Hey everyone! I know it seems like I've been a bit absent - which is true. It doesn't mean that I'm not on the forum following your conversations. This is a very exciting time for EZ-Robot and the community. As the physical parts are being sent away for manufacturing, this leaves a bit of time for me to perfect the firmware and code.
It has been a really exciting few weeks - with great successes! The EZ-B v4 is absolutely amazing to work with. It has beautiful new functionality compared to the EZ-B v3, and is well over-the-top compared to anything else available. EZ-Robot is reshaping what the world thinks about robotics... And disrupting the industry while we're at it :)
Not only is the EZ-B v4 contained within a beautiful and stylish protective case - it is elegant and has a lot of thought put into how it works, how it connects, and how it can be used...
The bottom of the EZ-B v4 has a male/female connector which docks to the body inserts of your Revolution robots. The little feet protect the power connector from being bent or scratching your workbench. The sides host heat vents to let the 2 internal 32-Bit Arm Processors breath. Including the camera, the EZ-B v4 has three 32-Bit Arm Cortex processors totaling a staggering 280mhz of combined processing power.
The power connector mates with the power connector of your Revolution robot. The little holes let the EZ-B v4 fit securely in the body of your robot.
Easy to insert, easy to remove and securely held in place.
We have been exercising our creativity with more Clip'n'Play EZ-Bits. Including cubes, extenders and more!
Our 4 MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printers run 24 hours a day printing prototype designs to test. Once they are tested, the design files are sent to the manufacturing facility to be injection molded with durable ABS plastic.
The new EZ-Robot Camera is specific to the EZ-B v4. It has a new style and shape to compliment our soon-to-be-announced new logo and branding. The EZ-Robot Camera connects directly to the Camera Port of the EZ-B v4.
The top of the EZ-Robot Camera also includes a female EZ-Bit Clip'n'Play Connector. Your creativity doesn't stop at the camera, you can continue to connect more add-ons to the camera!
The bottom of the EZ-Robot Camera hosts a male EZ-Bit Clip'n'Play Connector.
The EZ-B v4 includes a Wi-Fi module for connectivity from your PC, Phone, or Tablet. Which means it has blow-you-mind features. First, it's an amazing thing to see the EZ-B v4 show up in your Wireless Network list.
A built-in webserver allows you to configure the EZ-B v4 over any web client, including your iPhone, iPad, or Android device...
The AP mode allows the EZ-B v4 to run as an access point. You can give it a unique wireless name and security settings.
The Infrastructure mode means the EZ-B v4 can be connected to your network. By opening a port in your firewall/router, you can control your EZ-B v4 from anywhere in the world! Including from your phone, from anywhere!
Finally, there is a basic diagnostics page. Which allows you to move a servo and trigger embedded audio files - simply for testing.
Now, the real strength is in the new EZ-Builder - which now uses the EZ-B v4 as a speaker! Any sound files or speech will play out of the 2 EZ-B v4 speakers. There is one speaker in the EZ-B v4 case, and another in the camera.
The new Soundboard for EZ-B v4 can now play files locally on your computer speaker, or through the EZ-B v4! This means full MP3/WAV audio streaming directly to the robot! Give it music to play as it dances. Or simply load the module with audio files for unique sound effects.
There are new EZ-Script commands for streaming speech to the EZ-B v4 speakers. The new script commands also allow you to adjust the volume.
And finally, the efficiency and speed of the new EZ-B v4 communication protocol is amazing. It operates over a two TCP connections. One connects to the EZ-B v4 for physical control of ports/servos/serial/i2c/etc, and the other streams the live camera feed - or other attachments that we will be announcing soon :D
The AutoPosition control takes advantage of the new network communication design to increase speed and efficiency. This means that behind the scenes, the servos and ports are controlled by single TCP packets that include the settings. So your behaviors are seamless, smooth and organic.
On the topic of organic, the servos now have 180 positions and increased speed ramping! This gives your robot life-like motions with amazing accuracy. The new servos we chose for Revolution can support up to 15kgs at 7.4v from the lipo batteries in our store.
We'll be creating many videos and a whole new tutorial section starting next week - when I return back home from some more traveling this week. The tutorial section is going to blow your mind also! I can barely hold back my excitement.
