Ipaq Robot with Indoor Positioning

My project has a few parts

• Use an iPaq to control a robot
• Control the iPaq over the internet (via a wireless card)
• Add positioning (my project from last semester)

Linux on the Ipaq (Familiar)

Setup Ipaq

• Login: root, password: rootme
• For PPP, use login: ppp, no password
• You can save and load an "image" of the file system, and clone it to other iPaqs 
• Easy to save/restore working configurations
• I will post a configuration for this project once I get it working

• Execute rz on ipaq (receive file with zmodem protocol), the iPaq begins waiting
• In Hyperterminal, do Transfer->send file (select zmodem), browse for file and send
• Minicom is the Linux version of Hyperterminal

• .ipk files are called packages (ipkg), and used to install programs
• Execute ipkg install myfile.ipk
• If you have an internet connection (wireless or PPP) then you can grab packages off the web, even ones you don't have 
• ipkg install bash.ipk to install the bash shell
• It will look at the sources defined in the ipk configuration file (
• To add a URL, add the line src http://www.myurl.com/packages/ipk to the list
• If you have no internet connection 
• Download the packages onto your computer
• Transfer .ipk to the ipaq
• Execute ipkg install myfile.ipk

Brainstem

• This is a nice microcontroller with a serial connection 
• Has analog and digital I/O pins to interact with motors and sensors
• Can store and execute programs written in a language called TEA, a subset of C
• It can act as a slave device, controlled via the serial port 
• External program gives it commands
• Brainstem sets output pins, or returns readings from input pins
• For me, the Brainstem is a slave of the iPaq 
• The iPaq is controlled over the internet (using a wireless card)
• Commands given over internet will control motors

Serial port communications (giving commands to the Brainstem)

• You can buy an iPaq to rs232 cable, or use the hotsync cradle
• Talking to the serial port is just like opening up a regular file (I didn't know this, I like this abstraction of Unix) 
• Tutorial
• Use /dev/ttySA0 in the iPaq (this is the serial port on the bottom, where the hotsync cradle connects)
• Example code

If you have a question, google will find the answer. Look in the newsgroups as well.
Ipaq FAQs

Links

handhelds.org - main resource for the Linux on the iPaq
acroname.com - info about the brainstem and Palm Pilot Robot Kit (PPRK)