ZigBee Application : Autonomous Robot

National Research & Innovation Competition

2010-04-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

ZigBee application - autonomous robot will compete in National Research & Innovation Competition (NRIC) in 25 May 2010 at University Sains Malaysia (USM).. UniKL - BMI will send top 5 projects to participate in that competition.. University all around Malaysia will also take place in this competition.. The project need to be upgrade before going to the competition..

No 3 out of 184 projects

2010-04-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

During the top 20 demonstration on the staff cafe, this project voted for 3rd places.. The 1st place goes to earthquake detector i think and 2nd place is somekind of boiler..

Preparation for Top 20 Project Demonstration

2010-04-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Autonomous robot was selected to be top 20 list and need to do demonstration again on tuesday.. The purpose for this demonstration is to select the top 3 and the top 3 will win a prize.. Not much improvement or additional part was added on the project.. The project will be held in staff cafe from 8.30 am - 12 pm.. Hopefully the demonstration will successfully achieved the target.

Project Presentation Done

2010-04-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

The presentation was held at Dewan Gemilang BMI from 10am - 4pm.. It was done successfully after being judge by two lecturers which is Madam Hasmiza and Sir Alias.. The demonstration to school students also part of the program on that day..

Final Draft Report

2010-04-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

All the draft from chapter 1- 5 need to be submitted to supervisor for checking purpose..The due date to submit the report is on 7 May..Right now, all the draft is completed.

Modification of Console Using I/O Active X

2010-04-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

There is a slightly changes on the robot console..Before this I used MSComm as the serial communication, but i'm having problem on how to clear the buffer of the modem..The changes is only on the second form..By using Active X, the application is expanded but the program code is a bit complicated and long..

Robot Console with Visual Basic

2010-03-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

The VB code still in development.. The MSCOMM is all done but the problem here is how to send string into the XBee modules..

Upgrading from ZNet 2.5 to ZB

2010-03-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

These instructions pertain to any part number beginning “XB24‐B…” or “XBP24‐B…”
To upgrade your XBee ZNet 2.5 module to ZB, please do the following:

1. Ensure you have the latest version of X‐CTU installed (www.digi.com/xctu).
2. Ensure you have the latest available versions of ZB firmware by doing the following:
a) Open X‐CTU software to the “Modem Configuration” tab.
b) Click “Download new versions…” button and select ‘Web.’
c) Click “Done” when the action is finished.
3. Open X‐CTU software to the “PC Settings” tab.
4. Select the appropriate COM port and port settings (9600, 8, None, 1 are default), and
choose Flow Control: Hardware.
5. If upgrading firmware on a module running API firmware, place a check in the “Enable
API” checkbox.
6. Go to the “Modem Configuration” tab and select either “XB24‐ZB” or “XBP24‐ZB” from
the “Modem:” pull‐down menu, depending on whether you have an XBee or XBee‐PRO
module, respectively.
7. Select the desired firmware type from the “Function Set” pull‐down menu (Coordinator
API or AT, Router API or AT, or End Device API or AT).
8. Select the desired firmware version from the “Version” pull‐down menu (the version at
the bottom of the list is the latest).
9. Place a check in the “Always update firmware” checkbox.
10. Click the “Write” button.

Currently my XBee version and firmware does not support node discovery function because the XBee provided by Cytron is all 802.15.4 OEM modules not ZB OEM modules.. If my XBee ICs can be upgraded, the XBee will functioning same as wireless WiFi card to detect the wireless node but in different IEE address protocol..It can detect up to 65,000 wireless nodes..

Editting Servo Motor Speed Control

2010-03-28T05:58:00.000-07:00

Previously, the motor speed was 200 and changed to 255. The user can select the robot speed on the Visual Basic console.. In this case string "9" and "7" was reserved as a motor speed control.. Basically, when we increase the speed of motor of course it will required a lot of power.. So, it's recommended to use the "Normal Mode" if no speeding required..

Making poster

2010-03-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Poster specification

Paper Size : A1
Design must be in jpg format and saved in non-returnable CDROM (with name and Student ID no).
Must be laminated

Contents of Poster :

1. Abstract (what and why?)

2. Advantages (benefits? novelty? marketability?)

3. Methods (how?)

4. Results (what happen?)

5. Analysis and Conclusion (so?)

6. References

Wireless Camera Concept

2010-03-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

This video show the same concept that will be use for this robotic project unless its night vision mode..

IO ActiveX Control

2010-03-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

IO ActiveX Control is a software that can send string to microcontroller..Just assign the Communication Port and after that the string can be send..Right now, my laptop does not detect the Com Port for the SKXBEE module..If I selected another Com Port, it still said that this Com Port is in used..

