tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29886049245519370812024-03-13T16:41:45.335-07:00MRE In HackerSpaceMREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-42008879056297197532010-03-30T12:54:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:24:32.843-07:00ROV ITTI finished up my bachelors degree in Electronics Engineering at ITT in Tucson, June of 2006.<br />
My final project, along with Tom Gross and Ronald Trinh, was an under water vehicle.<br />
<br />
The construction of the frame was made from PVC pipe from the local hardware store, and the pressure chamber was made from a small Pelican case. Being a single hinge with clip lock, the pressure chamber was only good for less than 50 feet of depth, but good enough for a proof of concept.<br />
<br />
Mounted in the case were all the electronics, as well as a small pinhole camera. Power and control signals were fed into the case via an umbilical cord, made from cat-5 cable. Two pairs of wire were used for power (one pair serving as +, one as -). One pair of wire was used for RS232 communications. Finally, one pair of wire brought back the video signal to a small LCD display.<br />
<br />
The PCB carried a 5-volt linear regulator, as well as a pic16f877 micro-controller from Microchip Technologies. This chip had simple firmware written in PicBasic. The firmware handled all the communications via RS-232 to a laptop. In addition, using a simple state machine, it switched on the various motors of the ROV, via a standard power transistor.<br />
<br />
The motors that moved the ROV around were bilge pumps made by Rule. All wires going into the Pelican case were first glued into a short piece of tubing with pvc caulking. Next, the wires were passed through a hose barb mounted in the case, and the tubing slipped over the barb, forming a water tight seal. Finally the wires could be connected to the PCB using screw terminals mounted to the board.<br />
<br />
Since finishing the project, I have had a lot of time to consider all the improvements that could be made. In addition, I have joined and followed the discussions on a home-built ROV group. As such, I have been planning and am now in the circuit design and PCB layout stages of a new ROV, which will rival many commercial units, yet offer the electronics package at a price in which many can afford. My plan is to target small agencies that may be strapped for cash, in wetland areas. Agencies such as search and rescue, police departments, wildlife and fisheries, and emergency response units need small portable ROVs to work in rivers and lakes, which are of of low cost, as well as being easy to maintain. However they still need many of the same features of the mid-class inspection ROVs.<br />
<br />
I will be making future posts as the project develops.<br />
<br />
The original ITT-ROV project can be found here:<br />
http://ittrov.blogspot.com/<br />
<br />
The posts have also been added to THIS blog. You can find them simply by clicking the ROV link on the left.MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-72371427103058217462010-03-30T12:36:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:33:35.247-07:00Unlock Codes ?The following service claims to provide unlock codes for Sony phones, including the walkman series:<br />
<br />
http://www.unlocks.co.uk/unlock_sony_ericsson.php?model=W52S<br />
<br />
Has anyone tried with success?MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-89448462439549087562010-03-30T12:09:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:27:50.668-07:00Hacking on the Sony Walkman Cell PhoneWhen I first came to Japan, I signed up for service with AU, and picked up the Sony Erricson W42S Walkman phone. It was fantastic: it played music with ease, had a great screen for video, was simple and compact, and styling superb.<br />
<br />
My only problem with it was the software. Sony and AU both enjoy making users go through all sorts of hoops in order to protect their IP, such that it makes the product nearly useless. Complicating the matter was the fact that the software was only available in Japanese. It drove me nuts. AU's software in particular was so bad, that it would even refuse to install on Windows unless it was a Japanese version.<br />
<br />
I HAD to gain access to all those cool features, for which I fell in love with the phone in the first place. So I set out on several adventures in 'bypassing' certain basic procedures apparently designed to confuse people. Few of these jobs could technically be called "hacking." Most of them were simply discovering how to get around stupid measures taken by both companies designed to confuse people, such as switching your international settings in Windows to temporarily allow installing the software, or dropping files into hidden folders on the memory stick in order to get your own movies to play without paying extra for additional software.<br />
<br />
I figured that if I were having trouble with the phone, than surely many other foreign customers were in the same boat. Sure enough, with a little bit of advertising on the various cell-phone fan sites, people starting asking me lots of questions. So, in a way, I became an unofficial English help line troubleshooter for AU and Sony.<br />
<br />
The results of which are cataloged in the following blogs:<br />
w42s.blogspot.com<br />
w52s.blogspot.com<br />
<br />
The posts have also been merged with THIS blog. You can find them by clicking the related links on the left.MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-89206087178217159652010-03-11T23:40:00.000-08:002010-03-30T13:32:17.677-07:00AU moves on to LismoPortAU will no longer support AU Music Port. They have moved on to new software, named Lismo Port (presumably enhancing their tie-in with the Lismo online media service).<br />
<br />
I have yet to play with it, other than to attempt an installation. Bad news, it absolutely refuses to install on a non Japanese OS (not even with the trickery involved to install AMP). So I will have to play around with this more. Honestly, I am very likely going to move on to a different phone set anyway. The 42/52 Walkman phones are getting old.<br />
<br />
Anyway, since AMP is no longer available on the AU site (nor the USB drivers?) I have put up a page on my own site to hold old CD versions of the software. I don't take any responsibility for a broken system if you choose to upgrade from the old (ca 2006) CD versions.<br />
<br />
You can find them at:<br />
http://japandarknavi.com/drp/content/ampMREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-64964983516933366102007-12-10T04:09:00.000-08:002010-03-30T17:40:26.513-07:00SONIC STAGE!!!<b><span style="font-size: 180%;">Merry Christmas Everyone!</span></b><br />
<br />
Here is my gift to you - <b>Getting Sonic Stage to work with the W52S!!</b><br />
BONUS - Works with Duogate AND <b>MICRO SD!!!</b><br />
<br />
Wow. I finally figured this whole deal out. (I am sketchy on a few parts, but I took the 'do it all, because some of them are important, and the others wont hurt' approach.)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 130%;">This one will be a lengthy/complex procedure so lets get everything together:</span></b><br />
<b>1:</b> you need your W52S CD. If you do not have it, please message me and I will email or post the particular package you need.<br />
<b>2:</b> Phone, Cradle, and USB cable (naturally)<br />
<b>3:</b> Duogate OR MicroSD card installed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: 130%;">Ok, here we go:</span></b><br />
<b>1:</b> Download and install Sonic Stage from: <a href="http://sonicstage.connect.com/SS-US.zip">http://sonicstage.connect.com/SS-US.zip</a><br />
(unzip, run the install file. follow directions.. easy)<br />
<br />
<b>2:</b> Insert your W52S CD.<br />
<b><br />
3:</b> Explore to: CD:\utility_softwares\SonicStage_CP<br />
<b><br />
4:</b> You will find a single EXE file here. DO NOT RUN THIS FILE! It will simply report back that it cannot install on a non-Japanese OS.<br />
Instead you need to do the following:<br />
<ul><li>Right Click on the file and choose Extract files. You will then be able to make a folder somewhere to extract the files to. I reccomend Either a new folder on your desktop, or a new folder in the root of your C drive.<br />
</li>
<li>Find the folder you extracted to. I called it C:\SSinstall. Inside you will find several sub folders. Go to C:\SSinstall\Common\OpenMG.<br />
</li>
<li>Run Is_setup.exe and follow the directions.<br />
</li>
<li>If you have not already installed the USB driver, go to C:\SSinstall\Device\Driver\W52S and do so. (You might want to do it just in case, as it may only now make Sonic Stage aware of the device.)</li>
</ul><b>NOTE:</b> At this point, my install path may diverge from yours. Give Sonic Stage a try and see if you can access your memory card. To do so, plug in the cradle, drop the phone in, and choose 2-mass storage on the phone. Run Sonic Stage. In the Transfer tab you will have two new devices: Memory Stick (in my case, drive K) and ATRAC audio device (drive J). Memory Stick is if you have a DuoGate memory stick. ATRAC audio device is for all us MicroSD users.<br />
