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Vintage Computers Any vintage computer systems, calculators, video games etc., but with an emphasis on 1980s and earlier equipment. |
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4th Dec 2022, 8:03 pm | #1 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Northampton, Northamptonshire, UK.
Posts: 1,440
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Microbot 'ARMBASIC' BASIC-extension cartridge / Robot-arm control Interface for TRS80
I recently dug this out, I acquired around 30yrs ago, and have been trying to find something about it - Its ARMBASIC rather pre-dates the later developed 'ARM' uP, but found it was actually for controlling a Robot-ARM (The Microbot MiniMover-5, it would seem).
From these articles, it seems it was for the TRS-80: https://www.industrial-electronics.com/tab-2421_7.html http://www.theoldrobots.com/book71/Mini_Mover.pdf - With a selection of covers of this Robotics Age magazine here: http://www.theoldrobots.com/book50/Robotics_AGE.pdf (A bit longer-lived than the UK's Practical Robotics, originally bought an issue of in 1984 in the era of the Ch4 Trundle 'robot' that Maplin magazine featured and was really just a maze-follower like the Hobby Electronics HEBOT(II) rather than the Tandy/ Radioshack robot arm (although a bit of a toy, as it lacked independent control of all axis) https://www.cambridge.org/core/journ...4#access-block But this one seems to indicate there was an Apple(soft) version: https://peer.asee.org/menu-driven-co...er-5-robot.pdf And it seems someone may have updated the control of this Mini-Mover, with their own PIC-based board: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMyjKaqRTQY Attached are pictures of the board, and also a readout of the 'ARMBASIC' EPROM. I wonder if anyone recalls this Interface or the Microbot MiniMover-5 ? - I do recall various other, mainly simpler ones, |
5th Dec 2022, 7:19 pm | #2 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 2,474
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Re: Microbot 'ARMBASIC' BASIC-extension cartridge / Robot-arm control Interface for T
very interesting thanks for posting
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