Hardware Completed 90%

2010-03-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

This is the hardware produced after completing the UV, etching and soldering procedure.. Actually the first concept is I try to mount the LCD on the board,but it burned due to overheating.. After that,as a safety precaution I used the connector and LCD stand to avoid the LCD from being burn for second time.. The robot is a bit heavy but the servo motor still capable to carry the load.. I need to think the way to put the camera on the robot cause the position of camera will effect the stabilization of mobile base.. The hardware still need to be touch up and covering the robot with something is a good idea I think.. Right now, I need to focusing more on Visual Basic development..

PCB BOARD

ROBOT BASE

COMPLETE ROBOT VIEW

BIRD EYES VIEW

PCB - 3 Dimension Visual

2010-03-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

The 3D dimension can be obtained by using Proteus software..Just run the "ARES" application and view the output, after that click on the 3D icon..

PCB Layout using Proteus

2010-03-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

This circuit was design on Tuesday..The layout of the PCB designed using Proteus VSM software..The layout is on single layer only..This design contained 13 jumper wires..The board area is limited, so the design is compact..

Visual Basic 6.0 Controlled Robot

2010-03-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

Right now, I'm start to learning how to use the VB software because I did not learn it before.. I'm planning to use VB as a Graphic User Interface (GUI) to control the robot..The hardest part is how to link the button into XCTU software..As i mentioned before, there are 4 button to control the direction of the motor which is forward, backward, right and left..I want to build a user interface as shown in the video below..

Coordinating the motor

2010-03-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

The robot uses the concept of two separate moving wheels. The table below shows the combination of the wheels to move the robot in the desired direction.

Motor Control Program

2010-03-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

void forward ()
{
motor_ra = 0;
motor_rb = 1;
motor_la = 0;
motor_lb = 1;
}

void backward ()
{
motor_ra = 1;
motor_rb = 0;
motor_la = 1;
motor_lb = 0;
}

void left()
{
motor_la = 1;
motor_lb = 0;
motor_ra = 0;
motor_rb = 1;
}
void right()
{
motor_la = 0;
motor_lb = 1;
motor_ra = 1;
motor_rb = 0;
}

void stop()
{
motor_la = 1;
motor_lb = 1;
motor_ra = 1;
motor_rb = 1;
}

Final Report Writing

2010-03-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

The final report need to be submitted by week 14 and the draft must be submit on week 8..It is a continuation of report draft form previous semester. This semester, I need to complete the Chapter 3- Materials and method, Chapter 4- Results and discussion and Chapter 5-conclusion..The report is still in progress and the project must be done 100% before completing final report.

Problem with hardware

2010-03-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

The servo motor did not functioning according to plan..After troubleshooting,the output voltage coming out from L 298N is only 2V at connector M1 and there is no voltage at M2..I expect the diodes or the motor driver is broken..The expected component must be change to check where is the problem come from..

XBEE 3.3 V DC input voltage

2010-02-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

XBee required 3.3 DC voltage to be operated..This low dc voltage can be obtained by converting 5V DC into 3V DC by feed the output of 5V to the voltage regulator LM317..This low voltage input is one of the advantages of using XBee in autonomous robot because the battery life time will be much more longer..

SKXBEE Mode in C Language

2010-02-22T21:49:00.000-08:00

//Mode : Xbee
// Description : Control the robot using UART ( XBEE or an UART wireless module.
//======================================================

void wireless_xbee (void)

{
lcd_clr();
while(1)
{

lcd_goto (0);
if (data[0] == 100)

{
send_string(" XBEE CONTROL ");
SPEEDL = 200;
SPEEDR = 200;
while(1)

{
lcd_goto(20);
if (RCREG == '8')

{
forward();
send_string("FORWARD ");
}

else if (RCREG == '2')
{
backward();
send_string("BACKWARD ");
}

else if (RCREG == '6')
{
right();
send_string("TURN RIGHT ");

}
else if (RCREG == '4')
{
left();
send_string("TURN LEFT ");

}
else if (RCREG == '5')
{
stop();
send_string("INVALID COMMAND ");

}

else
{
stop();
send_string("INVALID COMMAND ");

}
}
}
else send_string("COMMAND");
}
}

Range Test for XBee

2010-02-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

Range test can be done via XCTU software by simply clicking the range test tab..The range test tab is designed to verify the range of the radio link by sending a user specified data packet and verifying the response packet is the same, within the time specified. For performing a standard range test, there are several steps that must be followed..

