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Robotics miniFAQ For Beginners
Modified December 23, 1999

Copyright Notice

This miniFAQ was compiled and written by John Piccirillo. This FAQ may be referenced as: John Piccirillo (1999) "Robotics miniFAQ for Beginners". This post, as a collection of information, is Copyright (c) 1999 by John Piccirillo. The removal of this notice is forbidden. This FAQ may be posted to any USENET newsgroup, on-line service, or BBS as long as it is posted in its entirety and includes this copyright statement. This FAQ may not be distributed for financial gain or included in commercial collections or compilations without express written permission from the author. Please send changes, additions, suggestions and questions to: 

John Piccirillo 
Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Alabama in Huntsville 
Huntsville, AL 35899
jpicciri@eb.uah.edu

Page Contents

Why A miniFAQ
Requests for information on robotics from beginners appears from time-to-time on various newsgroups and list servers. The response to these requests is highly variable depending on when and how the request is stated. Sometimes no reply is given at all. The official Robotics FAQ is a lengthy document that may be imposing to a beginner and, running at over 400 pages, is burdensome to read on-line or to download and print. Hence the perceived need on my part for a miniFAQ that covers some of the basics while being admittedly limited in scope, making no pretension towards completeness or political correctness. This document is oriented for beginners to robotics.


Scope
This miniFAQ is intended as a source to find the answers to questions most often posed by beginners - where do I start? what do I need to know? where can I find information and supplies? where do I go for help? The sources of information given here are only from my personal perspective and comprise a list of sources that I have found useful. Enough links are provided so that those interested can find what they are looking for (in the way of robotics). I have endeavored to make the miniFAQ concise and have not included references to material on pick-and-place or remote controlled machinery.


Information Surveys

1. Official Robotics FAQ. 
A larger, more comprehensive FAQ may be found at www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/robotics-faq. This is a handy indexed, on-line version in HTML. A downloadable version in five parts is available via ftp at ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/robotics-faq/

2. Robot Web Page Index
http://piglet.cs.umass.edu:4321/cgi-bin/robotics/

3. NASA Robotics Reference Page
http://robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/

4. "Jeeves" Robotics Search Results
http://www.ask.com/main/askjeeves.asp?ask=robotics&origin=&site_name=Jeeves&metasearch=yes

5. BEAM Robotics - a minimalist, counter culture approach to robotics.
http://sst.lanl.gov/robot/


Robot Club Web Pages

These pages have a broad list of links to various aspects of robotics.

1. Dallas Personal Robotics Group www.dprg.org
2. Seattle Robotics Society www.seattlerobotics.org
3. Portland Area Robotics Society www.rdrop.com/users/marvin
4. Austin Robot Group www.robotgroup.org

Books

A small selection of books geared toward mobile robots is presented below. For further information and ordering go to www.robotbooks.com, or www.amazon.com.

1. "Mobile Robots: Inspiration To Implementation," 2nd edition, by Jones, Flynn, and Seiger, published by A.K. Peters. ISBN 1-56881-097-0. A very good overview of mobile robots and subsystems. Goes into satisfying detail on many robot subsystems, including behavior-based control architecture. The book gives two detailed examples of mobile robots.

2. "The Robot Builder's Bonanza: 99 Inexpensive Robotics Projects," by Gordon McComb, pub. by TAB books. ISBN 0-8306-2800-2. Covers many areas at an elementary level: tools needed, sensors, motors, batteries, materials, etc. Beware, some circuit diagrams have errors and some parts are difficult to get. However, this is a good book to read for general ideas and techniques. 

3. "Practical Robotics: Principles and Applications," by Bill Davies, ISBN 0-968183-0-X. Written as a text for a course in engineering design, this is a very useful compendium on mechanical and electronic construction techniques, lots of practical tips and homebrew sensors.

4. "Sensors for Mobile Robots: Theory and Application," by H. R. Everett. ISBN 1-56881-048-2. An excellent book that goes into detail on a great many sensors, from simple to very complex. An excellent reference book. Some parts are highly technical.

5. "Behavior-Based Robotics," by Ronald Arkin. ISBN 0-262-01165-4. A book on mobile robot control methodologies, covering many different control concepts. A detailed examination without going into specific languages or mathematics. A rich source of ideas for controlling the action of your robot.

6. "Artificial Intelligence and Mobile Robots: Case Studies of Successful Robot Systems," by Kortenkamp, Bonasso, and Murphy. ISBN 0-262-61137-6. Case studies of working robots in the areas of mapping and navigation, vision, and mobile robot architectures. Some chapters are easy to read, but mostly this is at an intermediate-reading level.

