Questions
- What is voltage?
- What is ampere?
- What is current?
- What is analog?
- What is digital?
- What is pulse width modulation (PWM)?
- What is serial (RS232)?
- What is USB?
- What is WiFi?
- What is I2C (IIC)?
- What is RS485?
- What is TTL?
- What is SPI?
- What is LiPo?
- What is NiMH?
- What is C#?
- What is C++?
- What is Basic?
- What is PICAXE?
- What is Basic Stamp?
- What is Basic X?
- What is Propeller?
- What is Arduino?
- What is FEZduino?
- What is Netduino?
- What is a actuator?
- What is a servo?
- What is a motor?
- What is a stepper motor?
- What is a brushed motor?
- What is a brushless motor?
- What is an inrunner motor?
- What is an outrunner motor?
- What is an enclosure?
- What is a microcontroller?
- What is a mount?
- What is a robot kit?
- What is a sensor?
- What is a shield?
- What is an environment sensor?
- What is a light or IR (infrared) sensor?
- What is a range finder?
- What is IR?
- What is a sound sensor?
- What is a touch sensor?
- What is a vision sensor?
- What is a temperature sensor?
- What is humidity?
- What is a humidity sensor?
- What is a flame sensor?
- What is a vibration sensor?
- What is a gas sensor?
- What is a water sensor?
- What is a water flow sensor?
- What is an alcohol sensor?
- What is an ambient light sensor?
- What is a grayscale sensor?
- What is an IR receiver?
- What is an IR transmitter?
- What is LED?
- What is LCD?
- What is a laser?
- What is a pluggable terminal?
- What is a digital magnetic sensor?
- What is a digital tilt sensor?
- What is a gyroscope?
- What is an accelerometer?
- What is a compass?
- What is a relay?
- What is a voltage divider?
- What is an electricity sensor?
- What is a range finder?
- What is an ultrasonic range finder?
- What is an IR (infrared) range finder?
- What is GPS?
- What is RFID?
- What is piezo?
- What is a buzzer?
- What is a UAV?
- What is a drone?
- What is a UGV?
- What is VTOL?
Answers
Voltage is an informal term for electric potential difference and is also called electric tension. Voltage is a measure of the energy of electricity, specifically, it is the energy per unit charge.
The ampere (symbol: A) is the SI unit of electric current (symbol: I) and is one of the seven SI base units. It is named after André-Marie Ampère (1775–1836), French mathematician and physicist, considered the father of electrodynamics. In practice, its name is often shortened to amp.
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.
An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature (variable) of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are meaningful. Analog is usually thought of in an electrical context; however, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and other systems may also convey analog signals.
A digital signal is a physical signal that is a representation of a sequence of discrete values (a quantified discrete-time signal), for example of arbitrary bit stream, or of a digitized (sampled and analog-to-digital converted) analog signal.
What is pulse width modulation (PWM)?
Pulse-width modulation (PWM), or pulse-duration modulation (PDM), is a commonly used technique for controlling power to inertial electrical devices, made practical by modern electronic power switches. Typically used for servo motors.
In telecommunications, RS-232 (Recommended Standard 232) is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) and a DCE (Data Circuit-terminating Equipment). It is commonly used in computer serial ports. The standard defines the electrical characteristics and timing of signals, the meaning of signals, and the physical size and pinout of connectors. The current version of the standard is TIA-232-F Interface Between Data Terminal Equipment and Data Circuit-Terminating Equipment Employing Serial Binary Data Interchange, issued in 1997.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a specification to establish communication between devices and a host controller (usually a personal computer), which has effectively replaced a variety of earlier interfaces such as serial and parallel ports.
A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, and digital audio player can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet.
Inter-Integrated Circuit; generically referred to as “two-wire interface”) is a multi-master serial single-ended computer bus invented by Philips that is used to attach low-speed peripherals to a motherboard, embedded system, or cellphone.
EIA-485, also known as TIA/EIA-485 or RS-485, is a standard defining the electrical characteristics of drivers and receivers for use in balanced digital multipoint systems.