1: Configure the Base with API enabled and a unique 16 bit or 64 bit source address. 2: Configure the remote radio with a unique source address and set the Destination address to equal the Base radio’s source address.
3: Enable the API option of the X-CTU on the PC Settings tab and connect the base radio to the PC.
4: Connect the red loopback adapter to the remote radio and place them a distance apart.
5: Enter either the 16 bit or 64 bit destination address of the remote radio into the Destination Address box on the Range Test tab.
6: Create a data packet of your choosing by typing in the data in the Transmit box
7: To start a Range test, click on Start.

You will notice the TX failures, Purge, CCA, and ACK messages will increment accordingly while the range test is performed. To stop a range test, click on the Stop button. The problem now is, i cannot perform the range test due to some error. I followed all the instructions but there is an error which is "timeout waiting for data".I'm still thinking on how to overcome this error..

Testing to connect the SKXBEE in single PC.

2010-02-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

To test the XBee modules, we can test the communication by using 1 PC only..Just open 2 X-CTU software and click on different com port..In this case, click on com port 10 & 11..

After that,click at moderm configuration and click read the check the version and address of the XBEE..Key in value "2222" at destination address low and "1111" at 16-bit source address for com port and 10 and vice versa for com port 11.

Click write for both com port the store the address at XBEE and this may take 30 seconds to complete..After the moderm is connected to each other, try the terminal bar to see the flow of communication..The blue colour represent the transmitted data while the red colour represent received data..If the communication testing between XBEE is completed, we can proceed to the next step which communication via microcontroller..

Updating X-CTU Firmware

2010-02-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

The 2 pieces of SKXBEE had been received on Tuesday..According to them,the SKXBEE firmware is corrupted..Their install back the firmware to the latest version which is 10-CD..The current XCTU software does not support this latest version and in order to detect the SKXBEE I updated the version of firmware..This can be done by clicking on "moderm configuration" and then click download new version via web..It takes time to update the firmware..

Mobile Robot Platform by Cytron.

2010-02-08T08:10:00.000-08:00

Almost every major university has one or more labs that focus on mobile robot research..In UniKL-Bmi also there has been several researchs on mobile robot including my project..Recently,Cytron tech designed a Mobile Robot Platform (MRP) for an educational platform for research purpose. It is designed to easily customizable, functionalities expandable that provides total flexibility for robotic application testing and development. MRP use Compaq Presario CQ20 as a main processor and powered by 2 12V 7Ah Sealed Lead Acid Battery..The actuator is 2 DC brushless motors and laser range finder as a sensor..

In terms of application, MRP can be used as guide, receptionist, waiter/waitress, mobile clone, surveillance, delivery and surveying robot. The robot is being control by remote PC through WiFi..

Testing the wireless camera

2010-02-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

The wireless camera testing was done and there is no problem faced..The receiver must be connected to TV card and then the TV card is connected to USB port laptop..USB TV Card was choosen because its the only way to connect a wireless camera to a laptop..There is no RGB port build for laptop and USB TV card is the solution..The camera transmitter is connected to the robot base..The system is seperate, the camera will use it own transmitter device..Soon, the laptop can record all the video that had been captured by the camera and it can be use as a surveillance system.

Repairing the SKXBee modules

2010-01-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Cytron just give me a feedback and the SKXBEE must be sent to them for repairing purpose..It said that it will take a week to repair it and there is nothing i can do except concentrating on software and hardware (robot)..I hope Cytron will repair my SKXBee as soon as possible.

Hardware construction

2010-01-28T09:29:00.000-08:00

I was constructing multifunction mobile robot (PR23) by cytron..This is the robot base that i will used in my project..The construction is 80% done..This robot will soon be operating in 2 modes which is line following robot and wireless robot using controller XBE..I'm planning on putting a wireless camera on my robot..

Problems with SKXBEE modules

2010-01-25T01:19:00.000-08:00

The XCTU software did not detect my SKXBEE module..It is hard for me to write any instruction to the moderm..Problem had been send to Cytron for further information..The problem occur when I start to write the instruction to the XBEE..I hope my SKXBEE is not damage and can be repaired..

Purchase component from cytron

2010-01-20T23:18:00.000-08:00

Some of the part and components for this project was purchased online from cytron company..The components are such as SKXBee 2pcs, servo motor 2pcs, PIC 16F877A 1 pcs, electronics part, mobile robot base..The delivery is on Friday..By that time, i can start assemble and testing my SKXBee devices..

Development of hardware

2010-01-20T22:12:00.000-08:00

This week I was doing circuit designing using proteus software..The circuit that in development is microcontroller circuit to control the robot and SKXBee..It is a bit hard to make the PCB layout because some of the component was not in the Proteus Libary..Some of the part is a bit different such as LCD pins..They just provide the schematic design only but not the PCB layout for example LED..I think by now, the circuit layout is 70% completed.

