Building An Internet Controlled Security Robot

contact: shelato at aol.com (add "Security Robot" to email subject line)

New! - Visual Basic Motion Detection Programming

Click here for project download

Third Generation

4 Wheel Drive Internet Controlled Rover

We've lowered the overall profile and given Turtle (or should it be Tiger), a new paint job.  We have also added a GPS unit.  The GPS feeds signals to the CUBLOC micro controller which sends the location back to the controlling pc on the internet.

Jump to File Downloads & Video Programming Lessons

Turtle In It's Charging Station Copper tubes on whip antenna springs make contact with battery charger
	Control Panel (Visual Basic Express 2005)

Youtube Movie Of Turtle Entering Garage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO2IDl-Q-6k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7GL-4toIXI

Turtle GPS - In French

Drive Components for Gen 3 click photo to enlarge	Drive Components for Gen 3

Second Generation Internet Robot Now Functional

New File Downloads &

Video Lessons On Creating A Web Page To Control Your Microcontroller:

The Videos are all "wmv" files. Select From Pull Down Below.

Included in the videos above are video lessons on setting up a Linksys Router with DD-WRT firmware and creating a router bridge.

The Project:

Build a security robot that can be controlled and viewed over the internet.  The planned final version will be a kids 48" electric car with a network camera attached. The onboard Linksys router will transmit the camera and micro controller signals to a second Linksys router attached to the cable internet at the remote location.

1/4 Scale Trial Version:

I opted to try this out with a $20 RC car from Wal-Mart first, before I invest $200 in a kids car.

Parts:

Linksys WRT54G Router - Used as the wireless connection from Bestbuy
Comfiletech: Industrial Micro Controller/PLC "Cubloc"- I'm using the industrial kit for all my projects, but you can purchase the parts separately: The Industrial Kit
Maxport: Ethernet to RS232 converter with web server.  Maxport   or Comfiletech Home Page
Kowasaki RC car from Wal-Mart
Camera: None yet.  The network camera draws about 2 amps at 12VDC.  When I scale up to the kids car I'll have enough power. 

David Shelato - Clemson University

See video lessons above for demonstration

This is the key to the project.  I needed the router to "bridge" to my home router, so it could act as the wireless modem.  While I could transmit directly from my laptop to the router on the car, my goal is to control a security robot via the internet.  In the video above, the laptop is talking to my home wireless router, not directly to the router on the car.    I've already tested it over the internet from a coffee shop.  The onboard router connects to the micro controller via the Maxport server, and will connect to a network camera in the future.

We purchased a $49 Linksys WRT54G router from Best Buy and flashed new DD-WRT firmware into the router. This is open source firmware that teaches the router new tricks, like bridging and significantly increasing the power. What a hassle though. It turns out the new routers have less memory than the old ones and several steps are required. The risk is turning your new router into a "brick". At any rate it worked. Here are the instructions:

Flashing a Linksys WRT54G with DD-WRT Firmware:  http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_WRT54G/GL/GS/GX

Note: If you are using a new Linksys Router, V.5 or higher, you will need to follow these special instructions to flash the new firmware because the new routers have less memory. http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Flash_your_WRT54G_or_WRT54GS_v5_series_%28v5%2C_v5.1%2C_v6%29

Setting Up The Bridge:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php...Bridge#Example

or Follow These Instructions:

Setting Your 2nd Router Up as a Bridge.

Connect to the router with an Ethernet Cable.  If your computer has a wireless connection to your primary router, turn off the wireless connection.  Otherwise, going to IP 192.168.1.1 will take you to your primary router, not the one you want to work on.

Logon to the router that has been flashed with DD-WRT

From your browser go to http://192.168.1.1

User: root

password: admin

 

Select Basic Settings from the top menu bar

Change Connection Type to Disable

Change STP to Disable

Change IP to 192.168.1.2

Check the Assign WAN to Switch check box

Change DHCP Server to Disable

Save

 

Wait for the router to reboot, then log back on using http://192.168.1.2

 

Select The Security Tab

Change SPI Firewall to Disable

Save

 

Select Basic Settings Tab from Wireless Menu

Change Wireless Mode to Client Bridge

Change Wireless Net Mode to match your primary router.  For me it's Mixed

Enter the Name of your primary wireless router.  For me it's Home

Save

 

Select Wireless Security

Security Mode - Match your primary router.  For me it's WEP

Encryption - Match your primary router.  For me, 64 bits

Enter the Key

Save

 

Select Wireless Advanced Settings

Change Authentication to Shared Key

Save

 

Select Wireless from the Status Tab

Click the Site Survey Bottom at the bottom of the page

Find your primary router and click the Join button at the right

 

That's it.  You are now bridged.  If your primary router is connected to the internet you should now be able to access the internet through the bridged router.

