smartDevices for fischertechnik

First came the smart sensors and then the smart actuators.

Now, the latest peripheral for fischertechnik models combines them with a touch screen.

Smart Sensors

One of the main challenge with modern sensors is that they often require a pre-processor in charge of filtering raw data and computing usable measures.

The graphical interface of Robo Pro is perfect for programming process-oriented models but any advanced calculation ends with the spaghetti syndrome, with arrows and boxes everywhere, hard to develop and impossible to maintain. 

The idea is twofold:
  • cope with the main limitation of Robo Pro about complex calculations,
  • and leverage the robust I²C implementation of the Robo TX controller.
One solution is to place a MCU aka. micro-controller unit (reference) acting as a pre-processor between the sensor and the Robo TX controller to do the job.

This solution ends with a three-tiers configuration: the master, the pre-processor and the sensor.

One benefit is the pre-processor is versatile and can be reprogrammed for another sensor. The main drawback is the sensor is useless without the pre-processor.
Another option consists on including the pre-processor into the sensor.

I call smart sensor such a device which includes its own MCU. 

The MCU acquires and processes the raw data provided by the sensor, performs the required calculations and delivers ready-to-use measures to the master.

The result is much simpler and saves a lot of cables.
The program for the pre-processor can be easily developed in C or C++ with a standard IDE. 

The I²C implementation on the Robo TX controller –starting Robo Pro 3.1.3– is easy to use, especially when an I²C driver is provided, works fine and is reliable.

The smart sensor thus acts as a slave I²C device.

smartDevices for fischertechnik

The same logic applies for an actuator with a built-in MCU. 

The first actuator is the 4-digit 7-segment smartLED. A hub with an active also applies, such as the smartHub with up to 4  I²C slave devices.

Another important milestone is the smartControls device, which features a touch screen and then combines both an actuator and a sensor.

All the smart sensors and smart actuators are now grouped under the same name smartDevices for fischertechnik.

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