Enquiry about microcontroller..

2010-01-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

I submitted enquiry to cytron on how much microcontroller required to control the robot..They answered SKXBee can either be connected to microcontroller or USB of computer. In PR23 product by cytron case, one SKXBee is connected to PR23 another one is connected to computer USB port. Further action will be taken after discussing with project supervisor..

Microcontroller on 2 different board..

2010-01-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

In this project..The controller at the TX&RX at PC and TX&RX at robot point is a bit different..This is because controller at PC only interface with XBee and LCD only..While on the robot,the controller will interface with motors,sensors,LCD and any additional applications..It is a bit tough to make a small controller circuit to be fitted on the robot base..I will make it smaller as possible..This is to ensure that the robot did not carry too much load on top of it..PR 23 by cytron is a good example to follow..Because its provide head to toe instruction on how to build a robot..

Final Year Project 2nd Briefing..

2010-01-12T02:09:00.000-08:00

The briefing was held in TTL 1 for about a hour..It was conducted by FYP committee..The briefing told us on how to write a quality report, the flow of the project and the duration..The presentation & demo is on 13th April (week 13) at gemilang hall from 10am-5pm..During the presentation, the representative from UniKL ICC will be invited for project commercilization..Poster is a need during the presentation and must be verified first from the supervisor..30% is the marks for the perfect presentation..During week 14, we must submit hardcover & softcopy thesis and logbook which is 25% marks both..

Submission of draft and Log book

2009-10-31T08:48:00.001-07:00

The draft and log book for Final Year Project was submitted on week 13 (23/10/2009). The draft consist of Chapter I & II. Chapter I is Introduction and chapter II is Literature Review. Percentage mark for draft is 5% and log book is 10%.

Test Method on Add-on SKXBEE

2009-10-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

1. Configure the ATMY 1111 to SKXBEE for the robot and ATDL 1111 to SKXBEE for computer using X-TCU (refer User’s manual for SKXBEE section 6.2 for more detail on configuration).

2. Plug in the SKXBEE to the robot and switch ON the power, select “SKXBEE.”

3. Connect another SKXBEE on computer.

4. Make sure JP1 jumper is connected to COM for UART as shown in Figure.

5. Open X-TCU and click on the terminal, type “d”.

6. Now, user may control the robot using Num pad. 8 to move forward, 4 to turn left, 6 to turn right, and 2 to move backward.

Interface XBee Module with PIC Microcontroller

2009-10-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

5V and ground is connected to provide power to the module. While TX and RX pin is connected for communication. JP1 jumper is connected at COM for interfacing SKXBEE.

Below is the system overview on how XBee communicate with microcontroller. The XBee will connected to the microcontroller via Universal Asynchronous Receiver/transmitter (UART) pins.

SKXBEE can be add on in the microcontroller circuit. It will lifted a bit high from microcontroller circuit or in other words above the microcontroller circuit. All we need to used is a female header.

100+ node ZigBee PRO network

2009-10-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Demonstrates how a network of ZigBee PRO nodes based on embedded AVR microcontrollers and Atmel RF transceivers and running BitCloud stack assembles itself in a dense network setting. Provides visual overview of test network environment and WSN Monitor tool for network visualization and control.

This is an example of advanced programming for ZigBEE network..

Zigbee / XBee Adapter Configuration Tutorial

2009-10-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

This tutorial shows how two XBee Modules can be configured to be able to talk to each other. These modules are ideal for any hobby/school/university project. With these modules it is very easy to interface PC to Microcontroller board, or Microcontroller to Microcontroller over wireless link.

Mobile Robot Exploration with ZigBee

2009-10-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

In this experiment, a mobile robot (red) is equipped with a ZigBee node; another ZigBee node (blue) is emitting a beacon. Using an heuristic algorithm based on LQI (Link Quality Indicator) the robot is able to find the beacon node without entirely explore the search space. This technique can be used, for example, in Search & Rescue scenarios.

Watch video..

Internet Remote Control ZigBee Robot

2009-10-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

The Robot is being controlled from Sweden and it's performing a home inspection in real time in a Phoenix home. This is actual video that was recoded in Sweden from the high quality robot WEB based camera..

Watch video..

Draft Chapter 1 & 2 Final Project Thesis

2009-10-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Preparing to do the chapter 1 and 2 final project thesis..The draft need to be submited at week 13at 19/10/2009..

Approximate Project Cost

2009-10-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

Table above shown the approximate cost for the hardware's. The cost will change from time to time depending on the requirement. The cost can be reduced by removing some expensive applications.

