CURRENT ISSUE Contests
Feature Article
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Issue #212 March 2008
Robotics with Ada95
by Daniel Ramirez
Start | Why Use Ada95 For Robotics? | GNAT Ada95 Tools | Debugging Ada95 Applications | Ada95 Coding Style |Wireless Sensor Controller | Wireless Messages | The Glove In Action | XYZ Accelerometers | XBee-PRO Wireless UART | Controller Range | USB 2.0 Interface | Ethernet | The Kernel | Ada95 vs. Other Languages | Future Applications | Sources & PDF
CONTROLLER RANGE
The 100-mW XBee-PRO provides a range of up to 1 mile (1.6 km), and its RS-232 connectivity makes integration simple. The range of this controller exceeds that of a standard Vex controller because the line-of-sight range is the same as the one specified in the ZigBee protocol. The MaxStream XBee-PRO provides the maximum range of 300¢ line of sight indoors.
The actual range that the reader gets depends on many factors, including direct line of sight, the antenna length, and the walls and windows that can block the low-power ZigBee signal. The standard antenna is built into the board, but Digi sells other options. Additional XBee-PRO modules can provide greater range and animation control options.
The Digi wireless UART, which can be easily configured using standard AT modem commands, includes a utility to configure the modem channel and data rate, as required by the application.
