Bidirectional Communicating between RCX and NXT - a simple but ingenius solution
It is not often I write about other NXT projects - but this one from Steffen Lindner in Germany really caught my eye - due to its simplicity and the amazing lateral thinking that has gone in to this:
Who needs an IR-Link to bridge between NXT and RCX when you got this?
The solution has an RCX light sensor reading the LCD of the NXT, and a NXT light sensor reading the IR port of the RCX. Impossible? You need to see the video to believe it!
More info on Leggor.de
Tim
Who needs an IR-Link to bridge between NXT and RCX when you got this?
The solution has an RCX light sensor reading the LCD of the NXT, and a NXT light sensor reading the IR port of the RCX. Impossible? You need to see the video to believe it!
More info on Leggor.de
Tim
Comments
But, can it send more than one signal?
I think that light sensor to light sensor communication can be much more powerful.
Yet, in real models it's often hard (or impossible) to cover the display of the NXT that way.
And it's rather inconvenient, as you are required to watch the LCD in many real-life situations.
But still, as nice example of thinking around the corner. :-)
Laurens,
It is impossible to make bi-directional communication with only 2 light sensors (1 RCX style, and 1 NXT style) since the RCX on can't turn itself on and off like the NXT one. You are required atleast 3 wires to do that with an analog sensor like those light sensors.
Andy
In NQC (for the RCX), you can 'switch' the light sensor to a touchsensormode. This will turn off the led light.
I used this method in a robotic arm of mine.
http://www.freewebs.com/laurens201/roboarm2.htm
Though there is no bi-directional communication as I did not need that for this robot.
Like laurens said, it is indeed possible to turn the LED off in the RCX light sensor. RoboLab can do it, it's just RCX-code that can't.
KFC
:-( If I get it to work I will try to do something like that too.
Andy
PS. Blogger "cut" a word so I deleted it and edited it.
see http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=279413