Microbot 'ARMBASIC' BASIC-extension cartridge / Robot-arm control Interface for TRS80

[ortek_service]

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,

[Red to black]

very interesting thanks for posting