CONTENTS

1. Introduction to Serial Data communication

1.1. RS-232 Interfacing.
1.2. RS-232 Pin configuration.
1.3. RS-232 Error conditions.
1.4. Examples of RS-232 interconnections.
1.5. Making RS-232 interconnections work.
1.6. UART.
2. Multitasking programmable Robot Design
2.1. Parts of Robot
2.1.1. Control (ATMEGA8) section.
2.1.2. Sensor section
2.1.3. Motor driver
2.1.4. 2G4 Interface (CC2500) module (Wired &
wireless both)
2.1.5. RS-232 programmer
2.2. Light sensor based Robot
2.2.1. Path follower
2.2.2. Other applications
2.3. PC Controlled robot
2.3.1. Data communication through UART module
on HyperTerminal
2.3.2. Robot motion control through PC.
3. GPS Data Reception, Extraction & Analysis.
3.1. Introduction to GPS.
3.2. Data formats.
3.3. Data Reception and Extraction algorithm.
3.4. Data analysis.
3.5. Applications and Future Scope
4. Manipulator Arm mechanism
4.1. Introduction to Alligator arm
4.2. Servo controlled mechanism
4.3. Servo commands
4.4. Applications
5. Digital Compass data Extraction & analysis
5.1. Introduction to Digital Compass (HMR3000)
5.2. Specifications of HMR3000
5.3. Pin Configuration
5.4. NMEA Sentences
5.5. Data extraction and analysis
 5.6. Applications, Features and benefits

INTRODUCTION TO SERIAL DATA COMMUNICATION

A successful and useful interface standard must define the lowest level details of the
interface, such as the voltage (or current) values, the shape of the signal, and the
performance of the interface under many normal and abnormal conditions. One of
the most common interface standards is the RS-232 standard, which is published by
the Electronics Industry Association (EIA).

It is used in many types of applications where relatively low performance is

acceptable to the user or all that can realistically be provided because of cost and
technical constraints.

TYPES OF SERIAL COMMUNICATION

1. Asynchronous (most commonly used)
2. Synchronous

CHARACTERISTICS OF SERIAL
COMMUNICATION

1. VOLTAGE LEVELS
Two voltage levels are required to represent
binary data. The RS-232 standard specifies
these values.

Binary 1 (MARK)  -3 to -25 V

Binary 0 (SPACE) +3 to +25 V

 2. SIGNAL BAUD RATE
RS-232 has limited baud rate up to 20KBaud thus cannot be used in high
speed operations.

3. SLEW RATE
Slew rate is the transition rate from one
value to another. The baud value
indicates the number of bits per second
that can be sent. Of course the baud
value is limited by the slew rate.

SLEW RATE = ΔV/ΔT

4. DISTANCE
The RS-232 specification states that the specification is intended for
connections of 50ft or less. Beyond 50ft, the signals may be degraded by
noise, attenuated, or rounded, and reliable transmission is not assured.

5. DATA BITS
The RS-232 standard does not define the bits send between the start and
stop bits, but 5, 6, 7, or 8 bits are most commonly used. At an idle state signal
is at mark value. Transmission begins when the line goes to the space value,
as the beginning of the start bit. Next comes the user data bits. After data bits,
there may be a parity bit, which is used to check errors. Finally after the parity
bit, line goes to the mark value. This is the beginning of the stop bit.

RS-232 ERROR CONDITIONS

Any communications system can have various types of errors. The most obvious one
occurs when a data bit is changed from a 1 to a 0 or a 0 to a 1. There are some
other types of important error conditions that can occur. These are as follows:

1. Framing error: - exists when the receiver expects a stop bit but does not
get one. This may be caused by noise or signal degradation which caused the
 stop bit to look like the opposite signal state. The receiver character is
therefore not framed properly by the start and stop bit.
2. Overrun error: - occurs when a new character appears at the receiver
circuitry before the previous character has been handled and disposed of
completely.
3. Parity error: - occurs when the parity bit received with the character bit
indicates that one or more of the data bits has an error. This indicates that the
entire group is successfully received, but one of the received bits may be
wrong.

EXAMPLES OF RS-232 INTERCONNECTIONS

1. Temperature meter
In a temperature meter application an electronic meter is used to monitor the
temperature at a remote, dangerous location.

