Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!cat.cis.Brown.EDU!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!nagle
From: nagle@netcom.com (John Nagle)
Subject: Re: Radio Shack Armitron
Message-ID: <nagleCuzzt8.Drp@netcom.com>
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
References: <derossi-220894114945@chris_derossi.genmagic.com> <CuyIBI.4GK@vortex.com>
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 17:12:43 GMT
Lines: 20

lauren@vortex.com (Lauren Weinstein) writes:
>In article <derossi-220894114945@chris_derossi.genmagic.com>,
>Chris Derossi <derossi@genmagic.com> wrote:
>>Remember the Amitron robotic arm toy that Radio Shack used to sell?
>>Well, I just found out that it is listed in their 1994 Christmas toy
>>catalog. It is NOT in their 1995 catalog, so this looks like a one-time
>>thing.

>Have they listed the original unit or the later "mobile" unit?
>The original was a pain to interface, since it used a completely
>mechanical motor control system.  The mobile version, in addition
>to having full mobility, used a simple electric remote control on a 
>ribbon cable which made interfacing a snap.  I have one of the latter.

       Actually, you could do more with the mechanical one.  With the
electrical one, you had dumb motors and no feedback.  With the mechanical
one, all the joint drives came out on a set of parallel shafts, which could be
extended to steppers or servomotors.

					John Nagle
