Mechatronics en
From 22C3
deutsche version (please keep up to date. or tell Gero to do so ;)
Contents |
update
2005-12-28
- Linux-Lego-Clicki-Bunti
- fuddled with crossover (wine variant) to run the windoze software directly
- Homoomorphic final assembly
- not gonna happen...
2005-12-29
- Linux-Lego-Clicki-Bunti
- smells like perl-tk...
- Lego Duplo
- 22c3 in lego
what we do - the classics
proven stuff like in the last years
Lego Duplo + railway
big bricks for small ones. a big cover (12 square meters) with lots off duplo and the duplo railway. also perfect suitable for big kids and - since we control the railway switches and barriers by lego-technic - even for hackers.
LDE update
first the bigger kids...
22C3 in LEGO duplo. including railway.
and yes: these are twos and no zetts ;)
... and later on even small kids had fun with lego
(2005-12-29)
Homoomorphic final assembly
build lego stuff without opening the plastic wrapping - a fiddly challenge for big kids with sleight of hand.
on competition on each of the first three days (at a given time - six oder seven p.m.?)
HFA update
not gonna happen. at least for today. but no one asked anyway.
if interested just ask perle at the mechatronic corner. let's see what tommorow brings ;)
(2005-12-28)
Lego-CD-Burning-System
The well known and loved Lego-CD-Burning-System goes for the next round. This time we'd like to make a blue print so others can build one, too.
what we do - the novelties
Linux-Lego-Clicki-Bunti
Lego offers an operating system for the RCX (the programmable lego brick) and a windoze software to write (i.e click together) programs with a graphical interface. Suitable for kids, powerful, sufficient for most stuff and nice (also with some quirks, but hey - it's software ;)
Of course I can also program the RCX in dozens of "real" programming languages - C/C++, Java, Perl, NQC, ... , even VisualBasic ( also some would doubt wether VB is a real programming language). With BrickOS (formerly known as LegOS) there is also a alternative (and of course better) operating system (which most of alternative languages use).
All these solutions share the disadvantage, that i have to actually write normal source code - most kids (and other non programming fellas) are blocked out.
Therefor we always had one or two windoze systems...
As far as we know there is no graphical interface running on linux offering the possibility to just click 'n' build my programs. So we plan to develop a Lego-Clicki-Bunti-Programming-Software (similiar to the original lego mindstorms) running on linux.
Features:
- graphical interface to click-n-build a program using ready-made, customizable program bricks
- save program
- convert to C program for BrickOs (or similiar language)
- transmit to RCX (using infrared)
LLCB update
this original lego software we're talkin about is called Robotic Invention System, short RIS [1]. there are versions 1.0 and 2.0 (I think there's also 1.5).
to get a good, clean and fast start, we had the idea to run the Robotic Invention System inside a linux system using the commerciall wine [2] variante crossover [3]. or to laugh trying ;)
and that's just what we did:
- no problem installing
- but the software won't run. or crossover didn't want the software to run. anyway we just got an error message complaining about missing RAM - even though there were about 20MB physical memory and much more swap available...
looks like we have to look for some other solutions...
a little net recherche
didn't dig up anything (up to now).
- not in the wine faq [4]
- not in the Wine Application Database AppDB [5]
- not in Codeweavers CrossOver Compatibility Center C4 [6].
- nothing about RIS in frank's corner [9] (info page about running windoze software with linux)
and now for something completly different (well not completly but quite):
- Cedega [10] is another commercial tool, to run windoze software with linux (similiar to wine and crossover). more directed towards gaming software.
- WebBrick [11] - control your RCX via browser. that was one of our possible goals. a server software - sadly it's just available as exe file and runs only on windoze machines.
I think it's free (didn't read the license).
- WebBrick example web page [12]
- Lego Mindstorm with Linux Mini-HOWTO [13]; a classic
- other stuff: the LEGO DIGITAL DESIGNER, kurz LDD [14], a free tool to construct virtual lego. no programming and therefore bnot what we're looking for.
- available for windoze and mac; discussion /www.legofan.org LDD for Linux ?: [15]
(2005-12-28)
LLCB update 2
first we took a look at glade-2 [16]. but we ended up with perl-tk [17] (perl rulez).
we fuddled a bit around with drag'n'drop. thanks to Steve Lidie for Drag-and-Drop Primer for Perl/Tk [18]. at perl.com [19] of course.
(2005-12-28)
OrangeBot II
Herr Schmidt presents his newest robotic project and looks for comrade-in-arms.