2. Computer to Terminal
 3. Computer to Computer

MAKING RS-232 INTERCONECTIONS WORK

1. Bits and Baud

First item to be checked is the bit and baud settings. Both systems should be
set for the same baud value and bit configuration. The baud values are
usually in the 300Baud and higher range. A system that is sending data in
both directions, half duplex or full duplex, the baud value does not have to be
the same in both directions. The keyboard to computer channel may use a
low baud value whereas the computer to screen channel uses the much
higher rate.
The situation regarding the bit configuration is more complex.
Number of bits per character; 5, 6, 7 or 8
Number of stop bits; 1 or 1.5
Parity bit; even, odd or none

2. Connectors and Pinouts

The RS-232 specification recommends a 25 pin connector. It has male and
female forms. In DTE to DTE or DCE to DCE interfacing we require a special
adapter called a Null Modem. The simplest null modem swap wires 2 and 3,
the transmitter and receive data lines.
A 25 pin connector is most common but not the only choice. Some systems often
use smaller connectors like 9 pin D-shaped connector DB-9. Connecting a 9 pin D to
a 25 pin D unit requires an adapter cable that takes the signal on one connector and
brings them across to the correct pin on the other.

UART
A universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (usually abbreviated UART) is a
type of "asynchronous Receiver / transmitter", a piece of computer hardware that
translates data between parallel and serial forms. UARTs are commonly used in
conjunction with other communication standards such as EIA RS-232.

Structure:
A UART usually contains the following components:
• A clock generator, usually a multiple of the bit rate to allow sampling in the middle
of a bit period.
• Input and output shift registers
• transmit/receive control
• read/write control logic
• transmit/receive buffers (optional)
• Parallel data bus buffer (optional)
• First-in, first-out (FIFO) buffer memory
(Optional)

Features:
Operation speed is up to 19.2Kbaud.
Choice of 5,6,7, or 8 bit characters.
Parity or no parity.
Provision of one, one & a half, or 2 stop bits.
Support for various handshake lines.
 MULTITASKING PROGRAMMABLE ROBOT DESIGN
The Robot is the ideal platform to
start working into the field of
wireless communication and
autonomous robotics.The iBoard
mini is a controller board, simple yet
feature packed so as to cater to a
wide range of applications. This kit
is based around the widely used
ATmega8 microcontroller based on
the AVR architecture. It strives to
bridge the gap between concepts
been taught in the classrooms and
actually implementing them
practically. Robot is essentially
related to a variety of fields
comprising of embedded C programming, microcontrollers, wireless communication,
electronics and mechanics.
With this kit we had a hands-on experience of working with line
sensors, use of different actuators like DC geared and stepper motors, their drivers,
interfacing wireless modules, serial communication with the PC, inter PC wireless
communication.

PARTS OF ROBOT

1. CONTROL SECTION
The Robot controller board
is designed around the
ATmega8 microcontroller.
Features:

-Built around the popular

AVR series microcontroller
the ATmega8

-18 General Purpose I/O

pins for interfacing different
I/O options

-2 general purpose LEDs

and Switches

Parts Identification:
Power Switch: It’s a basic push to on - push to off type switch.

IC 7805: It’s a three terminal linear 5 volt regulator used to supply the microcontroller
and other peripherals.
Reset Switch: This switch is used to reset the microcontroller.

I/O Port (Sensor port) : At a time, 18 individual sensor modules can be connected
to this port. The port also provides a 5V supply needed to drive the sensors.

FRC Connector: This is a 10 pin connector used to connect to the Programmer

which connects to the PCs Serial port during programming or for general UART
communications.

Switches: Two general purpose switches are connected in the active LOW
configuration.

LED: Two LED’s are connected in active LOW configuration.

CrystalOscillator: A crystal sets the microcontroller’s clock frequency to 12MHz

2. SENSOR SECTION
Sensor section of the Robot
consist of 5 light sensor units
each comprising of a pair of IR
LED and a Photodiode. The
section can be connected to the
microcontroller’s input port in
order to receive and interpret thr
surrouding physical factors.
The ON/OFF voltage levels of
the sensors can be adjusted by
the Trim Pot.

