Separate Processor & Robot Rules

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by dlavery

The CMUcam II (fyi, not "CIM Camera") is provided to all teams as part of the Kit Of Parts. As such, you can use it in whatever manner you wish, just as you would any other KOP element. As a KOP element, it would not be considered a custom circuit (unless you modify it), so it would not be restricted by the custom circuit rules with respect to driving servos directly from the CMUcam II circuit board.

-dave

<R67> seems to disallow the CMUcam2 from driving the servos as it is most logically classified as a sensor.

<R67> You must connect all outputs from the sensors and additional electronics circuits used on the robot directly to the analog or digital I/O on the Robot Controller. Sensors may not be wired so that they directly
control other devices. All loads must be controlled by PWM signals sent by the Robot Controller to relays or speed controllers. It is acceptable to wire switches used as sensors in series or parallel with each other.

Originally Posted by Manoel

To answer JoeXIII'007's question about connecting the camera to another controller:
I don't think you can do that, based on rule R57 quoted below. The BASIC Stamp is a custom circuit and, the way the rule is written, it cannot command the camera directly.



If you are concerned about having the camera and multiple sensors connected to the main controller (and I certainly am ), I'd suggest offloading the other sensors to your BASIC Stamp or whatever you're using and sending the info back to the RC with the "Program" serial port, since you'd be using the TTL serial port for the camera.

At first I was disapointed that <R57> as written disallows directly connecting the camera to a custom circuit. However, now I realize it closes a major loophole.

Since Dave says you are allowed to connect servos to the camera as it is a KOP item, you could also connect a speed controller. You can send any command to the camera from your custom circuit. One of the commands manually controls the servo ports, which are connected to your speed controllers. Since neither your custom circuit nor the camera get disabled, you could be controlling motors while disabled.

Requiring that the custom circuit has to go through the RC before the camera makes sure that you stay disabled.