sensors

Technical Technical Discussion
1

ON your mark, GET set…
I was reading thru the threads and realized that we don’t have a
program for the banner sensors, I seem to remember a 2 axes
“locater/shooter” program from last year, dose any one still have it? we might not need it this year, but the team wants to have it
on file
Thanks! Geo.

2

Are you referring to the goal tracking device at kickoff?

http://www.usfirst.org/robotics/doc_art1.htm

Try there. Look down on the bottom. PBASIC Goal Tracking Program. Yes, that’s the one. Good boy.

3

I wrote some of my own last year that uses a motor instead of a servo. It’s part of CogCode2k2, which is available at my website:
http://www.robbayer.com/software.html

4

Speaking of the Banner sensors has everybody gotten theirs?

We paid our registration in September so we should have been in one of the first shipments, but we have not recieved them yet. Since they were supposed to start shipping December 12 and other teams have mentioned here that they have recieved them, I am concerned.

FIRST also basically said “don’t bug us as we’re not shipping them”. If there are many teams that haven’t gotten them yet I’ll sit down and shut up. But if we’re the only team that hasn’t then somebody dropped the ball somewhere and we need to find it pretty soon.

5

*Originally posted by ChrisH *
**Speaking of the Banner sensors has everybody gotten theirs?

We paid our registration in September so we should have been in one of the first shipments, but we have not recieved them yet. Since they were supposed to start shipping December 12 and other teams have mentioned here that they have recieved them, I am concerned.

FIRST also basically said “don’t bug us as we’re not shipping them”. If there are many teams that haven’t gotten them yet I’ll sit down and shut up. But if we’re the only team that hasn’t then somebody dropped the ball somewhere and we need to find it pretty soon. **

We are in the same boat as you:( We havent received ours yet(although I’m hoping that it is sitting at school waiting for us) (/me wants the MASSIVE MSC catalog:D )

6

Thank you all for the programs & info!
we received the sensors/catalog 12-19-02
I think you will like MSC, they have more real world prices then SPI
my co. has used them for years as a major suppler.
there shipping is on time too!
16+HOURS…
Geo.

7

Does anyone have the Banner Engineering part number for the optical sensor handy? We don’t have our kit yet so can’t look on the part. Also don’t see any specs or tech data on the sensor or the yaw rate sensor in the FIRST docs. Am I looking in the wrong places?

TIA,
Bruce C.

8

The Gyro Chip output is centred around 2.50V+/-0.5, with a range of from 0.25V to 4.75V, and the signal is 27.00 mV/degree/sec, for a turn up to 75 degrees/sec (do the math, eh?).

The power input is 5V@20mA max.

With the mounting hole in the horizontal plane, on the bottom surface, positive rotation is clockwise looking down at the top. The pins of the connector are numbered (cleverly in little black numbers on a nice black background at the bottom of a dark tunnel, but who reads, anyway?) and 2 is signal and power “ground”, 3 is the +5V power, and 1 is the output (nominal impedance 1 kohm.

You can either hack off the tunnel and solder to the pins, or try to find an “AMP” micro Quadlock Sytem coneector, P/N 1-967081-1 “A” polarity. I’m sure if I went to my Active store it would jump right off the shelf at me (NOT !).

9

While you should read through the missing parts threads, I’ll tell you anyway. The banner sensors were shipped separatly along with the big book from MSC. They were in a small yellow envelope labeled “BANNER SENSORS”. This box arrived with the software, edubot and all sorts of goodies.

10

Are the sensors infrared, or optical? can they sense different colors using a byte, or are they infrared and sense a reflective surface, and be used a proximity sensor using a bit…Also, if they are optical, what values indicate lighter and darker colors? I’m guessing lower is lighter, higher darker?
I’m going on experience with lego mindstorms sensors here…
Or…is the tape even white…is it the reflective tape, as on the bins?
I’ve gotten a little confused with the white tape, and people posting just using bits to access the sensor data…
Thanks a lot.

11

The sensors are only 4 wire photoeyes, +12, GND, N.C.(Normally Closed) Contact and N.O. (Normally Open) Contact they will not give you back a value on the color that they are seeing

12

Does anybody have a part number for the optical sensors? This was asked above, but I didn’t see a reply. We don’t have them yet and I want to get a head start…

Thanks.

13

*Originally posted by 2000vfr800 *
**Does anybody have a part number for the optical sensors? This was asked above, but I didn’t see a reply. We don’t have them yet and I want to get a head start…

Thanks. **

From the Kit of Parts posted in team update #1
Optical Sensor 3 Banner Engineering
Corporation
Qs18Vn6LV

14

Thanks. I didn’t about checking there. I’m a n00b.

So, these things have a 6.5 m functional distance. Anybody check this rating and see if this is accurate?

15

It’s pushing it, but they will see that far. However, at that distance, you have to be lined up PERFECTLY for them to see anything, where as closer in you can be off by a significant number of degrees.

Also, they won’t pick up anything other than retroreflective tape (or a perfectly aligned and oriented mirror) at more than ~1’.

16

Thanks. There goes that idea… {crumpling up the piece of paper with my scanning optical array design}