<br />
If you get this far, and it works, please let me know. If not, then continue exploring the folder you made. You will find SEVERAL install packages. I went through and hit them all, just in case.<br />
<br />
I hope this works out for everyone and you can enjoy using SS and dump your crappy AMP intall!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>A quick review of the projects checklist:</b> (all of these are without AMP, and on MicoSD cards)<br />
<ul><li>Convert and upload/watch video (full length movies in widescreen, using Image Converter 2) - <i>check</i></li>
<li>Download photos and video from camera - <i>check</i></li>
<li>Upload PDF files and view them - <i>check</i></li>
<li>Convert and upload photos (using Image Converter 2) - <i>check</i></li>
<li><b>Convert and upload music with Sonic Stage - <i>check</i></b></li>
<li>Upload and run games and third party applications - <i>still to do</i></li>
<li>Offer support for MAC (I dont have access to one, and wouldn't know where to start. Sorry to all you MAC users) - <i>still to do</i></li>
<li>Write user guides for GPS functions - <i>still to do</i></li>
<li>Write user guides for EZweb functions - <i>still to do</i></li>
<li>Write guide for subscription services (TangoTown, LastTrain search, etc) - <i>still to do</i></li>
</ul>Anything I should add?MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-24800847866325738792007-09-06T02:56:00.000-07:002010-04-01T13:06:31.055-07:00Use auMusicPort to load musicI have the preliminary write up for loading music. Please ask any questions, and make corrections. I have not included pictures, but can add them in if anything is unclear.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Music Library Primary Functions</b><br />
<br />
First, open auMusicPort.From the main screen, select Music Library.<br />
There are four icons on the far left. Their function is as follows:<br />
<br />
1: Picture of a PC with a play arrow in the monitor - Shows the songs currently in your 'PC play list'. Play your tunes from the pc or phone here.<br />
2: Phone and PC with two directional arrows - Sync function to load songs to and from the phone<br />
3: papers with a pencil on them - I have no clue.. perhaps some sort of tag editor or viewer or rating thing.. whatever, dont need it! ;)<br />
4: Musical Note, an arrow, and a PC - File importing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Step 1: Importing Music</b><br />
<br />
Click on File import (music note and PC). You will see a spreadsheet. Above this you see the import functions.<br />
<br />
Looking at the import features: First is a CD with a drop down bar. You can rip right from a CD drive. The drop down selects which drive to rip from. It only shows valid music CDs in the drop down.<br />
Below that is a file folder, and a LONG button. Click the button. You can now point to a specific file, or a folder. If you point to a folder, it will recurse all sub folders within that folder.<br />
Ok, so you have chosen either a CD or a music folder.<br />
<br />
CD: your cd will be ripped, and the file names will appear in the spreadsheet with a rip progress bar.<br />
<br />
Folder: you will be prompted with a popup box. You are given a few options. The default selection is ALL known file types. the other options or for such options as WAV, WMA or M4A. It's important (and sad) to note here that MP3 files are NOT on the list. Unfortunately AMP only reads those three file types. You will have to convert your mp3s to WMA, or use Sonic Stage to convert them and then load to a M2 card. :( booo hiss..The top section of the popup allows the file type selection (default to all) while the bottom section allows you to choose Scan Whole System, or In a folder only. It should be pretty obvious to you how to use this function.<br />
Left button is Ok, right is Cancel<br />
<br />
So, hitting ok will default to all. Now all files in the folder are shown in the spreadsheet.<br />
Its important to note that amp is a bit slow on this process.. watch progress bar. I strongly advise you point to a folder only, as the full scan initially will take FOREVER and grab all those silly sounds from the OS...<br />
<br />
Now that you have a list, you can choose what to convert to phone format. Throw check boxes in the songs you want, using shift to select groups at a time.<br />
<br />
Finally click the large square button with the CD icon and down arrow. You will now see progress percentage as the files are converted. When everything is 100%, move on to the next step.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Step 2: Uploading</b><br />
<b></b><br />
Your tune is now in the PC library. You can even play it by clicking on the first large icon on the left (PC with a play button). Go ahead and check the quality.<br />
<br />
When you are ready to transfer, click the icon of the phone and PC.You now have two spreadsheets. The top is your PC library, the bottom is the phone library (likely empty at first).<br />
Highlight the songs from the top list you wish to transfer. You can use Shift and Ctrl click options to highlight groups.<br />
<br />
Between the two lists, are 4 buttons. One has a down arrow and Japanese, then two with Japanese, then one with an UP arrow and PC.<br />
The first and the last should be pretty obvious. The third is "Resetsuto" Im not sure what number two does, but I have had good luck with number on (down arrow) and number two for loading songs to the phone.<br />
<br />
You can now disconnect the phone and find the music either in the phone memory, or the memory card (be it microSD or M2). The Default location is the memory card when installed.<br />
<br />
Your music will play from either folder via the Music Menu. You can also move the songs to the other memory area from the normal file menu, and they will be found again when you re-open the Music Menue.MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-74611370547805802442007-08-24T22:40:00.000-07:002010-04-01T13:09:22.811-07:00Loading video to the W52SOk.<br />
I finally figured this all out. Turns out its REALLY simple.<br />
<br />
<b>Myths:</b><br />
1: You need M2 to use video. NOT TRUE. You DO need a memory card. Either SD or M2. You can watch full length movies off SD memory, or transfer it into the phone. Your choice. Phone vs MMC <i>may</i> affect things like answering messages or answering a call. My guess is copying to the PHONE will be better then using the MMC.<br />
<br />
2: You need Sony Image converter 3 in order to load video. NOT TRUE.<br />
What IS true, is that you need Image Converter. Im using I.C. 2.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<br />
1: Obtain any version of Image Converter. To be honest, ANY might not be true. I have only tested it with 2.. and obviously 3 will work. Anything previous to 2 may or may not work. The only thing I can think of as important, is the output file. So, I'm certain there are freeware apps that will do the same job. Mileage will vary. All directions assume IC2.<br />
<br />
2: Convert some files. In IC2, your files will dump SOMEWHERE in a folder called MP_ROOT. Unfortunately, IC is ment to load to a memory device. So, you can only point it to a ROOT of a drive. Example C:MP_ROOT will be your storage folder.<br />
<br />
3: Jump into the folder in Explorer. Notice your files names are just a bunch of numbers. You might want to rename them something more meaningful. Refrain from too much punctuation, spaces and what not. Keep it short and sweet. Its gotta fit on the phone screen afterall.<br />
Next, Delete the files that are not .MP4.. you dont need them.<br />
<br />
4: Get ready to copy to the phone. Put it in the cradle, plug it in power and USB. Select Mass Storage on the phone to get into drive mode.<br />
<br />
5: In Explorer, browse to the phone folder K:\PRIVATE\AU_INOUT<br />
K is my drive letter, yours may be different. WARNING! There are TWO drive letters that come up. Look for the drive who's size matches the memory card size!<br />
<br />
6: Copy your videos into the folder.<br />
<br />
7: You cant play them on the phone from here. Disconnect from the computer. On the phone hit Menu, External Memory, PC folder. You will see your files. Hit option.<br />
At this point, decide if you want to put them on the phone, or leave them on the memory card. Use option 4 - 6 to copy or move to phone or memory.<br />
When the location comes up, choose Data Folder, File Corresponded.<br />
This will put it in the video folder, and link it to the system index!<br />
<br />
8: Play it! Look in the Data folder for ether the memory card, or the phone, and you will now see EZmovie... its an easy job at this point.<br />
<br />