How to Build Your First Robot

2009-10-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Robotics can teach you so much.I will learn skills ranging from electronics, mechanics, controls, programming, and even as broad as understanding animal behavior and human psychology. What does an easy to make robot look like? Browse the web for robot galleries. Remember, only bother looking at the really simple robots, DO NOT get imaginative or creative on your first robot. So your first robot will have 2 wheels. It will drive under the most basic algorithm for a robot - differential drive.

Let's start with the wheels. Big wheels will let your robot move faster. Small wheels for slower. So why not just get big? Bigger wheels means your robot has less torque to carry a heavy payload, and bigger wheels generally mean fine position control is harder too. Also, your sensors often cannot keep up with fast changes in position.

Ok now the motors. For an optimal robot choosing motors would involve calculations of weight, gearing ratios, desired terrain, desired velocity and acceleration, voltage, power consumption, controllability and a whole range of things too overwhelming for a beginner. So just wing it. Just make sure you keep your robot as light as possible, and get motors that can do overkill. But remember, bigger the motors, shorter your battery life, and more expensive and complicated your motor control circuitry will get.

Next comes power. No, solar power and eating slugs wont work. Use a battery. When buying a battery make sure they are rechargeable, have high mAh (energy capacity), and can output at least an amp at any time. Consider putting batteries in both parallel and in series to vary/control total voltage and mAh.

Ok now you need a cool circuit thingy. Forget about designing your own. It is best your first robot be simple, so a ready made circuit thingy is easiest. They are usually called microcontrollers, the most popular being PIC, Atmel/AVR, ARM, and BASIC Stamp based. Stamps are easier but offer less functionality.You can also handmake the programmer really cheap. Just make sure the controller you buy has a built in motor driver, LED's, and many analog input/output ports.

Now it is time to DESIGN, THEN BUILD, a robot chassis. A beginner may have difficulty designing just because he/she wouldn't know what does/doesn't work. 3D CAD program that shows placement of all parts, screws, everything. Parts were intentionally designed to require the least amount of drilling and cutting effort. You can never over design, especially when you are in a competition like battlebots where things break often, or don't have enough money/time to waste on mistakes.

This article can be a good guide to a beginner to start do a basic function of robot.Its explained from the simplest technology to the complicated technology.

By Society of robot website

Details of X-CTU

2009-09-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

The MaxStream X-CTU software, which is also a free download from the MaxStream site, allowed you to use your personal computer to program the XBee modules serially using the XBee DIN,DOUT,RTS, and DTR pins.

X-CTU even provides a built in RS 232 terminal emulator. As we can see in capture below, key register values can be changed within the X-CTU windows and written to the XBee modules mounted on the XBee interface boards. The COM10 XBee module as the coordinator and the COM X XBee module as an end device by setting the XBee modules CE (Coordinator Enable) register to a 1 and 0 (zero) respectively.Assigned a PAN ID of 0xCAFE in the coordinator X-CTU window. The XBee can run in one of three MAC modes:
1) 802.15.4 + Maxstream Header
2) 802.15.4 without ACKs
3) 802.15.4 with ACKs

Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN)

2009-09-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

A personal area network (PAN) is a computer network used for communication among computer devices close to one's person. The devices may or may not belong to the person in question. The reach of a PAN is typically a few meters. PANs can be used for communication among the personal devices themselves , or for connecting to a higher level network and the Internet.

Personal area networks may be wired with computer buses such as USB and FireWire. A wireless personal area network (WPAN) can also be made possible with network technologies such as IrDA, Bluetooth, UWB, Z-Wave and ZigBee.

A WPAN (wireless personal area network) is a personal area network - a network for interconnecting devices centered around an individual person's workspace - in which the connections are wireless. Typically, a wireless personal area network uses some technology that permits communication within about 10 meters - in other words, a very short range.

A key concept in WPAN technology is known as "plugging in". In the ideal scenario, when any two WPAN-equipped devices come into close proximity (within several meters of each other) or within a few kilometers of a central server, they can communicate as if connected by a cable. Another important feature is the ability of each device to lock out other devices selectively, preventing needless interference or unauthorized access to information.Proposed operating frequencies are around 2.4 GHz in digital modes.

By wikipedia.org

ZigBee Network Topologies

2009-09-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

The way that a message is routed from one network node to another depends on the network topology. A ZigBee network can adopt one of the three topologies: Star, Tree, Mesh. These are illustrated on the right and briefly described below.

Star Topology

A Star network has a central node, which is linked to all other nodes in the network. All messages travel via the central node.

Tree Topology

A Tree network has a top node with a branch/leaf structure below. To reach its destination, a message travels up the tree (as far as necessary) and then down the tree.

Mesh Topology

A Mesh network has a tree-like structure in which some leaves are directly linked. Messages can travel across the tree, when a suitable route is available.

