2004 edu controller (PIC) is out!
 

Its on the Innvation FIRST Site now.
I've atached a snagit image of the unit.

Pretty sweet! What are the screws(?) on the top right hand corner?

/*EDIT Oops they are solenoid outputs duh EDIT*/

2 questions.

1. How much does it weigh?
2. How many lightening holes will it take?


Wetzel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Are there refill paks for the magic smoke?

solonoids? Either my memory is really going, or this is something new? a new type of actuator?

We let the smoke out of our OI power supply adapter the first day we used it (unplugged it from the OI and the connector landed on a piece of metal)

once that magic smoke leaks out, its really hard to pump it back in - easier to just buy a new one.

I believe the Solenoid output only appears on the Edubot, not the competition robot controller.

Matt

solenoid
 

I believe that solenoid means a relay, like the spike.

but the relay spikes have a 3 wire control, like the victors

those screws labled 'solonoid' are single screws, 1 per

maybe I'll bebop over the the Innovation First site and see if the docs are up for the new EDU kit yet.

nothing really clear on the INF site - looks like either there are 6 relay spikes built into the new edu RC (so you can hook up external motors directly to it)

or they have some type of electro-magnetic solonoid planned for future release - something like a minrature pneumatic cylinder that uses magnetic force instead of compressed air?

guess well have to wait and see.

The spikes have three wire but they work like a solenoid.

Two wires, white and red, are +5v and the black is ground. The white and red would have to be split and plugged into individual solenoid out locations on the EduRC.

I think that the extra screw locations on the solenoid bank would be for ground. IFI sells a solid state relay that would work off this set-up. We use the same SSR manufactured by CRYDOM here at work.

but there is no 'relay out' set of 3pin connectors on the RC photo above,(like there is on the competition RC) - only PWMs and those mysterious solonoid out connections.

Yes there are.

In the lower set, there's a section labeled "Digital In/Out - Analog In". Seems to me that digital out would be equivalent to relay outputs. Keep in mind that IFI also makes the Spike relays that we use. Maybe they've changed the interface in those, as well (instead of being whatever it used to be, it could be just a TTL digital signal, now).

so then what are the Solonoid screws for?

if they were ground, wouldnt it say GROUND RETURN, instead of having numbered Solonoid Out screw terminals?

This is only speculation, but I think they added the solenoid outputs to prevent you from needing spikes with the EDUbot.

There are eight screws, but the RC only has 6 solenoid outputs. The extra two screws are labeled with a +, so maybe the solenoid output states are open and grounded. It would be a nice feature to not need the extra spike hardware on a prototype.

I think they are meant so you cna connect whatever you want. IE(a relay). They are prolly just high current 5 or 12v outs. From the picture it looks like there are six ground returns, and 2 common positives, and they are using low side control.