Robot Rascals Mac OS
Install RL on Mac OS For Mac OS, we maintain a Homebrew Tap on GitHub. It contains the currently released version of the Robotics Library and, most importantly, all. Can't wait to be able play it on my macbook.
Overview
The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 (bottom) connected to an A-Star 32U4 Prime SV for programming. |
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The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1 is a compact, low-cost in-system programmer (ISP) for AVR microcontrollers from Atmel (now a part of Microchip). The programmer provides an interface for transferring a compiled AVR program from your computer to the target AVR’s non-volatile memory, allowing it to run the program. It is a good solution for programming AVR-based controllers like our A-Star 328PB Micro and Orangutan robot controllers. It can also be used to update, replace, or remove the bootloader on some Arduino boards including the Uno, Leonardo, and Mega, and also on our Arduino-compatible A-Star controllers. This programmer is designed to work well with both 3.3 V and 5 V devices, and it can even be configured to provide power to the target device in low-power systems.
The programmer connects to your computer’s USB port via a standard USB A to Micro-B cable (not included) and communicates with your programming software, such as Atmel Studio, AVRDUDE, or the Arduino IDE, through a virtual COM port using the STK500 protocol. The programmer connects to your target device via an included 6-pin ISP programming cable (the older, 10-pin ISP connections are not directly supported, but it’s easy to create or purchase a 6-pin-to-10-pin ISP adapter). The programmer also acts as a USB-to-TTL serial adapter, providing a TTL-level serial port that can be used to communicate with other serial devices from your computer. It ships fully assembled with connectors soldered in as shown.
The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1 is a drop-in replacement for the older Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 with several hardware improvements that are described in the “Comparison to previous AVR programmers” section below.
This product requires a USB A to Micro-B cable to connect to a computer.
Features and specifications
- Connects to a computer through USB via a USB A to Micro-B cable (not included)
- Emulates an STK500 programmer through virtual COM port interface
- Works with standard AVR programming software, including Atmel Studio, AVRDUDE, and the Arduino IDE
- Configuration software available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux
- Supports both 3.3 V and 5 V devices; can automatically switch operating voltage based on detected target VCC
- Can optionally power the target at 3.3 V or 5 V in low-power systems
- USB-to-TTL serial adapter functionality for general-purpose serial communication
- Provides a 100 kHz clock output, which can be useful for reviving misconfigured AVRs
- All I/O pins are protected with 470 Ω resistors
- 6-pin ISP cable and a 1×6 double-sided male header included
- Comprehensive user’s guide
Supported AVR microcontrollers
The programmer should work with all AVRs that can be programmed with the AVR ISP (in-system programming) interface, which is also known as in-circuit serial programming (ICSP), serial programming, or serial downloading, but it has not been tested with all devices. We expect it to work with most AVRs in the megaAVR (ATmega) family, and it works with some members of the tinyAVR (ATtiny) family, but it does support the Tiny Programming Interface (TPI), and it does work with the XMEGA family or with 32-bit AVRs. The programmer features upgradable firmware, allowing updates for future devices.
The programmer is designed for use with AVR microcontrollers running at either 3.3 V or 5 V. By default, the programmer expects the target to be self-powered, but it can be configured to deliver power to the target device in low-power systems.
Supported operating systems
We support using the Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1 and its configuration software on desktop versions of Windows (7, 8, and 10), Linux, and Mac OS X 10.11 or later. Older versions of Windows are not supported.
The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 (top) connected to an Adafruit Pro Trinket for programming. |
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Bonus feature: TTL-level serial port
This programmer doubles as a USB-to-serial adapter. The programmer installs as two virtual COM ports: one for communicating with programming software and one for general-purpose serial communications. This means that you can seamlessly switch between programming an AVR and debugging it through the TTL serial port without having to open and close your terminal program. In addition to the serial transmit (TX) and receive (RX) lines, the programmer lets you use A and B as serial handshaking lines that can be configured using our software.
The six pins on the serial header (GND, A, VCC, TX, RX, and B) are arranged to be similar to the pinout of commonly-available FTDI USB-to-serial cables and breakout boards. In the default configuration, pin B is used as the DTR output (and pin A is an unused input), which allows you to plug the programmer directly into a variety of Arduino-compatible boards (including our A-Star 328PB Micro) and use it to upload programs to the board via a serial bootloader.
Included accessories
The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1 ships fully assembled with ISP and serial connectors soldered in, and it includes the accessories shown in the picture below. The 6-pin ISP cable can be used to program AVRs. The 1×6 double-sided male header can be plugged into the serial header to effectively reverse its gender (making it possible to connect that header to a breadboard or female jumper wires).
Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 or v2.1 with included hardware. |
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From left to right: the original Orangutan USB Programmer, the Pololu USB AVR Programmer, and the Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 (which looks almost the same as v2.1). |
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Comparison to previous AVR programmers
The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1 (product #1372) is a drop-in replacement for our older Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 (product #3170) with three hardware improvements:
- The optional VCC output feature of the v2 programmer (which allows you to power your AVR target from the programmer) was not designed to power loads with more than a few microfarads of capacitance. The v2.1 programmer has better VCC output circuity, so it can power higher-capacitance boards that would have caused the v2 programmer to continually experience brown-out resets. While there is still a limit to how much capacitance it can handle, we expect the v2.1 VCC output feature to work with most small AVR target boards that have less than about 33 µF of capacitance on VCC, and we have tested it with the A-Star 328PB Micro.
- Plugging a v2 programmer into a 3pi robot could cause one of the motors to briefly run at full speed because the programmer’s circuitry for measuring VCC could inadvertently pull up one of the 3pi’s programming pins (which doubles as a motor driver input) before the GND connection was established. The v2.1 programmer has improved circuitry for measuring VCC which limits the duty cycle of this effect to about 0.2%, so the motor won’t move (but it might make a 25 Hz clicking sound).
- The v2 programmer would typically brown-out if a 5 V signal was applied to its RST pin while it was operating at 3.3 V. The v2.1 programmer does not have this problem.
Compared to the original Pololu USB AVR Programmer (product #1300), the Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1 features a number of improvements:
- Support for devices operating at 3.3 V (in addition to 5 V)
- VCC pin can be configured to provide 3.3 V or 5 V power to target in low-power systems
- Protection resistors on all I/O lines
- More accurate emulation of the ISP frequencies provided by the STK500; you can use the user interfaces of Atmel Studio and AVRDUDE to set your ISP frequency more easily
- Usability enhancements for serial interface, such as a more standard pin arrangement (similar to FTDI) and a pre-populated female header
This v2.1 programmer does not include a USB cable, and it does not have the SLO-scope bonus feature. In addition to these changes, many other details are different between the v2.1 programmer and the original; please be sure to refer to the user’s guide for the v2.x programmers to familiarize yourself with this programmer.
People often buy this product together with:
| A-Star 328PB Micro - 5V, 16MHz |
| Thin (2mm) USB Cable A to Micro-B, 6 ft, Low/Full-Speed Only |
| Pololu 3pi Robot |
Maybe you’ve always wanted to make C-3PO or R2-D2, or wondered whether you could create a Roomba Robotic Floorvac yourself. Whatever your motivation, the Lego MindStorms Robotics Invention System has everything you need in order to build robots. So you put down $200, take the kit home, and build something brilliant—only to discover that the software is Windows only.
Can’t you use a Mac to program robots? Of course you can! Several excellent Lego robot-programming tools exist for the Mac, many of them free. I’ll show you how to get started with one of the most popular tools, MacNQC. (For others, see “Programming Choices.”)
About Lego Robots
The Lego MindStorms Robotics Invention System (RIS) kit contains more than 700 Lego bricks, including motors, sensors, gears, wheels, and a robot brain called the RCX. You can write programs for the RCX on your computer and then download the programs to your robot via an infrared link. The kit includes an infrared USB tower that you plug into your computer so it can talk to the RCX.
So what can you do with all this stuff? Whatever you want. Imaginative builders from around the world have built robot bugs, pets, tanks, plant waterers, lawnmowers, chess players, and just about everything else. You won’t be making C-3PO or the Jetsons’ Rosie, but you’re going to have fun and learn a lot. In fact, many teachers now use Lego robots to teach programming to beginners of all ages.
Meet MacNQC
Although there’s Windows-only software in the regular MindStorms box, the clever and dedicated Lego robotics community, composed of enthusiastic fans worldwide, has created a wide variety of alternative RCX programming environments.
NQC (Not Quite C), originally developed by Dave Baum, compiles text source files and can download the compiled programs to the RCX. In its purest form, NQC can be a little uncomfortable for people who don’t live on a command line. Fortunately, there’s MacNQC, an excellent GUI version of NQC that runs in OS 9 and OS X. At this writing, the current version of MacNQC X (the version for OS X) was 3.0 r2.
MacNQC Quick Start
The first thing you need to do to start programming robots with MacNQC is install firmware on the RCX. The RCX is a very tiny computer. Like a Mac without system software, or Frankenstein without a brain, the RCX can’t do much by itself. The firmware serves as a kind of operating system, enabling you to download and run your own programs.
