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Bots /The Ultimate Palm Robot/ Mukhar & Johnson / 222880-6 / Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Sensors and Enhancements 249

Similarly, if we’ve attached an LED to output port 4 of the BrainStem, this line
of TEA code will cause the LED to light:

aServo_SetAbsolute(3, 255)

Making Noise with Sound Devices

If you have a BrainStem, you might also want to check out the Devantech
SP03 Speech Synthesizer (www.robot-electronics.co.uk/). You can get this
device from Devantech or from Acroname. While this device is not cheap,
who doesn’t want a robot that can talk? The synthesizer has a built-in speaker.
All you have to do is add digitized phrases, and command the synthesizer using
your Palm or PC.
The SP03 can store up to 30 phrases consisting of up to 1925 characters.
Alternatively, you can send text to the SP03 and it can convert the text to
speech. Full details and software for using the SP03 can be found at both
Acroname’s and Devantech’s web sites.

Other Output Devices
At this point, attaching other output devices to either the SV203 or the
BrainStem controllers should be a simple matter for you. If the device needs
power, you will connect its power input to the Vcc line of the controller. The
signal line is connected to Vo and the ground line to GND. If your output device
does not need power, as with the LEDs, you will just connect the Vo and GND
lines. If your device does not conform to these specifications or it uses different
voltages, you can find more information on how to connect devices to the
SV203 or BrainStem at Roberts Gadgets and Gizmos at www.bpesolutions.com/
gadgets.ws/gproject3.html.

Using Digital Components with the BrainStem
Any device that can accept digital signals can be used with digital ports of the
BrainStem controller. For example, the LEDs that we connected to the analog
output ports earlier can be connected to the digital ports of the BrainStem (see
Figure 9-2).

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Monday, May 12, 2003 4:33:45 PM