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Can you please list the Parallax products and a few projects that you started with? Anything related to robots (to keep myself interested as I'm fascinated with

Can you please list the Parallax products and a few projects that you started with? Anything related to robots (to keep myself interested as I'm fascinated with robots). Would like to start with simple robots that can move :)

silencio 18y ago
Hmm, it's been a while, and I only have a dismantled bot right now sitting on my desk as a paperweight.. I'm not sure I actually did anything with the propeller chips, but at Defcon last month I saw a project by Kingpin that interested me (it's NSFW but the website is at http://www.bsodomizer.com/ http://www.bsodomizer.com/ , having to do with displaying a BSOD/goatse via a hardware-based vga passthrough device) that I might use it for as a joke on friends. The javelin and basic stamp ones I used with the board of education (that's what they called it I think?), the BoE bot kit. Mostly messed around with that and one of the bluetooth accessories to navigate around (it's probably a lot simpler than you're thinking it is). At some point I had the brilliant idea that I could use my then-Pocket PC to control it, but that didn't go anywhere. I wonder if my now-iPhone could handle that.. Depending on your wants, I'm not entirely convinced parallax products would be right for you. The arduino boards look cheaper and I bet they're a lot simpler to program. I about wanted to rip my hair out dealing with the BASIC stamp from parallax since I couldn't stand the language. edit: I might note my friends and family were way more impressed with the tank treads I got (a lot more stable than the wheels) than the bluetooth. still they thought it was cute I mounted a small iSight and a long firewire cable to watch them in another room. iSight wasn't sending video to the bot itself, not enough bandwidth. Although I do think parallax sells cameras that could.
- SingAlong 18y ago
  www.iphonehacks.com/2008/06/lego-nxt-robot.html That link which I once read(although I don't own an iphone) tells how to control a Lego Mindstorms with iPhone. I checked the Mindstorms website too and was confused what to start with. It mentions all about Indiana Jones and Batman and Bionicle but nothing about what should be bought to build these stuff. Anyway, since you mentioned the Arduino boards (which also is the apple of my eye since you mentioned it is cheaper), I chose a seller from Austrialia, that is close to my country (all other retailers have websites in Japanese or languages that seem like Japanese to me). Here's the link to the retailer's Arduino products page. http://www.littlebirdelectronics.com/collections/arduino/ http://www.littlebirdelectronics.com/collections/arduino/ Can you help me choose the components I can start with? I saw something called "Bare-Bones Arduino Kit". Seems like I have to choose that. Or any other components? The one in my region is Flexi(India) http://www.techsouls.com/projects/flexi/ http://www.techsouls.com/projects/flexi/ They have been listed on the Arduino site as an Arduino compatible or Arduino similar hardware. Would better if I can choose hardware here. "...used to display a fake BSOD..." That BSODomizer cracks really me up! Sounds funny but a really cool weekend project I can try out soon. And how's that BSOD pronounced? B-S-O-D or Bsod?
  - silencio 18y ago
    Oh yeah, how could I forget lego?! What you want would probably be on http://mindstorms.lego.com/Products/Default.aspx http://mindstorms.lego.com/Products/Default.aspx Regarding the Arduino boards, I have no idea. I've never really looked into them much. Others on HN might be better-versed on what to recommend based on what you're wanting to do. One of the stores near me (unfortunately in the US) has a starter kit at http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MSAK http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MSAK which I've bookmarked for later. You might also want to go look on forums and stuff to find out more info, I was searching around to see what was making the bare bones board different, and there were a bunch of sites talking about it, and I found a bunch of projects on instructables too, if you need ideas: http://www.instructables.com/tag/keyword:arduino/ http://www.instructables.com/tag/keyword:arduino/ I love the BSODomizer idea. I cracked up during the presentation multiple times: kingpin was showing video of using it on a coworker who thought it was a real one. And I've always pronounced BSOD as "bee-sod", but I don't know. I wish someone made a pronunciation dictionary of tech terms, I hear crazy variations in the pronunciations of so many...BSOD, sudo, linux and what have you.
  - speek 18y ago
    I generally use legos to teach robotics to my students, the NXTs are cool but try to find the old-school ones with the yellow brick. Those are much more awesome.
  - Yatwice 18y ago
    http://www.affiliatemp.com http://www.affiliatemp.com
- deleted 18y ago
  [deleted]

