Recap on getting the Make controller v2.0 to work

I have found that the Windows 7 drivers are unstable, for best results use a Windows XP operating system and follow this procedure when programming.

Connect the make controller via USB.
Erase the controller by shorting the erase pins near the top left with a reshaped paperclip.
Then unplug and replug in (power cycle the make controller)
If the driver can't be found then manually add it, by selecting "Have disk".
The controller should be detected as "Unprogrammed" when using mchelper and the red light should be on.
Note: (if the green light is flashing I believe this means that it is loaded with the heavy20-1.6.2 firmware and you won't be able to load a program as it is not unprogrammed)

Now it should be ready to program.
Use MCbuilder to load a program.

My next post will cover loading the LedWebServer example code.

Which programming language

I decided on the 'C' Programming language as it is what is needed to program the firmware on the controller.

I have had some experience with C programming so this was also a likely choice.

Parts arrived

Received micro controller and miscellaneous parts.
Loaded the test software and connected the micro controller.
Updated the firmware and tested LED flashing - OK

Now to decide which programming language to use.

The first design

For the first design we will utilise an old remote control car and use the microcontroller to control the motors.

After some research we decided on the Make Controller - www.makingthings.com
It has lost of features and an application board which makes it easier to interact with analog and digital devices, it also has a USB and RJ45 connector for programming and control.

The beginning

The idea:
Build a robot with my son, but what type of robot, what should it do, what should it look like?

When I asked him what he wanted it to do, his reply was clean my room.
I told him we should start with something simple first.
So we came up with a list of functions and features:

1. wheels for movement (we will use an old remote control car)
2. control the car with the computer, then later it will be autonomous
3. range finder
4. motion detector
5. camera
6. talk
7. crash avoidance
8. night/day detector
9. voice recognition
10. it needs to have a light on its chest
11. tell the time and have an alarm
12. temperature/humidity
13. super eat (hearing)
14. battery powered, maybe solar also
15. GPS
16. tilt sensor (if it falls over)
17. termal array sensor

Some of these will produce significantly different robots, so the plan is to start small and add features, then build multiple models.

One that moves on wheels and one that walks.

Now to find a microcontroller that will do the job.