Last and not least, for all you hackers out there! The EZ-B v4 and Camera cases can be removed to expose their tiny beautiful PCBs. As you can tell by the camera next to the Canadian Coin, it is very tiny to fit in small places. We didn't forget about you hackers, so everything is designed to be taken apart and modified for your custom robots!
There is truly nothing else in the world that competes with the EZ-B v4 and EZ-Robot Revolution. And we owe it to all of you! I know you'll love it too... Oh and yes, the iOS version of EZ-Builder will be released soon! (Android will be coming right after)
"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..."
What is my ultimate plan, you ask? I see a world full of creative-minded individuals, like yourself, with ideas for robotics. Some of your ideas may be new products - however, creating a product from scratch is very difficult. By building and prototyping new product ideas with EZ-Robot, you can focus on the creativity, execution and completion. We provide the style of Apple, the technical ability of Intel and the productivity of Microsoft... We've given purpose to robotics. There is no reason why new robot products should not contain an EZ-Robot Brain :)
Think of all the new robot products being released each day. Now picture those robots in your home... Doesn't work, does it? They lack elegance, design and functionality. Products built with EZ-Robot do not need excuses for their lack of functionality or lifestyle integration. Spend less time fiddling with electronics and programming... Spend more time on creativity, function and design!
Over the past year, EZ-Robot has been supporting new products designed by community members, just like you! When we are introduced to an idea that we like, we help make it a reality. That, is the future of EZ-Robot. Supporting your dreams of a science-fiction tomorrow!
It has been a really exciting few weeks - with great successes! The EZ-B v4 is absolutely amazing to work with. It has beautiful new functionality compared to the EZ-B v3, and is well over-the-top compared to anything else available. EZ-Robot is reshaping what the world thinks about robotics... And disrupting the industry while we're at it :)
Not only is the EZ-B v4 contained within a beautiful and stylish protective case - it is elegant and has a lot of thought put into how it works, how it connects, and how it can be used...
The bottom of the EZ-B v4 has a male/female connector which docks to the body inserts of your Revolution robots. The little feet protect the power connector from being bent or scratching your workbench. The sides host heat vents to let the 2 internal 32-Bit Arm Processors breath. Including the camera, the EZ-B v4 has three 32-Bit Arm Cortex processors totaling a staggering 280mhz of combined processing power.
The power connector mates with the power connector of your Revolution robot. The little holes let the EZ-B v4 fit securely in the body of your robot.
Easy to insert, easy to remove and securely held in place.
We have been exercising our creativity with more Clip'n'Play EZ-Bits. Including cubes, extenders and more!
Our 4 MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printers run 24 hours a day printing prototype designs to test. Once they are tested, the design files are sent to the manufacturing facility to be injection molded with durable ABS plastic.
The new EZ-Robot Camera is specific to the EZ-B v4. It has a new style and shape to compliment our soon-to-be-announced new logo and branding. The EZ-Robot Camera connects directly to the Camera Port of the EZ-B v4.
The top of the EZ-Robot Camera also includes a female EZ-Bit Clip'n'Play Connector. Your creativity doesn't stop at the camera, you can continue to connect more add-ons to the camera!
The bottom of the EZ-Robot Camera hosts a male EZ-Bit Clip'n'Play Connector.
The EZ-B v4 includes a Wi-Fi module for connectivity from your PC, Phone, or Tablet. Which means it has blow-you-mind features. First, it's an amazing thing to see the EZ-B v4 show up in your Wireless Network list.
A built-in webserver allows you to configure the EZ-B v4 over any web client, including your iPhone, iPad, or Android device...
The AP mode allows the EZ-B v4 to run as an access point. You can give it a unique wireless name and security settings.
The Infrastructure mode means the EZ-B v4 can be connected to your network. By opening a port in your firewall/router, you can control your EZ-B v4 from anywhere in the world! Including from your phone, from anywhere!
Finally, there is a basic diagnostics page. Which allows you to move a servo and trigger embedded audio files - simply for testing.
Now, the real strength is in the new EZ-Builder - which now uses the EZ-B v4 as a speaker! Any sound files or speech will play out of the 2 EZ-B v4 speakers. There is one speaker in the EZ-B v4 case, and another in the camera.
