Mr Robot^TM
"Robots & Microcontrollers for the Future"

The Talrik Jr. Pro was a semi-finalist in the Discover Magazine Editors technology awards!

Talrik Junior ProTM: An Inexpensive, Autonomous, Programmable, Mobile Robot for middle school through post graduate college. Click here for Price List
Picture of the TJ Pro robot (or is it his twin the TJ AVR ?)
A built TJ ProTM robot offers a sophisticated, expandable, programmable, autonomous, mobile robot with features found on units costing twice as much. (A Price comparison made on 6/25/01 found TJ Pro was priced at 49% below its closest competitor). This is a great robot for beginners and advanced users alike. The more you learn, the more you'll be able to do with this robot. TJ ProTM fits into a right circular cylinder of 7 inch diameter & 3 1/2 inch height. TJ ProTM is constructed from beautiful, 5-ply model aircraft birch plywood, or strong black ABS Plastic (your choice) & rides on two 2.75 inch Du-Bro low bounce wheels & a rear skid. Two high quality ball bearing servos, hacked as gearhead motors & mounted underneath the platform, drive each wheel. TJ Pro has the same physical appearance as his older brother TJTM, but TJ ProTM has a more powerful computer brain than the regular TJ, and offers easier programming options as well as many hardware add-ons. Talrik Junior ProTM Features Talrik Junior ProTM Controller (The brains)
Choose either the MTJPRO11 (Motorola HC11 based) or the MEKAVR128 (Atmel based) MTJPRO11 (Motorola HC11 based) MEKAVR128 (Atmel based) 32 Kbytes of memory (SRAM) with battery memory save mode. Serial Communications Interface with 6-pin header 8 analog input channels with 3-pin signal, power & ground headers. 4 digital switch inputs with 2-pin headers(uses one of the analog channels). 5 servo controller outputs with 3-pin signal, power & ground headers.   128 Kbytes of memory Serial Communications Interface with 6-pin header 6 servo/motor(hacked servos) control ports 23 digital I0 ports

For more software, click here.

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The Talrik IVTM bridge (standard), which spans the robot's central wheel axis, can be used to support a wide variety of pan/pan-tilt sensor heads, radio or IR communications modules, vision modules, servos, additional sensors & multiple micros. For example, the standard kit uses the Photoresistor light-pan-sensor-head.

* IR Ranger * Telepresence (See the world the way your robot sees it!): Miniature Color camera with Radio Transmission * Viking Bumper * Boss Motor Option for heavier payload. *

Talrik IV ^TM System
The following software comes bundled with the purchase of a Talrik IV^TM :
* Sensor Test Module * Motor Test Module * Serial Communication Module * Servo, Motor, & Sensor Drivers * Autonomous Collision Avoidance & Bump Sensing *

For more Talrik IV software, click here.

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Talrik IV^TM application packages, utilities, & hardware drivers are written in C. Additional source code examples are available.

TJ^TM application packages, utilities, & hardware drivers are written in C & MC68HC11 assembly language. Additional source code examples are available in TJ Mindstorms & sBASIC.

TJ^TM Pro application packages, utilities, & hardware drivers are available in C, PROGO, Interactive C, or MC68HC11 assembly language.

ROBOBUG^TM application packages, utilities, & hardware drivers are written in C & MC68HC11 assembly language.

Applications and utilities:

Robot ASCII Serial Command Interpreter (RASCI)

Software that permits an external host computer (PC, Palm, etc) to control your robot by sending ASCII character strings to the robot's serial interface.
Click here for more info

Super Servo Control System: Control 16 servos!

Simultaneously control 16 servos using Mekatronixís MSCC11microcontroller. Each servo is updated every 40 milliseconds or at a 25Hz rate, more than adequate for many applications. Functionally, the MSCC11 running the Super-Servo TM Controller System acts like a programmable pulse width modulation (PWM) driver with sixteen PWM outputs. This makesSuper-Servo TM useful in many applications requiring a large number of PWM signals. Part# SSCS11

Utility Software (Compilers and Downloaders):

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Interactive C v3.2, TJ Pro, MTJPRO11 & other 68HC11 Microcontrollers w/ external Ram Click Here for Price.

