Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!uunet!clarkson!kiernasj
From: kiernasj@craft.camp.clarkson.edu (Daedraug)
Subject: Re: C64's?
Message-ID: <kiernasj.702174549@craft.camp.clarkson.edu>
Sender: news@news.clarkson.edu
Nntp-Posting-Host: craft.camp.clarkson.edu
Organization: Clarkson University
References: <42737@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1992 00:29:09 GMT

coxjason@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Jason Cox) writes:


> Are the good 'ol Commodore 64's pretty good for starting a robot. I'm not
>sure how far I'm going to go, but I want something that I can keep adding
>to. It will use one arm, three wheels; basic system to start with....
> Question #2: Should I write my own software, or is there already software
>out there that works well?
> Thanks to anyone who can help.
>                                                                jason

I used two C-64's some time ago to build a robot. They are prime for this
task because they have many different ports to use for interface, the power
supplies can be built out of 'standard' chips (except if you want to use a
battery to power it, then you run into the 'clock' problem... where the clock
uses the phase of AC power from the supply to drive the clock functions.. this
can be fixed by cutting the foil from the power supply input to the timer line,
and generating an outside 60hz signal.), and programming is relatively simple.

The C-64's can be interfaced with image sensors, ultrasonic transducers, and
various other sensors.

If you have any questions about this, feel free to mail me.

Stephen Kiernan
kiernasj@logic.camp.clarkson.edu