A few notes on port forwarding to the bridged router and Maxport

Link To Notes

There are two components to the interface.  One a Visual basic program that sends and receives commands to the cubloc.  Two, the cubloc program that receives the commands, controls the cubloc and turns the outputs on and off.  The connection is:

Laptop===>Home Router===>Bridged Router---->Maxport---->Cubloc

===> Is Wireless
---> Is Wired

This is a screen shot of my test VB form.

This is a modification of the Zedomax Temperature form found at http://zedomax.com/diy/110/diy110.htm I modified the visual basic program to automatically connect to my router via it's IP address when the "Connect Button" is pressed.  The grid of buttons on the right send simple 4 digit commands to the car.  Buttons above the red square issue forward commands with an appropriate steering component.  Buttons below the red box issue reverse commands with appropriate steering signals.  For example, the button two positions above the red square and two positions to the right issues the command "F2R3".  Move forward for time 2 while steering to the right for time 3. 

LCD Display hangs in the passenger window.

On the test stand below.  The internet connection is wireless but I'm still connected to power supplies.

The Linksys router is shown in the driver compartment and the Cubloc controller is in the bed.

The fully load version on the test stand below.  It runs wireless!!!!!!!! 

The Maxport is sticking out the backend of truck connected to the Linksys router through the blue ethernet cable.  2 Green lights can been seen on the Cubloc.  The LCD display is in the passenger window.  The relays are in the back window of the truck.

The RC controls were completely removed from the car and discarded.  I simply cut the wires from the drive and steering motors and substituted an 8 relay board connected to the micro controller.  4 relays are used for each motor to swap the polarity.  I'm using (2) 9 volt batteries and a 12VDC voltage regulator to power the Linksys router (they probably won't last more than 30 min).  I'm using (3) 9vdc batteries to power the cubloc controller.  The motors are powered by the original 9 vdc rechargeable battery pack.

Click to enlarge

The micro controller program is very simple:

Const Device=cb280

 Set Ladder Off

 Set Display 2,0,0,128

'***********************************************************************

Dim x As Integer
Dim a As String * 10
Dim TurnTime As Integer
Dim DirTime As Integer
Dim Dir As String
Dim Turn As String
Dim DirTimeStr As String * 1
Dim TurnTimeStr As String * 1

Opencom 1,115200,3,200,200     'Open Channel

Set Until 1,4

On Recv1 Gosub DATARECV                 ' JUMP to DATARECV_RTN when data is received

' Clear send/receive buffers

Bclr 0,2            

'***********************************************************************

a = "OhMy"
TurnTime = 500  ' Turning Time

DirTime=1000  'Time forward or backwards
'Erase screen
x=0
Cls
Delay 100
Csroff

Locate 2,0
Print "Internet Kow"
Locate 3,1
Print "By Shelato"
Locate 2,2
Print "January 2007"
Locate 0,3
Print "Wait" 

Do

Delay 50
x=x+1
Locate 16,3
Print Dec x

Loop  

DATARECV: 

'***********************************************************************

If Blen(1,0) > 0 Then       ' if there is at least 1 byte in the buffer 

            a=Getstr(1,4)                 ' Get 1 byte
            'Debug a
            Dir=Left(a,1)
            DirTimeStr=Mid(a,2,1)
            DirTime=Val(DirTimeStr)*500
            Turn=Mid(a,3,1)
            TurnTimeStr=Right(a,1)
            TurnTime=Val(TurnTimeStr)*400
            x=1 
            'Cls
            Delay 50
            Locate 0,3
             Bclr 1,0

            If Turn = "L" Then  'Activate relays for Left Turn  ' Make sure the relays are all off before switching poles

                        Out 41,0
                        Out 42,0
                        Out 40,1
                        Out 43,1

                                    Elseif Turn = "R" Then  'Activate relays for Right turn

                                    Out 40,0
                                    Out 43,0
                                    Out 41,1
                                    Out 42,1

            Endif    

                        If Dir = "F" Then  'Activate relays to move forward  ' Make sure the relays are all off before switching poles

                                    Out 45,0
                                    Out 46,0
                                    Out 44,1
                                    Out 47,1

                                              Elseif Dir = "R" Then 'Activate relays for reverse move

                                    Out 44,0
                                    Out 47,0
                                    Out 45,1
                                    Out 46,1

            Endif

            Delay TurnTime   ' Make sure the relays are all off before switching poles

                        Out 40,0
                        Out 43,0
                        Out 41,0
                        Out 42,0

                                                Delay DirTime-TurnTime ' Make sure the relays are all off before switching poles

                                                Out 44,0
                                                Out 47,0
                                                Out 45,0
                                                Out 46,0

Endif

'***********************************************************************

Print a

Return

End