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parallax servo controller(usb) problem
robert from Netherlands  [5 posts]
14 year
We are building a robot for a school project, so we bought a parallax servo controller(usb) to control our engines.
We connected it with our computer and tested it with the PSCI software, there where no problems.
But when we tested it with roborealm everything wend wrong.
The servo's go and stop every time, if you give then a command it will turn to its position, turn back and do it again. very strange!
could somebody help me with this problem because if this project fails we fail for school :P
tnx
Anonymous 14 year
Most likely you have something wrong with one of the variables you are using to control the servo. Can you post your robofile that you performed your test with?

When you move the scroll bar on the GUI for the Parallax controller do you get the same behavior?

Have you hooked up external power to the SSC?

STeven.
robert from Netherlands  [5 posts] 14 year
tnx for your reply,
we tested it with the parallax PSCI software special for this component.
Everything was working good, en then we tested it with roborealm and there became problems.
The variables are good, and sure we connected a 5v powersuply, else it won't work :P
something in the program send the command to change the direction of the servo, send a command to go back to 0 and then all over again.
grt robert
Anonymous 14 year
Robert,

so when you use the sliders next to the servo channel (after temporarily removing the variable) do the servos act the same? Or are they then moving according to the slider/ manual value?

STeven.
robert from Netherlands  [5 posts] 14 year
steven,

what do you mean with ''the variables''?
yes if we use the slider, servo turns to it position but it doesn't stay at that position, it will turn back to 0 and then turn back to that position.
The servo should stop at its given position but it keeps moving, back to 0, back to its position all over again.
and that is when we use the slider.

Grt Robert
robert from Netherlands  [5 posts] 14 year
I have done some more tests, and everything works works with the PSCI software from parallax, so that means that the powersuply is oke.
But with roborealm only channel 1 works and it doesn't work properly.
So my servocontroller is good, but can the problem by in roborealm?
Grt Robert
Anonymous 14 year
Robert,

Ok, looks like the new Parallax with the Propeller chip is slightly incompatible with the older version which the module was created in reference too. That explains the weird behavior that you are seeing. We'll add in an option to switch to the new propeller version and get that out in the next day or so.

Thanks for your patience on this! Unfortunately we don't always notice when a vendor changes their protocol ... and in this case if they would have changed a lot of it that would have been better as it would just not have worked rather than only somewhat working.

I'll post here when this addition is live.

STeven.
Anonymous 14 year
Robert,

A new version of the Parallax module is now available for download. There is a new checkbox that you can select if you have the Propeller version. Seems to work better for us in our tests.

Note that this checkbox is selected by default so if you add the module from scratch it should already be checked.

Let us know how it goes.

STeven.

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