Dear Vex Forum Members,
Please vote for my Vex based SunBot Robot controller that I entered into the new Microchip PIC32 Design Contest under the user name tswift. You can win weekly prizes by joining the contest and just voting on various designs and you can win even more prizes including an 48 inch HDTV or cash by entering your own PIC32 based designs.
Regards,
Tswift1
http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=2591&link=TodaysFeatures
awesome! this is very cool
i think i might buy a PIC32 as well 
i will vote later, i need to register
If I didn’t have to join I would vote, sorry.
Thank you for you support, I will also vote for your contest entry if you enter it and the contest rules encourage it. I purchased a PIC32 and it worked great! The new PIC32 Demo Board sells for around $50 at Digikey and Microchip Direct. It is a 32-Bit 80 MHz MIPS based microcontroller that includes 32 KB of SRAM and a lot of FLASH memory for Vex robotics applications that need it (see the PIC32 Data Sheets on the Microchip site).
In addition, the demo board includes MPLAB, a 32-Bit Microchip C compiler and USB programming cable so no ICD2 programmer is required. Microchip is also giving away over a hundred of these boards to contestants that make it into the second stage (see rules).
Not only did I vote for your design, I placed my own design into the competition. Its been a while since I’ve been able to put together a block diagram design for a microcontroller! takes me back to some fun times !
Good for you! I returned the favor and gave your MaxSensor rave reviews. I have been using the PIC32 board for some time and will be glad to answer any questions I can regarding the board, PIC32 C or MPLAB.
SunBot’s main controller will be the Microchip PIC32 microcontroller and will also use the Vex Controller to control the 6WD motion subsystem. Vex based projects designed by Vex Forum Members can be helpful towards solving the current Global Warming and energy problems. Please vote for my contest entry and I will do the same in turn. You can see the progress that I have made with my Vex based SunBot robot using links below.
https://vexforum.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1636&catid=8
https://vexforum.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1621&catid=8
https://vexforum.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1626&catid=8
I recently made it into the second phase of the Microchip PIC32 Design Challenge using my Vex based SunBot contest entry! Thanks to anyone in the Vex Forum that may have voted on it. Phase II of the contest ends in October and any “votes” from Vex Forum members is greatly appreciated by me.
I have uploaded the hardware block diagrams and the schematics showing the Microchip PIC32MX board and two dsPIC30F4011 Motor Controllers. My Gilbert IV Explorer Robot shown in the Vex Gallery is the 6WD mobile base for SunBot that will house the 12 Volt rechargeable batteries and Sun tracking electronics. Soon it will be tracking the Sun and be used for pointing the 12 Volt Solar Panel so that it is constantly facing it all day long from sunrise to sunset even during an eclipse or stormy weather.
Check out the video on my Vex based SunBot that is currently featured on the Microchip WEB Site.
Please take a look at the second video I made for the PIC32 Design Challenge Contest of my SunBot entry titled “SunBot In Action”. It shows my SunBot robot mounted on the Gilbert IV Explorer Robot moving about my lawn. It also describes more of SunBot’s mission, which is to guide solar panels during the day using Astronomical tables.
Time is running out for me for the contest ends in October and I could use Vex member votes to help me get me to Phase 2. This request is within the rules of the contest and encouraged. You can also see many of the other contestant’s designs and get ideas for Vex based applications from the contest.
Time is also running out for my NASA Contest Entry titled “Tele-Operated House Painter Tool”, which I plan to prototype using Vex parts.
i voted!!!
Thanks a million MarkO!!!
Regards,
Daniel
Dear Vex Forum Members,
Please go to the Microchip Site link and register and vote for my SunBot Contest entry. The polls close on Monday October 13, and as it stands I only have 10 votes. It is very easy to register with only a couple of questions and no purchases or commitments required. All you have to do is rate my design or any of the other excellent contestant’s designs and click on the “Vote” button if you want to support SunBot under the name “tswift”.
Microchip makes the PIC microcontrollers used in each Vex Controller and my SunBot is made from Vex Parts. The PIC32 is the next generation 32-Bit microcontroller that I am using in conjunction with the Vex Controller to have my SunBot point at the Sun from any location on Earth! I provide complete schematics to my hardware design including software written in Microchip PIC32 C. From these schematics you can learn how to interface sensors using the I2C and SPI interfaces and even connect an LCD to a microcontroller.
Remember that a Vote for SunBot is a Vote for Vex!
Regards
Daniel
LATEST NEWS:
I have uploaded a photo of my SunBot Controller prototype boards showing the PIC32MX main controller connected to the Azimuth and Elevation Motor Controllers. The LEDs on the dsPIC30F4011 Motor Controller boards are used as indicators of the current PWM motor command being sent to the H-Bridge. In addition I uploaded the final firmware for this phase which includes a diagnostic that displays a menu on the laptop and runs various tests of the hardware. The firmware includes the Microchip PIC32 Project Files for the SunBot project and also includes the working dsPIC30F4011 Motor Controller firmware. I updated the BOM with parts that were missing.
I was able to read the XY accelerometer using the PIC32’s 10-Bit ADC and was also able to send telemetry data via the XBEE Pro Wireless UART. I programmed the Timer1 to obtain a real-time clock RTCC as demonstrated in one of the tests and will use it in Phase II if I get there.
The remaining tasks include integrating the sensors and deriving the necessary lookup tables and astronomical calculations necessary to obtain the Sun’s Azimuth and Elevation angles so that I can scale them to PWM motor commands and send them to the Azimuth and Elevation motor controllers every fifteen minutes or so.
My latest video shows the SunBot roaming around the yard and in Phase II it should be able to locate the Sun and keep the solar panels pointed at it from any place on Earth once the final software and hardware integration is complete and tested. I consider all the work for phase I completed and hope other contest members who find it interesting will rate it and vote for it. Good luck to every PIC32 Design Challenge contestant!
NEWS FLASH:
I found out that the voting continues until October 22, so there is still some time for VEX Forum members to vote on it and possibly win a Weekly Prize. As of today I have only 10 votes so please register using the Microchip contest link below and vote and rate SunBot. You may also download my entire design including schematics and source code for the Microchip based dsPIC30F4011 Motor Controllers and various sensors.
I have uploaded a photo of my SunBot Controller prototype boards showing the PIC32MX main controller connected to the Azimuth and Elevation Motor Controllers. The LEDs on the dsPIC30F4011 Motor Controller boards are used as indicators of the current PWM motor command being sent to the H-Bridge. In addition I uploaded the final firmware for this phase which includes a diagnostic that displays a menu on the laptop and runs various tests of the hardware. The firmware includes the Microchip PIC32 Project Files for the SunBot project and also includes the working dsPIC30F4011 Motor Controller firmware. I updated the BOM with parts that were missing.
I was able to read the XY accelerometer using the PIC32’s 10-Bit ADC and was also able to send telemetry data via the XBEE Pro Wireless UART. I programmed the Timer1 to obtain a real-time clock RTCC as demonstrated in one of the tests and will use it in Phase II if I get there.
The remaining tasks include integrating the sensors and deriving the necessary lookup tables and astronomical calculations necessary to obtain the Sun’s Azimuth and Elevation angles so that I can scale them to PWM motor commands and send them to the Azimuth and Elevation motor controllers every fifteen minutes or so.
My latest video shows the SunBot roaming around the yard and in Phase II it should be able to locate the Sun and keep the solar panels pointed at it from any place on Earth once the final software and hardware integration is complete and tested. I consider all the work for phase I completed and hope other Vex members who find it interesting will rate it and vote for it.
Remember, a Vote for SunBot helps to support VEX!