9: Delete the files out of the PC folder. Save some space for the next transfer.<br />
<br />
<b>NOTE</b>:<br />
The same general method works for copying PDF and html documents to be viewed in Pixel.. if you want a seperate tutorial, I'll write it.. but its essentially the same.MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-51100804097617874062007-08-01T04:42:00.000-07:002010-04-01T13:10:28.445-07:00A new beginning...So, my W42S gave up the ghost... well, not entirely; the sound had become erratic, and there is noticable slowdown on the menues. Neither of which is entirely fatal (answering calls still works fine with the headset, just no sound with the phone to my ear).<br />
<br />
It will feel the wrath of my screwdriver.<br />
<br />
On to bigger and better: the hot new W52S!!<br />
<br />
As per the 42s blog, I will start with a lowdown on specs and features, what works out of the box and what doesn't, and the good, the bad, and the ugly.<br />
<br />
In later posts, I will get into hacking on it, finding truth in the rumors, and tutorials on all that Japanese stuff that comes with it (and is required to use the phone for anything 'fun')<br />
<br />
<br />
A low down on specs:<br />
2 gigs internal storage<br />
up to 2 gigs external<br />
a bigger screen<br />
plays video<br />
gizmogadgetry.. yep<br />
<br />
heh.. nice spec sheet huh? Ok, truth is, you can get a spec sheet anywhere... what you really want is first impressions and comparissons to the 42s:<br />
<br />
Camera:<br />
While the camera is essentially the same specs as the 42, I noticed it takes much better low light photos. Also, there is no manual macro switch. You access macro mode electronicly via the menu now. Sadly, the built in LED is actually DIMMER than the 42.<br />
<br />
Overall shape:<br />
To accomidate the larger screen, the shuttle controls we know and love from the 42 had to be moved to the side, in order to keep the phone the same length. Unfortunately the wheel type control ws dropped. Now its just buttons for forward and back. The play/stop/pause button is rather large, but still illuminated.<br />
Due to how things were re-arranged, its a bit inconvienient. Especially the keylock switch. Rather than you thumb, its now index finger, opposite side, and ON TOP.. :/<br />
<br />
Memory options:<br />
The more expensive MemoryStickDuo of the 42 was droped in favor of more compact and overall cheaper MicroSD. Good point: its cheaper. Baaaad point: you just wasted cash on a MSDuo you cant use here. dahhhh..<br />
<br />
Menu:<br />
Very familiar, yet packed with all sorts of new features.... so, everything you remember from the 42 applies.<br />
<br />
Drummmm roollll please... MUSIC features:<br />
umm.. wow.. 2 gigs internal. NICE.. super nice. A lot of the initial problems with the 42s are fixed here. (dare I say, they might be fixed with the latest version of AMP or the old 42 as well). Songs still need to be converted to ATTRAC. Direct MP3 playback isnt going to work. So, everything you know about SonicStage should work. (I have not actually tried SS yet on this phone because......)<br />
Using AMP, you can convert your music library and load songs directly to the phone memory. You DONT NEED EXTERNAL memory, and it will take any song from your library.<br />
Also, indexing on the phone is a bit more logical, with view options for All, by Artist, or By Album.<br />
<br />
Supposedly new features: (I.E. yet to be discovered how to do)<br />
1: Play movies and video (have not figured out how to load to the phone in a 'free' manor. Requires Sony Image Converter 3... $20 on top of the $250 you already paid.) Where do the files get stored?<br />
<br />
2: Somehow views MS documents such as .txt .doc .ppt and possibly .pdf but where do these documents need to be stored to be accessed?MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-88848192469080701762007-06-09T05:08:00.000-07:002010-04-01T13:11:59.604-07:00Font Toggleing to Install AUmusicPortDue to several questions in the posts:<br />
I just confirmed the procedure to install AUmusicPort on an English Version Windows XP.<br />
<br />
First, install Japanese font support from your windows CD.<br />
The easiest way to do this is to:<br />
1: go to start, control panel, Regional and Language options.<br />
2: from there, choosing to enable Japanese will automaticly start the install process..<br />
3: be ubergeek and do it any number of other ways you are more familiar with ;)<br />
<br />
ok.. so..<br />
From Regional and Language options,<br />
1: assure nothing got jacked on the install.. so, check Languages tab, click on details, and make sure your input system is still US (or whatever your keyboard is)<br />
2: Cancel out and go to Advanced.<br />
3: here is where the fun is. Langage for Non-Unicode Programs... Set it to Japanese, and you will need to reboot.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, here is the rub (and thus the toggling bit..) you COULD leave it set to Japanese. This will have the effect of always making AU look right. The problem now is that EVERY PROGRAM YOU INSTALL WILL DEFAULT TO JAPANESE... yeah.. every thing you do after setting this will default.. even if English is an available option in a Unicoded application.<br />
<br />
The problem with AuMP is that it is poorly Unicoded.. So, if you change the setting back to English, its jibberish again.. but if you leave it in Japanese, all your other programs (and most especially new installations) will be turning Japanese..<br />
<br />
So, to avoid leaking Japanese onto every other program you use or install.. you need to set the setting BACK to English.<br />
<br />
Thus, you need to toggle this when you are using Amp, and deal with a reboot.. SOMETIMES.. one you get to know where things are, you might be able to live with the partial jibberish..MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-20171991728354990352007-01-07T07:28:00.000-08:002010-04-01T13:13:58.726-07:00Some helpful hintsIn response to some feedback:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5273/2973/1600/489351/SN360126.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5273/2973/320/265088/SN360126.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
This is the cable kit I received with the phone. On the left is the power adapter and above is the typical USB to miniUSB cable. Both the power cable and miniUSB cable plug into the white cradle from behind, and the phone drops in. Neither cable directly connects to the phone.<br />
<br />
Cradle PN 42SOPUA<br />
power supply PN 0202PQA<br />
<br />
The USB cable they show here looks like it connects to the side of the phone, and would only charge (likely the same cable you have PN 0201HVA). The cable for the cradle is just a standard USB to miniUSB like with most digital cams and mp3 players.<br />
<br />
You might not be able to connect the phone directly to a laptop via a cheap store cable to download. I do not have one to test, but I will try to go get one. In fact, my charger cable has no where to directly connect to the phone, nore does the MiniUSB.<br />
<br />
Are you connecting your cable to the left side port that has a slide cover? This is also the port where the headphone adaptor connects. It has a lot of pins, so it is possible that it is chargable via that connector, and yet not have download support.<br />
<br />
My best advice without having the cable you have, would be to try to get the full cradle kit.<br />
<br />
One more thing you MUST do:<br />
On the phone, go to Functions/Settings<br />
Press 5 (user support)<br />
Press 6 (Data Comm)<br />
Press 3 (USB mode select)<br />
select 3 (User Select)<br />
<br />
Now everytime the phone is hooked to the computer, the phone will ask you to choose Data Trasfer or Mass Storage mode.<br />
<br />
The default is Data Transfer which is only for au Audio Music Port. It will keep attempting to run that program, and will not let you do anything on the phone without it.<br />
Mass Storage mode will make it act like a normal USB storage device, and allow Sonic Stage to find it. Remember, you only have access to the MMC card, and not the phones primary memory.<br />
<br />
As for Sonic Stage, I am using Version 4.2 as well.<br />
<br />
Im glad someone is finding the information usefull. Feel free to keep asking questions.MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-27174466813900806692007-01-04T06:45:00.000-08:002010-04-01T13:14:53.536-07:00Using American version of SonicStageMany people have questions about the Sony Ericsson W42S Walkman phone currently in use by AU/KDDI.<br />
<br />
I will attempt to dispel some myths, confirm a few others, and then walk you through the process of getting it working with American versions of XP in (some) English.<br />
<br />
<b>The phone:</b><br />
