These are some of the links I've refered to while working on Orangutan-lib. They include data sheets, development tools, example code in C and C++, and neat projects people have done with their Orangutans. If you know of an Orangutan link, please let me know so I can check it out.
AVR Studio 4 is the integrated development environment from Atmel. It's a remarkably nice environment and will interface perfectly with the WinAVR port of GCC, making for an IDE that'll let you write in AVR Assembly, C, and C++.
WinAVR is a Windows port of GCC for the AVR family of microprocessors. WinAVR can be used by itself, or in conjunction with AVR Studio 4.
If you're wondering about the pin-outs on the Baby-Orangutan, this is the place to look.
If you're wondering about the pin-outs on the Orangutan, this is the place to look.
The Orangutan uses an ATMega168 and the Baby-Orangutan uses either an ATMega48 or an ATMega168. If you're planning on going beyond the simple functions available in Orangutan-lib, reading through the Atmel datasheet is a must.
The Orangutan-X2 uses an ATMega644. The same comments about the Orangutan and Baby-O apply here as well. When in doubt, consult the data sheet!
The Orangutan uses a CrystalFontz LCD with a HitachiHD47780 controller chip. Getting the LCD running happily was one of the more interesting projects for Orangutan-lib. Getting it to run properly has been a whole 'nuther adventure in write and re-write with data sheet in-hand.
The Orangutan and Baby-O both use an LB1836M dual H-bridge to drive DC motors up to 1A an 10V. The PWM and relay-style motor routines in Orangutan-lib should provide usable hooks into the motor subsystem, but if you want to write your own routines, it's worth looking at the datasheet.
Pololu, the makers of the Orangutan family of microcontrollers, has an active online forum full of questions, answers, and example code. If you see any examples that bear a strange resemblance to any of the code in Orangutan-lib or Orangutan-examples, that's because several of the subsystems came from code posted to the forum.
AVRFreaks, while not an Orangutan-specific forum, is nonetheless an excellent resource for any AVR-based device. The forums are extremely active, and I have yet to ask a question that isn't answered within an hour or so. Also there's lots of information on AVR projects, development tools, etc.
Pascal Stang has written a library for the AVR processors that covers just about everything, including the kitchen sink, the sink strainer, and the garbage disposal. So to speak. If you're looking for FAT16 code to write files to Compact-Flash memory, or to talk to just about any other device under the sun, look here.
FreeRTOS is a free real time operating system for the AVR. Steve Judd has ported it to the Orangutans, so it can be done and it really does work.
Jim is one of the most active posters to the Pololu Forum, and has all sorts of good examples on his web site. When reading through the code he's written, you'll notice a striking similarity between his code and some of the subsystems in Orangutan-lib. That's because he wrote them. It's well worth the look.
Peter Fleury has written some very good AVR code that compiles and runs just fine on the Orangutans. (We know! The I2C code in the library is Peter's!) He's got information on building your own programmer, interfacing the HD44780-based LCDs (a good example is the LCD on the Orangutan), and all sorts of good example code.
Steve Judd and Tom Benedict both belong to a robotics club on the Big Island of Hawaii. The club meets the second Monday of each month in Waimea at the headquarters of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Oddly enough Waimea is the home town of one of the founders of Pololu Robotics, as well. It's a small, small world.
Tentacle Combat Robotics is the team site for the robots Steve Judd builds. If you're interested in seeing what can be done with a microcontroller, some motors, some sensors, and lots of elbow-grease and programming time, take a look. Among other things Steve has built combat robots, mini-sumo robots, line followers, a balance bot, etc. Well worth the look for the pictures and videos alone, but there are also tools for robot builders such as a Torque/Amp-Hour calculator for choosing motor/battery combinations. Good site!
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