Can you help me with my project?

[blondy269]

Hello!

I want to be able to create a robot/doll/toy that I can send SMS text messages to and have it speak the messages out loud. If possible, I would also like it to be able to perform actions such as arm movements and head movements, but this isn’t necessary. This project is for one of my classes at school (Design and Technology). I don’t have any experience in robotics or electronics, but I’m a quick learner and I’m very interested in completing this project. I have basic experience with programming in batch, and very basic experience with java programming. I don’t have any equipment or hardware for this project.

Your advice would be very helpful and much appreciated on the following questions:
1. Approximately how many hours of work would be required to complete this project (with and without the ability to perform arm/head movements), considering that I’m starting from scratch?
2. Who could I talk to about the project regarding the required hardware, software and skills, and how to acquire them?
3. Where could I go to learn/study about how to create this project, or be mentored?
4. Are you aware of any existing projects that have done something similar? Where could I go to find more information about them?

I’m willing to offer to pay someone to mentor me as well. If you need any more information to provide me with an accurate estimation of the required time, or to answer any of my other questions, feel free to ask!

 

[BeeBop]

Hello!

I want to be able to create a robot/doll/toy that I can send SMS text messages to and have it speak the messages out loud. If possible, I would also like it to be able to perform actions such as arm movements and head movements, but this isn’t necessary. This project is for one of my classes at school (Design and Technology). I don’t have any experience in robotics or electronics, but I’m a quick learner and I’m very interested in completing this project. I have basic experience with programming in batch, and very basic experience with java programming. I don’t have any equipment or hardware for this project.

Your advice would be very helpful and much appreciated on the following questions:
1. Approximately how many hours of work would be required to complete this project (with and without the ability to perform arm/head movements), considering that I’m starting from scratch?
2. Who could I talk to about the project regarding the required hardware, software and skills, and how to acquire them?
3. Where could I go to learn/study about how to create this project, or be mentored?
4. Are you aware of any existing projects that have done something similar? Where could I go to find more information about them?

I’m willing to offer to pay someone to mentor me as well. If you need any more information to provide me with an accurate estimation of the required time, or to answer any of my other questions, feel free to ask!

Hi Blondie, welcome to the forums.

First off, you double posted. That is a much less efficient way to get help here. Just start one thread. The most helpful people here read everything, so will find your thread.

This is a huge project, if you are just starting out. I would not measure the time in hours, but months. I would do it in modules, one at a time, and then at the end bring everything together.

2. You could get lots of help here, and there are other forums on the net...

3. For hardware, you will need a cellular modem or development kit. They can be pricey, and the best place I know of to get one is SparkFun:

**broken link removed**

You will also need a micro controller, and you will have to decide which one to go with. PICs are popular here, so you could get help on that part on this forum. AVRs are popular too, but the best place to get help with those is AVR Freaks.

The spoken part could probably be done with a simple R-2R ladder as a digital to analog converter, but there are designs for wav players using a microcontroller on the net.

You will have to learn how to use your microcontroller to get what you want done. You should start with a simple embedded 'hello world' project, which is blinking an LED. If you can blink an LED you can control the world!
If you choose to go with PICs, check out Nigel's tutorials:
WinPicProg Page

You don't have to start in assembler, there are BASIC compilers available, and if you know Java, then C should be easy for you. I would reccomend learning assembler to start, though. If you choose to use C, then I would reccomend Source Boost C.
SourceBoost Technologies - Home of BoostC Free PIC C Compiler and BoostBasic Free Pic Basic Compiler

4. I haven't seen anything like this yet, and I think it is a great idea. There are a couple of threads on this board which are related to what you wish to accomplish. When I find them, I'll post the links.

 

[blondy269]

Hi Blondie, welcome to the forums.

First off, you double posted. That is a much less efficient way to get help here. Just start one thread. The most helpful people here read everything, so will find your thread.

My apologies, I'm aware that I double posted, but I didn't know exactly which section my post belonged to, and I didn't want to miss out on a helpful reply such as yours just because I didn't post where I should have/could have.

This is a huge project, if you are just starting out. I would not measure the time in hours, but months.

Fair enough, well I have around 28 weeks left to complete this project, and I get ~5 hours of time to complete the project per week, so that comes to a total of 140 hours. Do you think this is enough time?

2. You could get lots of help here, and there are other forums on the net...

If you have the time, could you please direct me to some of these forums? I've managed to find a few through Google, but I'm sure there would be some that I'm not finding due to searching for the wrong thing or something like that.

You will also need a micro controller, and you will have to decide which one to go with. PICs are popular here, so you could get help on that part on this forum. AVRs are popular too, but the best place to get help with those is AVR Freaks.

Could you please give me a brief overview of the advantages and disadvantages of these micro controllers?

There are a couple of threads on this board which are related to what you wish to accomplish. When I find them, I'll post the links.

Thanks, that would be great.

 

[BeeBop]

My apologies, I'm aware that I double posted, but I didn't know exactly which section my post belonged to, and I didn't want to miss out on a helpful reply such as yours just because I didn't post where I should have/could have.

Well it just makes it more difficult for both yourself, and those trying to help you. It is all past now, though.

Fair enough, well I have around 28 weeks left to complete this project, and I get ~5 hours of time to complete the project per week, so that comes to a total of 140 hours. Do you think this is enough time?