The phone is one of the few entry level AU phones with English menu options. It has a ‘music’ player (I say that because it is not true MP3, it has to be converted first), a radio tuner, a 3 mega pixel photo and short video camera (with sound and lowlight mode), GPS map location (via web), as well as typical schedule, note, and voice recording capabilities. Note that the GPS likely won’t work anywhere but Japan. The maps are downloaded from the web each time you use it.<br />
<br />
It comes with 1 gig of internal memory and has a slot for a Duo MMC. These are the same cards used in PSPs.<br />
<br />
Finally, a SIM card rounds out the phone giving it account transfer and global access possibilities. Although, I doubt very many places have compatible service providers.<br />
<br />
<b>Memory options:</b><br />
First I few things about ‘internal’ verses MMC memory:<br />
Yes, the phone comes with a gig of memory built in. Without an MMC card installed, this memory is multi-purpose. It stores applications, music, photos, and video. It is the ‘catch-all’ memory when the user has nothing else installed.<br />
<br />
This is NOT the way to get the best use from the phone.<br />
<br />
It is advisable that you install a Duo card in the phone. In fact, the process I am about to outline for you won’t work without one, so don’t bother if you don’t have a card installed.<br />
<br />
Now, considering the fact that the phone is free with new accounts, or a cheap price upgrade to existing AU customers, the cost of a gig memory card (about $70) makes it all worth it.<br />
<br />
<b>What goes where?</b><br />
With your newfangled Duo card installed, you might be asking: What’s the point?<br />
The point is the phone changes its storage priorities once the card is installed. From now on, photos will get stored to the card. They can however be moved to the phone if you so choose, but there is no point to that, other than saving space for music. Video/audio captures will remain in the phone’s memory due to access speeds required to save and play back that content smoothly. Additionally, any music downloaded from AU music source will also be stored in the phone. To review:<br />
<b><i>Stored on the phone (1 Gig):</i></b><br />
Video<br />
Voice recordings<br />
Downloaded songs<br />
Applications<br />
<br />
<i><b>Stored on the MMC (up to 1 Gig [will likely hold more]):</b></i><br />
Photos<br />
User loaded music<br />
General purpose file folder system (USB disk drive)<br />
<br />
Ok, so you have your phone, and you have your MMC. You should also have a docking/charging station and the installation CD from AU. How do you get this thing working in English, or at least Engrish?<br />
<br />
<b>Steps to Get SonicStage to work with W42S:</b><br />
1: Explore the AU cd<br />
2: look in the data_communcation_tools\exe folder<br />
3: Run and install:<br />
a: W42S-setup1000<br />
b: aupsetinst<br />
<br />
NOTE: an alternate way to get W42S-setup1000 is to Explore the CD to SonicStage CP, and EXTRACT the setup file there. Then Explore to:(Extract root)\SetupSonicStage\Device\Driver\W42S<br />
<br />
I have checked hash difference and they appear to match. However I am not guaranteeing that they are the exact same file (hard to mod a file without mod-ing the hash though).<br />
<br />
4: open your favorite browser and point it to:<br />
<a href="http://musicstore.connect.com/custom/promos/download.html">http://musicstore.connect.com/custom/promos/download.html</a><br />
Now.. Assuming you live in Japan, downloading won’t work for you. Notice about halfway down there is a link that says “Having trouble downloading SonicStage CP? Please <a href="http://connect.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/connect.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=797">click here</a>.”<br />
<br />
You are on your own there now.. ;)<br />
<br />
5: Install SonicStage English version and reboot.<br />
6: At this point, plug in your phone, and make sure it comes up as a USB drive (choose MassStorage mode on the phone)<br />
<br />
In my case, I have Music Port installed as well, so you have to tell it to quite that application.<br />
<br />
7: Run SonicStage. It should start up with two panels, the one on the right called “au W42S (drive#)”<br />
EDIT: it may start with only on panel untill you get everything set up for the phone!<br />
<br />
8: In SS, go to Tools/Options/Transfer and you should see:<br />
Memory Stick/Network Walkman/Portable IC Audio Player<br />
<br />
Choose it and hit Transfer Settings<br />
<br />
9: Select ATRAC3 transfer and OK out of both dialogs.<br />
<br />
<br />
You are now ready to put some tunes in your phone. Remember that SS must convert the files to a format the phone can read. Conversion doesn’t take that long.<br />
<br />
I do not know if downloaded music from AU is also in this ATRAC format or not.<br />
<br />
<b>Getting your photos:</b><br />
Simply explore to the DCIM folder on the phone, copy and paste. Easy.<br />
<b><br />
Playing your tunes:<br />
</b>On the phone, go to the Memory Stick folder, then Music folder.<br />
<br />
<b>Caveats:<br />
</b>Playing this way does not use the ‘player’ functionality of the phone. So, the Jog wheel and screen modes don’t work. Its sort of a let down that those features only work via downloaded music from AU or perhaps loaded with auMusicPort.<br />
<br />
<b>AU Music Port:</b><br />
I also have this working on my American XP. It was a bitch to set up, and took a few days. I did It like, two months ago so I don’t exactly remember how. I also don’t read Japanese, so need my roommate to translate for me. I have not bothered asking him to help me put music on the phone with it. I would imagine that it will convert and load them to the main folder, and thus use the player controls?<br />
<br />
Anyway, if enough people request a tutorial on this, I could get with him and we could write a walk through (it might be good for me to have anyway).MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-50751787233963918812006-06-01T23:57:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:40:19.638-07:00ITTROV - VideoThe video is uploaded.<br />
<br />
Two links are:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/?action=view&current=ROBOT.flv">http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/?action=view&current=ROBOT.flv</a><br />
or<br />
<a href="http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=83261F0C309AB188">http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=83261F0C309AB188</a><br />
<br />
Thank you Ronnie for encoding and uploading it.<br />
<br />
<br />
The complete photo set (including some not seen in this blog) is available here:<br />
<a href="http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/">http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/</a><br />
<br />
With the final presentation photoset here:<br />
<a href="http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/">http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/</a>MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-48549296797685358962006-05-31T01:00:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:40:02.980-07:00ITTROV - Conclusions and RecommendationsConclusions and Recommendations<br />
<br />
<b>Structural Design and Integration (Tom Gros)</b><br />
<br />
Overall, in terms of structural performance, Project ROV-ITT functioned better than I personally anticipated. It was surprisingly buoyant and maneuverable in the water considering its weight and lack of aerodynamic design.<br />
My primary concern from the onset was the shear weight of the ROV would simply sink it with no chance of maneuvering or surfacing. I reached this conclusion due to fact that the buoyancy of the watertight case was rated at 1.5 lbs. The craft, at 7.5 lbs, far exceeded that rating. Not only did the ROV not sink when it was introduced to the water—it floated to the point where it became necessary to drill holes into the PVC frame in order to provide ballast. In my initial determination, I did not take into consideration the astounding buoyancy of PVC. With the frame now taking on water, all that was required to operate the craft was to add a few pieces of Styrofoam to trim the position of the ROV—that is to position it horizontally in the water.<br />
As far as maneuverability is concerned, the ROV also exceeded my expectations, barring two issues—surfacing and veering left while moving forward. The problem of surfacing was not completely resolved even when a second bilge pump was dedicated to the effort. At a certain depth, the water pressure was simply too great to overcome. In my mind this issue could be overcome in one of two ways. The first would involve a pressure sensor that would automatically turn on the bilge pumps responsible for upward thrust when a critical depth was reached. The second solution would entail replacing the impellers built into the bilge pumps with external propellers designed for thrust.<br />