The new Soundboard for EZ-B v4 can now play files locally on your computer speaker, or through the EZ-B v4! This means full MP3/WAV audio streaming directly to the robot! Give it music to play as it dances. Or simply load the module with audio files for unique sound effects.
There are new EZ-Script commands for streaming speech to the EZ-B v4 speakers. The new script commands also allow you to adjust the volume.
And finally, the efficiency and speed of the new EZ-B v4 communication protocol is amazing. It operates over a two TCP connections. One connects to the EZ-B v4 for physical control of ports/servos/serial/i2c/etc, and the other streams the live camera feed - or other attachments that we will be announcing soon :D
The AutoPosition control takes advantage of the new network communication design to increase speed and efficiency. This means that behind the scenes, the servos and ports are controlled by single TCP packets that include the settings. So your behaviors are seamless, smooth and organic.
On the topic of organic, the servos now have 180 positions and increased speed ramping! This gives your robot life-like motions with amazing accuracy. The new servos we chose for Revolution can support up to 15kgs at 7.4v from the lipo batteries in our store.
We'll be creating many videos and a whole new tutorial section starting next week - when I return back home from some more traveling this week. The tutorial section is going to blow your mind also! I can barely hold back my excitement.
Last and not least, for all you hackers out there! The EZ-B v4 and Camera cases can be removed to expose their tiny beautiful PCBs. As you can tell by the camera next to the Canadian Coin, it is very tiny to fit in small places. We didn't forget about you hackers, so everything is designed to be taken apart and modified for your custom robots!
There is truly nothing else in the world that competes with the EZ-B v4 and EZ-Robot Revolution. And we owe it to all of you! I know you'll love it too... Oh and yes, the iOS version of EZ-Builder will be released soon! (Android will be coming right after)
"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..."
What is my ultimate plan, you ask? I see a world full of creative-minded individuals, like yourself, with ideas for robotics. Some of your ideas may be new products - however, creating a product from scratch is very difficult. By building and prototyping new product ideas with EZ-Robot, you can focus on the creativity, execution and completion. We provide the style of Apple, the technical ability of Intel and the productivity of Microsoft... We've given purpose to robotics. There is no reason why new robot products should not contain an EZ-Robot Brain :)
Think of all the new robot products being released each day. Now picture those robots in your home... Doesn't work, does it? They lack elegance, design and functionality. Products built with EZ-Robot do not need excuses for their lack of functionality or lifestyle integration. Spend less time fiddling with electronics and programming... Spend more time on creativity, function and design!
Over the past year, EZ-Robot has been supporting new products designed by community members, just like you! When we are introduced to an idea that we like, we help make it a reality. That, is the future of EZ-Robot. Supporting your dreams of a science-fiction tomorrow!
The new camera that's shown here comes with the dev. kit.
I think the battery holder is 6AA, or 9v. it you decrease by one you can run the heavy duty servos.
Yes, it was said somewhere that a regulator would come with the kit for the ping.
I don't believe there are any other changes.
Sorry I'm late to the party but that was an awful lot of awesome info. Thanks DJ.
Thanks for the info Technopro! Looks like I will just have to wait and check the camera size for myself and see whether it fits into Wall-E's head It's too hard to guess the size of the camera from pics in this forum As a last resort I could mount the camera in Wall-E's body. Not sure whether Wall-E's trick of.following a face with head could still work as well Can't wait to get my hands on this new, more technically advanced development kit!
Just to point out that you wont run many HD servos from 5 AA batteries, they will be flat pretty quickly and probably will struggle to provide the required current.
I would advise spending a little more and getting the LiPo battery too.
Rich, if he parallels 2 he could get more AH. they are easy to find.
LiPo is the way to go... AAs, even paralleled still will lack the ability to output.... and not to mention the bulk and weigh of them. Not very efficient...
It's not the Ah that they hold it's the total amps they can provide in a burst, AA batteries are not nearly as good as LiPo for those high demands. Also the weight and size will be a huge issue. I have some 2000mAh AA batteries which have a bigger capacity than the LiPo but they cannot provide the amps required to drive everything at once.
It's always exciting to read the first post on the V4! I can't wait to get it!