Memory requirements: 32Kbytes of SRAM is a good minimum. That way you have enough room for I.C. & your programs. Interactive C is an efficient C interpreter for Motorola MC68HC11-based robots & embedded systems. Interactive C's claim to fame is its interactivity & ease of use: users can type in expressions & have them compiled on the fly & run immediately, rather than waiting for lengthy compile & download cycles. Supported Operating Systems: Windows 95/NT, Macintosh, Linux, SGI Unix, Solaris, SunOS Features: Integrated compiler/debugger. You can easily try out C statements & expressions at the commmandline, before writing them into code. Easy-to-use & completely integrated multitasker, with simple syntax, allowing you to write behavioral-style programs. "Persistent" variables, which keep their state in between runs of your software. This allows you to change calibrations or store information that doesn't get wiped out each time you start your code. Dynamically linkable ".icb" drivers. The ability to use #define macros for more efficient code, yet still type expressions & statements using macros interactively at the commandline. Crash-proof operation. Trying to track down software bugs can be challenging if you don't know for certain that the hardware is stable. With Interactive C, if your board crashes, you can narrow the problem down to hardware. Accomplish crash-proof operation with the following features: Complete type safety. Unlike typical versions of C which require users to correctly enter function prototypes & external declarations for proper compilation, Interactive C verifies correct arguments for all function calls & types across separate ".c" files. Array bounds checking. Array bounds are verified, preventing writing off the ends of arrays & corrupting memory. A "Go To Line" menu item, Improved reliability for the initial download of pcode; IC will no longer incorrectly complain about the Config register on certain machines, The interaction window can no longer be resized to zero size, & A standard windows installation program makes installation easier. (Macintosh users: The Mac version already has a "go to error" feature, & didn't have the problems that needed fixing.) Free updates to future versions of IC 3.X. Improvements on the Freeware IC 2.8: Better integration into the Windows & Macintosh environments. Integrated development environment for Windows & Macintosh, including built-in editor (for those who wish to use it). Integrated C preprocessor, including the ability to use #defined macros at the command line. Standard C features such as structs & multidimensional arrays.

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MEKARM ^TM:
From Page 6 of the manual found at http://mekatronix.com/manuals/manuals.htm :

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE MEKARM TM MANIPULATOR
The MekArm ^TM manipulator constitutes a two degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) planar robotic arm with an actuated, parallel-finger gripper, all driven by servomotors under control of a robot. The three, independent, servo-driven motions, starting at the base, are called the shoulder joint, wrist joint and the fingers.

MekArm ^TM mounts on the TJ Pro ^TM robot to provide a 4-DOF manipulator with gripper, a total of five degrees of motion. The wheels of the robot provide two degrees of freedom in the plane of motion of the robot. The plane of motion of the forearm and end-effector is perpendicular to the floor and the gripper finger motion is parallel to the Floor.

Click here for the MekARM movie.

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THE AGROS ^TM SYSTEM for Robobug, Talrik IV, Talrik Jr, and Talrik Jr Pro:

Pictured above is an ABS TJ Pro w/ ARGOS option

The ARGOS hardware is the same for all the robots, but the software is different for each robot.


The Basic ARGOS Pan-Tilt Head Kit comes with:
1 Argos Head for mounting optional camera, sonar, etc.,
4 CdS eyelets (2 Photoresistors included)
4 IR Detector mount (2 digital IRs included*)
4 IR LED eyelets (1 LED included)
2 Connecting link from head to turret
6 Link mounting posts
1 Mezzanine platform
2 Connecting link from tilt-servo to head
2 Tilt-servo Mount (2 servos included)
1 Turret

ARGOS OPTIONS:
1. ARGOS SONAR: Just add a MUST01 sonar sensor to your order (it plugs right in!)
2. ARGOS VIDEO CAMERA: Just add a CCAMNTSC to your order and mount it on top.
3. ARGOS WIRELESS: Just add a RF232KIT to your order for wireless communications.

(Coming soon!) ARGOS LINE FOLLOWING: Line following circuit and software, autonomous recharge circuit (allows robot to recharge itself!, passive "mouth" with two microswitch detectors.

Click Here for a picture of Robobug with the optional ARGOS/Sonar Head!

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The Wireless RF module:
Wireless RF serial communication between your robot and any PC or between any two PCs with serial ports. Up to a 3 mile range!