The fact that the craft consistently veered left, despite our best efforts to rectify the situation, is undoubtedly due to the total disregard to aerodynamics in the design. The solution may lie in the attachment of a bow to the frame—although this may create an unacceptable amount of drag. Electronically, the resolution might be more achievable. If there were a way to control the speed of each motor individually, the veering could easily be eliminated.<br />
Perhaps, the biggest disappointment was the amount of leakage that occurred. Although water penetration could have occurred in any of the six ports used to route wiring into the housing, in my mind, the most likely culprit is the case itself. Although the manufacturer claims that the case is waterproof, it is designed to keep electronic equipment dry in cases of accidental exposure to water. Our application required prolonged exposure not only to water, but also water pressure since the ROV was intended to remain submerged for extended periods of time. Any future applications of this design would have to address this problem.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Software and Electronic Design for ROVITT (Emery Premeaux)</b><br />
<br />
There is plenty of code space and I/O left on the PIC for more features. Using the standard ASCII character set for command input leaves a lot of room. For instance, the operator could press‘t’ to get back water temperature. Capital T could return a second temperature, or something else. P might request a pressure reading. In addition, the PIC has a built in timer, so it could be set up to automatically send information, sort of like a heartbeat. It could respond every two seconds with a temp and pressure message. To continue with the heartbeat analogy, the topside software could be written such that if this message is not received on time, a warning is displayed indicating that the ROV is not in communication.<br />
Other features might include a water temperature sensor and a depth gauge. Another idea might be a device similar to an aerometer to gauge the speed of the sub. Perhaps a leak detector could be included to warn the controller of water intrusion.MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-1490980546066513802006-05-31T00:55:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:39:44.140-07:00ITTROV - SoftwareSoftware Design for ROVITT (Emery Premeaux)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The software design for the ITTROV project was a challenge. First and foremost was to categorize how the software should work. This plan would guide the rest of the design process. Unfortunately, it changed constantly as I re-evaluated what was important, and what was not.<br />
I wrote the PIC microcontroller’s code in C, using HI-TECH’s C compiler with their HI-TIDE Integrated Development Environment. The version I used is free to all, and will compile code for a select few PIC chips. I found that after working with the system for a while, I became very comfortable with the IDE and compiling structure. The C programming classes we took in the Bachelors program were very helpful.<br />
<br />
In order to get the code onto the PIC chip, I used a programming device called the PICALL. It is connected through the parallel port and has its own software to load up the compiled program and burn it into the PIC.<br />
<br />
The final step for the PIC was to return it to a prototyping board I had set up that replicated the circuitry still under construction for the ROV. The board had a clock circuit, a power supply, and the same MAX232 communications chip as the sub would have. The only difference between the test board and the real thing was that the motor outputs on the test board were LEDs rather than the motor driver circuit.<br />
<br />
I had decided early on to design the code on the PIC in such a way as to allow the user to operate it from a serial communications program such as Terminal. This meant that all of the commands to and responses from the ROV would be human readable. I wanted the user to be able to enter a command, and the sub would respond back with text confirming the action.<br />
The final system would allow for a separate program written in Visual Basic to control the ROV. This program would connect to the com port of the ROV and act as if it were human. It would read in the responses from the ROV and display status messages on the control panel. When the operator clicks on a command button, the software would take care of sending that command and verifying the ROV received it properly.<br />
<br />
The software went through several revisions. The first idea was to accept commands in a string format, such as “1 100.” This would indicate motor one should be operating at 100%. Unfortunately after many days of scratching my head, I found out that the free version of the HI-TECH C does not include string INPUT functions. However it did include string OUTPUT functions. This is important because it meant I could make the sub respond back with a message like “Motor 1 at 100 percent” but I could not take in the command in the first place. In fact, all I could process in was a single character.<br />
<br />
The final version of the revision code worked more like a conversation with the ROV. It went something like this:<br />
Enter a Command: 1<br />
Enter a value for motor 1: 1<br />
Motor 1 is ON.<br />
<br />
This worked out well, at first. While still building the electronics and integrating them to the frame it was helpful to be able to operate single motors at a time. After a while problems began to surface.<br />
<br />
The first problem was that the code executed a sort of timed loop through the nested Select Case statements that made up the code. It expected the commands to occur at specific moments, and could not deal with them when entered at the wrong time. This often led to multiple tries re-entering the commands in the Terminal program. It was also very clunky to try to move the sub around. We need to turn on combinations of two motors. There would be a long time delay between getting both motors to turn on.<br />
<br />
It was felt that the interface software on the laptop would alleviate this somewhat. It was being developed in parallel with the PIC code. I had to create needlessly complex code to deal with this ‘conversation delay’ between the PIC and the computer. To make things worse, I had to analyze the responses back from the PIC in order to determine when it was acceptable to send commands.<br />
<br />
In order to get around some of this, I wrote the code to use subroutines. For example: Clicking on the ‘forward’ button would call two functions. Each motor has an “On” and an “Off” function. So “forward” would call the “on” functions for the appropriate motors. Each motor function then sets two variables: the motor number and the value (1 for on, 0 for off). This function then calls a final function to communicate this request to the ROV.<br />
<br />
This isolated my problems communicating to only one section of code. After working on this process for a long time, I still could not get around the problems with the ROV. There would still be long delays between getting two motors on, if the second motor command ever even managed to get there. The whole deal was unreliable.<br />
<br />
It was time for plan B. I had no plan B. It was 3 weeks to the presentation and I had no idea how to fix this. Eventually it came to me while no where near a computer. The design constraint of HI-TECH C was that I could only send one character at a time. So, why bother sending multiple characters to get anywhere?<br />
<br />
I completely redesigned the ROV software with only one Select Case process. It now accepted u, d, l, r, f, b, and s. Up, Down, Left, Right, Forward, Backwards and all Stop. I then set all motors appropriately to the command sent. For instance, Up and Down will not affect the other navigation commands, and those commands will not affect Up and Down. However, when Forward is sent, all motors not intended for that command are turned off. This meant that I could only turn in place and not turn while moving forward, but it vastly simplified both sides of the code. The loop also ran much quicker. The ROV was not asking for commands in a timed manner, and accepted them at any given moment.<br />
<br />
It was a joy to see my motor LEDs respond instantly to my requests. I was so happy in fact that I placed personality into the responses the ROV gives when it processes a request. For instance, when ‘f’ is sent, the ROV may with “Forward! Aye, aye, captain!”MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-58873179143533169022006-05-31T00:51:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:39:18.826-07:00ITTROV - Frame constructionTom describes his process of designing the frame:<br />
<br />
Structural Design and Integration (Tom Gros)<br />
<br />
<br />