MacNQC does not come with its own firmware; you will use the firmware that Lego supplies with the RIS kit. The easiest way to get the firmware file is to download the RCX 2.0 Beta SDK. Click on the link at the bottom of the page to download the SDK. (You’ll need to click through one or two more pages to get to it.) Once you’ve downloaded and unzipped the SDK, copy the firm0328.lgo file into the Firmware directory of your MacNQC folder.
If you don’t have an Internet connection handy, you can get the firmware file from the RIS disk, but you’ll need to install the RIS software on a Windows computer first. Then you can copy the firmware file from Windows to your Mac and install it on the RCX using MacNQC. On the Windows computer, you can find the firmware file here: Program FilesLEGO MINDSTORMSRIS 2.0scriptFirmware firm0328.lgo. Copy it to your Mac and place it in the Firmware directory of your MacNQC folder.
At this point, you’re ready to plug in the infrared tower and start up MacNQC. Turn on the RCX and place it near the infrared tower. Choose RCX: Download Firmware from the MacNQC menu. MacNQC will find the firmware file you just copied and install it on the RCX. Be patient; this takes a couple of minutes. With the firmware installed, you’re ready to start playing.
Robot Rascals Mac Os X
Choose RCX: Motor And Sensor Panel from MacNQC’s menu. This window allows you to control motors (outputs A, B, and C) and view sensor readings (inputs 1, 2, and 3). For example, you can see the current reading of a light or temperature sensor. To turn on a motor, click on one of the green arrows for forward or reverse, and then click on the Start button. To view a sensor value, first choose the sensor type from the pop-up menu and then click on Refresh to get the sensor values from the RCX.
Ready Your Robots!
Programming in NQC is simple. Let’s start with a rudimentary example: a program that makes a robot move forward for one second and then stop. If you haven’t built a robot yet, make a basic one, such as my own RoboTag or Trusty.
I’ll assume you have a robot that uses motors A and C to move. All the program has to do is turn on the motors, wait one second, then turn them off.
In MacNQC, create a new file and enter this:
The commands in this program are all straightforward. You just need to remember that the Wait command accepts a time measured in hundredths of a second, so
means “wait for one second.”You can save the file if you want, but it’s not necessary for testing. Make sure that your RCX is turned on and that the infrared tower is pointed at it; then click on the toolbar button that looks like 1s and 0s. MacNQC will download your program to the RCX. (Your robot will chime when it has received instructions.) To try the program out, press the Run button on the RCX.
If you’d rather just check your program for errors without downloading it, click on the red check-mark button. MacNQC will tell you about any errors it finds in a separate error window. Double-click on an error to go to that spot in your program.
The next example moves the robot forward until it bumps into something. You’ll need a robot with a bumper on the front, connected to input 1. (The bumper should press a touch sensor on input 1 when the robot bumps into something.) Also, motor A should control the left side of the robot; motor C, the right side. RoboTag will work for this project. After a bump, the robot will back up, turn right, and then drive forward again.
The
line <>A<> (as seen in the screenshot) tells the RCX that a touch sensor is attached to input 1. Next, the program moves the robot forward. If the bumper ever touches anything (that’s when equals ), the robot backs up for one second, turns for one second, and then starts moving forward again.
When you’re ready to do more, check out the comprehensive documentation for the NQC language, and information about MacNQC, available from the Help menu.
Welcome to a New World
By now you should be pretty pleased with yourself. You have successfully used your Mac to program Lego robots, and it didn’t cost you anything. (You can watch RoboTag navigate obstacles using the second program outlined in this article.)
You are now part of an amazing global community whose nexus is LUGNET, the Lego Users Group Network. You’ll find other enthusiastic, brilliant people who like to build Lego robots. Browse or search the archives for project ideas or information about troubleshooting, advanced programming, and building techniques. Or you can join (for free) and participate in the discussions.
Robot Rascals Mac Os Download
Now go forth and program robots with your Mac. Have fun!
[ Jonathan Knudsen was the author of one of the first Lego MindStorms books in 1999. By day, he writes about Java technology. ]
Less Geeky You can’t use the Windows-only software that comes in the MindStorms box, but you can use Lego’s Robolab software for OS 9. (It also runs in Classic.) In this visual environment, snap together little program blocks, such as
or . When you’re finished, click on a button to download the program to your robot for testing. This is a good choice for younger robot builders or those with little computer experience. Buy it separately at the Pitsco Lego Dacta store for $69.Also, don’t miss the cool kits sold at the Pitsco site, such as the $114 Robolab Intelligent House Building Set, which you can use to create a working model of an automated home.
Geekier If you’re familiar with Java, try the free leJOS, an environment based on the Java programming language.
Use MacNQC’s Motor and Sensor Panel to control robots directly, or create programs in a color-coded text editor. See RoboTag navigate obstacles using the second program outlined in this article.