[Lab] BlinkRC receiver board

[Paul & Andrea Mumby]

I work with RC stuff a fair bit, and doing RC control for a "standard" RC
vehicle is fairly straightforward (ranging through hobby grade rc
cars/boats/planes/helicopters and so on, not the lower cost walmart brand
stuff that typically uses a fully integrated and very low end control
circuit). And hobby grade RC equipment can be had for pretty good price when
ordering from China. (I buy most of my hobby gear from HobbyKing, which has
very good prices, sometimes 5-10 times cheaper than local hobby shops.)

I could offer some pointers if you like. Or if your at a ModLab meeting I'm
at (not 100% sure of my attendance for the next couple meetings, but I hope
to be there), we could chat about it.

I'm sure there are also other RC hobbyists in the group as well who can all
offer their 2 cents.

- Paul

On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 3:15 PM, Stacey Mulcahy <stacey.mulcahy at gmail.com>wrote:

> I am starting to work on something similar in terms of a wifi enabled RC
> vehicle - using a web interface to control it( or alternatively iphone,
> android, xbox controller whatever )  I'm at the part where I have to hijack
> the circuits from the rc car to get it to work with my lil arduino w/xbee
> .... could completely use some help if anyone is up for it - can lend some
> expertise. I looked at this piece from makershed but opted to try custom so
> that i can add in the pan and tilt bracket (eventually ) .
>
> managed to hijack the camera in my droid2 phone and have it broadcasting a
> video stream - so some parts are a go :)
>
>
>
> On 2011-03-18, at 3:09 PM, Andrew Plumb wrote:
>
> If you want something more flexible you could go with something like a
> WiFly Shield: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9954 or WiFly GSX
> Breakout: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10050
>
> Andrew.
>
> On 2011-03-18, at 2:52 PM, Paul & Andrea Mumby wrote:
>
> That thing looks pretty slick... Now I wonder if you can reflash the
> firmware on the micro with something more useful? Or if there is a way to
> tap into serial or i2c communication using their open protocol?
>
> 3 servo outputs, and 2 analog ins is kind of limiting. (I was thinking
> quadrocopter UAV design, or robotics controller for roaming robot). If you
> can tap serial or i2c comms, you could use this thing in conjunction with
> another micro to do the heavy lifting from an interface and control
> perspective.
>
> - Paul
>
> On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 11:41 AM, <eric.schmidt at rogers.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Folks;
>>
>> Forgive me the somewhat pointless post, which can only be filed under:
>> "This looks really cool"
>>
>> A recent Maker Shed store email had this piece of kit advertised:
>> <start>
>> BLINK RC RECEIVER
>> Weighing in at around 4 ounces, and only the size of a pack of gum is the
>> WiFi enabled BlinkRC receiver. This tiny little circuit board, stuffed to
>> brim with components, allows anyone to easily swap out a standard R/C car,
>> boat, or airplane receiver and convert it to communicate on an available
>> WiFi network. Why go WiFi? Simple, it allows you to control your R/C car
>> with your iPhone or Android smartphone. Just plug it in, replacing your
>> stock receiver, download the free application, and you’re off!
>>
>> For the more adventurous, try creating an application on your computer
>> that takes advantage of the open messaging protocol and the BlinkRC’s (3)
>> output channels and (2) analog input channels. Now you can control a variety
>> of different servo’s and sensors from almost anywhere that you have WiFi or
>> Internet access.
>> <end>
>>
>> Link to the ad:
>>
>> http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKBG01&Click=78713&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Maker+Shed+Mar+17+2011&utm_content=Maker+Shed+Mar+17+2011+CID_d585e44e51bd06472e9996801654ec49&utm_source=Email+Campaign
>>
>> At $124 it's not super cheap, but, man, I'd love to make something cool
>> from that...
>>
>> cheers,
>>
>> Eric S.
>>
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>>
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