Customer Reviews

Robotics with the Boe-Bot: Student Guide: Version 2.2

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Chuck Schoeffler, Ph.D., designed the original Board of Education Robot (Boe-Bot). After several revisions, Russ Miller incorporated this design into the present Boe-Bot. This robot is manufactured by Parallax, Inc. Parallax's current product line consists of BASIC Stamp modules (BS2, BS2E, BS2SX, BS2P24, BS2P40, BS2PE, and the BS2PX) and development software, SX chips and programmer/debuggers, project boards, sensors, educational tools, robotics kits, accessories and the Propeller chip (eight 32-bit processors in one chip!).

WHAT DO YOU NEED IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THIS STUDENT GUIDE? You will need a Boe-Bot Robot Kit. This kit is available in either a "serial" or a "USB" version. This kit contains the following: (1) BOE programming board, (2) serial or USB cable, (3) BASIC Stamp 2 (BS2) Module, (4) parts (resistors, capacitors, photoresistors, etc.), (5) hardware for building the Boe-Bot robot, (6) CD (contains the BASIC Stamp Editor, etc.), and (7) Lindsay's text. This course costs $149.95. I would also recommend your purchasing the "BASIC Stamp Syntax and Reference Manual" for $24.95. If you already own a BOE programming board, you can turn it into a Boe-Bot robot with the Robotics Parts and Text Kit for $89.95.

WHAT IS A BOE-BOT ROBOT? According to Parallax, "[t]he Boe-Bot robot is built on a high-quality brushed aluminum chassis that provides a sturdy platform for the servo motors and printed circuit board. Mounting holes and slots may be used to add custom robotic equipment. The rear wheel is a drilled polyethylene ball held in place with a cotter pin. Wheels are machined to fit precisely on the servo spline and held in place with a small screw. The Boe-Bot robot's flexibility stems from the fact that it's a rolling Board of Education carrier board. All I/O projects are built on the breadboard." The power source is 4 AA batteries (batteries not included).

WHAT IS A BOARD OF EDUCATION? The Board of Education (or, more simply, the BOE) is a programming board with a socketed BASIC Stamp 2 (BS2) module; it is mounted on top of the Boe-Bot Robot. The BOE programming board, also referred to as a carrier or project board, measures 4" x 3". It also contains a 1 3/4" x 1 3/8" breadboard. At the top of the breadboard is a power strip with sockets for connecting to your power sources (Vdd, Vin, and Vss). On the left side of the breadboard is a strip for connecting to the I/O pins of the BS2 module. The breadboard, power strip, and I/O access sockets are referred to as the prototyping area. This is where you will build the electronic circuits that will be accessed by the BS2 module's PIC16C57c microcontroller. You will program this microcontroller in Parallax BASIC (PBASIC). The BOE also includes 4 R/C servo connection ports for use with your robot. The batteries used by the BOE are mounted underneath the Boe-Bot Robot.

WHAT IS A BASIC STAMP 2 MODULE? The BASIC Stamp 2 module is a small, 1.2" L x 0.63" W, printed circuit board that contains the essential elements of a microprocessor system: a PIC16C57c microcontroller manufactured by Microchip Technology Inc., a PBASIC interpreter, a 2K EEPROM that retains your PBASIC source code, a 5V regulator that converts input power from 6-12 VDC to 5 VDC, and a 20 mHz resonator that provides a clock source for the interpreter. This module comes packaged as a 24-pin DIP. "It consumes," according to the Parallax website, "3 mA in running mode and 50 microA in sleep mode, not including any circuitry on the I/O pins."

WHAT DOES THIS TEXT COVER? Andy Lindsay wrote versions 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 of "Robotics with the Boe-Bot." The latest version of this book, version 2.2, is 345 pages. The book consists of eight chapters. Each chapter has a number of hands-on activities. These forty-one activities will involve you in building electronic circuits and programming the robot's BS2 module's PIC16C57c microcontroller in Parallax BASIC. You will learn how to control the robot's continuous rotation servos, navigate using tactile whiskers, detect variations in light levels with photoresistors, use infrared LED circuits for detecting objects and determining distances, and so forth. Each chapter ends with a summary, questions, exercises, and projects. There are also extensive appendixes and an index. All of the material in this book is presented in meticulous detail.

CONCLUSION: This book will NOT cover all of the Parallax BASIC (PBASIC) commands, but it is an excellent introduction to BS2 programming using the Boe-Bot Robot. You do not have to have prior experience in programming or electronics to complete this course, but completing the activities in Lindsay's text, What's a Microcontroller?, before taking this course is highly recommended. Most importantly, make sure that you visit the Parallax website (Parallax website -> Education -> Stamps in Class).
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Note 1: The publisher, on a scale of 1 to 10, rates this book as having a difficulty level of 5. I concur. The publisher also estimates that it will take you approximately 40 hours to complete this course. I don't concur. If you complete the end-of-chapter questions, exercises, and projects and, in addition, read the appropriate sections in the syntax book, then I estimate it will take you approximately 60 hours to complete this course.

Note 2: In 2005, Lemon Studios, Inc. made a DVD, "Intro to Robotics with the Parallax Boe-Bot," that will take you step-by-step through the assembly and programming of the Boe-Bot (90 min.; $9.95). Highly recommended! [No longer available.]

Note 3: In 2003, eyeWyre Corporation created an interactive realtime 3d simulation for the Boe-Bot, SumoBot, and Toddler (the last two robots were add-ons: Sumo eyeON, $19.95; Toddler eyeON, $24.95). The Simulation Studio software sold for $99.95. This was an ambitious undertaking that seems to have been discontinued. Check their website for details. Caveat emptor! [No longer available.]

P.S. See my review of Lindsay's What's a Microcontroller? for more information on Parallax's "Stamps in Class" courses.