The final design agreed upon for Project ROV-ITT was a 9 inch x 9 inch x 12 inch frame structure made of ½-inch PVC. Preliminary plans did not include a frame structure at all. Instead they called for the electronics of this project to be housed in everything from capped 3-inch PVC pipe to garden spray canisters. Each option was eliminated one-by-one for various reasons. For example, the option of using a garden sprayer was eliminated because, although it would be large enough to house all of the components and easily waterproofed, the opening was too small to mount the components. Generally, options were eliminated for one or more of the following reasons:<br />
Access to the circuit board would have been difficult or even impossible.<br />
The craft would not have been able to be sealed or resealed.<br />
Securely mounting the bilge pumps without jeopardizing the structural integrity of the craft would have been implausible.<br />
Waterproof routing of the power cables and umbilical to the craft’s interior would have been an issue.<br />
Camera placement would have required the integration of a watertight lens.<br />
<br />
Even the PVC frame underwent several design changes. During the first week, we discussed, as a group, different options for the frame’s construction. We concluded that, by mounting some of the components such as the lights, on the outside of the craft and locating others, like the battery, to the surface, a small, light-weight and watertight case would be the perfect option to house a circuit board and camera. The frame would therefore be constructed around the case containing the “brain” of the craft. The initial version was laid out and measured on a two-dimensional plane which resulted in the prototype being oversized and cumbersome—approximately twice the size of the final version. I determined the final design by removing half of the structure and rearranging the placement of the components to be integrated into a more efficient configuration.<br />
The next major challenge consisted of mounting the case used to house the circuit board and bilge pumps used for propulsion onto the frame. The main problem in this endeavor was the fact that both pump housing and PVC frame are round. Merely attaching the pumps to the frame by means of wire ties provided no stability—causing the pumps to slide around the frame when producing thrust. One solution that I quickly eliminated was to dismantle the pump in order to attach the frame by means of bolts. The reason this option was eliminated was the fact that, considering that there are six pumps, this would have been too time consuming and there would be no guarantee that the problem would be solved. Rather, I decided upon a more efficient solution. It was much simpler to attach a floor to the frame to which the pumps could be mounted securely. The materials I decided on to construct this floor were plastic gutter screens and lightweight metal truss ties used to provide stability. The truss ties were also decided upon to be used as mounts for the plastic case.<br />
The remainder of my involvement to this project, until the first test run, consisted of the construction of the umbilical cable and mounting the camera. The umbilical was constructed by zip-tying a section of Cat-5 cable, used for video transmission, to RG-45 cable, used for vessel control and power. Since the watertight case contained a clear lid, mounting the camera was easily accomplished by simply attaching it using double-sided tape. I also completed the final integration of the bilge pumps to the frame. The remainder of my time consisted of helping Ronnie with the integration of the electronics to the structure of the craft. This included routing the wiring from both pumps and umbilical through hose barbs screwed into 6 holes we drilled into the case housing.<br />
The initial test run identified two problems with the structural design of the craft: It was unable to move forward in a straight line and the bilge pump responsible for upward movement did not provide enough thrust to allow it to surface. Emery and I repositioned the pumps to a horizontal rather than vertical orientation in an effort to stabilize them, allowing the craft to move forward without veering to the left. The pump intended to provide downward thrust was remounted to help resolve the lack of surfacing ability. The repositioning of all six pumps also allowed for the remounting of the case from a diagonal to a horizontal alignment, reducing drag and, theoretically, further addressing the veering problem. Other than these two issues, the design merely required some trimming to level its position in the water.<br />
<br />
<br />
(note: Tom mixed up his cables! The Cat 5 sends power and RS232 data, while the RG-45 sends video.)MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-48078130266809199812006-05-31T00:34:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:39:00.568-07:00ITTROV - Electronics<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5273/2973/1600/MotorCircuit.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5273/2973/400/MotorCircuit.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5273/2973/1600/Layout.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="218" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5273/2973/400/Layout.jpg" style="height: 407px; width: 684px;" width="407" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Ronnie does a good job explaining all the technical details to the circuitry:<br />
<br />
Circuit Design and Build<br />
<br />
<br />
After deciding to use the Rule 360 GPH (gallon per hour) bilge pumps as our source of movement for our under water ROV, the next step was to design and build a circuit board that would be able to switch these pumps ON and OFF.<br />
Since we are going to have a total of six pumps, two for forward, two for reverse, and two for surfacing we would need six switching circuits. Each circuit would control a pump of its own. We also wanted to implement a light that could be turned ON and OFF, but time and resources prevented us from completing that task. With the six pumps and light, we ended up building a total of seven switching circuits.<br />
The Rule bilge pumps could potentially draw up to 3 amps; this was a problem because we were using a PIC16F877 microcontroller. This microcontroller can only source a few hundred milliamps, which is much too small. So the question was “What can we use to switch ON and OFF a large current?” Our answer to this was the TIP 107. The TIP 107 is a Darlington transistor pack, which means it is made up of two other transistors. With a heat-sink the TIP can handle up to 5 amps. This was perfect for the pumps.<br />
However, we still couldn’t drive the base of the TIP with the micro-controller, there was still too much current draw on the PIC. To get around this, we biased the TIP with two resistors. We used a 1k-Ohm and a 10k-Ohm resistor in series creating a voltage divider. The resistors were able to handle the current needed to forward bias the TIP.<br />
Now that we had the TIP in the ON position, we needed to be able to turn it OFF and then ON again. To accomplish this we used a 2N2222 transistor. The PIC can easily turn this ON and OFF, and in turn it will connect the voltage divider to ground, thus turning the TIP OFF and ON again. We also added a 470-Ohm resistor between the transistor and the PIC, this was to limit the current and protect the PIC from burning out.<br />
We did run into a small problem after building our motor circuits. When we tried running the motors, instead of being able to switch a motor ON or OFF, they all ran constantly. We checked our solder joints and grounds, but everything looked to be okay. After we double checked our data sheets we finally realized that we had mixed up the collector and emitter leads on our TIP107 transistor. This was causing the current to flow constantly, which was why we weren’t able to switch the pumps ON and OFF. A quick solder job and a re-test, and everything was working as planned.<br />
Now, to make the PIC work we had to use a CTX 155 crystal oscillator. This acts as the clock pulse for the PIC and runs at 4 MHz. We also used a 7805 Voltage regulator. We took a 9 Volt power supply that would run our external camera, and used it to power the 5 volt regulator at the same time. This meant we had 9 Volts going to the camera and 5 Volts going to the PIC. <br />
The last chip we used was the MAX-232, this is a Maxim RS232 level shifter. Because the laptop’s serial port is a differential output, it uses positive and negative voltages to make the signal. However, the PIC chip is a TTL RS232 and can only handle 0 Volts or 5 Volts. The MAX chip converts them so that they can communicate without blowing things up. We chose this version because it required no external capacitors and would keep things much simpler. <br />
The PIC chip is a microcontroller and has a built in EEPROM (Electrically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) and program memory. This made it easy to reprogram when necessary. It also has an 8-bit processor with 5 I/O ports. <br />