3. MOTOR DRIVER SECTION

It can be used to:
-Connect only two DC motors or
-One Stepper Motor

Power Ratings:
-Max o/p current: 800mA
-Max i/p Voltage: 36V

4. 2G4 INTERFACE (CC2500) MODULE

The module converts cc2500 SPI interface to RS232 interface (38400 bps).
Protocol:
After reset (system power on) it expects 3-configuration bytes.
Byte-1: Self address: (1-254) (0 or 255 for broadcast)
Byte-2: Remote address: (1-254) (0 or 255 for broadcast)
Byte-3: channel number: (0-255) if no addressing is needed just transmit 3-bytes of
zeros (0x00, 0x00, 0x00). The self/remote address can be changed at any time by
just giving a low pulse on pin-3 and transmitting 3-bytes (self address, remote
address, channel number)

LIGHT SENSOR ROBOT

This kit can be used in many applications where light sensing robots have to be
designed. The most primary one is the Path follower (or Line Follower).
In the early stages of our project, we designed a black Line follower robot with
ability to perform its function under various possible conditions. Sensor outputs were
taken to the input port (PORTB) of the microcontroller where it was interpreted as
per programmed set of instructions. Microcontroller sent its commands to the output
port (PORTC) which was connected to the Motor Driver section. Thus, an
autonomous output was generated by the robot through its motion.

OTHER APPLICATIONS

This follows a modular approach throughout its construction, so the user can easily
add new features and behaviours from line following, obstacle avoiding to swarm
robotics and a basic micro mouse. It can also be used as a generic embedded
systems development platform.

Wireless communication module enables this robot to spread out its horizon towards
development of unmanned remotely (Wired or Wireless) controlled systems.
Some of the applications are:
1. Path Finder.
2. Obstacle Detector.
3. Security monitoring system.
4. Grid Solver.
5. Micro mouse.
6. Household robots.
7. Military applications etc.

PC CONTROLLED ROBOT

After designing an autonomous light sensitive path follower robot, we stepped

towards the development of a Robot that can be controlled and made interacted with
the PC. Again, we took help of RS-232 interfacing using UART serial data
communication module.

Developmental stages:
1. Interface set up between PC and the Robot using RS-232 interfacing with the
help of UART communication module.
2. Algorithm design for data transmission and reception by the microcontroller
(ATMEGA8).
3. Microcontroller programming for data communication in C language with the
help of the programmer kit (RS-232 interfacing module).
4. Set up of communication link between robot and PC on hyperterminal –
Characters were received and transmitted back by the robot.
5. Algorithm design and programming for Robot motion control according to the
data bytes received from the PC.

GRID SOLVER ROBOT

After completing the above activities, we started working on the development

of an unmanned Robot that can interact and communicate with the computer
and solve a rectangular grid.
Robot started from the root position (0,0), traversed the grid according to the
developed motion control algorithm to reach to the destination point
communicated to it by the PC. During the traversal, Robot transmitted the
coordinate value in character form to the computer so that the user could
know the robots present location.
 ALGORITHM:
Start
start

Configure motors and sensors and different functions for various motions.

Take input for coordinates

X Coordinate? ->i
Y Coordinate? ->j

Yes No
Is
i>=j

Take j number of diagonal turns Take i number of diagonal turns

comprising of one right turn, one comprising of one right turn, one
straight run, one left run and straight run, one left run and
another straight run. another straight run.

Take (i-j) number of straight run. Take a single right turn.

Take (j-i) number of straight run.

Stop
 GPS DATA RECEPTION, EXTRACTION & ANALYSIS

INTRODUCTON

GPS stands for the Global Positioning System. It refers to a system of satellites
and receivers that allow people and devices to pinpoint their precise location on the
earth. The heart of the system relies on 24 satellites that orbit the earth twice per
day. Devices that are equipped with GPS
equipment receive transmissions from at least a
few of the satellites and are able to discern very
precise positioning data.

GPS receiver receives the real time raw data from

maximum number of visible satellite. The GPS
receiver uses the NMEA (National Marine
Electronics Association) 0183 standard. The
protocol consists of various GPS communication
sentences like GPGGA, GPRMC, GPGLL, and
GPGSV.

GPS uses a one-way ranging technique from the GPS satellite that is also
broadcasting their estimated position. Signals from four satellites are used with the
user generated replica signal and the receiver phase is measured. Using
triangulation the location of the receiver is fixed. Four unknowns can be determined
using the four satellites and appropriate geometry .Latitude, Longitude, altitude, and
a correction to user’s clock. The GPS ranging signal is broadcast at two frequencies:
a primary signal at 1575.42 MHz (L1) and a secondary broadcast at 1227.6MHz
(L2).Civilians uses L1 frequency which has two modulation,viz. C/A or clear
acquisition code and p or precise or protected codes. P codes are mainly for the
military use.