Click Here for Specs on the RF232 module

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Projection RealityTM Module (Wireless Color Video Mini-Camera) Click here for Price List

Platform Independent Make your robot a SPY with this remote Color mini video camera with audio! Above is the NTSC version of the Mini-Color Camera w/ transmitter in the enclosure. Explore worlds inaccessible to you, but not your robot! Experience Telepresence! This self-contained wireless Color video module mounts on top of almost any robot. You can easily mount the camera & radio transmitter on the Talrik IVTM & TJTM, for instance. Transmit a 2.4 Ghz video & audio signal to your TV, VCR, or video capture board. It has 4 channels so you can have up to four cameras running at the same time. You can view the live Color transmissions from your robot's perspective while it explores "dangerous" environments or environments not normally accessible to you! Manufacturer: Mekatronix

Projection Reality Module assembled & tested Kit Features: Uses its wireless Transmitter, sending live video images up to 100' to the Receiver (300' for the PAL version) Receiver included in kit has standard TV interface. Hookup in minutes to any VCR or TV A Standard Computer (PC or Mac) Video Capture Board interface, can capture live video clips or stills for your use Near & far can be clear & crisp Automatic electronic iris control & white balance guarantee superior picture quality Your picture can be recorded using a standard VCR or Computer with a Video Capture Board (not included) Operates on A/C or batteries (optional) Camera Weights 4.10 oz (not including batteries) NTSC version includes Audio.

The Projection Reality Module assembled & tested Kit Includes: Miniature Video Camera inside a plastic mount. (NTSC version) Miniature Wireless Video Transmitter integrated with the camera mount (NTSC version) Battery Pack holder for Batteries (standard on PAL version, optional on NTSC version) A separate freestanding Video Receiver which plugs into a TV or VCR Cables for connecting the Video Receiver either to a TV, VCR or to a (MAC or PC) Video Capture Board (recommend PCI Type With Tuner) Imager CMOS Sensor Format 1/3" Array Size NTSC - 510 x 492 Resolution 310 TV Lines Scanning 2:1 Interlace Auto Shutter 1/60 to 1/15,000 sec. Minimum Illumination (f1.8) Operating Temperature -10°C to 55°C 14°F to 131°F Humidity Limits 0 - 95% Humidity 38 Degree Range of View

Transmission Information Typically the Projection Reality module can transmit live video up to 100' in free air for the USA version (NTSC) & up to 300' for the International version (PAL) Factors which will affect the quality of the transmitted video include: Amount of "noise" from your motors / Number of objects between the Transmitter & the Receiver Density of the objects between the Transmitter & the Receiver / Distance between the wireless Transmitter & the Receive / Location & height of the receiver / Any kind of electric interference Click here for info on the PAL version of the Projection RealityTM Module !

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Microcontrollers/Printed Circuit Boards/Expansion Boards

MindStamp


Picture of an assembled and tested Mindstamp System with Optional Prototype board

MindStamp:
MindStamp, consisting of a MC68HC11 microcontroller and serial communications board, is an ideal electronics project prototyping system, especially when used with Interactive C (IC) software.

No need to buy expensive power supplies! The system runs on 6-AA rechargeable NiCd (sold separately) and connects to a Personal Computer COM port.

The backplate, microcontroller board (MTJPRO11) and the communications
board come with the kit. (The Protoboards, Serial cables and batteries are purchased separately)

Programs written in C or PROGO can be downloaded to the MindStamp microcontroller and data from the MindStamp microcontroller can be uploaded to the PC. Students can program the MindStamp to control sonar sensors, LEDs, piezzo speakers, photoresistors, model aircraft servos, toy motors, etc. The possibilities are legion...

Click here for Price List.

