Roboard Is A Complete x86 PC For Your Robot
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Thursday, 23 of April , 2009 at 1:34 am
Most hobby robot programming is done off-board, where code is written and compiled on a computer and then uploaded to a controller board on the robot. The Roboard RB-100 streamlines this process, and provides tons of additional expandability, by putting the computer on the board itself. The Roboboard boasts a full fledged 1ghz x86 PC with 256 megs of ram that’s capable of running Linux or even Windows XP.
The board also features 24 PWM servo connections, 3 USB ports, serial comm ports, ethernet, mic in and sound out, and more. The processor uses less than 1 watt, and accepts input anywhere from 6 to 24 volts. You can also get a PCI WiFi card for about $65, although there are USB connectors on the board so you can just add WiFi that way. If you want to run a GUI like Windows XP directly off the board, however, you’ll need to fill up that PCI slot with an optional VGA display card.
Now, I’m the first to admit that I don’t have nearly as much experience as I’d like with robot hardware, but from reading through the Robosavvy forum posts, this seems to be the nutshell on the Roboard hardware: “The board is indeed a HUGE leap in terms of processing power available on a Robot backpack. The other major leap comes in terms of the way it natively supports the Windows and the Linux kernel, meaning broad hardware support and seamless transition from your IDE/compiled executable from your PC to the board.”
The Roboard costs about $250 plus shipping from the UK, and the PCI VGA graphics card is an extra $90.
Update- You can also get the Roboard in the US in a few different kit configurations, here and here.
Comments (1)
Category: Hobby
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Comment by Ian
Made Thursday, 23 of April , 2009 at 8:50 am
Great post Evan. Very interesting information about this exciting product.
May I add that the Roboard also comes as a starter kit including the RoBoard, RoBoard cables and Mini-PCI VGA card (~289$USD). Bare in mind the 250$ version doesn’t include the cables or the Mini-PCI VGA card.
For your information, RoBoard is exclusively distributed by RobotShop in North America. See the banner on the top right of this page. Cheers!