TRILATERATION

It is a method used by GPS receiver to calculate

its position from the signal receiver by three
satellites. Assume coverage region of every
satellite from a sphere around itself. When two
such spheres come in contact, they form a plane.
It gives two points of intersection. The receiver
neglects the point far above earth’s surface and
the point on surface is considered to be the position of the GPS receiver.

A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the
constellation of GPS satellites high above the Earth. Each satellite continually
transmits messages containing the time the message was sent, a precise orbit for
the satellite sending the message (the ephemeris), and the general system health
and rough orbits of all GPS satellites (the almanac). These signals travel at the
speed of light through outer space, and slightly slower through the atmosphere. The
receiver uses the arrival time of each message to measure the distance to each
satellite thereby establishing that the GPS receiver is approximately on the surfaces
of spheres centred at each satellite. The GPS receiver also uses, when appropriate,
the knowledge that the GPS receiver is on (if vehicle altitude is known) or near the
surface of a sphere centred at the earth centre. This information is then used to
estimate the position of the GPS receiver as the intersection of sphere surfaces. The
resulting coordinates are converted to a more convenient form for the user such as
latitude and longitude, or location on a map, and then displayed.

ERRORS IN GPS

1. Ephemeris error

1.1 Incorrect satellite position transmitted by GPS

1.2 Affects ranging accuracy.

2.Satellite clock error

3. Multi path reflection

4.Atmospheric delay

4.1 Ionosphere error

4.2 Troposphere error

5. Random measurement noise

5.1 Dilution of Precision (DOP)

Applications

GPS has become a widely used aid to navigation worldwide, and a useful tool for
map-making, land surveying, commerce, scientific uses, tracking and surveillance,
and hobbies such as geo caching and way marking. The precise time reference
provided by GPS is used in many applications including the scientific study of
earthquakes and as a time synchronization source for cellular network protocols.
DATA FORMATS

GPS protocol consists of various communication sentences like

- $GPGGA

- $GPRMC

- $GPGLL

- $GPGSV

- $GPGRS

Each format has different data syntax where character bytes are separated by
comma (,). For GPS data interpretation, we have used GPGGA format to determine
latitude , longitude, time and other relevant information as GPGGA covers all of them
in a simple and easily understandable syntax. Some examples of the data formats
are given below:

Eg. $GPGGA, hhmmss.ss, ddmm.mmmm, N, ddmm.mmmm, E, q, ss, y.y, a.a, z,

g.g, z.t.t, iii*cc

$GPGGA,053043.33, 1834.7645, N, 7328.6592, E, 1, 04, 3.9, 201.5, M,,,, 0000*08

053043.33 --- Time (hhmmss.ss)

1834.7645 --- Latitude (ddmm.mmmm)

N --- North Direction

7328.6592 --- Longitude (ddmm.mmmm)

E --- East Direction

1 --- Quality of GPS fix

04 --- No. of satelites

3.9 --- HDOP (Horizontal Dillution of Precision)

Eg. GPGLL(Geographic Position Latitude Longitude & time)

$GPGLL, 3751.65, S, 14507.36, E, 225444, A

Eg. $GPGRS, 024603.00, I, -1.8, -2.7, 0.3,,,,,,,,,,, *6C

Eg. $GPRMC, 225446, A, 4916.45, N, 12311.12, W, 0.5, 054.7, 1911194, 020.3,

E*68
GPS DATA RECEPTION & EXTRACTION

Data Acquisition:
The GPS was connected to PC for testing via RS-232 cable. We have used GPGGA
sentence as it serves our purpose in an efficient and effective manner.

Data Processing:
The algorithm was designed to identify only GPGGA sentences. The bytes are then
stored in a buffer. The data packets are separated using commas so the algorithm
counts the number of commas to identify start bytes, latitude, longitude, time, HDOP
and number of satellites.