Communicate Between Two XBee Devices

2009-09-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

Before going further,the first step to understand in XBee operation is trying to communicate it between each other (TX-RX) in bidirectional mode..I need to install the driver at 2 PC's which is USB Serial Converter and USB Serial Port..This is to make the XBee compatible with the PC's..After that the X-CTU software need to be installed.

This software will enable user to send and receive a data at a time.The are several configuration need to be determine first such as the Baud Rate = 9600, data bits=8 and stop bits = 1..After that, we must enter the command mode by typing +++ into the terminal area and after that the Xbee's are ready to be operated..The simple diagram on how the XBee communicate is shown below.

But there is a bit problem on communicate the XBee's..The another XBee modules can't be detected by PC..It said "Unable to communicate with the moderm"..This happened at one side only..In my opinion there is something wrong either the hardware or the driver..

ZigBee Devices (FFD & RFD)

2009-09-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

The IEEE 802.15.4 specification identifies two devices which is FFD and RFD. The 802.15.4 Full Function Device (FFD) is literally able to do it all. A FFD network will be powered from an inexhaustible power source, which is called out as an AC-fed mains supply, as it must always be active and listening on the network, among other things.
An RFD (Reduced Function Device) perform on recording temperature data, monitoring switches or controlling external devices. The power source of RFD is easily exhaustible and by that RFD is prone to sleep most of the time.
The ZigBee end device can be either an FFD or RFD depending on the application. A ZigBee router is an FFD that enables the extension of the physical range of a ZigBee network. It is used to allows more nodes to join the network as the radio range of the root ZigBee network is effectively increased. The router also can be functioning as a end devices.

IEEE 802.15.4

2009-09-02T07:16:00.001-07:00

ZigBee is officially a wireless network protocol that is designed to be used with low-data-rate sensor and control networks. ZigBee can also eliminate the need to string wires all over the place as it can easily reach data rates comparable to and above standard RS-232 and RS-485 wired protocols. Although an IEEE 802.15.4 network can easily obtain RS-232 speeds, you wont see many battery powered applications of IEEE 802.15.4 networks replacing RS-232 communication links,especially if the traffic on the IEEE 802.15.4 based pseudo RS-232 link is heavy.

ZigBee is a standards based network protocol supported solely by the ZigBee Aliance that uses the transport services of the IEEE 802.15.4 network specification. The IEEE 802.15.4 specification also uses internal layers, which are normally referred to as sublayers. The wireless 802.11b specification and the wired 802.3 specification also employ the concept of sublayers. The IEEE 802.15.4 specification calls out a pair of 802.15.4 sublayers, the PHY and the MAC.

If we relate the IEEE 802.15.4 sublayers to the ZigBee protocol stack, the ZigBee PHY sublayer, which is actually the IEEE 802.15.4 PHY sublayer, is all about the radio and the generation of the radio link. A ZigBee stacks PHY responsibilities include receiver energy detection, link quality indication and clear channel assesment. The ZigBee stacks PHY is also primarily responsible for transmitting and receiving packets across the magnetic medium. The ability to sniff the air for other nodes is very important in the ZigBee and IEEE 802.15.4 world as this is what is done to determine if a new ZigBee or IEEE 802.15.4 network can be spawned.

Robot Rising Program at Astro Discovery Science

2009-08-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

This program was shown at Astro Discovery Science (CH 553)..I watched the program for a hour..This program is about the development of robotic technology around the world..Many robots develop based on ideas from movies for example star wars robot and others fictions.They try to rebuild the robot based from animation. For about a hour the documentary shown the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) department engineers works on different types of robot.There is an unique robot which an aquatic robot.It is called "robo tuna".It has complex mechanical and circuit which is waterproof.
MIT also tried to communicate between a robot using ants communication concept which transfer data to each others. They also under development of nano technology implementation on the robot. By using nano technology the size of robot can be smaller.NASA also develop their own robot technology. They will created robot that will be place on others planet. There is a robot created by NASA which "Rocky 7".Nasa concluded that that robot must be tough at any rough material. Their robots is created in 6 wheels which is it is good for rough surface.

XBee Maxstream Module Types

2009-08-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

Two versions are available from MaxStream: XBee and XBee PRO. Both versions are functionally identical and pin compatible. The only difference is the transmit power, which is 1 mW maximum for the XBee and 63 mW maximum for the XBee PRO. Of course, transmit power is an important factor because the range of the ultimate product depends on it, but it is certainly not the only thing you have to take into account. Another consideration that is at least as important is that higher transmit power means higher current consumption. A transmit power of 1 mW already costs around 45 mA, while 63 mW from the antenna translates into a tidy 270 mA from the power source. A further consideration is compliance with legal requirements. The maximum radiated power is regulated by law, and in Europe the applicable limit is 10 mW. To make it possible to comply with this requirement, MaxStream has implemented a configuration parameter in the XBee that can be used to set the transmit power.