Pick any Motorola MC68HC11 series microprocessor & plug it right into the MSCC11. The MC68HC11 processor is mounted in a 52-pin PLCC with headers connected to the processor ports. The MSCC11 realizes a single chip microcontroller & provides the following features:

• Eight 3-wire (5volts, ground, signal) powered analog or digital input header connected to Port_E.
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• Eight 3-wire powered digital output header connected to Port B.
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• Eight 3-wire powered bi-directional digital signal header connected to Port C.
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• Jumpers to separate unregulated & regulated power & ground rails on the headers.
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• The power rail can drive up to 16 servos attached to Port C & Port B headers.
• The regulated voltage rail always drives the microcontroller & the eight powered digital/analog inputs attached to Port E.
• Eight 3-wire powered analog sensor connectors may be attached directly to Port E.
• A 5-pin male header permits the MSCCB11 to serially communicate with other MSCC11s or personal computers using the Mekatronix brand Bidirectional Serial Communications Board (USB2325) described below. This micro is the brains behind the original TJ Robot. (The TJ Pro uses the MTJPRO11 board)

Manufacturer: Novasoft under license from Mekatronix

Bidirectional Serial Communications Voltage Converter (Part#USB2325) Click here for Price List.

The USB2325 module permits the user to physically connect a USB serial communications cable to a six wire, 5 volt serial communications cable. Applications include serial communications between a personal computer's USB port via a USB2325 to any robot or microcontroller that provides serial communication at logic voltage levels (+5 volts & ground). In other words, this product converts the standard PC & Mac USB serial signal to the 5v standard that is used in microcontrollers. Manufacturer: Novasoft under license from Mekatronix

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Hardware, Parts & Accessories

Ball Bearing RC (R/C) Servos / Gearhead DC Motors Click here for Price List.
	The MS492 & MS1275 can be used as a servo for actuating the joints of robot arms, legs, & hands. User modification permits the MS492 & MS1275 Boss to serve as a reliable gearhead DC motor useful for driving robot wheels & other mechanisms requiring continuous rotary motion. This modification is detailed in the Talrik IVTM Assembly Manual. A modified MS492 & MS1275 Boss runs at 45 rpm & often outperforms gearhead DC motors costing much more. Exploded diagram of a servo & connection info. (GIF - 49k) Manufacturer: Mekatronix
The Servos have the following features: A 3in. DU-BRO wheel mounted on the MS1275 Boss or MS492 output shaft, will propel a vehicle at a respectable 7 inches per second. For even faster motion, try the MS900 Turbo. Even with the elimination of the servo electronics, high-volume, high availability, low cost, & exceptional reliability of the MS1275 Boss / MS492 makes their use as a gearhead DC motor cost effective. (Since the modification makes permanent changes to the servo output gear, restoring the device to servo operation requires the purchase of a gear set to obtain a new output gear to replace the modified one) The MS492 is the servo of choice for Mekatronix brand robots, while the MS1275 Boss is available as an upgrade for those who need a heck of a lot of torque, and the MS900 is available for those who need more speed. Part number Length Width Height Weight Torque Oz-In Speed Voltage range Comments HS411 35.5mm/1.4in 20mm/.7874in 40.5 40.5mm/1.6in ~41   4.8 to 7 volts Standard Servo MS492 35.5mm/1.4in 20mm/.7874in 40.5 40.5mm/1.6in ~49 .16 sec 4.8 to 7 volts Standard Servo, Ballbearing for longer life, replaces HiTec HS422, Futaba s148 or equiv. MS900 (Turbo) 40.5mm/1.6in 20mm/.7874in 40.5 40.5mm/1.6in ~90 .10 sec 4.8 to 7 volts VERY FAST Standard Servo, Ballbearing for longer life MS1275 ~40.5mm/1.6in 20mm/.7874in 40.5 40.5mm/1.6in over 125 .16 sec 4.8 to 7 volts VERY STRONG Standard Servo, same speed as MS492, Ballbearing for longer life

Robot Body Shells:
You can get the body only kits for all the robots we sell. They come at different levels of quality. When you buy a body, it comes in a pre-cut sheet in which the parts "punch out"

H-Body: Bodies with this classification are of premium 5 ply model aircraft birch plywood and are perfect for the quality minded. This beautiful wood is standard on all Mekatronix brand complete robot kits.

ABS-Body: Bodies with this classification are of premium ABS plastic and are perfect for the quality minded. This ABS can be substituted on most Mekatronix brand complete robot kits.

What's the best body type? --> Actually it's a toss up between the H-Body and the ABS-Body. It just depends on your person preference. Both the tan Wood and the black ABS make strong durable robot bodies.
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To Order or get order details, Click Here or Call 804-601-8041

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