Question's Before I purchase

[cyberstu]

I have just looked at the Bioloid, and to be honest it looks awesome. However before I purchase 1 I have some questions to ask. I am stuck between the comprehensive kit and the expert kit.

I like the idea that the expert kit has the Zigbee card for wireless coms and the wireless camera module.

However if I get one I will be rewriting all the coding myself in C. So surely I would be able to hard wire these two items in anyway and write my own code for them, if I bought the comprehensive kit instead.

Can someone help me out here as it is a lot of money to ask.

One other thing although this bot uses an AVR, is it all thinkable to strip this out and hook up maybe a propellor chip for parallex.

Thanx

[Rik]

I faced the same choice and decided on the comp kit as you can expand as and when you want and you can choose to use different wireless modules and cameras.

Go on dive in, the Bioloid kit is great.

[limor]

Hi welcome!
The Expert kit is intended for a classroom situation with teacher and students. It comes with a big book including classroom curriculum. This is not really intended for individuals. Get the Bioloid comprehensive and the camera module interface you can add yourself as several people on the forum have already done.

[cyberstu]

SO if I got the comprehensive kit, it is still possible to program my own controller for the biolid? It is mainly the programming tutorials for the biolid in the expert kit that I was interested in however for nearly a thousand quid extra this is quite steep.

What I mainly want to know is if I got the comprehensive kit, is it still as expandable and programmable.

Thanx

[JonHylands]

Yes, you can control any number of devices on the Bioloid bus using a number of different strategies. A number of people have put together an interface using a USB chip (FTDI FT232) and a couple simple logic parts. You can also talk directly to the bus using any of the ATmega chips from Atmel, with no extra hardware required.

- Jon

[limor]

Hi cyberstu,
I wonder where you read or how you got the impression that only the Expert kit allows for C programming. You are not the first that was under that impression so I'm really curious how you got there and maybe there's a way to correct the relevant web pages.

[cyberstu]

There is just more mention of the programming in the information for the expert kit, as it says tutorials are provided for programming the Biolid in C and for using the camera for machine vision.

Where as the beginner and expert kit say it is possible but no software is provided.

Anyway thanx for helping me out, I think I will definately be getting the Comprehensive kit and not the expert kit. Which will leave me with some money to buy some other stuff, such as Proteus VSM and a Picoscope.

Cheers

[limor]

hi, that handled Picoscope looks very cool and the price is hard to beat. Have you had a chance of using it?

[cyberstu]

Not yet used it. Just used to using normal bench oscilliscopes which are too expensive for me to buy and too big for my liking. Currently working overseas as a Radio Technician, so just looking for stuff to buy when get back to the uk as I am gonna get into robotics a serious hobby. Which is why I have been asking questions about Biolid. I want to buy a kit which has a lot of room for expansion and modding, and at the the minute Biolid is one of the top two on my list.

[billyzelsnack]

Just curious. What's the other option you are looking at? I can't even think of anything else close to the Bioloid given what you are looking for.

[cyberstu]

I have also been looking at the servo erection set from Lyncmotion although that isn't cheap when it comes to building a Biped. But their Johnny 5 does look cool.

[limor]

Robotis servos are designed for robotic research and appeal to the needs of advanced roboteers and academics.. The mechanical design of the Bioloid kit allows for many different shapes and forms without compromising the looks of the robotic beast.
which Jonny-5 are you referring to ?