XBee is available with three different types of antenna.

Simplified View of the Actual XBee Hardware

2009-08-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Figure above is a simplified depiction of the XBee module’s internals. Incoming data flowing through the DIN pin is buffered by the DIN buffer until it can be transmitted. As programmer and commander, you have the option of sending characters as they enter the DIN pin or buffering up a number of characters to send as a packet. When the XBee module isn’t sending characters, it can rest in Idle mode, enter Receive mode, process a command, or just sleep it off. The bulk of the subsystem boxes shown in Figure above are contained within two Freescale Semiconductor physical ICs: an MC9S08GT60 microcontroller and an MC13193 802.15.4 RF transceiver IC.

XBee ZigBee Module

2009-08-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

ZigBee’s mission is to cut the traditional wires between sensors, wired slave devices, and the microcontrollers and microprocessors they serve. Thus, if ZigBee is to emulate a wire, what goes in must come out without any significant change. MaxStream’s XBee ZigBee modules feature a UART interface, which allows any microcontroller or microprocessor to immediately use the services of the ZigBee protocol. All a ZigBee hardware designer has to do in this case is ensure that the host’s serial port logic levels are compatible with the XBee’s 2.8- to 3.4-V logic levels. The logic level conversion can be performed using either a standard RS- 232 IC or logic level translators such as the 74LVTH125 when the host is directly connected to the XBee UART.

By Fredy Edy/Applied PCs

The Making of Final Year Project Proposal

2009-08-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Start to do proposal for Final Year Project..The submission for the proposal is on week 7 by 1/9/2009..Mark percentage for this proposal is 5% over 100%...The content of the proposal are the problem statement, objectives of the project, methodology, resource planning, estimation costing, the flow of the project and so on..

Zigbee Information Flow

2009-08-20T02:24:00.000-07:00

Operation of H-Bridge

2009-08-19T02:07:00.000-07:00

The H-Bridge arrangement is generally used to reverse the polarity of the motor, but can also be used to 'brake' the motor, where the motor comes to a sudden stop, as the motor's terminals are shorted, or to let the motor 'free run' to a stop, as the motor is effectively disconnected from the circuit. The following table summarises operation.

Introduction to H-Bridge

2009-08-19T00:41:00.000-07:00

An H-bridge is an electronic circuit which enables a voltage to be applied across a load in either direction. These circuits are often used in robotics and other applications to allow DC motors to run forwards and backwards. H-bridges are available as integrated circuits, or can be built from discrete components.

The term "H-bridge" is derived from the typical graphical representation of such a circuit. An H-bridge is built with four switches (solid-state or mechanical). When the switches S1 and S4 are closed (and S2 and S3 are open) a positive voltage will be applied across the motor. By opening S1 and S4 switches and closing S2 and S3 switches, this voltage is reversed, allowing reverse operation of the motor.

The switches S1 and S2 should never be closed at the same time, as this would cause a short circuit on the input voltage source. The same applies to the switches S3 and S4. This condition is known as shoot-through.

I think H bridge is the most suitable concept in this project which is to control the speed of stepper motor.. A simulation of this bridge will be test soon.

Sample of programming for Stepper Motor using C Programming & Assembly

2009-08-14T00:30:00.001-07:00

-C Programming-

#include .
#define stepper P1
void delay();

void main(){
while(1){
stepper = 0x0C;
delay();
stepper = 0x06;
delay();
stepper = 0x03;
delay();
stepper = 0x09;
delay();
}
}

void delay(){
unsigned char i,j,k;
for(i=0;i<6;i++)
for(j=0;j<255;j++)
for(k=0;k<255;k++);

-Assembly Language-

ORG 0H
stepper equ P1
main:
mov stepper, #0CH
acall delay
mov stepper, #06H
acall delay
mov stepper, #03H
acall delay
mov stepper, #09H
acall delay
sjmp main
delay:
mov r7,#4
wait2:
mov r6,#0FFH
wait1:
mov r5,#0FFH
wait:
djnz r5,wait
djnz r6,wait1
djnz r7,wait2
ret
end

Operation of server motor

2009-08-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

When we energize a coil of stepper motor, The shaft of stepper motor (which is actually a permanent magnet) align itself according to poles of energized coil. So when motor coils are energized in a particular sequence, motor shaft tend to align itself according to pole of coils and hence rotates. A small example of energizing operation is given below.