Transistor–transistor logic (TTL) is a class of digital circuits built from bipolar junction transistors (BJT) and resistors. It is called transistor–transistor logic because both the logic gating function (e.g., AND) and the amplifying function are performed by transistors (contrast this with RTL and DTL).
The System Packet Interface family of Interoperability Agreements from the Optical Internetworking Forum specify chip-to-chip, channelized, packet interfaces commonly used in synchronous optical networking and ethernet applications. A typical application of such a packet level interface is between a framer (for optical network) or a MAC (for IP network) and a network processor.
Lithium-ion polymer batteries, polymer lithium ion, or more commonly lithium polymer batteries (abbreviated Li-poly, Li-Pol, LiPo, LIP, PLI or LiP) are rechargeable batteries (secondary cell batteries). Normally batteries are composed of several identical secondary cells in parallel addition to increase the discharge current capability.
A nickel-metal hydride cell, abbreviated NiMH, is a type of rechargeable battery similar to the nickel-cadmium cell. The NiMH battery uses a hydrogen-absorbing alloy for the negative electrode instead of cadmium. As in NiCd cells, the positive electrode is nickel oxyhydroxide (NiOOH). A NiMH battery can have two to three times the capacity of an equivalent size nickel-cadmium battery. Compared to the lithium-ion cell, the volumetric energy density is similar but self-discharge is higher. (Compare: low self-discharge NiMH battery)
C#[6] (pronounced see sharp) is a multi-paradigm programming language encompassing imperative, declarative, functional, generic, object-oriented (class-based), and component-oriented programming disciplines. It was developed by Microsoft within the .NET initiative and later approved as a standard by Ecma (ECMA-334) and ISO (ISO/IEC 23270). C# is one of the programming languages designed for the Common Language Infrastructure.
C++ (pronounced “cee plus plus”) is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features.[2] It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell Labs as an enhancement to the C language and originally named C with Classes. It was renamed C++ in 1983.
In computer programming, BASIC (an acronym which stands for Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of high-level programming languages designed to be easy to use.
PICAXE is the name of a UK-sourced microcontroller system based on a range of Microchip PICs. There are 13 PICAXE variants of differing pin counts from 8 to 40 pins. Initially marketed for use in education and by electronics hobbyists, they are also used in commercial and technical fields, including rapid prototype development. All use pre-loaded factory bootstrap interpretation code to allow user generated programs to be downloaded using a simple USB or RS-232 serial connection.
The BASIC Stamp is a microcontroller with a small, specialized BASIC interpreter (PBASIC) built into ROM. It is made by Parallax, Inc. and has been popular with electronics hobbyists since the early 1990s due to its low threshold of learning and ease of use (due to its simple BASIC language).
The Parallax P8X32 Propeller, introduced in 2006, is a multi-core architecture parallel microcontroller with eight 32-bit RISC CPU cores.
The Parallax Propeller microcontroller, Propeller Assembly language, and Spin interpreter were designed by one person, Parallax’s co-founder and president Chip Gracey. The Spin Programming language and “Propeller Tool” integrated development environment were designed by Chip Gracey and Parallax’s software engineer Jeff Martin. The Propeller is known for being easy to program.
Arduino is an open-source single-board microcontroller, descendant of the open-source Wiring platform, designed to make the process of using electronics in multidisciplinary projects more accessible. The hardware consists of a simple open hardware design for the Arduino board with an Atmel AVR processor and on-board I/O support. The software consists of a standard programming language compiler and the boot loader that runs on the board.
A .NET Micro Framework driven microcontroller created by GHI Electronics.
A .NET Micro Framework driven microcontroller created by Secret Labs LLC.
An actuator is a mechanical device for moving or controlling a mechanism or system. It is operated by a source of energy, usually in the form of an electric current, hydraulic fluid pressure or pneumatic pressure, and converts that energy into some kind of motion.
A Servo is a small device that incorporates a three wire DC motor, a gear train, a potentiometer, an integrated circuit, and an output shaft bearing. Of the three wires that stick out from the motor casing, one is for power, one is for ground, and one is a control input line. The shaft of the servo can be positioned to specific angular positions by sending a coded signal. As long as the coded signal exists on the input line, the servo will maintain the angular position of the shaft. If the coded signal changes, then the angular position of the shaft changes.
