How to add the Wowwee MIP Movement Panel robot skill
- Load the most recent release of ARC (Get ARC).
- Press the Project tab from the top menu bar in ARC.
- Press Add Robot Skill from the button ribbon bar in ARC.
- Choose the Movement Panels category tab.
- Press the Wowwee MIP Movement Panel icon to add the robot skill to your project.
Don't have a robot yet?
Follow the Getting Started Guide to build a robot and use the Wowwee MIP Movement Panel robot skill.
How to use the Wowwee MIP Movement Panel robot skill
The WowWee MIP robot is hackable with a UART port on the mainboard. Connect the GND, TX, and RX to an EZB’s UART TX and control it from ARC.You can power the EZB with the MIP's onboard batteries, but if more power is needed, an EZ-B v4 + camera, for example, an additional 9 Volt battery, can be used.
Any EZB that supports a hardware UART can use this robot skill, such as the ESP32, ESP32-Cam, or EZB v4. The ESP32-Cam is preferred because it’s the smallest and has a built-in camera.
*Note: Remember that you will need to connect the GND if you power the EZ-B off a separate power source. It doesn't matter where the GNDs come from, as they are shared between the MIP and an EZ-B.
*Note 2: Synthiam is not a manufacturer of this third-party hardware device. Nor is Synthiam responsible for the operation of this third-party device. For operational questions, it's best to consult the product's instruction manual.
can u connect a MiP to ez-builder? if so, how? confused
Do you have an EZ-B v4?
yes
There is a control for it in ARC... Have you taken the time to play with it first? See how it works, etc? Remember each control has basic information on how to use. Also have you googled the mip on it's features and functions? This would give you a good idea of how it would interface with ez robot....
i watched a video of it on youtube so i know how it works. but i still have not figured out how to make him do all of the tricks,games,etc.
Forget a video... Google it's features/details or go to wow wee robotics website to see the details on it.... It must have a data sheet on it... Anyway, If I had the same question as you this is what I would do. Once you find a data sheet on it, it should be clear on how it would work with the ezb...
i found out that it can connect to a phone or tablet using wi-fi or bluetooth,so it can connect to your computer too,right? than i can hook it up to ARC.
So my guess ARC would connect over wifi....that's just my guess..... Looking at the control it looks like this is how it works.... Remember it's ez robot so I am sure DJ made it pretty simple....
The MIP doesn't have the ability to connect to your PC. You have to connect it tor your EZ-B v4. I will add it to the list for making a tutorial. It'll be done in a few weeks
In the meantime, you connect the UART port 0 on the EZ-B v4
I stand corrected... Thanks for the info DJ....
Gotta say , MIP would be a cool little dude to hack.
Anybody have any pictures of this / wiring diagram? Would an IoTiny work for this?
google is your friend.
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/hacking-the-mip---proto-back/all
An IoTiny could work for hacking a MIP but communication would only be one way. The IoTiny doesn't have a UART, so it could only do software serial transmission (no receive). I've never tried it myself but I do have 2 MIPs.
One of the MIPS has an EZ-Bv4 on it, I used the onboard 4 x AAA batteries to power it, I believe. I'll try to put up a wiring diagram for you if I can find the time this weekend.
One thing that will have to be added to the MIP skill is that there are two different versions with different baud rates, one version communicates at 9600bps while the other communicates at 115200bps. It would be awesome if we had the ability to select the V1 or V2 baud rate in the skill.
Can you do this with IoTiny?
I took a look inside my MIP yesterday and the wiring was pretty simple.
MIP -> EZ-B v4
TX -> RX RX -> TX GND -> GND VCC -> VIN (only make this connection if you are using the 4 x AAA batteries to power the EZ-B as well)
A couple of notes here:
If you are using the AAA batteries to power the EZ-B v4 you'll need to turn off the battery monitor (in the EZ-B webserver, 192.168.1.1, and in the ARC software, in the connection skill settings)
I believe the skill is used only with UART0 on the EZ-B v4 (the black 4 pin port).
I haven't tried using the software serial with the IoTiny, but you couldn't use this skill to control the MIP with it, as the connect button wouldn't work. You would have to send the commands manually through scripting.
Here's an example (in ez-script):
I can make some tweaks to the robot skill and it should work with iotiny. Stay tuned
Can the IoTiny be used to control the UART on a WoWee MIP robot [via serial TX only]?
I know theres a Movement Panel for EZ B v4, but it's pretty big to fit on a tiny bot like this and I'd prefer to use IoTiny.
This will also work with any EZB that uses UART. The ESP32 is a good one because there is a camera version. The ESP32-Cam would be better than an IoTiny for this.
Here's the link with firmware and instructions for ESP32-Cam: https://synthiam.com/Support/Hardware/ESP32-Cam
I would not trust the IoTiny for bit bang serial. It emulates serial with software. It "might" work but I have a doubt that it will be very stable. I might make a change to the robot skill to allow bit-bang serial, but there's nothing more we can do if it isn't reliable. I recommend the ESP32-Cam instead for this particular application.
Oh, also the ESP32 is WAY smaller than the IoTiny, so that's another positive
As always - thanks! Gonna try this out!
Let me know. I think it would be real cool. Specially since the esp32-cam is also small.
Ordered the USB one - will work on it this weekend! Trying to make a Beer Butler out of the MIP! Wife approved!
What would the wiring look like exactly (if you have time to answer)? I read the MIP skill article and understand it needs to ground to the MIP, but could it run off the onboard battery?
Yep it could, it would be the same as the wiring I listed above.
Edit* Although I don’t know if the ESP32 pins are 5V compatible. I believe the MIP has 5V TTL on the TX/RX. You might need a TTL logic level shifter.
Thanks to everyone for the assist with this; and sorry for multiple posts - busy at work and only checking back in periodically, missed a bunch! Will read through!
Found this: The [MIP] hacking port breaks out the following signals: * GND - A ground connection to the battery on the MiP * RX - A 3.3v signal level UART receive pin * TX - A 3.3v signal level UART transmit pin * 6v (Battery) - Raw battery power.\
Does this mean I still need a TTL Logic Shifter for the ESP32 or no?
Looks like that’s a no, right on!
Use the new MIP v2 movement panel: https://synthiam.com/Support/Skills/Movement-Panels/Wowwee-MIP-v2?id=20587
Sick! Thanks DJ
I wanted to mention that the ESP32 cam isn't that much smaller than the IoTiny, LOL!
...I had to buy one to see for myself
Plus the ESP32 Cam can't play music or voices like the IoTiny can.