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For the to to I'm about to build I need 18 servos 2 dc motors and a couple ultrasonics but as far as I know the ez board only has 20 digital I/O's and it looks like the motor controller takes 5!? How and can you add more servos controls? And can the program control more then 1 board?


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#2  

Oh did not know that, how do you go about doing that and in the program?

#3  

Boards are referenced in a similar fashion to ports on the board.

#4  

How do you connect two boards

#5  

Each board has it's own Bluetooth connection. When you run ARC there is a list from 0-4. Connect each one to a comm port.

#6  

And you can run two boards in one robot? With it being seamless because I'm a bit confused on how that would work with one board having most the servos then say the next board using the motor and sensors all working in unison? Also Bret said 5 boards can be used?

#7  

Yes it does. I personally don't own two boards yet but its pretty straight forward. Have you viewed the tutorials yet?

#8  

I haven't seen one for two boards but I just want to make sure it works before I start spending money

United Kingdom
#9  

Yes, 2 boards work seamlessly in the software. A few people use multiple boards without any problems.

However, I would try to balance the load over the two boards as much as possible.

United Kingdom
#11  

Well you don't have to but it makes sense not to put too many heavy loads on one board, try and pull too much current through one board and it'll brown out, spread the load and you reduce that risk. If you have 2 board you might as well.

#12  

Well ill be using some heavy dusty servos so they will have external power- also how do you hook up external power for heavy duty servos?

#13  

I'm running 3 boards in my full size Lost in Space B9 robot and it works amazingly well. Seamless. ARC does all the dancing for you. just connect each board to your computer and ARC through the Bluetooth and set the controls or scripts as needed. Very EZ.

I also am running external power to one heavy duty servo and will be adding two more later. You run you're external power supply direct to the servos. You can even install a 5vdc relay inline and have EZB control it with a script. That way you can turn on and off the power to the servo only when you need it.

Have fun,

Dave Schulpius

#14  

Lol so funny you post I saw your b9 on YouTube and its what inspired me for my robot. I'm gonna build the lost in space robot from the movie. So are you saying the servo only the signal is connect to the ez board and the power is direct to a battery?

#15  

Awesome giga! That's over the top! The movie B9 was wicked and I've never heard of anyone redoing him. EZ-B should really bring him to life. What are you going to do about the voice? The same voice actor (Dick Tufeld) did the voice in both the B9 from the original series and Rambler-Crane series Robot from the movie. I'll have over 400 voice clips that will be played by a MP3 Trigger and controlled through the Speech Recognition feature of EZ-B.

As far as the servo, I only have one being used so far. The remaining motors I'm using are all DC motors controlled by EZ-B through H-bridges. That servo is a monster top end servo and I'm using it for my bubble lifter. It's a Seiko UAV servo PS-050 bought from: troybuiltmodels.com

It has 5 wires; Two are for Pos & Neg power wires and three are for RC or Microprocessor control. In the case of EZ-B the last three would go to the digital port (Ground, 5vdc, Signal).

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On a regular servo with only three wires you need to attach: The Data wire from the servo to a Digital Port Signal pin on EZ-B The Power wire from the servo the Power Supply's Positave The Ground wire from the servo to both the power supplys Neg and EZ-B's Digital port ground pin

Something like this:

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Hope this helps, Dave

PRO
New Zealand
#16  

Decent answer Dave....well. said

#17  

That's so much. Mine only going to be about 2.5 ft tall not full size like yours. Where do you get you sound files from that are so clear? The ones I find only always have the background sounds?

#18  

Glad I could help.

A 2.5' Rambler-Crane series Robot (B9) will be just fine and a real blast to build. What are you using for a platform? Have you found a 2.5' LIS movie robot? Please keep us informed with your progress with pics or vids.

I got the sound files from two CD's that are sold by venders on the B9 Builders Club. Craig Reinbrecht sells one called I_B9 and is Interactive Phrases and Voice Software for your B9 Replica. Daniel Monroe sells one called Robot Ramblings and is a 3 CD set of OVER 340 licensed Robot B-9T Phrases. Dan can be a little slow on delivery. A lot of members have waited months for their CD's but he seems to always come through. See the links below:

DanMonroe: http://www.b9robotbuildersclub.com/pub/parts/B90092/index.html Craig Reinbrecht: http://www.b9robotbuildersclub.com/pub/parts/B90032/index.html

Have fun!

#19  

Wow those are pricy I guess I might just look online for sounds bits

#20  

Yes, they are pricey but worth it. The audio quality is fantastic. The voice audio is on one channel and the mechanical sounds you hear on the TV show when ever the big guy is on camera is on the other. That way you can run just one channel or adjust levels if wanted.

Also the I-B9 software is interactive so you can point and click on the phrases you want to him say. You can also build your own custom words or phrases out of the large selection of included files and play them. Most of them were recorded long after the original show ended and custom recorded by Dick for this CD. You've never heard most of them on either the show or movie. A lot of work went into the production and re-mastering so the voice sounds just like what we remember from the Robot. It's actually a one of a kind work of art and well worth the money. Even if you don't have a B9 robot. Very fun to just play around with on your laptop ;)

The CD's offered by Dan are also remastered in the same way I mentioned above but clipped straight from the show. All three seasons. No background music or noise.

A lot of work must have went into each.

#21  

I really looking for the sounds from the movie as that sounds different then different then the show. Maybe ill get one down the road

#22  

No problem. I'm no salesmen for these guys. Just answering your question as to where I got them.

Have fun!