Eg. $GPGGA, 123519,4807.038, N, 01131.000, E, 1, 08, 0.9, 545.4, M, 46.9, M,, *47

Algorithm:
(A) Define port 1 0x3F8
Define port 2 0x2F8
(B) Global Declaration n=0,data.
1. Start
2. Define O/P ports.
3. Create file f_all (.xls).
4. If (n>=2000), goto step 11, else goto step 5.
5. Counter=0;
6. Store output of GPS in buffer[i] till kbhit()==27 (esc).
7. for (j=0 to j<6), check if (buffer[j]=="$GPGGA"),counter++.
8. If (counter>=6), print the line i.ebuffer[].
8.1 flag=0;
8.2 read buffer[j] & if (buffer[j]==','),flag++.
8.2.1 if (flag==0), n1=j+2.
if (flag==1), n2=j+2.
...
…
if (flag==7), n8=j+2.
if (flag==8), n9=j+1.
8.3 open files f_all,f_time,f_lat,f_lon,f_hdop (.xls).
8.4 for (k=n1;k<n2;k++) store buffer[k] in f_all&f_time.
8.5 for (k=n2;k<n3;k++) store buffer[k] in f_all&f_lat.
8.6 similarly, we store all the data in respective files.
9. close all files.
10. n++.
11. open file f_latlon in append mode.
12. read all the data from f_lat& store row-wise is f_latlon.
13. repeat step 13, read data from f_lon.
14. close all files.
15. Stop
DATA ANALYSIS
GPS data (GPGGA) was successfully received and extracted with the help of
developed algorithm. Data was observed as follows:

a. Using C language algorithm (mentioned in the previous section)

HDOP = 50

HDOP = 7.7
 b. Using Hyperterminal

DATA COLLECTION
Obtained GPGGA sentences and extracted information were collected and recorded
in different excel files. Almost 500 readings were collected and extracted during the
process for proper analysis.
 1. The f_all.xls- Contains information about all the relevant parameters i.e.
Time, Latitude, Longitude, Direction, No. of Satellite & HDOP value.

2. The f_time.xls- contains information about time data in a column.

3. The f_lat.xls – contains information about the latitude data.
4. The f_lon.xls – contains information about the longitude data.
5. The f_hdop.xls – contains information about the Horizontal Dilution of
Precision (HDOP).
6. The f_latlon.xls – contains information about the latitude and longitude
simultaneously in consecutive rows.

DATA ANALYSIS & GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION

With the help of excel files obtained after extraction of GPS data, we plotted the
following graphs:

Latitude v/s Longitude Graph(taken on 18th June 2010)

 7353.04
7353.04
7353.03
7353.03
7353.03
7353.03
7353.03
7353.02
7353.02
1834.59 1834.59 1834.59 1834.59 1834.6 1834.6 1834.6 1834.6 1834.6 1834.61

Latitude v/s Longitude Graph (Taken on 28th June 2010)

7352.8
7352.8
7352.8
7352.8
7352.8
7352.8
7352.8
7352.8
7352.8
1834.85 1834.85 1834.85 1834.85 1834.86 1834.86 1834.86 1834.86 1834.86 1834.86
APPLICATIONS AND FUTURE SCOPE
The GPS system is widely used in various applications. The most important
advantage of this system is that it can be used intervene potentially lethal
environment. Thus it can be used in several Unmanned Ground Vehicles.

Since it is immune to jamming and deception, it can be used for reconnaissance of

enemy territory and other hostile environments. Other potentially lethal situations
are:

- Warfare
- Landslides
- Earthquakes
- Mine Collapse
- Floods
- Fire

This system is an aid to any vehicle which moves in more than one axis, vehicles
moving in air, sea, under sea and even on land.

This system may find a broad range of future applications in different fields like:

- Aeronautics and its developments

- Defence and Military applications
- Marine Forces
- Disaster management
- Security
 MANIPULATOR ARM MECHANISM

INTRODUCTION TO ALLIGATOR ARM

Serial16Servo Controllerchip isideal formaking autonomoussystems
which runoverHobby servomotors. Thesoftwarehelpstodevelop
thecomplexsequencesinrealtimeonthehardwarelikeroboticarms,
walkers,bipeds
a n d anyotherservocontrolleds y s t e m .Thischipprovidesasynchronousserial(UA
RT) connectivity.Independentspeed andrange settings
foreachservowhiledelivering0.5-microsecondresolutionfor smooth
outputacrossitsbroadoutputpulse range of200through
2400microseconds.VisualS o f t w a r e forPCisavailabletomakethingsveryeasy.

