The Itchy and Scratchy Show

We're late

2004-09-06T01:27:00.000-07:00

Got the motor circuit running with the PWM... works very well. Change to a more powerful motor - the P9000 from DickSmith that have a voltage range from 3V to 12V.

The next step is to get the photo interrupter working, build Itchy's body and also to get a IR transmiter and receiver to work. This past week has been a nitemare... 3 assignments, 1 lab test, thesis work and itchy, to work on!!! We are way behind time and we have to triple our workload from this week on...

Sleepless nite, here i come...

My circuit now...

2004-08-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

This is how my circuit looks like as of 31/08/2004 (with motor circuit). MERDEKA!!!

YES!!! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!

2004-08-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

While i was writing my previous post, i never knew i forgot to try the CASE STATEMENT! And i said i tried everything! NO NO!!! CASE STATEMENT WORKS!!! HAHAHA, i got a super PWM working for me... going up or down whenever i want it to! WOOHOO! Tomorrow got to go to Uni and collect the motor circuit! And one more thing... Liverpool SUCKS!!!

I give up...

2004-08-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

I tried everything that i know of. Creating new functions, using for loops, if conditions! The best i can do is to make the PWM modulate upwards with the keyboard all the way up to 5V or modulate downwards all the way to 0V but not both with the same program! Going to ask my lecturer tomorrow.

Modulate pulse with with input from keyboard.

2004-08-27T01:13:00.000-07:00

Figuring out how to modulate the pulse with via pressing keys from the board. For example: press "U" to modulate up and "D" to modulate down. Spent the whole day in the lab trying to figure it out! Anybody with ideas email tanchunsian@yahoo.com.

Modulate My Pulse Width

2004-08-26T02:50:00.000-07:00

The pulse width modulator is the next thing to play with. Pulse with modulators allow you to work with the length of the pulse width, changing the pulse width to suit the function.

In this case, the voltage regulator reduces the 9V battery to 5V. The multimeter connected across the PWM (CCP1 and CCP2) pin and ground should be 5V. My aim it to write a program so that 50% of the pulse width gets modulated... which gives us about 2.5V...

Create a new function out of main...

void init_PWM()
{
TMR2IE=0; //disable the timer2 interrupt. Don't need it. (I think)
PR2=124; //40KHz
CCP1CON=0x0c; //PWM mode
CCP2CON=0x0c; //PWM mode
CCPR1L=62; //50% duty cycle
CCPR2L=62; //50% duty cycle
TRISC &= 0xF9; //make pin 12 and 13 outputs by setting their TRISC bits lo
T2CON=4; //pre and postscale for timer 2 =1 and turn on timer 2
}

EUREKA!!!

BLINK BABY BLINK!!!

2004-08-20T02:47:00.000-07:00

The next step is to get the PIC to talk to you. The way is to write a program that enables one of the pins to be set as the output, thus enabling you to connect and LED to it. If the circuit works and the connection is correct and the program it correct, the LED MUST blink!

I hear YOU!!!

Fix up the PIC (the brain of Itchy)

2004-08-10T01:06:00.000-07:00

WE have to get the components to assemble the brains of Itchy.

The entire circuit would be mounted on 2 breadboards: consisting of..
1) Voltage regulator circuit (to lower the voltage of a 9V battery to 5V)
2) Reset circuit (To reset the state of the PIC)
3) MAX232 (an RS232 interface between the processor and the PC)
4) PIC

The Challenge

2004-08-08T05:01:00.000-07:00

The mouse of Monash!

Creating a robot mouse that has the ability to navigate through a 5 level maze by itself, while escaping from the evil Robot Cat.

The 5 levels:
Normal maze, inverted maze, open space (with balls stacked up to form a pyramid), normal (tougher) maze and finally the spiral.

The only way to victory is to get to the top of the SPIRAL. Defeat means that the Robot cat bumps into you, or it gets to the top of the spiral first before you do!

Me and Ming Ee at the Maze