Chief Delphi - Tank Drive Without a Microcontroller

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Re: Tank Drive Without a Microcontroller

As recommended by others, if you use RC controller, make sure you have 5V is available at supply pin (center pin in PWM cable). Victor does not provide 5V to receiver as other RC motor controllers do, so you may have to provide voltage to receiver itself.

Re: Tank Drive Without a Microcontroller

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tungrus (Post 1287070)

We pull 5V off the PDB when we run RC equipment.

Re: Tank Drive Without a Microcontroller

We are integrating the Andymark RC controller into a project right now, will report back on how well it works.

Re: Tank Drive Without a Microcontroller

Quote:

Originally Posted by jameschin (Post 1286711)

If you didn't want to use a microcontroller, is it possible to make a tank drive such that it was directly wired to potentiometers?

I think we'd appreciate a bit more context. Are you asking for a project you had in mind, or are you just curious about alternative motor controllers?

Re: Tank Drive Without a Microcontroller

Quote:

Originally Posted by efoote868 (Post 1287077)

I think we'd appreciate a bit more context. Are you asking for a project you had in mind, or are you just curious about alternative motor controllers?

It may be a hit-and-run. He hasn't responded since the original post three days ago.

Re: Tank Drive Without a Microcontroller

If you've got a Linux system laying around:
http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?RC_Servo_Test

So they've thrown a thread on tank drive ;)

Re: Tank Drive Without a Microcontroller

Quote:

Originally Posted by techhelpbb (Post 1287124)

If you've got a Linux system laying around:
http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?RC_Servo_Test

Looks interesting ! Have you (successfully) tried this?

I do wonder, however, how stable the pulse width is. On an old Pentium my DOS-based generator had jitter in the nanosecond range.

Re: Tank Drive Without a Microcontroller

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ether (Post 1287129)

Looks interesting ! Have you (successfully) tried this?

I do wonder, however, how stable the pulse width is. On an old Pentium my DOS-based generator had jitter in the nanosecond range.

I've used EMC2 on Linux.
I tried that out once a while back and forgot about it.
I am in the middle of considering EMC2 for something I am working on.
At the time it moved the R/C hobby servo.
You can tell it was extensive testing :)
Odds are high I will have to dig up an old PC in the near future.
When I have some life out of it I'll let you know and a test can certainly be made.

Depending on what is actually providing the parallel port it is possible to get some pretty tight timing.
I've had decent luck with NetMOS PCI parallel port boards.

The timing is basically the hinderance for Mach3/EMC2 and so many other PC based CNC controllers with USB output.
With USB you need more intelligence on the USB slave device.
That has to be the case because USB is so complex the timing goes out the 'window'.
There are USB controllers out there but then you have yet another part in your CNC system (usually $100+ at that)
As Windows moves into 64bit Microsoft seems to heading towards obsoleting parallel ports.
I know EMC2 can drive industrial servos with PWM off the parallel port however there's usually an interface with an FPGA.