Features

•Control16hobbyservosfromPCandMicrocontroller
•UARTinterface
•Independentrangesettingforeachservo
•0.5uSresolution
•50Hzupdaterate
•28PinDIPSizechip
•Outputpulserangeof200through2400microseconds
•Simplehardwarerequiredtomakeitfunctional
•Easytousesoftware
•Servosequencerwithspeed,delay,gotoandmanyother
Features
•Homeandneutralpositionsetting
• VariableBaudrate—Workson9600bps,19200bps, 38400bps,
57600bpsor115200bps
•Auto-detectionofBaudrate

Thebasicideaofthischipistocontrolupto16servos
foranyoftheprojectwhichusesservos. Itworksonserialcommands
andsoonceanycommandissentthroughUARTitholdsormoves theservos
tocommandpositionuntilthenextcommand isreceived.Thissaves alotof coding time
atm i c r o c o n t r o l l e r orP C e n d . Additionallythet i m e r s and I /Opins
ofmicrocontrollerarefreetodosomeo th e r worka n d interfacewith
a d d i t i o n a l hardwareandsensors.
Thehardwareisverysimplea n d canevenbebuilteasilyonBreadboardorGeneralPurp
osePCBinminutes.
SERVO CONTROLLER MECHANISM

HardwareSetup

HardwarerequiresfollowingcomponentswiththeSerialServoControllerChip

• 1- 5VregulatorIregulatedpower
supplyI+5V&GNDlinesfromMCUBoard
• 1- 16MHzcrystal
• 2- 22pfceramic capacitors
• 1-LED
• 1-100flFwattResistor
• 2- 40X1Maleheaderstrips

AdditionalhardwarerequiredtoconnectwithPC

• PC-MCUSeriallinkorUSB-UARTlink

ThecircuitcanbeassembledonBreadboard,Generalpurpose
PCBorSpecialPurposePCBas
perrequirements.WeusethesamechiponourUSB16Servocontroller.Ittakestheseri
al commands fromPCthroughUSB-UARTBridge.

Pinconnections

PinNumb Connectio Description

er
1 n
RESET
2 RXD ConnectstoTXofMCUIPCUART
3 TXD ConnectstoRXofMCUIPCUART
4 NC
5 LED StatusLED,glowswhenready
6 Servo7 Pulseoutput forServo#7
7 VCC +5Vinput
8 GND Ground
9 Crystal 1 Pin1of16MHzCrystal
10 Crystal 2 Pin2of16MHzCrystal
11 Servo16 Pulseoutput forServo#16
12 Servo15 Pulseoutput forServo#15
13 Servo14 Pulseoutput forServo#14
14 Servo13 Pulseoutput forServo#13
15 Servo12 Pulseoutput forServo#12
16 Servo11 Pulseoutput forServo#11
17 Servo10 Pulseoutput forServo#10
18 Servo9 Pulseoutput forServo#9
 19 Servo8 Pulseoutput forServo#8
20 VCC +5Vinput
21 VCC +5Vinput
22 GND Ground
23 Servo6 Pulseoutput forServo#6
24 Servo5 Pulseoutput forServo#5
25 Servo4 Pulseoutput forServo#4
26 Servo3 Pulseoutput forServo#3
27 Servo2 Pulseoutput forServo#2
28 Servo1 Pulseoutput forServo#1

SERVO COMMANDS

BasicServocommandstructure:
Startbyte(S) Command ServoByte DataByte DataByte
+ (Servo) 1 (DB1) 2 (DB2)
Databyte(C
)
 Startbyteisalways0XAA(Decimal170).
 Allotherbytesmustbelessthan0X80(Decimal128).
 Servobytewillselectservonumber.0X00(Servo1)to0X0F
(Servo16).
 Databyte2isnotusedinsomeofthecommandsandifnotused donotsendany
extracharacters.
 Shortnamesarewritteninbracketinaboveline.
Servocommands:

Action Start Comma Serv Dat Data Comments

Byte nd o aBy Byte2
(S) +Databyt Byte te1 (DB2)
e (Ser (DB
(C) vo) 1)

7bitSer OxAA OxO9 OxOOt Data&O None SetServoPosition(1

vo o x7F
Positio OxOf 7uSResolution)Dat
n
a=DB1

2OO+(17*Data)uSPulse
MaxData=OX7F(Decim
al127)

8bitSer OxAA OX2OI OxOOt Data&O None SetServoPosition

(Data>
vo >7) o x7F
Positio OxOf (8.5uS Resolution)
n
(OX2Oor
OX21) Data=((C&OXO1)<<7)
Option
1
+DB1

2OO+(8.5*data)uSPuls
e
MaxData=OXFF(Decim
al255)

13bit OxAA OX4OI OxOOt Data&O None SetServoPosition(O.