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through interacting magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force. The reverse process, producing electrical energy from mechanical energy, is done by generators such as an alternator or a dynamo. Many types of electric motors can be run as generators and vice versa. For example, a starter/generator for a gas turbine or traction motors used on vehicles often perform both tasks. Electric motors and generators are commonly referred to as electric machines.
A stepper motor (or step motor) is a brushless, electric motor that can divide a full rotation into a large number of steps. The motor’s position can be controlled precisely without any feedback mechanism (see Open-loop controller), as long as the motor is carefully sized to the application.
A brushed DC motor is an internally commutated electric motor designed to be run from a DC power source.
Brushless DC motors (BLDC motors, BL motors) also known as electronically commutated motors (ECMs, EC motors) are electric motors powered by direct-current (DC) electricity and having electronic commutation systems, rather than mechanical commutators and brushes. The current-to-torque and frequency-to-speed relationships of BLDC motors are linear.
The term inrunner refers to a type of brushless motor used in radio controlled models, especially in reference to their use in aircraft to differentiate them from outrunners.
Inrunners get their nickname from the fact that their rotational core is contained within the motor’s can, much like a standard ferrite motor.
The term outrunner refers to a type of brushless motor primarily used in electrically propelled, radio-controlled model aircraft.
This type of motor spins its outer shell around its windings, much like motors found in ordinary CD-ROM computer drives. In fact, CD-ROM motors are frequently rewound into brushless outrunner motors for small park flyer aircraft. Parts to aid in converting CD-ROM motors to aircraft use are commercially available.
An enclosure is a box or a bin or some other form of container that is used to house a component or series of components. Some enclosures are generic in that they may be used for anything while others are specific to component.
A microcontroller (sometimes abbreviated µC, uC or MCU) is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Program memory in the form of NOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM. Microcontrollers are designed for embedded applications, in contrast to the microprocessors used in personal computers or other general purpose applications.
A robot kit is a kit that contains hardware, components, software, motors, servos, wires and anything else that may be used to build a predefined robot. Some kits are generic while others are more specific. Refer to the Robot Kit category to see some examples of these.
A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument.
A shield in this sense refers to stackable, pluggable and modular components (i.e. wifi, gps, i/o expansion) that connects to a given microcontroller such as an Arduino or FEZduino.
What is an environment sensor?
A sensor used to take readings from its environment. In our case, it refers to humidity, temperature, flames, gases and other like elements found in a given element.
What is a light or IR (infrared) sensor?
A light sensor is a sensor designed to take light readings such as the ambient light levels in a given area.
A IR or infrared sensor can be used for multiple things. Some can be used to tranmit data between a receiver and a transmitter while another form of this sensor can be used to determine the distance between itself and given object. A typical application of this sensor would be to detect objects indoors.
A rangefinder is a device that measures distance from the observer to a target, for the purposes of surveying, determining focus in photography, or accurately aiming a weapon. Some devices use active methods to measure (such as sonar, laser, or radar); others measure distance using trigonometry (stadiametric rangefinders and parallax, or coincidence rangefinders). These methodologies use a set of known information, usually distances or target sizes, to make the measurement, and have been in regular use since the 18th century.
Infrared (IR) light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.7 micrometres, and extending conventionally to 300 micrometres. These wavelengths correspond to a frequency range of approximately 430 to 1 THz,[1] and include most of the thermal radiation emitted by objects near room temperature. Microscopically, IR light is typically emitted or absorbed by molecules when they change their rotational-vibrational movements.
A sensor used to interact with sounds. Whether it produces a sound or listens for a sound.
A touch sensor is a sensor that interacts with the aspect of touching another object. Things like switches, buttons and joysticks are all touch sensors.
A vision sensor is used to give a device (i.e. robot or embedded device) the ability to interpret images from the real world. It may interpret these images as points on a plan or as a raw image.
