Another simulator people haven't mentioned yet is simply taking a Parallax Stamp-II BOE (Board of Education) board. Let it run the robot code, and tie it to a BOE-BOT (Board of Education Robot) with an umbilical.
You simply solder on some joystick connectors (and their caps) to the BOE, and add the joystick conversion routine. Ignore the original "init" conversation. The BOE takes the robot code, and talks to the BOE-BOT via an umbilical with the normal SEROUT packets. The BOE-BOT is programmed to interpret the packets, and run the BOT-BOT motors accordingly. Since the BOE-BOT uses servos modified for continuous rotation as motors, this corresponds PERFECTLY to a pair of motors run by Victors!
You MAY need a third Stamp-II riding piggyback on the BOE-BOT, as you can't PWM the motors and listen to the serial input at the same time, but that's TBD...
A SECOND way also requires a BOEBOT with a second BOE on its back. Have the BOE interpret the TETHER packets and run the BOE. Now your drivers can use your actual OI control board to run a MODEL robot around your hotel rooms for more practice!
In either case, if you don't want to make a full model of your robot, simply use spare RC servos perched on the BOE-BOT's back with toothpick flags waving around to represent Victor motors or gadget positions, and bicolor LEDs (with series resistor) across Stamp pin pairs to represent Spike gadgets.
Here are the links for the BOE and the BOE-BOT:
-
http://www.parallaxinc.com/html_file...-bot_brief.asp
-
http://www.stampsinclass.com/html_fi...culum_robo.asp
-
http://www.stampsinclass.com/html_fi...s/boe_kits.asp
Note that there are DIFFERENT prices for these products depending on which link you follow! There are also school discount prices for all Parallax products, and Parallax from time to time has been known to run sales on them, so inquire directly instead of web ordering to get the best price.
- Keith McClary, Advisor, Huron High 830 Rat Pack