Positio (Data> o x7F
n
>7) OxOf 5uSResolution)Data
Option
=((C&3F)<<7) +DB1
1
2OO+
(O.5*data)uSPulse
MaxData=OX3FFF(De
cimal16383)
 Ser OxAA OXO8 OxOOt Speed& None Speed=DB1HighestSpe
vo o Ox7f ed—OLowestSpeed—
Sp OxOf 127
ee MaxSpeed=OX7F(Deci
mal127)
d
Set
tin
g
SetNeu OxAA OXO4 OxOOt Data&O (Data> Data=((DB2&OX3F)<<7)
tral o x7F >7) +DB1
Positio OxOf
NeutralPosition=2OO+
n (O.5*data)uS
SetHo OxAA OXO5 OxOOt Data&O (Data> Data=((DB2&OX3F)<<7)
me o x7F >7) +DB1
Positio OxOf
HomePosition= 2OO+
n (O.5*data)uS
SetMax OxAA OXO6 OxOOt Data&O (Data> Data=((DB2&OX3F)<<7)
Positio o x7F >7) +DB1
n OxOf
MaxPosition= 2OO+
(O.5*data)uS
SetMin OxAA OXO7 OxOOt Data&O (Data> Data=((DB2&OX3F)<<7)
Positio o x7F >7) +DB1
n OxOf
MinPosition= 2OO+
(O.5*data)uS

ResponsesfromServocontrollerchip:
‘a’:Command Accepted andActionwillStartaccording tothe
command
 ‘e’:Errorincommand
 ‘d’:DataError
 ‘s’:ErrorinServoNumber
 ‘m’:Minimumvaluegreat

APPLICATIONS
Manipulator arm acts as an excellent prototype to work on various Robots and
unmanned systems. It is used as a model to develop, interpret and modify our
designed systems as per the required standards and output levels.

DRDO R&DE (Engrs), Pune has used similar arm in their recent developments like
DAKSH (ROV), Takshak etc. The arm that has been used in DAKSH has 6 degrees
of freedom for its movement in almost all possible directions.Thearm is widely used
in artificially intelligent and robotic systems. Some of its applications are listed below:
1. Robotic arms
2. Walkers
3. Bipeds
4. Military purpose Robots
5. Humanoid
6. Industrial Robots
7. Unmanned Vehicles.
 DIGITAL COMPASS
INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL COMPASS (HMR3000)
The Honeywell HMR3000 is a digital compass module thatprovides heading, pitch,
and roll outputs for navigation. Thethree of Honeywell’s magneto-resistive sensors
are oriented inorthogonal directions plus a fluid tilt sensor is employed tomeasure the
vector components of the earth’s magnetic fieldand a gravitational reference. These
solid-state sensors createa strap down compass that is both rugged and reliable.
The dataoutput is serial full-duplex RS-232 or half-duplex RS-485 with1200 to
19,200 data rates.

The HMR3000 uses Honeywell magnetic sensors with proven MR technology and a
two-axis tilt sensor to bring you theheading information. This electronically gimballed
compass gives accurate heading even when the compass is tilted up to45 degrees.
This low power, small device is housed in a non-magnetic metallic enclosure that
can be easily installed onany platform.

The HMR3000 allows the user to configure compass output to include any
combination of six NMEA standard messagesand to change measurement
parameters for the magnetometer to suit the application. The sophisticated auto
compasscalibration routines will correct for the hard-iron magnetic effects of the
platform. The wide dynamic range of themagnetometer (±1 G or 100 μT) allows the
HMR3000 to be useful in applications with moderate local magnetic fields.

SPECIFICATIONS OF HMR3000
PIN CONFIGURATION

HMR3000 Connection Diagram—Computer RS-232 to HMR3000

Unregulated Supply
Regulated Supply

NMEA SENTENCES
HMR3000 Serial Data Communication

The HMR3000 serial communications are governed by a simple, asynchronous,

ASCII protocol modelled after the NMEA 0183 standard. Either an RS-232 or an RS-
485 electrical interface can be used. ASCII characters are transmitted and received
using 1 start bit, 8 data bits (LSB first), no parity (MSB always 0), and 1 stop bit; 10
bits total per character. Baud rate can be any one of 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200,
38400.

