Connect robotic wheels to your old laptop

Step 12: Install PC Software

I created some PC client/server software, in Visual Basic Express 2005, for the control of the LaptopWheels Robotic Platform, and additional, for my ATRT Robotic Trike platform as well.

Unfortunately, it's still very buggy, and not ready for release. If anyone really wants a copy of the executables in their current state, please e-mail me via instructables, and I will be willing to share them. As I said, though, they are very very buggy.

Comments

[kburman]

Can your software can control servo directly from usb. Actually i have 2 servo and and a car which can move in omni direction i have developed a program in "Roborealm" which can follow a line and follow a ball but you know that can not  directly connect a servo or motor and the problem is that i have no board or PIC controller through which i can connect to computer and control it. So if your software can do this can you please mail me i will really very thankful to you or if you know any other way to do this please  tell me .Thanks In advance 
At last you have done a great project its really cool.I was thinking that if i had one with me.

[psymansays]

My system also uses a board in between the PC and the motors and servos, that the PC communicates with over a serial port.

Now, if you have a PC with a parallel port (virtually no modern laptop PC's have these, built-in) then you could program the parallel port to control servos directly, but otherwise, you do need a microprocessor.

One thing to keep in mind is that you can use an Atmel ATtiny2313 chip with almost no extra parts, which costs only $2.47 per chip, and you can program this chip with free gnu tools. (http://microcontrollershop.com/product_info.php?products_id=993)

You could make it as simple as taping the chip up-side-down to the top of your servo, and soldering directly to the pins (dead-bugging the chip)

AVR Freaks is an online forum with a lot of great resources for programming those chips, especially with servos.

[kburman]

OMG when i click on checkout button i was stuned to see $2.47 was converted into $32.42. It will be better to use parallel port can you please give a link to it tutorial.

[psymansays]

Wow, I had no idea international shipping was so crazy expensive! (Especially for such a small part)

When I bought chips from that same web site, for shipping here in the USA, the shipping was like $2.

Well, don't get discouraged. Look up "Atmel ATtiny2313" and your country's name, and find a more local online shop.

The USB-to-Parallel adaptors, unfortunately, are much less programmable than an old Parallel port that was controlled by the PC BIOS. They won't work with any of the existing code or tutorials I know of. If you can get a PCMCIA Parallel port card, that can be made to work, though. I've used one of those for some hacky projects before.

[kburman]

Is there any way control even few LED's with USB to Parallel port converter

[psymansays]

You might be able to control up to 8 LED's with one of those USB-to-Parallel cords. Basically, you would have to trick your PC into installing a "Generic Printer (Text Only)" driver for the port, then any data that you try to "print" on it would be applied to the Data pins (D0 through D7) which you could plug a D-Sub connector with LED's on it into. It would be best to get a USB to DB-25 cable, otherwise you will have to work with the old Centronics standard 32-pin port.

To clarify, that is (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-subminiature) vs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Centronics.jpg) end connector.

[kburman]

Controlling 8 LED's more then i expected .
So,i install "Generic Printer(Text Only)" and then connect a LED's from pin9,29 and then print a page but nothing happen(sorry i forgot to mention that i have 36pin parallel port and i get pinout connection from "http://hw-server.com/files/lpt/download/piny.html")

[psymansays]

I decided to try this out myself, and take some photos. When I hooked up the USB-to-DB25 adaptor that I have to this circuit, the LED was actually lit when the port was idle, and not printing. This is because the operating system and the USB device firmware use 0xFF (255 in decimal) as the parallel port's data pins' idle state. In one photo, I turned off my spotlight, so that you can (dimly) see the LED lit up.

[kburman]

Let me explain what i want to do.
I want to build a car which can follow any object. For that i need some thing which you have done above.Since i am fitting nettop in place of laptop as you have done in your projeect and nettop not have any port except USB.(So,no other option other than USB To Parallel port(Please don't ask for any MCU))
I want to control LED'S from USB TO Parallel port because if i can control Led from computer then i can control transistor then relay and almost everything(Like my Car Motor).
As you have done above i also done and found that it has very less power to control LED(or Transistor).
If you don't mind i want to ask one more question
like LPT1 has address Address: 0x378H or in VB Express &H378S
Is there any for USB001 {"http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FKA/89HD/GGPETDCS/FKA89HDGGPETDCS.LARGE.jpg}
You can see USB001 port at window titile as "Generic /Text_Only Properties "

[psymansays]

OK. Well, LED's are one-directional (the longer pin takes the positive voltage), and you should use a resistor in series with the LED (330 ohm, since the port is 5V). Another thing is, you should try running the circuit between Pin 2 and one of the ground pins instead of pin 9, because bit 7 (Data pin "8") will never be positive when you're printing normal text characters, but bit 0 (Data pin "1") will be positive about half of the time and negative the other half of the time. When you use windows to print to the port, the data will only be on the pins for less time than you will probably be able to see (microseconds) before changing to each next character and then being finished.

[kburman]

Atmel are really very cheap i am going to buy it. Site which you have give is that genuine because from that i am going to purchasing it .
I have a laptop with USB port but i have seen a Parallel to USB converter means that i have parallel port in my laptop .Is there any tutorial for it how to control servo from Parallel port and Can you give me the name of the free gnu tool. So that i can download it.
Thanks for all your help.