After many hours of designing and soldering our circuit board was complete. We had seven switching circuits, six of them to run pumps, and an empty slot for a wildcard. Something like a light or emergency surfacing balloon could be implemented. There was also a voltage regulator to control the PIC and an external camera. The MAX 232 enabled us to communicate with a laptop, and the CTX 155 oscillator helped the PIC run smoothly. The rest was up to the software and mechanical development.<br />
The PIC chip has a lot of free code space and open port pins for extra features. Features we would add include a water temperature sensor and a depth gauge. Another idea might be a device similar to an aerometer to gauge the speed of the sub. Perhaps a leak detector could be included to warn the controller of water intrusion.MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-68217590838979454702006-05-30T21:22:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:38:31.006-07:00ITTROV - Presentation dayJust a note, all posts in this blog are reverse chronological order. (i.e. the first post is on the bottom, with the newest posts on top. So, you see the end results before seeing how it got built.)<br />
<br />
The photos of each post are not in any particular order.<br />
<br />
On to the presentation day photo-book:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280209.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280209.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<br />
This would be the final design of the sub. We put some pretty stickers made by Tom to accent it. Notice the umbrella on the electronics case (my favorite!)<br />
<br />
The Case is open to demonstrate easy access to the electronics. The frame pops apart so that the top (electronics) and bottom (thrusters) could be layed side by side.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280206.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280206.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<br />
Were about to start, and apparently in good spirits.<br />
<br />
I (middle) did the opening presentation, Tom (sitting) presented the mechanical design, Ronnie (left) spoke about the electronics, I finished up with software, and Tom came back to talk about the challenges we met, the ones we didn't, and what could be done to correct the problems. We all spoke about enhancements that could be made.<br />
<br />
<br />
After that, it was up to judge questions and a short demonstration.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280211.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280211.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Mr Toussant looks on as I set up the demonstration.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280213.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280213.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm talking about software design here. Its hard to make a powerpoint about software code. So instead, I left up Ronnies electronics slide, and was able to use it to describe how the software in the PIC interfaced with the outside world.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280215.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280215.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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I suppose this is part of the post presentation demonstration.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280217.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280217.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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The team (L to R): Tom Gros, Emery Premeaux (me), Ronnie Trinh, and instructor Mr. Toussant.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280205.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/Sub2/P5280205.jpg" style="width: 320px;" /></a>MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-11726564747358314662006-05-21T23:39:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:37:48.248-07:00ITTROV - Water test<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030027.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030027.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Ronni puts the finishing touches on the board. We had to rewrite the PIC code a few times to get things right.<br />
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We also modified the body after a an initial water test made it clear that the sub would not sink and surface. We placed the electronics case horizontally so the sub would trim better in the water. We also set the pumps so that we have two downward facing pumps instead of one up and one down. The sub sort of puddle hops.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030028.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030028.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Top view of the sub shows the 4 pieces of pipe foam used to help maintain boyancy for the sub.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030030.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030030.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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About to get wet...<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030031.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030031.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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The whole team. Final troubleshooting. We had a a bit of a leakage problem, but overall the sub performed well.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030033.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030033.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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The sub is in the water. The original design was in the water the previous week, and required more trim material to keep it stable. The yellow electronics box was originally vertical. With it laying flat, it is a lot more stable, and moves through the water quicker.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030034.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030034.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Here you can see the sub sliding around the bottom of the pool. We got sucked over to the drain at one point.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030035.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030035.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Tom is serviceing the power and communications cable, so as not to get us tangled up with the Pool's cleaner hose.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030036.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030036.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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I SWEAR I was not hung over in this shot! ;)<br />
The laptop runs a small program written in VB to send commands to the sub.<br />
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The sub can also communicate directly with any serial port. It accepts simple one charactor commands to perform all of its functions, and responds back to verify that it accepted the command.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030037.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030037.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
The sub is just below the photo here. We have to tilt the sub in several directions when putting it in the water. The frame of the sub has several holes in it that are used to fill the frame with water, so as not to have an affect on the trim of the sub. Trim is how the sub sits and floats [or sinks] in the water. Trim is in effect, how we control boyancy in the water. We are using passive trim (foam and the floating of the electronics case) as opposed to active trim (flooding tanks).<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030038.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030038.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Once nearly neutrally boyant, the sub becomes very light in the water. It is quite heafty out of water and at first there was much concern about it sinking like a rock, and the thrusters never moving it.<br />
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After dumping it in and flooding the frame, however, a little push goes a long way.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030039.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030039.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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A good shot of the sub and its umbilical. Those little squares are more foam tied to the cables. The reason for that is to keep the cable boyant as well. If it were not boyant, it would fall to the bottom and drag the sub down with it. If it is too boyant, it would float only on the surface and keep the sub from diving when we want it too.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030040.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030040.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Another sub and cable shot. You can see how the cable snakes around as parts of it float and parts of it sink.<br />
