Re: [tlug] anyone played with Phidgets usb servo drivers and linux?

["Zev Blut" <zb@example.com>]

On Thu, 11 Jan 2007 14:01:57 +0900, scott <scott@example.com> wrote:

> I've been thinking of getting one of these:
>
>  http://www.trossenrobotics.com/store/p/3190-4-Motor-Servo-Kit.aspx
>
> and hooking the servos up to automatically feed my fish and cat. Anyone
> else in TLUG using linux to do something like this? Also, anybody know
> of a vendor in Akihabara that sells these kinds of usb servo drivers?

I bought a big Phidgets kit at the former Plat'Home shop in
Akihabara.  I did a demo of it for a TLUG meeting a year and a half
back:

http://www.tlug.jp/meetings.php?year=2005&month=07

The kit I got was a slightly different version of this:

http://www.phidgets.com/index.php?module=pncommerce&func=itemview&KID=1168520195218.45.208.17&IID=87

I want those IR sensors :-)

Unfortunately, I have not made the time to do what I want with it yet.
I will though :-) I got side tracked by writing a Ruby interface to
the drivers and then encountered some threading issues with the Ruby
interpreter and I just stopped.  If you are comfortable with C/C++ then
it is pretty easy to use.  They have other bindings, but I have not
played with them yet.

In the back alleys there are some shops that focus on the raw
electronics side of business and they sell some servos and such.  I
have not tried them so I cannot say anything.

If you have any questions I am happy to try to answer what I can.

Cheers,
Zev