Book review Asuro Robot of Raffaello Bonghi

Asuro is a small programmabile robot in C with a microcontroller ATMEL ATMEGA8L. Been born like didactic robot, this is optimal for the first experimentations in the world of the robotics. The robot is reached in a box it of dimensions 20 x 17 x 7 cm Inside of the box it they were present: CD with handbook Card of the Asuro robot Card of the emitter Infrared Electronic and mechanical parts Material miscellaneous and a little ball from ping-pong. The robot appears without a doubt for a public young person, even if during the assembly a short guide is need of a sure preparation for being able to correctly knit the robot (inside of the handbook is present who explains the corrected use of the saldatore). After to have mounted the robot and the card for the seriale programming the robot turns out already operating thanks to a program already loaded inside with the PIC that verification the motors and the sensors of the robot. But now we begin to analyze to the card of the robot and all the fundamental characteristics, leaving from the microcontroller who it adopts.

The robot
What it hits of Asuro are mainly its measures, than in a space of 100mm X 75mm succeeds to contain a small computer that can make to work the robot being made it to interact with the world. The microcontroller in issue is the ATMEL. The fundamental characteristics of this microcontroller are these:

• Advanced architecture RISC 
• 512 Byte of EEPROM 
• 8 MHz of clock 
• 3 Channels PWM 
• 6 channels ADC  

The Motors
In fact the microcontroller will manage or the present sensors on the robot that the motors will allow that it to move in the house pavements ours, the management comes executed from a bridge H and through doors AND of the integrated second the present CD4081B that will allow to Asuro the control in PWM of the motors.

The Bridge H used with the exception of the Sumovore that adopts a L293D, is 4 transistors more like saying before in escape from the bases of every transistor the incomes of doors AND of the CD4081B The transistors in issue are 2 BC327 and 2 BC337 for every motor, than like we can see in fact in photo are disposed I place side by side to the motors of the robot.

The motors used from Asuro are of the motor classics to brush, these are a lot used in the contests of mini4WD, are legacies to the card through of the fascette, than of it they do not assure a perfect anchorage. The motoriduzione system is found mounted directly through 2 wheels of gears on the main card, this involves the maximum uses of sweeps present on the card carrying to a complete optimization of the robot. On the second one a colorful disc rotates is present this allows the reading of the speed of rotates through a block emitter infrared receiver who according to the reflection of the light bouncing on the colorful disc emits a wave squares that he is perfectly interpretable from the microcontroller in order to manage the speed of the same one.

The sensors
The sensors used are 3 microswitches for side for a total of 6. These allow to Asuro to react to any present obstacle during the distance. To notice in fact the singular structure of the card that allows to recognize also little ones frontal obstacles for means of the small recess. In I equip with the robot is present also a system linens follower that it allows to recognize a line on the land. This system is constituted from 2 sensitive photo-diode valves to the red light and a led red they centers, than according to the reflected light they allow to thanks to the phenomenon of the reflection the acknowledgment of the color of the land.

The Mechanics
As anticipated the mechanics of Asuro before it is constituted from a Motor block Motoriduzione directly mounted on the card comportanto a detail compactness of the system. But last part lacks that us to analyze is rotates. This is in PVC and has a diameter of 40mm. Regarding the third support of the robot this cannot be said that the solution found from the AREXX is brilliant, is constituted from a semisphere one of a glue little ball from ping-pong under the card, between the sensor of line and fascette that they tie the motors to the card, allowing a fluid movement on any surface.

The other cards
The second card included in I equip with the Robot, allows to Asuro the riprogrammazione through the PC of present Microcontrollore ATMEL. The card uses the door Seriale 232 that through the integrated Infrared NE555 and a system ritrasmette marks them to the robot without having to connect no connector. On this card a trimmer from 10K is always present that it allows to regulate the power of marks them in escape of the infrared emitter so as to allow a programming of Asuro also from a discreet distance. The AREXX sells also for who did not have a seriale door an emitter via USB.

Asuro does not possess many cards of expansion the only presents is the “Extension Board”

The programming software
After to have dealt of the characteristics hardware of the robot we can notice also the interesting dowries of this robot regarding the programming. In I equip with this robot in fact is present a suite is Windows that Linux of the system of programming of Asuro The present programs are for who use Windows: WinAVR official Suite of the Atmel for the programming in C of the robot ASURO Flash that allows to send the code from the PC to the Robot The robot program in C and for who uses Windows the suite included in the CD is WinAVR. Regarding who It uses Linux “AVR-Binutils-2.13.90 - i386” the suite that allows to program in C the robot ASURO Flash is the program that allows the download of the code from the PC to the robot. Profits also the codes of test for being able to try the robot these codes of example are usable or for who use Linux that Windows The instructions are a lot important that they allow the corrected operation of the programming system.


more detail: http://www.minisumo.net