7. "Navigating Mobile Robots: Systems and Techniques," by J. Borenstein, H. R. Everett, Liqiang Feng. ISBN 1-56881-058-X. Surveys the state of the art in sensors, systems, methods, and technologies used in mobile robot navigation, detailing relative and absolute position measures including odometry; inertial navigation; active beacons; artificial and natural landmark recognition; and model matching. A little advanced in parts.

8. "The CMOS Handbook," by Don Lancaster, revised by Howard Berlin. ISBN 0 672-22459-3. A classic. Although somewhat dated, an excellent introduction on CMOS chips, logic, timers, counters, shift registers, etc. with very worthwhile tutorial sections on basic digital circuits.

9. "Easy PIC'n" (ISBN 0-9654162-0-8), "PIC'n up the Pace" (ISBN 0-9654162-1-6), and "PIC'n Techniques" (ISBN 0-9654162-3-2) by David Benson. Introductory and intermediate level books on programming the PIC microcontrollers. Also, "Serial PIC'n" (ISBN 0-9654162-2-4) by Roger Stevens, a comprehensive text for implementing serial communications between a Microchip PIC 
microcontroller and an external device. I highly recommend these books. Square One Electronics, www.sq-1.com, (707) 279-8881. These are the simplest books on PIC programming referenced here. Also see 10. and 11 below.

10. "Programming and Customizing The PIC Microcontroller," by Myke Predko. ISBN 0-07-913646-X. Introduction to PIC hardware features and programming techniques taught through dozens of experiments and projects. More rigorous than "Easy PIC'n" but still an introductory guide to PIC programming.

11. "Design With PIC Microcontroller," by John Peatman. ISBN 0-13-759259-0. An advanced book based on a course taught at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Excellent book for those with some background in microcontrollers or digital electronics.

12. PIC Data sheets, www.microchip.com, look under PIC Micro devices under Product Information. Complete data sheets on the PIC micro of your choice. These are invaluable reference documents.

13. "Programming and Customizing the Basic Stamp Microcontroller," by Scott Edwards. ISBN 0-07-913683-2. Assumes no special prior knowledge, well illustrated and full of example code.

Magazines

1. Robot Science & Technology. A bi-monthly publication covering all aspects of robotics at the amateur level, highly recommended. A beginner-friendly web site at: www.robotmag.com. Robot Science & Technology, 3875 Taylor Road, Suite 200, Loomis, CA 95650, (888) 510-7728, fax: (916) 660-0730. 

2. Nuts & Volts. A monthly, tabloid-sized publication of electronics, including amateur radio, cellular communications, scanning, computers, amateur robotics, lasers, and more along with build-it-yourself electronics project. Lots and lots of ads. Supporting web page at www.nutsvolts.com. Nuts & Volts Magazine, 430 Princeland Court, Corona, CA 91719 USA . Phone: (909) 371-8497.

3. There are many electronic magazines that indirectly support robotics such as Poptronics (http://gernsback.com/noframe/pe/PEindex.html) and Circuit Cellar Ink (www.circellar.com). I suggest browsing these at newsstands to find those that are compatible with your skill level and interests.

Suppliers

This is where to get the stuff. There are three general categories; Radio Shack, local electronics or ham radio surplus stores, and mail order. Mail order carries the largest selection and generally the best price, but there are usually minimum orders and shipping charges. Radio Shack is good when you need just a couple of something and don't want to wait, but the unit price can be two or three times the mail order price. Some of my favorite catalog suppliers, in no special order are:

1. Jameco, www.jameco.com. A great variety of parts, components, kits, semiconductors, etc. Good source at good prices. (800) 831-4242.

2. Digikey, www.digikey.com. Complete catalog of all the standard electronic parts. Also carries Basic Stamp, lots of Microchip parts, and a modest variety of semiconductors. Speedy service, moderate prices. (800) 344-4539.

3. Herbach and Rademan, www.herbach.com. Surplus parts. Good source for small motors and a variety of mechanical parts. (800) 848-8001.

4. All Electronics, www.allelectronics.com. Excellent prices for electronic odds and ends. (800) 826-5432.

5. Small Parts, http://www.smallparts.com/ Rod, bar, sheet, tube, screw, fasteners, and all manner of small mechanical parts in a variety of metal and plastic materials. Informative catalog. Check prices with other sources. (800) 220-4242.

6. Alltronics, www.alltronics.com. Variety of electronic parts. (408) 943-9773.

7. Hosfelt Electronics, www.hosfelt.com. Misc. electronic parts, very good prices. (800) 524-6464.

8. Mouser Electronics, www.mouser.com. Large selection of semiconductors and other components. (800) 346-6873.

9. Radio Shack, http://www.radioshack.com/ Large selection of electronic parts, tools, and kits, and other goodies. (800) 442-7221.