Query for NMEA Sentences

The three NMEA standard sentences (HDG, HDT, and XDR) and three proprietary
(HPR, RCD, and CCD) messages can be queried as follows.

The three standard query messages accepted are:

$TNHCQ,HDG*27<cr><lf>
$TNHCQ,HDT*34<cr><lf>
$TNHCQ,XDR*22<cr><lf>

The three proprietary query messages accepted are:

$PTNT,HPR*78<cr><lf>
$PTNT,RCD*67<cr><lf>
$PTNT,CCD*76<cr><lf>
Format of NMEA Sentence Outputs
HDG Heading, Deviation, & Variation
$HCHDG,x.x,x.x,a,x.x,a*hh<cr><lf>
If either the deviation or variation parameter has not been programmed, the
corresponding field will be null (per NMEA0183 version 2.1, section 5.2.2.3).
Parameters have not been programmed if their absolute values are greater than
3200mils or 180.0 degrees. Positive deviation and variation is indicated by a = E;
negative values by a = W. Heading field willbe null if it cannot be calculated (see
HPR proprietary sentence). NMEA requires that units for heading measurement be
degrees.
Eg. In Degree Mode
$HCHDG,85.8,0.0,E,0.0,E*77
$HCHDG,271.2,0.0,E,0.0,E*44
$HCHDG,271.1,10.7,E,12.2,W*52
$HCHDG,0.0,10.7,E,12.2,W*57
Mil Mode is not allowed by NMEA standard

HDT Heading, True

$HCHDT,x.x,T*hh<cr><lf>
The heading field will be null if variation has not been programmed (see HDG and
Definitions), or if heading cannot becalculated. If deviation has not
beenprogrammed, it is assumed to be zero, otherwise it is added to measured
heading and variation to express true heading of compass board.
Eg. In Degree Mode
$HCHDT,86.2,T*15
$HCHDT,271.1,T*2C
$HCHDT,0.9,T*20
Mil Mode not allowed by NMEA standard

XDR Transducer Measurements

$HCXDR,A,x.x,D,PITCH,A,x.x,D,ROLL,G,x.x,,MAGX,G,x.x,,MAGY,G,x.x,,MAGZ,G,x
.x,,MAGT*hh<cr><lf>
Each of the six possible measurements - pitch; roll; and magnetic x, y, z, and total—
can be individually included in orexcluded from the message (see “XDR has …”
parameters). See NMEA 0183 for a detailed description of the “Type-Data-Units-ID”
field encoding. The “Data” field of an included measurement will be null if its contents
cannot be determined dueto saturated measurements. Only units of degrees are
allowed by NMEA for pitch and roll measurements.

Magnetic measurements are transmitted in engineering units (milli Gauss)

determined by a tuneable conversion factor.MAGX aligns with the compass board
north-south axis, and MAGZ is perpendicular to the plane of the compass board.
MAGT is the total magnetic field strength determined by calculating the square root
of the sum of the squares of MAGX,MAGY, and MAGZ.
Eg. In Degree Mode
$HCXDR,A,-0.8,D,PITCH,A,0.8,D,ROLL,G,122,,MAGX,G,1838,,MAGY,G,-
667,,MAGZ,G,1959,,MAGT*11

Applications
Applications include: Compassing & Navigation, DeadReckoning Backup to GPS
Systems, Marine Navigation,Antenna Positioning, and Land Surveying.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

 High Accuracy, <0.5° with 0.1° Resolution

 Wide Tilt Range of ±40°
 Up to 20 Updates per Second
 NMEA Standard Sentence Outputs
 Hard Iron Calibration Routine
 RS-232 or RS-485 Serial Data Interfaces
 PCB or Aluminium Enclosure Options
 6-15 volt DC Unregulated Power Supply Interface
 REFERENCES

1. Data Communications by William L. Schweber.

2. www.wikipedia.com
3. Robot (WiBot) manual by Thinklabs.
4. Data Communication by Fourazan.
5. ATmel ATMEGA 8 Microcontroller Datasheet.
6. www.serialservo.com
7. www.robokits.com
8. www.thinklabs.com