What
is MT System and TinyC?
MT-MB2
- MicroBoard fitted with MT-40r2
The MicroBoard is a palm-size, battery
powered single board computer system, ideal for educational robotics and other
interface projects. This general purpose embedded controller board can also
be used for data logging, smart instruments, and custom control applications.
It has a pre-loaded run-time system designed to execute pseudo-code produced
by the TinyC compiler and it can store up to 5 user programs on board.
TinyC is a subset of the standard C language with various functions tailored
for robotics applications. The primary design of this controller board is for
robotics applications, but it can easily be adapted for other control applications
as well.
The Microboard comes completely assembled (heatsinks may be supplied
separately) and includes a serial download cable, power cable and a set of jumper
wires.
Tiny C Reference Manual
Sample
programs, including movie/sound clips, for Microboard
SYSTEM FEATURES
MicroTech Integrated
Development Enviroment (IDE) for developing and downloading programs (includes
sample programs)
Dual regulated and separate 5V and 6V power supplies to improve system
stability
Accepts 7 to 10V DC supply, suitable for battery operation
8-digit, 7-segment display
20 LED bar display
14 buttons for system functions and programmable data input
An L293D chip capable of driving 2 small DC motors
A ULN2003 chip with 7 open collector outputs for driving resistive and
inductive loads
2 x EEPROMs, 24C02 and 95C56 (both 256 bytes) for data storage.
The MCU is able to store up to 5 programs of 4K bytes each, plus an internal
2K bytes of EEPROM for data storage
A 3-pin connector for program download and serial RS232 communications,
including LEDS indicating data going in and out
A 38KHz IR receiver module with indicator LED
Piezo speaker for sound output
2 sets of 5V power supply connectors for powering other circuits and
'gadgets'
Small board size - 10cm x 8cm
No expensive hardware programmer needed - programs are downloaded using
the standard PC serial port
Over 30
sample programs to demonstrate various features of the TinyC language
MT-MB3
- MicroBoard Base Board Unit
A simple 'ready to go' robot base
board. Just mount the MicroBoard controller and battery pack, download the sample
program and run. Ideal introduction to educational robotics.
An optional lithium-polymer
battery pack and universal charger is also available (see below). The
kit is supplied assembled and includes the following items:
MB3 baseboard
IR Sensor Board and diodes
2 x 160 RPM gearhead motors and tyres
Motor cables (not connected for easier shipping)
5/8" carbon steel ball transfer unit
Jumper wires (not shown)
standoffs, screws, nuts & washers
The Microboard and BaseBoard are combined to to make a simple robot .
Sample programs are available demonstrating how to:
Make a black line following robot
Light seeking robot
Autonomous object-avoiding robot
All the sample programs and movie/sound clips showing how they work are available
here
at the manufacturer's website.
MT-MCTRL1
- MT Motor Controller
The MT Motor Controller is capable of controlling up to four DC motors or two
stepper motors. The motor controller uses a 3-wire
protocol developed by MicroTech to communicate with the controlling
circuitry. The onboard MCU is an enhanced version of 2051-compatible microcontroller,
which interprets the incoming commands to control the running speed and direction
of the attached motors. The motor controller is able to recover from any communication
errors that can occur when, for example, the controlling circuitry is reset
while sending data to the motor controller. The
motors are controlled and driven by a pair of L298N motor control ICs.
The primary design of this controller board is for robotic applications, but
can be easily adapted for other motor control applications as well. Motors work
in pairs. Therefore, if two stepper motors are used, they are separately connected
to the outputs of the L298N ICs. However, if only two sets of DC motors are
used they both have to be connected to the same L298N to work as a pair.
MT-SC13
- MT 13 Channel Servo Controller (kit)
The MT13 Servo Controller
driver module is designed to drive up to 13 R/C servo motors using parallel
output mode. The servo controllers accept RS232 serial data from a host PC or
MCU and output PWM (pulse width modulation) signals to control the attached
servos.
Each channel also includes a speed setting from 1 (slowest) to 5 (fastest).
At a speed setting of '1' the servo moves from 0 to 180 degrees in 8 seconds.
Using speed control, different makes of servo motors can be moved in unison
despite having different inherent moving speeds.
