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Bots /The Ultimate Palm Robot/ Mukhar & Johnson / 222880-6 / Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Getting the Parts 31

The original SV203 controller acted as an interface between the Palm and
the robot. It accepted serial data (commands) from the Palm, and converted
those commands into digital signals that directed the robot’s servos (more
commonly known to us as motors) to rotate in one direction or the other. It
also read analog data from the sensor input ports, converted that to a digital
value, and sent the sensor reading to the Palm. The SV203 has eight servo out-
put ports and five sensor input ports. With the SV203, the Palm had to be con-
nected to the controller at all times.
The newest version of the PPRK from Acroname runs on Acroname’s
BrainStem controller board (see Figure 2-4). This board is similar in function
to the SV203. It can provide an interface between the Palm and the sensors and
motors, or it can store a program downloaded from a PC or Palm, and run the
robot autonomously. The BrainStem has five analog input ports, five digital
input ports, and four servo controller output ports.

Figure 2-4
The
BrainStem
controller
from
Acroname

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