Synthiam Humanoid Project

What kind of servos are you using?

Dynamixel 12a.

How are you currently controlling them? I thought you've mentioned once before but I can't remember.

A old CM-5 I had from a bioloid comprehensive.

hi .i have too tree bioloids.they are great robots. how tall will your robot be.

The Robotis Dynamixel servos use their own type of serial communication. What kind of microservos are you using as I did not think that Robotis made any? Is your intent to control the bot with the EZ-B when you get it? If so, how? My understanding is the EZ-B does not support Dynamixel servos. I know from another thread that DJ ordered one to see what he could do but no progress report yet.

robotis has mini servo's and mini servo motors.you can find them in ollo pakkets.the are exspencive too. and you need to rewrite your task before they work.they dont chow up in servo manager. and you need to uncheck the safety in manager for that servo cause els he thinks its blokking, otherwise you cant grip anything.als keep an eye on the time ,by uncheck the servo doesn stop by overheating. if you use the AX-12a

I'm actually using microservos I just bought from radio shack. The EZ-B v4 can control dynamixels, actually (according to a EZ-robot support email). What he said doesn't work is the feature where you can control servos by plugging them into another servo and making a daisy-chain.

oh.this is good learning stuff.thanks

Besides being able to daisy chain the servos for easy wiring, the AX-12A has a built-in microcontroller which allows feedback to a controller to track its speed, temperature, shaft position, voltage, and load. All of the sensor management and position control can be handled by the servo. The EZ-B does not read this feedback which can be very important when getting a humanoid robot to perform. Kind of defeats the propose of paying a premium price to use a DYNAMIXEL servo. Correct if I am wrong.

i agree.for excample you make an walking patern.if you cant see the when the servo is overheating. you will burn many servo's.

The EZ-B can actually read that info, you just need a custom script. I think DJ is working on is a built in function in ARC that reads the temperature and such, if I remember correctly.

I hope he gets that working. My Bioloid wants an EZ-B for Christmas or New Years.

It'll depend how the data is presented back to the EZ-B. If it's serial data then it can't be read with the V3 but the V4 should be able to get it. If it's analogue data (i.e. a voltage between 0 and 5v) then you can use the ADC ports to read it. If it is I2C then it can all be read through the I2C port of the EZ-B.

Having said that, why would a servo over heat or become stressed if it has been sized accordingly? I've been designing and working on a biped humanoid robot for around 6 months now and so far have had no requirement to use anything above heavy duty servos running on 6v (just under 10kg/cm torque) based on my calculations.

I just got the hands on the robot - I've also modified the chest a bit to make it heavier up front for when his backpack is hooked up (so far it's a 3/4 pound backpack) so it's equal on both sides. I got my big gaming rig up and running, (which has also taken up my workspace, so i've had to use one of those little TV dinner tables for the time being) and I'm setting up my ARC for everything that I hope to do with this little guy.

Photos/videos to come soon.

Also, does moving a servo when it's off affect the performance? I've already bumped and displaced his legs multiple times while he was off, but it seems to have done nothing. I've had bad past experiences (mainly with a i-sobot) when i've moved a servo while it's off. Thanks!

If your careful, no problem. If you need to use a fair bit of force don't try to move it.

Simple answer - No.

just moving the legs into a straight position while off or moving the arms to screw in a nut wouldn't hurt right? sometimes I have to fix certain parts.

EDIT: Rich's post didn't show up when I posted. Thanks!

Just fixed some problems with the robot - mainly the wrist servos being a pain. It's almost ready for more photos.

Also, guys. Can an elmer's glue stick damage the Dynamixel's casing?

As promised, here are some more photos of the robot! The casing of the backpack is off (i'm fixing it; hopefully i can show it in the next photo) and the hands are on him. Give me your opinions!

goodlooking robot. part F7 on choulder.the arm will not go all the way up.

It actually goes up/down just fine. It's for holding down the wires (hot glue) without having to glue directly to the dynamixel.

It looks like you are using all Robotis Bioloid building parts including the servos. I see from the pictures that you switched a couple of the frame brackets. Anyway, I have a Bioloid Premium kit. Its 18 DOF and more can be added (up to 256 I beleive). It comes with a CM-530 controller (ARM Cortex Type) which supports Bluetooth wireless control, PC and USB communication. It interfaces to a Gyro Sensor Module, IR sensors, and Distance measuring sensor. It has a Zigbee communication module that interfaces to a remote control unit. It also has Robotis Software runnung on a PC which allows you to position the posture of the robot and record it to a motion file, because it can read the position of the Dynamixel servos. This make it extremely easy to create walking, dancing, etc. motions with the robot. Also the Dynamixel servo can be wired to each other (serially) without each servo being wired directly to the controller. Until ARC is modified to do the same, I don't see the advantage to using the EZ-B v4 to power the bioloid. Making it walk is going to be much more complex than just using the Robotis software. I know that DJ ordered a Dynamixel servo to see what he could do and hopefully he can add the full functionality this servo offers. I would love to switch to the EZ-B on this robot. What am I missing?

I'm using it both to challenge myself (this will be a learning experience for myself) and to make a robot that i've always wanted. The EZB v4 can actually read everything from a dynamixel, but so far you need a custom script to read all of it. It also allows for a camera, which will add a lot more capabilities of the robot. Mainly, for me anyways, it all balances on if you want to put in the effort to make this work or not.

EDIT: this robot was all actually bought separately (using a bioloid manual PDF), and reduced my cost by about 100 dollars or so. i did go a bit off course to allow for longer arms, but besides that, yes. everything is pretty much standard.

Got any pics of the chest you want printed? I can 3d model and print also. I even have a Bioloid robot to test fit it on. Happy building!

We are adding full dynamixal support to ARC and the sdk to work like regular servos

that great to hear.i have 3 bioloids c-type /A-type and comprehencive whit turning AX-S1

Great news! I have a Bioloid with dynamixal servos.

Awesome. If EZ starts supporting them I'll pick one up. I've kinda always wanted to but then you need a C controller and I believe the cheapest one is $50. Looking forward to this advancement as well. You just keep knocking out of the park DJ

@dj sures

awesome! will this also include the daisy chain option?

bobbo whits one do you have?

Nonam@I have the Bioloid Premium Kit with the CM-530 controller and Zigbee module. I built the Bioloid type A.

i got also type A but whit chest comprehencive and cm-510.i use the 510 cause you can refirmwire servo's and controller.

Cool my Bioloid will be a EZ-B robot too! I need to buy a few more EZ-Bs.

same here.

Man, it's been a while since I posted in here! I'd just like to share what I did with the robot: -rewired the body to all be connected -changed the shoulder joints -added a battery to power the cooling fan/micro servos -fixed the way the arms work a bit

this should make it function a bit better when I finally get my EZB v4

i'll post the pictures as soon as my camera is charged

Cool!

sorry for the lack of pictures, i've actually started work on a body shell and i'll post results in a little bit