Product Features
MT-SC13SQ
- MT 13 Channel Servo Sequencer (kit)
MT-SC21SQ
- MT 21 Channel Servo Sequencer (kit)
The MT Servo Sequencers
are upgrades of the MT Servo Controllers to include servo command storage and
execution functionality. They share the same PCB and components with their servo
controller counterpart but are equiped with more advanced microcontrollers.
The MT Servo Sequencers are 'supersets' of the MT Servo Controllers.
A series of servo moving commands is called a 'sequence'. Once a sequence has
been stored it can be recalled and executed without the need to re-enter the
servo control commands again.
In order to make the programming task easier, software called 'MT Servo Sequencer
Console' is available (free download). It is a text editor and downloader in
one and allows for programming sequencing commands into the Servo Sequencers
without the need to receive the servo moving commands directly from a host PC
or MCU. It is also part of the RS232
Test Terminal included in the MT IDE.
The Servo Sequencer works in two modes - Controller and Player. In 'Controller'
mode it behaves just like the normal servo controller. As soon as it receives
a 'Play' command (or is set to 'AutoPlay' at boot up), it jumps into 'Player'
mode to execute the command sequences previously downloaded. It will then remain
in this mode until it encounters a 'STOP' command or has reached the end of
the playing sequences, whereby it will return to 'Controller' mode. In 'Player'
mode the only command it will recognise is 'Stop Play', which will interrupt
the sequence and return it to 'Controller' mode.
In addition to the product
features listed above for the Servo Controller boards, the Servo Sequencers
have 5K bytes of memory for storing up to 256 sequences and are fully integrated
with infra-red commands (see documentation).
Click here
to see how powerful the MT Servo Sequencers are. The videos
show a crude home-made bipedal robot using six servos, all driven by the MT-SC13SQ
servo sequencer and powered by a 7.4V
Li-Polymer battery.
MT40b1
- MT-40 DemoBoard
MT28b1
- MT-28 DemoBoard
MT20b1
- MT-20 DemoBoard
Each of these
assembled MT demoboards are similar in structure and only differ in the
type of MT chip used. The demo boards include the minimum components necessary
for a basic controller, thus keeping the cost and board size to a minimum. All
the pins of the MCU have been brought out side-by-side to standard 0.1"
headers for interfacing to other circuits.
All demo boards include a 5 volt regulator, a system reset button and a RS232
communication circuit made of transistors. Please
refer to the "MT
Chips Hardware Reference" for detailed interfacing information
for connection with other components and circuits.
MT-IO-1
- Input/Output Test board with cables
The IOBoard is a cut-down
version of ther MT 8051 SBC (Single Board Computer)
with MCU and EEproms removed. It includes the minimum components needed to carry
out all I/O functions using the MT DemoBoards or ARMBoards. All pins on the
board have been brought out to standard 0.1" headers for interfacing to
other circuits. The board is supplied with a bundle of connecting wires for
connection to the I/O pins on the demoboards.
The IOBoard has a heatsink fitted to its 5V regulator and therefore it is able
to power the DemoBoards or ARMBoards directly.
Here is a summary of the I/O experiments that can be carried out using the IOBoard:
MT-ARM-1
- ARM board fitted with Philips LPC2132 @ 60MHz
This board includes the
minimum components necessary for a basic controller, thus keeping both cost
and board size down. All MCU pins have been brought out side-by-side to standard
0.1" headers for interfacing with other circuits.
The MT ARMBoard is supplied programmed with the MT System Code to run TinyC
programs. However end users can erase it for normal ARM development. WARNING:
After erasing the ARM chip there is no way to get the MT System Code back -
you have to buy a new one!
The ARMBoard runs on 3.3V. It has a 1117-3.3V Low-Drop-Out (1V) voltage regulator
which enables the board to be powered from 4.3V to 22V DC. The board also includes
a system reset button and a 3.3V powered RS232 driver chip (MAX3232).
Note: When using the ARMBoard with the IOBoard for doing experiments
it will be necessary to use some I/I buffering ICs, such as 74LS573, to interface
between the two boards. This is due to the different operating voltages for
each board.
MT-40
chip and crystal
MT-20
chip and crystal
Pre-programmed microcontroller
containing the MT System code, together with 22.1184MHz crystal. Please
refer to the "MT
Chips Hardware Reference" for pinouts, etc.