A temperature sensor is a sensor used to take the current temperature of the area where it is contained.
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not “moist air” but a mixture of air and water vapor, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture, called the Absolute humidity. In everyday usage, it commonly refers to relative humidity, expressed as a percent in weather forecasts and on household humidistats; it is so called because it measures the current absolute humidity relative to the maximum. Specific humidity is a ratio of the water vapor content of the mixture to the dry air content. The water vapor content of the mixture can be measured either as mass per volume or as a partial pressure, depending on the usage.
A humidity sensor takes a reading from the environment to determine the current humidity. This is important for many applications where humidity may interfere with the electronics of the system. In which case you may wish to send a notification beacon or alert of the situation.
A flame sensor is a sensor used to detect a flame in its field of vision. A flame from an actual fire. This sensor is great if used with an HCR (a.k.a home care robot) to help the elderly or handicapped.
A vibration sensor takes readings of the vibrations it encounters. This may be useful in a UAV project or an offroad UGV in which case increased vibrations may damage the unit.
A gas sensor is in a sense the olfactory sensor for a device and/or robot. It takes a reading from the ennvironmen for a given gas. Make sure to read carefully when purchasing a gas sensor. They are each designed for a different gas.
A water sensor is used to determine the presence of water. Such a sensor could be used to determine when water comes in contact with the sensor. When the water is detected the electronics could be shut down in order to prevent any damage to the system.
A water flow sensor is used to determine the current flow of water through the sensor. The sensor indicates the rate of flow for the water flowing through the sensor.
An alcohol sensor is similar to a gas sensor. It is used to determine the presence of alcohol in the environment.
What is an ambient light sensor?
An ambient light sensor is used to determine the level of light in a given area.
A
A device / sensor used for receiving IR (infrared) signals.
A device / sensor used for transmitting IR (infrared) signals.
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting. Introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962,[2] early LEDs emitted low-intensity red light, but modern versions are available across the visible, ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths, with very high brightness.
A liquid crystal display (LCD) is a thin, flat electronic visual display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals (LCs). LCs do not emit light directly.
A laser is a device that emits light (electromagnetic radiation) through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term “laser” originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The emitted laser light is notable for its high degree of spatial and temporal coherence, unattainable using other technologies.
What is a digital magnetic sensor?
A magnetometer is a scientific instrument used to measure the strength or direction of the magnetic field, produced either in the laboratory or existing in nature. The Earth’s magnetic field (the magnetosphere) varies from place to place, for various reasons such as inhomogeneity of rocks and the interaction between charged particles from the Sun and the magnetosphere. Magnetometers are a frequent component instrument on spacecraft that explore planets.
What is a digital tilt sensor?
A tilt sensor can measure the tilting in often two axes of a reference plane in two axes. In contrast, a full motion would use at least three axes and often additional sensors. One way to measure tilt angle with reference to the earths ground plane, is to use an Accelerometer. Typical applications can be found in the industry and in game controllers.
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of conservation of angular momentum.[1] In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation. This orientation changes much less in response to a given external torque than it would without the large angular momentum associated with the gyroscope’s high rate of spin. Since external torque is minimized by mounting the device in gimbals, its orientation remains nearly fixed, regardless of any motion of the platform on which it is mounted.
An accelerometer is a device that measures the proper acceleration of the device. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration (change of velocity of the device in space), but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame of reference of the accelerometer device. For an example of where these types of acceleration differ, an accelerometer will measure a value when sitting on the ground, because masses there have weights, even though they do not change velocity. However, an accelerometer in gravitational free fall toward the center of the Earth will measure a value of zero because, even though its speed is increasing, it is in an inertial frame of reference, in which it is weightless.
A compass is a navigational instrument for determining direction relative to the Earth’s magnetic poles. It consists of a magnetized pointer (usually marked on the North end) free to align itself with Earth’s magnetic field. A compass is any magnetically sensitive device capable of indicating the direction of the magnetic north of a planet’s magnetosphere. The face of the compass generally highlights the cardinal points of north, south, east and west. Often, compasses are built as a stand alone sealed instrument with a magnetized bar or needle turning freely upon a pivot, or moving in a fluid, thus able to point in a northerly and southerly direction.
