dumb kid need help! :(

[sheing3003]

Hi guys, I'm trying to work on a project that's way beyong my knowledge, I've read some books but they did not help at all. Here's the idea using a cmos image sensor (KAC-9630) (the cheapest one i can find on digikey) and PIC (PIC16F877A) and a computer to read some character on a paper then display what character it has read on the computer screen.
I dunno why I come up with this idea, but it sounds like fun.
But i don't know where to start, I'm having few major problems
my simple flow chart will be
SENOR -> PIC -> PC

1.) How do I use the PIC to read the data that's on the SENSOR? It seems to me like I gotta wire all the pins to the PIC then somehow process it

2.) The biggest problem, how do I transmit data from the PIC to PC? I saw a tutorial on serial and parallel connection, but still don't quiet get it.

3.) How do the PC read the information that's been transmitted by the PIC?

I hope someone can help me answer these questions, thanks in advance!

 

[b0j3]

I hope you are joking.
If not, start with "baby steps" - one thing at the time.

I would first study pic-pc communication.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

2.) The biggest problem, how do I transmit data from the PIC to PC? I saw a tutorial on serial and parallel connection, but still don't quiet get it.

That's NOT your biggest problem, that's by FAR the easiest - it's simple to do, check my RS232 tutorials.

As b0J3 says, you really need to start with a simpler project and work up, reading the sensor and interpreting the text is going to be your BIG problem!.

 

[upand_at_them]

I've read some books but they did not help at all.

What books did you read and why didn't they help?

Mike

 

[sheing3003]

I hope you are joking.
If not, start with "baby steps" - one thing at the time.

I would first study pic-pc communication.

well i still have another month and half to do it...so i think i have plently of time....

and the books i have are "handbook of microcontrollers", "programming the PIC microcontroller with MBasic", and "analog and digital circuits for electronic control system applications", well i haven't read through all of them yet...

but like i described above...i still have another month and half but right now i just want to know the basics behind it...like a rough flow chart or rough explaination...if anyone can help me out that'll be great

 

[sheing3003]

That's NOT your biggest problem, that's by FAR the easiest - it's simple to do, check my RS232 tutorials.

As b0J3 says, you really need to start with a simpler project and work up, reading the sensor and interpreting the text is going to be your BIG problem!.

is the RS232 the one in your signature?

 

[mramos1]

sheing3003, yes on Nigel's signature, go there, start there, do the projects, then re-think what you want to start with.

I did not look at the sensor your picked, but you are going to attempt to scan a letter on a page with it, (black and white I hope) and pack the 1's and 0's into bytes in RAM (hope there is enough RAM on the PIC) and then send it to a PC via RS232, and unpack it and make a jpg/gif and call a viewer? If you are running DOS and a VGA card, this might be easier..

For real, go read Nigel's tutorials.. This project is too big to start with.

 

[evandude]

Yep, I'll agree, NOT a good starting project...

Do you actually need to figure out what letter it is seeing, or do you just need to display the image the sensor is seeing on the computer screen? If it also needs to figure out what letter it is looking at, then you might end up getting into neural networks as well... which could be a whole project in and of itself.

 

[Paul Obrien]

128x100 sensor operating over a I2C serial command link with 8bit parallel data output connected to a PIC then to a PC what could be easier.

 

[phalanx]

I've got your project right here!

**broken link removed**

 

[agent420]

Well, you're either very ambitious or woefully ignorant of the problems you face, depending on what exactly you're trying to accomplish. I don't mean that in a disrespectful way, but if your thoughts are of image processing and your current knowledge level lacks even basic serial communication, you had better plan on a bit longer than a month or so. I particularly enjoyed the phrase "somehow process it."

That aside, **broken link removed** based on a pic controlled optical mouse sensor. However, this project makes no attempt to process the image in an OCR type manner... That is pretty complex issue unto itself to say the least.

 

[mramos1]

128x100 sensor operating over a I2C serial command link with 8bit parallel data output connected to a PIC then to a PC what could be easier.

Or I drop it on my scanner and run READIS (OCR) software.

 

[Paul Obrien]

Maybe the finished project would look something like this http://www.dansdata.com/qlpen.htm

 

[mramos1]

That sounds like what they are after but they want to make it.

So this is probably a hard project for most to do for fun or they can just search for the unit at some surplus place. That was a 2000 article and if it did not catch on (I have not seen any of them) pick it up pretty cheap.

 

[Paul Obrien]

I checked out the price on Digikey and while the sensor is approx $13, the header board that it is usually used with is $270 so for $283, he gets the whole package. Doesn't seem like a cheap project. Oh, and it seems they are trying to get the scanner pens off the ground again, maybe since the memory is a lot cheaper now then 2000, maybe a USB mem key with scanner?

 

[sheing3003]

thanks guys~

anywayz write now im cutting down my project
all i want to do now is simply a camera
which just read image and display on the pc

i pretty much have the hardware for rs232 figured out
haven't program the pic yet
however, i want ask you guys for some advice about the software to use for the pc, what software should i use to display the image that's been transmitted by the pic
im thinking to use labview, am i on the right track? I've never used it though

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

You seem to have missed the hardest part?, how are you getting the picture from the camera to the PIC?. And why don't use just use a webcam directly into the PC?.

 

[sheing3003]

im connecting the cmos to pic then send info to the comp...
is that not right?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

im connecting the cmos to pic then send info to the comp...
is that not right?

But HOW are you transferring the data from the camera to the PIC, and what type of connection is it?.

 

[sheing3003]

But HOW are you transferring the data from the camera to the PIC, and what type of connection is it?.

ooo im planning to use parallel connection