Stepper Motor

2009-08-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

Stepper motor can be used in various areas in microcontroller projects such as making robots, robotic arm, door lock system and so on. So, stepper motor is suitable to be used in this project and must be considered with others motors. There are 2 types of stepper motors which is bipolar and unipolar.

Unipolar stepper motor
The unipolar stepper motor has five or six wires and four coils. The center connections of the coils are tied together and used as the power connection. They are called unipolar steppers because power always comes in on this one pole.

Bipolar stepper motor
The bipolar stepper motor usually has four wires coming out of it. Unlike unipolar steppers, bipolar steppers have no common center connection. They have two independent sets of coils instead. It can be distinguish from unipolar steppers by measuring the resistance between the wires.

PIC 16F877A Pin Out

2009-08-10T17:51:00.001-07:00

Ports A and E become ANALOGUE INPUTS by default (on power up or reset), so they have to set up for digital I/O if required. Port B is used for downloading the program to the chip flash ROM (RB6 and RB7), and RB0 and RB4–RB7 can generate an interrupt. Port C gives access to timers and serial ports, while Port D can be used as a slave port, with Port E providing the control pins for this function.

PIC16F877A Training 7/8/2009

2009-08-09T02:35:00.000-07:00

Pic training was held in laboratory level 4 and conducted by Sir Zulkhairi itself..The purpose of this training is to teach the student on the basic of PIC hardware and software..The 1st programming is how to operate an LED on the output port..This PIC has 40 pins and has 5 input/output port,15 interrupt and also have Parallel Slave Port. Operating frequency for this PIC is 20 MHz. Here are some of the specification for PIC16F877A --Flash memory is 8K, EEPROM 256, data memory is368 and timers are 3. Software used to simulate the circuit is Proteus and PCW is to compile the program..

Example of some famous autonomous robot.

2009-08-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

This is some example of autonomous robot that will be used for Zigbee applications. It will use two wheels or maybe more, depending on the requirement.

Project Brief

2009-08-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

In this project, student will built a navigation control subsytem for an autonomous differential steering explorer robot. Specially, it is a robotic platform that drives motors and controls an H-bridge and also presents a wireless communication system that remotely manages the robot.

Origin of ZigBee???

2009-08-05T02:55:00.000-07:00

Articles published by technology news organizations such as EDN and Telecommunications Online claim that the term "ZigBee" originates from the zig-zag waggle dance honeybees use to share critical information, such as the location, distance, and direction of a newly discovered food source, with fellow hive members. ZigBee device manufacturer Meshnetics refers to this communication system as the "ZigBee Principle". However, no such term exists in apiology, the scientific study of honeybees. Robert Metcalfe, inventor of Ethernet and a contributor on the initial development of Zigbee, confirmed to a journalist in 2004 that the name was initially meaningless and had been chosen from a long list on the basis that it had no trademark liabilities.^{By wikipedia.org}

ZigBee History

2009-08-05T02:51:00.001-07:00

ZigBee-style networks began to be conceived about 1998, when many installers realized that both WiFi and Bluetooth were going to be unsuitable for many applications. In particular, many engineers saw a need for self-organizing ad-hoc digital radio networks.
The IEEE 802.15.4 standard was completed in May 2003.
In the summer of 2003, Philips Semiconductors, a major mesh network supporter, ceased the investment. Philips Lighting has, however, continued Philips' participation, and Philips remains a promoter member on the ZigBee Alliance Board of Directors.
The ZigBee Alliance announced in October 2004 that the membership had more than doubled in the preceding year and had grown to more than 100 member companies, in 22 countries. By April 2005 membership had grown to more than 150 companies, and by December 2005 membership had passed 200 companies.
The ZigBee specifications were ratified on 14 December 2004.
The ZigBee Alliance announces public availability of Specification 1.0 on 13 June 2005, known as ZigBee 2004 Specification.
The ZigBee Alliance announces the completion and immediate member availability of the enhanced version of the ZigBee Standard in September 2006, known as ZigBee 2006 Specification.
During the last quarter of 2007, ZigBee PRO, the enhanced ZigBee specification was finalized.

by wikipedia.org

My 1st project blog..

2009-07-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

This is the only one blog for my final project during my degree at UniKL-BMI..Hope its going to be interesting soon..

The topic and supervisor and Final Year Project Briefing

2009-07-22T00:34:00.000-07:00

The topic is Zigbee Application : Autonomous robot..The supervisor is Sir Zulkhairi Mohd. Yusof.. The briefing was handled by Prof. Dr. Badri and he is the coordinator for final year project..The briefing was done in 2 hours and the content is to tell the student the procedure and flow how to do final year project..The logbook is for the first time introduce to final year project student..Student must update the logbook until at the end of the project.