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The pools tile triangles were usefull in the video footage to tell that the sub was in fact moving around.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030041.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030041.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Gratuitous sub and cable shot!<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030042.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030042.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Fish out of water.<br />
Here the mechanical design revisions are clear. The electronics case is horizontal. The board is mounted to the inside top of the case, where it has some protection from case leaks. The door of the case opens down to drain water when the sub returns to the surface.<br />
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The pumps are all mounted laying down on the frame instead of standing. They are much more secure this way and their thrust is put to better use.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030043.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030043.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Taking another trip around the pool. It is bobing just below the surface. Only the top of the frame and case are above water.<br />
This is close enough to see the three pumps on the left side. The front pump (red cap) is the reverse thrust left side. Two front pumps push the craft in reverse, and two rear pumps push the craft forward. We can 'tank steer' by using one forward pump and the opposite side rear pump.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030045.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030045.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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The other two pumps have their inlets facing out. the center pump is one of the downward facing pumps, which pushes the craft upwards. Rather than having an upwards pump and a downwards pump as we originally planned, we faced both pumps down. This lets the sub sort of puddle hop. We trimmed the sub to slowly sink to the bottom. Then we 'jump' using downward thrust and navigate with forward and reverse thrust.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030046.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P6030046.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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The sub sits on the floor and glides along it pretty well. We did have issues where the pool was highly slanted to go into the deep end. Another problem was that the longer it was in the water, the more affect the leaking had on the boyancy. As air is displaced by water in the case, the boyancy changes and it is harder to get the sub to lift off the bottom and move forward. This could be solved by permanantly sealing the case so that water can not get in.<br />
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Now that the control software is finalized, this is a possability. At first, the case performed as advertised. We put it in an aquarium with a rock on it for over an hour and it had no leaking.<br />
We then drilled and fitted the hose barbs in order to bring in wiring. These barbs were sealed up with silocone and then plugged. (look in the archive for photos of the process). The water test was repeated and after a few leaks were discovered and mended, again passed for over an hour with no water intrusion.<br />
We believe that constant opening and closing of the case during the design and build process eventually weakened the seal and liner. We believe the gasket as designed is only good for a finite number of uses before it breaks down and fails. That being said, even after 20 mins in the water, there was only about half a cup of water in the case. So the case still performed mostly as advertised, even after our warrenty destruction. Half a cup of water might be fine for a digital camera that is turned off and a wallet, and keychain and other items someone might take with them on a boat trip. It is not ok for an exposed electronics board that is powered up and controlling 6 circuits capable of 5 amps each.<br />
Luckilly the positioning of the board ment that it only got a little wet, and only biased some transistors. In effect, turned on a motor or two when we didnt want them on. This would become apparent when an 'all stop' command was issued and the sub would make a slow spiral.MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-76113556403609945782006-05-16T01:14:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:36:09.959-07:00ITTROV - More on the build<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p10.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p10.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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This is the sub cage with all of the pumps installed. Warning: a lot of these photos are out of order.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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I've been doing a lot of 'coding' lately. I use air quotes only when speaking of the VB side application. :) The code in the sub is written in C.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Ronnie does more soldering. On the page you can see the schematics for the motor control circuits.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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About to test the first stage of the electronics. The motor control circuit is built up and those pumps are about to get wet.<br />
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Too bad it didn't work! The pumps stayed on and we had no control whatsoever. We built up a test circuit on a breadboard and had the same results. Turned out two of the wires were reversed on all of the circuits. After about 30 minutes of repairs, it worked perfect.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p6.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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A decent closeup of the electronics inside the case. The pump wires will come in through the brass fittings on the sides. Tubing will be siliconed around the wires to keep out water.<br />
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In this shot, the pic micro isnt installed yet.<br />
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<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p9.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/p9.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Gratuitous body shot!MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2988604924551937081.post-60754902319666282552006-05-14T22:14:00.000-07:002010-03-30T13:35:44.218-07:00ITTROV - the sub project (build)<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200025.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200025.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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This is Ronnie installing some connections on the electronics system.<br />
<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200023.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200023.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Here you can see the frame and pumps.<br />
<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200021.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200021.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Closeup of the side of the sub, without the electronics case installed.<br />
<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200020.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200020.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Here is the case with the board being test fit.<br />
The tubes on the sides are plugs to test the unit for water tight. When everything is put together, the wires for the umbilical and motors will be threaded through the brass fittings, and will have similar pieces of tubing that are filled with silicone to keep out water.<br />
<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200019.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200019.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
A close up of the circuit board. Notice the PIC controller chip is not installed. Towards the bottom you can see all the drivers for the motors mounted on heat sinks. The block on the right side with the screw sticking out of it is the voltage regulator for the processor.<br />
<a href="http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/Fetichet/ITTSub/P5200019.jpg"></a>MREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13301565387684009773noreply@blogger.com0