silencio 18y ago

Hmm, it's been a while, and I only have a dismantled bot right now sitting on my desk as a paperweight.. I'm not sure I actually did anything with the propeller chips, but at Defcon last month I saw a project by Kingpin that interested me (it's NSFW but the website is at http://www.bsodomizer.com/ http://www.bsodomizer.com/ , having to do with displaying a BSOD/goatse via a hardware-based vga passthrough device) that I might use it for as a joke on friends. The javelin and basic stamp ones I used with the board of education (that's what they called it I think?), the BoE bot kit. Mostly messed around with that and one of the bluetooth accessories to navigate around (it's probably a lot simpler than you're thinking it is). At some point I had the brilliant idea that I could use my then-Pocket PC to control it, but that didn't go anywhere. I wonder if my now-iPhone could handle that.. Depending on your wants, I'm not entirely convinced parallax products would be right for you. The arduino boards look cheaper and I bet they're a lot simpler to program. I about wanted to rip my hair out dealing with the BASIC stamp from parallax since I couldn't stand the language. edit: I might note my friends and family were way more impressed with the tank treads I got (a lot more stable than the wheels) than the bluetooth. still they thought it was cute I mounted a small iSight and a long firewire cable to watch them in another room. iSight wasn't sending video to the bot itself, not enough bandwidth. Although I do think parallax sells cameras that could.

SingAlong 18y ago
www.iphonehacks.com/2008/06/lego-nxt-robot.html That link which I once read(although I don't own an iphone) tells how to control a Lego Mindstorms with iPhone. I checked the Mindstorms website too and was confused what to start with. It mentions all about Indiana Jones and Batman and Bionicle but nothing about what should be bought to build these stuff. Anyway, since you mentioned the Arduino boards (which also is the apple of my eye since you mentioned it is cheaper), I chose a seller from Austrialia, that is close to my country (all other retailers have websites in Japanese or languages that seem like Japanese to me). Here's the link to the retailer's Arduino products page. http://www.littlebirdelectronics.com/collections/arduino/ http://www.littlebirdelectronics.com/collections/arduino/ Can you help me choose the components I can start with? I saw something called "Bare-Bones Arduino Kit". Seems like I have to choose that. Or any other components? The one in my region is Flexi(India) http://www.techsouls.com/projects/flexi/ http://www.techsouls.com/projects/flexi/ They have been listed on the Arduino site as an Arduino compatible or Arduino similar hardware. Would better if I can choose hardware here. "...used to display a fake BSOD..." That BSODomizer cracks really me up! Sounds funny but a really cool weekend project I can try out soon. And how's that BSOD pronounced? B-S-O-D or Bsod?
- silencio 18y ago
  Oh yeah, how could I forget lego?! What you want would probably be on http://mindstorms.lego.com/Products/Default.aspx http://mindstorms.lego.com/Products/Default.aspx Regarding the Arduino boards, I have no idea. I've never really looked into them much. Others on HN might be better-versed on what to recommend based on what you're wanting to do. One of the stores near me (unfortunately in the US) has a starter kit at http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MSAK http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MSAK which I've bookmarked for later. You might also want to go look on forums and stuff to find out more info, I was searching around to see what was making the bare bones board different, and there were a bunch of sites talking about it, and I found a bunch of projects on instructables too, if you need ideas: http://www.instructables.com/tag/keyword:arduino/ http://www.instructables.com/tag/keyword:arduino/ I love the BSODomizer idea. I cracked up during the presentation multiple times: kingpin was showing video of using it on a coworker who thought it was a real one. And I've always pronounced BSOD as "bee-sod", but I don't know. I wish someone made a pronunciation dictionary of tech terms, I hear crazy variations in the pronunciations of so many...BSOD, sudo, linux and what have you.
- speek 18y ago
  I generally use legos to teach robotics to my students, the NXTs are cool but try to find the old-school ones with the yellow brick. Those are much more awesome.
- Yatwice 18y ago
  http://www.affiliatemp.com http://www.affiliatemp.com
deleted 18y ago
[deleted]