www.botdream.com http://www.botdream.com/blog Building a remote controlled robot from an old pc! Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:31:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 en Botdream project into ‘00 0000 0110 0011′ mode! (SLEEP assembler instruction) http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/11/04/botdream-project-into-00-0000-0110-0011-mode-sleep-assembler-instruction/ http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/11/04/botdream-project-into-00-0000-0110-0011-mode-sleep-assembler-instruction/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:53:59 +0000 Nelson Neves http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/11/04/botdream-project-into-00-0000-0110-0011-mode-sleep-assembler-instruction/ You’ve got it right, Botdream project is now going into Sleep mode (no to say Halt!).

Things are now getting complicated, too much work, no time for family and hobby, some personal life changes occurring, make the botdream robot project far away from his goal, so I’ve decided to re-think on this blog content and maybe start something new from scratch that will have a conclusion! I got a bit lost with some other projects (that were also interesting, here are some examples of what I’ve been doing:

  • Making some tests with PIC 18F4550 to work with a CNC (Interface with the Step Motor driver)
  • Testing Linux Ubuntu OS (only at normal user level)
  • Exploring Debian command line with the SLUG project
  • Getting into Linux Embedded Development for Bifferboard hardware (from March to October 2009):

So things got a bit off-track, a little more into the Linux world that requires some hard work and lots of free time to keep up with the community! No Pics and robot development for quite some time, so that is why I’m re-thinking on my blog content, I guess that I prefer to share something that I can really follow instead off having some old posts that are pretty well explained in some specialized blog!

I will also be moving from webhosting server (hostmonster / bluehost S#cks - they don’t keep up with their promises), still haven’t decided if will mirror the botdream related stuff. Slug stuff will live, slug rocks!

Thanks for all your support, hope to be back soon!

Nelson Neves.

]]> http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/11/04/botdream-project-into-00-0000-0110-0011-mode-sleep-assembler-instruction/feed/ Assembling prototype board with PIC 18F67J50 http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/02/21/assembling-prototype-board-with-pic-18f67j50/ http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/02/21/assembling-prototype-board-with-pic-18f67j50/#comments Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:30:49 +0000 Nelson Neves http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/02/21/assembling-prototype-board-with-pic-18f67j50/ I have been studying PIC 18F67J50 and have order it to make some tests! Since this pic use a very small package TQFP 64 pin (0.5 mm pitch between pins) it is not possible to just connect some thin wires and connected to the breadboard, so I have ordered this demo board but made a small mistake, it is a 0.8 mm pitch, damn:

Wrong board!

Ok, let’s order a proper demo board, this is the result of my first work with TQFP devices using a 0.3 mm tip on the iron (iron? yes, I did it the old way, after all it was my first time! Thanks to my friend dinix to let me use is lab!):

PIC 18F67J50 Prototype board

Not bad for a first time! Now I can actually run some live tests with it! This is also my first time with the super power-full nano watt pics from the 18F family!

]]> http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/02/21/assembling-prototype-board-with-pic-18f67j50/feed/ Project status … http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/02/21/project-status/ http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/02/21/project-status/#comments Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:45:18 +0000 Nelson Neves http://www.botdream.com/blog/2009/02/21/project-status/ It has been quite a while since I have last posted about my robot work … well I have been away from this project mainly due to lack of free time, I’ve been trying to develop some commercial projects using microchip pics, trying may way in into the microcontroller world!

From the free time that I’m left from this projects, I have been studying Linux Debian and making lots of tests with my favorite hardware piece, my NAS drive Linksys NSLU2 (aka SLUG) hacked with Debian distro ‘etch’! I have been able to connect a Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 HD webcam and stream live video (MJPEG - Motion Jpeg) over network from Ethernet, wireless and 3G mobile Internet interface. More on that later has I will make a tutorial on this and post it here (SLUG section)! Also been working with Graham (sunspot.co.uk) on Slug’s I2C channel to control other electronic devices such has I2C digital temperature sensor, PIC 16F690 to control PAN and  TILT servos attached to webcam, etc. (just a teaser, more on that later).