I hope you don't mind at least 1:1 homework to allotted time. Probably, once you get going, you will become obsessed and put in even more time. It is interesting work.
That said, I think this is doable in the six or so months you have to finish it.

If you have the time, could you please direct me to some of these forums? I've managed to find a few through Google, but I'm sure there would be some that I'm not finding due to searching for the wrong thing or something like that.

Well these are the ones I frequent, but others may (hopefully) add to this.

SparkFun Electronics :: Index
PIC, AVR, Phillips and Atmel ARM, Board Design, etc. Also a good place to ask about GSM modems! Be sure to look around their main site and find the tutorials.
ah, here is a link:
SparkFun Electronics - Tutorials

The next is compiler specific, but I find it very useful, in a lot of other ways:

CCS :: Index

Should you decide on AVR, this is the place to get help:

**broken link removed**

My choice of compiler ($70 for the full deal, best price around, and a great compiler to boot):

**broken link removed**

Last, but certainly not least is Microchip forums.
**broken link removed**

The PIC list is also very useful:

**broken link removed**

These are quite PIC biased, but that is the one I'm using these days.

Could you please give me a brief overview of the advantages and disadvantages of these micro controllers?


Thanks, that would be great.

Well, the only problem you may have starting with AVRs is that if you configure it incorrectly, it can lock up. Very frustrating problem if you are a newbie. They are fast, and made to be programmed in C. WinAVR - a C and assembly development environment - is a free download. To use it, you have to snuggle up with gcc and make.

PICs have what is known as Harvard Architecture - that is a separate program and data memory space and at first the bank switching on the 12xx and 16xx can be tough to get used to.
Harvard architecture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is a free Integrated development environment, MPLab, here:

**broken link removed**

I haven't covered the Arduino,
Arduino - HomePage or USB Bit Wacker

 

[blondy269]

I hope you don't mind at least 1:1 homework to allotted time. Probably, once you get going, you will become obsessed and put in even more time. It is interesting work.
That said, I think this is doable in the six or so months you have to finish it.

Well, I planned on spending my time at home working on the folio that I have to complete alongside the practical work.

Thanks for the forum links and other information, I'll be looking into all of it ASAP.

 

[BeeBop]

I found this, relevant link:
**broken link removed**

on this thread:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/pic16f877-and-at-commands.88644/

which may be helpful for you.

 

[blondy269]

Further information:

There are the two different paths that my project can take...these are:
1. I can design and make every part of the project myself and put it all together to form a complete project. In this case, the ‘design’ part of my project is in both designing the components, and designing how they will work with each other.
2. I can purchase/acquire many of the parts, if not all, and then put them together to form a complete project. In this case, the ‘design’ part of my project is simply the design of how all the components will work with each other to form my final project of a robot that receives SMS text messages and speaks them out loud.

I’ve just spoken with my Design and Technology teacher about this, and he has stated that option 2 is just fine, while option 1 is very unnecessary. This obviously reduces the amount of time, skills and knowledge required for me to complete the project, as I only need to learn what parts will be needed, then how to put them all together and make them work to form the complete project.

So I now have some new questions that I hope you can help me with:
1. What components will I need to make this project, what options do I have?
2. Where have you found to be the best places to purchase these parts?
3. Where would you recommend I go, or what do you recommend I do, to learn how to make the components work with each other so as to form the complete project?

Thanks again for all the help; I hope you’ll be able to help me with these extra questions!

 

[arhi]

you can make it fairly easy (but not cheep)

the speach part:
speech module: Devantech Speech Synthesizer

GSM part:
SparkFun Electronics - PIC GSM Cellular Development Board

attach the speeck module to gsm dev board and there you go ... you can controll the relays via sms, you can forward sms text to speech module (it will read it if it is in english, donno how it sounds in different languages) ... you can connect dc motors via relays to move parts of the toy ....

EDIT: easy - but not cheap, I recon someone with experience can put this together in few hours... someone will avg exp (me for example) can put this together in 10-15 hours .. but ~300$ ain't cheap to make a toy to say sms content out loud

the speech part is "complex" ... very complex ... no way you can develop one from scratch in short time and the cheapest one I found is 110$ ..

the gsm part can be cheaper then 275$ if you make pic board yourself and attach a gsm module (that is again 100 - 160$) ( SparkFun Electronics - Modules ) so in general you can use eval board or make one yourself where "eval" part of the board is actually 100$ .. that you can make yourself for some 60$ less, but I do not believe it is worth it

 

[BeeBop]

Like Arhi says, that board from SparkFun will serve you well.
Can you have a computer hooked up to your toy? Or must it be a stand alone thing? If you can have a computer connected, then that can provide your text to speech module. If not, then you will either

1. need the second board Arhi pointed to, or something similar, or

2. could use a Voice Record and Playback IC (see the forth box down, here:
Special Function IC's - Others however you will only have a choice of ' pre-recorded' snippets.)

3. could build a wav player with a micro controller, to play wav files - again, pre-recorded snippets, but bigger array of snippets, and better than 2

The GSM development board has an audio channel, it would be very easy to speak your text into a phone and have the toy speak the part.

 

[arhi]

the "prerecorded" stuff will not work for "text2speech" and will not cost much less then text2speech with few samples ..

if computer is an option, then a nokia with data cable, gnokii and linux will do the job. gnokii can forward any received sms to text2speech software ... and old nokia 5110 with data cable can be found for ~50$ or even less... one can even go with some ALIX board with sound card to get same thing in "small box" ...