10. Surplus Center. Motors, wheels, lots of hydraulic and pneumatic stuff. (800) 488-3407.

11. Electronics Goldmine, www.goldmine-elec.com. Small catalog of odds and ends, stock moves quickly. (800) 445-0697.

12. Marlin P. Jones, www.mpja.com Small electronics catalog. (800) 652-6733.

13. Tower Hobbies, www.towerhobbies.com . General hobby plane, boat, car supplier, but also carries small servo motors and a variety of wheels. (800) 637-4989.


Small businesses specializing in microprocessors, sensors, electronics parts, kits, etc. useful for building robots. These sites are worth visiting.

1. Acroname Electronics, www.acroname.com.
2. HVW Technologies, www.hvwtech.com.
3. Wirz Electronics, www.wirz.com.

Microcontrollers

This section is my personal introduction to those microprocessors I think are suitable for beginners. The simplest would be a Basic Stamp I--the other extreme would be an off-board Unix workstation running LISP. There is a lot of philosophical approach that enters here, as well as practicality, and, unfortunately, much computer machismo, as in my-computer-can-beat-up-your-computer. Since the miniFAQ is meant for beginners, here is my personal view, based upon ease of use:

1. Basic Stamp. This is the simplest microcontroller to start with. The Basic Stamp is manufactured by Parallax Inc. I suggest using the BS IIX. The price is modest ($59 as of this date), there are good introductory books, lots of application notes and projects, and an active list server. It programs from a PC, and uses a form of the BASIC computer language (called PBasic). The manual and programming software are free from the manufacturer. The downside is that the processor is slow, memory space is supports about 2000 instructions, I/O pin count is 16, and there are no interrupts or timers available. But you can't beat the price or the simplicity for a beginning system. Order from Parallax www.parallaxinc.com or many of the electronics catalogs or suppliers listed above.

2. BasicX microcontroller. A new kid on the block, this microcontroller supports a multi-tasking operating system, floating point math functions, a basic language compiler, 32 K of memory, and networking. There are two versions: BX-01, in a 40 pin package, and the BX-24, a 24 pin DIP that is pin compatible with the Basic Stamp II (i.e. You can substitute it in the same socket). Single BX-24 chips are $ 49 and a development system, including BX-24, is $ 99; however, the development software and manuals can be downloaded from Netmedia's web site, www.basicx.com.

3. PIC microcontroller. There are several different varieties available. Beginners favor the 16F84. The programming software and manuals are free from the manufacturer, Microchip. Look for the MPLAB package at www.microchip.com. The individual chips cost about $10. On the downside you need to purchase a programmer (from $60 to $199), and you'll need to put together a small board to carry the micro, its oscillator, and connection pins (printed circuit boards for $10 available from MicroEngineering Labs, http://www.melabs.com/mel/home.htm) The advantages to using a PIC are: you have a lot more control over program structure and timing, access to interrupts, and execution speed is much faster. Order from Digikey for the largest variety. Ordinarily PICs are programmed in assembly language (see the books section above), but compilers are available for PBasic and "lite" versions of C.

4. PICStic. A series of Stamp-like microcontrollers, but with more capability and faster execution time. Uses a compiler for the Basic Stamp I version of PBasic. A compiler for the Basic Stamp II Pbasic is available from MicroEngineering Labs for $ 199. The PICStic also allows the use of assembly language programming and access to the PICs timers and interrupts.. Prices vary $29 to $89, plus the development system is $129. Order from Micromint www.micromint.com.

5. Handyboard. This is a relatively painless way to using the Motorola 68hc11 chip. The Handyboard contains the microcontroller, an LCD for debugging, 1 Amp motor drivers, a rechargeable battery pack, and 32K of battery backed RAM. Additionally, the package comes with good documentation and a free ware version of Interactive C, a multi-tasking version of C for the Handyboard. Cost of the complete package is $284 from Gleason Research, www.gleasonresearch.com. For technical details visit the MIT Media Laboratory site, http://el.www.media.mit.edu/projects/handy-board/.

News Groups

1. comp.robotics.misc 
2. comp.robotics.research
3. sci.electronics.design
4. sci.electronics.misc

List Servers

There are a great many of these. To avoid being inundated you can often subscribe to a digest version. I don't have a good list of list servers but three I recommend for help with microcontrollers are:

1. Basic Stamp list. Send a message to: majordomo@parallaxinc.com., with the word help in the body of the message. Instructions will be emailed back to you; save them for future reference.

2. PIC list. Send a message to: LISTSERV@mitvma.mit.edu, with the word help in the body of the message. Save the returned instructions for future reference.

3. BasicX list. Subscribe at http://www.onelist.com/community/basicx