A relay is an electrically operated switch. Many relays use an electromagnet to operate a switching mechanism mechanically, but other operating principles are also used. Relays are used where it is necessary to control a circuit by a low-power signal (with complete electrical isolation between control and controlled circuits), or where several circuits must be controlled by one signal. The first relays were used in long distance telegraph circuits, repeating the signal coming in from one circuit and re-transmitting it to another. Relays were used extensively in telephone exchanges and early computers to perform logical operations.
n electronics, a voltage divider (also known as a potential divider) is a simple linear circuit that produces an output voltage (Vout) that is a fraction of its input voltage (Vin). Voltage division refers to the partitioning of a voltage among the components of the divider.
What is an electricity sensor?
An electricity sensor is a sensor used to measure the amount of electricity flowing through the sensor.
A rangefinder is a device that measures distance from the observer to a target, for the purposes of surveying, determining focus in photography, or accurately aiming a weapon. Some devices use active methods to measure (such as sonar, laser, or radar); others measure distance using trigonometry (stadiametric rangefinders and parallax, or coincidence rangefinders). These methodologies use a set of known information, usually distances or target sizes, to make the measurement, and have been in regular use since the 18th century.
What is an ultrasonic range finder?
An Ultrasonic ranging module, also called a range finder, is a small device that sends out an ultrasonic sound via a transducer, and since the sound has a very high frequency, a frequency that we can not hear, it bounces off objects pretty easily. Its main job is just to record the time it takes for the sound to bounce back and into the transducer. Then a controller will do the mathematics to determine the distance between the module and an object. there is a down side to some range finders, in robotics, it only can measure up to a few inches….
What is an IR (infrared) range finder?
IR Range Finder works by the process of triangulation. A pulse of light (wavelength range of 850nm +/-70nm) is emitted and then reflected back (or not reflected at all). When the light returns it comes back at an angle that is dependent on the distance of the reflecting object. Triangulation works by detecting this reflected beam angle – by knowing the angle, distance can then be determined.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible by anyone with a GPS receiver.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that uses communication through the use of radio waves to transfer data between a reader and an electronic tag attached to an object, for the purpose of identification and tracking.
Piezoelectricity ( /pi?e?zo??il?k’tr?s?ti/) is the charge which accumulates in certain solid materials (notably crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA and various proteins)[1] in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure. It is derived from the Greek piezo or piezein (p???e??), which means to squeeze or press, and electric or electron (??e?t???), which stands for amber, an ancient source of electric charge.[2] Piezoelectricity is the direct result of the piezoelectric effect.
A buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling device, which may be mechanical, electromechanical, or Piezoelectric. Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarms, timers and confirmation of user input such as a mouse click or keystroke.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also known as a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), is an aircraft that is flown by a pilot or a navigator (called Combat Systems Officer on UCAVs) depending on the different Air Forces; however, without a human crew on board the aircraft. Their largest uses are in military applications. To distinguish UAVs from missiles, a UAV is defined as a powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload. Therefore, cruise missiles are not considered UAVs, because, like many other guided missiles, the vehicle itself is a weapon that is not reused, even though it is also unmanned and in some cases remotely guided.
Refer tp What is a UAV?
An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is a military robot used to augment the soldiers capability. This type of robot is generally capable of operating outdoors and over a wide variety of terrain, functioning in place of humans.
VTOL is an acronym for vertical take-off and landing aircraft. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft that can hover, take off and land vertically as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as tiltrotors. The terminology for spacecraft and rockets is VTVL (vertical takeoff with vertical landing). Some VTOL aircraft can operate in other modes as well, such as CTOL (conventional take-off and landing), STOL (short take-off and landing), and/or STOVL (short take-off and vertical landing). Others, such as some helicopters, can only operate by VTOL, due to the aircraft lacking landing gear that can handle horizontal motion. VTOL is a subset of V/STOL (vertical and/or short take-off and landing).