Advice please building Bioloid Premium.

[Kelpy]

I have been fortunate enough to have been given a Bioloid Premium Kit for Christmas, but having been ill, I've only just got around to reading the manual. I have to say, it does look quite challenging for my old eyes, and the amount of tiny screws included, is quite frightening.

I am however quite excited by the challenge, and am looking forward to getting started.

I do have a couple of questions first, before I get too involved.

The manual gives 3 different options for building, and I notice none of them have a moving head. I am hoping to implement this, as I really want to incorporate the Havimo Vision Module, eventually.

Firstly, if I build option A, which uses all 18 servos, am I able to use ordinary hobby servos for the tilt and pan of the head? If so, are there unused pins on the 510 that I can use? Is there a diagram somewhere showing these?

If not, should I build option B or C? Both of these only use 16 of the available 18 servos, so presumably I will have to use the remaining 2 servos for the tilt and pan.

Does anyone know of a link to somewhere where this is documented?

I'm sorry if these questions are very obvious to some people, but I'm only just starting.

[i-Bot]

You are probably best to buy a couple of extra AX12+ servos for the pan and tilt when you get the camera.

[RoboFlop]

I would like to do the same Kelpy. I bought some micro servoe with this in mind but havent got around to figuring out how to do it just yet myself so I am interested in anything your post might turn up.

I know that i-bot makes a very good point though, the AX12's can be controlled better by the 510 since everything is already in place and you can just add them to the dynamixel bus and away you go. Its not going to be so easy to just add and control a hobby servo as I'm sure you know.

On the other hand AX's are quite bulky compared to a micro servo and are probably overpowered for moving just a few grams of plastic around. Naturally more expensive too, I got 4 micro servos for less than a third of the cost of one AX12 of ebay... Still, you might need it to do a killer head-butt move for a robo-one contest some time in the future so maybe you should go straight for the AX18's

[Kelpy]

My thoughts exactly, Roboflop. It does seem like overkill, using AX12's, especially as there would be very little external force on them.

I too was hoping to use micro's, but having looked a bit further, I'm not sure how easy it would be to run them from the 510 controller.

I'm short on funds, anyway, at the moment, but I do have a 'stock' of servo's , so I'll start the build of option A, and see how it pans out.

[RoboFlop]

If you pm me your postal address I'll post you a micro servo to tinker with if you want kelpy.

I hooked one up to an arduino board and could control it just fine from a sample C program, the servos operating voltage is stated as 4.8 - 6v so some voltage adjustment will be necessary if there isnt a 5v tap of the cm510.

[Kelpy]

Very kind of you, RoboFlop

I do actaully have a few TP SG90's to play with, so will try those, and let you know.

[i-Bot]

I'm not clear how you will communicate with the servos from the CM510.

Are you planning to write new code for the CM510 and use the "Ollo" interfaces ?

You might look to use the work of Jon Hylands and Billyzelsnack to interface PWM servos via the serial bus

[billyzelsnack]

I actually built a new one just yesterday..
http://billyzelsnack-robotics.blogspot. ... mixel.html

I have it setup so writing a word (representing pulse width 700-2300 or so) to address 36 you move one servo. Address 38 is the other servo.

[Kelpy]

Many thanks for your replies, i-Bot and billyzelsnack.

Unfortunately, you have to realise that I am a newbie, and most of what you both have said goes straight over my head.

I will remember what you have said, though, and perhaps in the future I may understand.

Thanks.