Wow. Order an Apple computer one day, and you get it the next. I not only ordered it one day and got it the next, but I ordered it in the afternoon and got it in the morning!

So now I have a dual 2GHz G5 computer running OSX (10.3 Panther). The thing weighs a TON! The keyboard is weird, and the computer itself is not much to look at (reminds me of an air conditioner or something). But it's cool. I installed Final Cut Pro on it, so now all that is left is to learn how to use it. HAAAAA!!!

I'm sick of learning about computers. I just want to make movies.

Anyway, I got to thinking about my up-coming robot building class and thought it might be an opportunity to promote my RC4 device (or some derrivative thereof). And I revisited the FailSafe module idea. And, since I had one FailSafe module left, I thought I would see about converting it into some kind of robot controller.

So, last night I copied the code for PIC2 of RC4 and stripped it down to just the functionality I wanted. I tweaked it and tested it today, and it's up and running. I just need to add some routines to do things like ramp up the pulse width signal (to prevent driving an external motor from a full stop to full speed, or from full forward to full reverse) and to calibrate itself to the incoming signal and to save fail-safe settings.

What I have essentially accomplished is I have added some likeness of PCM control to an ordinary FM transmitter. When you consider how much more PCM radios cost than ordinary FM radios, that's a pretty big deal (in my mind). I figured out I can make the FailSafe modules for about $11.00 apiece (even less if I can get them in bulk quantities). I can get 12 boards (plus 18 single PWM driver boards and 6 dual PWM driver boards) from ExpressPCB for about $63 (that's for three PC boards, but on each board I can get four FailSafe modules, 6 single PWM drivers and 2 dual PWM drivers).

So, if there is enough interest in the class (though I doubt there will be, but perhaps there will be over time with successive classes), I can charge, say, $15 per FailSafe board, collect $180, and send off to have some boards made. Perhaps I can charge $15 for one in kit form, and $20 (or $25) assembled. But then the idea is to keep the cost of building a robot to a minimum, so I don't want to charge too much. I'm certainly not going to get rich off of them, though.

Anyway, no pictures today...and I've got to run. By 'blog is getting stale, so I just wanted to post an update. At least it's SOMETHING.