented and conquering this task just shows that there is no limits at this point on what I'll be able to accomplish with Butler's AI.

Today, I ordered the microphone that'll be installed into his system and the wireless card to disconnect the need for the USB cable when processing voice commands through the PC.  I should receive the parts in about four days so I'll have more posts to provide.  Until then, I'll be tweaking the coding for smoother transitions for voice commands and a broad terminology applied for each command.

No pictures or videos today but will certainly have some in tomorrow's post!

Voice Commands and Flashing Lights

So the LEDs and speaker have been added to the system.  BitVoicer has been implemented into Butler.  The voice commands are working great.  Unfortunately, the microphone on this laptop isn't doing it justice.  I'm now working on implementing a microphone into Butler for better voice control from a further distance.

The LEDs are connected to digital pins through a 1000k ohm resistor.  The speaker is connected to a digital pin through a 100 ohm resistor.  The coding has been written and split up through different tabs for better reading of the code and easier to change if needed.

I have found ways to implement different tones to different commands given.  Butler can even play familiar tunes, whistle, and sing.  Butler will certainly have all types of different abilities that will stand above the rest.

Enjoy a few of the videos that we've taken through the progress:

Some Random Notes for Today

I have already started planning out the body of the robot.  I was going to start my DJ business again so a few months ago I started to purchase equipment for it.  I didn't get far so I only have a rack case and a power strip which luckily I'm going to be able to reuse in different manners.

For the body, I'm using this rack case that I am going to reinforce inside to be real sturdy and then attach the extremities to this case.  After they are attached, I'll start installing the sensors and work on a head piece.  Since the cavity of the box is 16" deep, I'll install a board to separate the internal wiring and boards from the storage the robot will use.   I plan on using either a door that he'll open on his own or a roll up that he can store inside.  This part will be interesting to program so that he remembers what he put inside himself.

The base stands 21.5" tall and 15 1/4" wide.  Adding the head piece and bottom base will add to the height.  The arms also will add to the width.  I'm waiting to finish the head piece and arms first so I can know the total weight of the upper body so I know what type of axle and motor setup I'll need for the bottom.  The handles and strap that went around the box will be removed.

At first, I did not know where to begin with the base and then while I was at work brainstorming, it hit me about the rack case.  I shaved off about a week of time constructing this guy just by having this case!  Can't wait till this guy starts really piecing together.

Here's the casing I'll be using as the main body

My brain hurts, So much research!

Some new notes to add to the journal.  I found a previous Wall-E robot prototype tutorial.  I plan on using a few parts and techniques it has listed.  I will refer back to this in the future.

BitVoicer will be used for our voice recognition.  I purchased the license for $4.95 today which I was quite pleased with the price for such an advance type of software for robotics.  I've been messing with it to learn the functionality and will be using THIS to practice using BitVoicer.

I'm going to make a quick run to RadioShack to get some resistors, LEDs, and an 8ohm speaker to start working on outputting tones for different commands.  I want to make Butler different from other "typical" robots.  I'm thinking more like R2D2 responses to commands.  I believe I can express feelings with the movements, sounds he makes, and lighting.

The light sensors seem like they will work for their purpose.  I will need probably four different light sensors throughout the body due to a very limited angle of only 5 degrees of detecting the light source.  When the sensor was directed straight into a light source, it worked great.  More study will go into this.

The sonar sensor works.  I did notice that it will error out when there was a sudden change.  Going to research into this further to see if it's the coding or the sensor itself.

Here's a few pictures to entertain you on what's been done so far:

My Toolbox

Light Sensor

HC-SR04 Sonar Sensor

My Setup

BitVoicer

Breadboard / Arduino Mega Setup

Here's to a new beginning!

Well here we go!  I'm really doing it this time.  Nothing is holding me back.  My goal with this robot is to have him be able to answer any question you may have and think on his own.  I want him to move on his own, think on his own, and understand what you tell him.  Here's to the next age of robots!  His name will be Butler, a completely autonomous AI robot.

I have a really good laptop, a toolbox for all the stuff I'll be getting over time, and the starting setup to begin.  Below is what I got in this past week:

- Asus Ultrabook Aluminum Intel Core i3 1.8GHz, 4GB DDR3 Memory, Windows 8
- Arduino Mega 2560 Microcontroller
- HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Distance Sensor
- Light Brightness Sensors
- 400 point breadboard
- 12V AA battery holder
- 2.1mm DC pigtail power plug

I have downloaded Arduino from arduino.cc and have it installed already on the new laptop.  I plan to just test out the sensors are start working with the programming.  I'll post my findings tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

- DM