Install the simulator on your computer (Windows OS, compatible Windows 7).

Download the PicSimuFull simulator

With this simulator, this serious robotics game, you will be able to simulate the design and the programming of your robot, from “A to Z”.

That is, you can : choose the diagram of the different components (sensors, connectors, engines, …), manage the inputs/outputs of your microcontroller, characterize the physical properties of your robot (i.e. your “gamelle”), modify on-the-fly the different parameters in order to visualize in real-time the effects on your robot’s response.

• 1 microcontroller board (with PWM, inputs, outputs, which are available and usable at will ! see here).

• 1 structure configurable with the various robot components. Students can manage :

• the inputs/outputs of the microcontroller

• the optical sensors (CNY70): the number of sensors, their positions, their characteristics

• the jack and the limit switch and their electrical connections (pull-up/pull-down resistors)

• the parameters of the components on the power card: engine power-supply

• the configuration of the engines in relation to the manufacturer datasheet

• the physical properties of the robot structure: mass, inertia, friction, yield, …

• 3 track models, with a configurable white line track (the default track is shown in the video !).

• 1 track editor

The video presented hereafter shows the different steps leading to the simulation of the line-follower robot.

1. Load the program Mplab (.hex) as shown in the resource Microcontroller PIC18 Simulator.
2. Load the model of your robot “gamelle” (.gml) that you have already configured with the cards and the connections (ports of the real microcontroller board) of your real (future) robot, as well as its physical parameters.
3. You can verify the following parameters :
• The Jack connection
• The limit switch
• The Infra-Red sensors (CNY70) : their number and position
• The two choppers on the power card for the power supply of the two engines
• The "gamelle" : mass, inertia, friction, gear ratio etc...
4. Turn on the microcontroller board
5. Test the yellow, green and blue buttons: verify the modification of the values 0-1 on the display.
6. Test the input logical values :
• Verify the good functioning of the Jack : verify the modification of the values /J or J on the display.
• Verify the good functioning of the limit switch by cicking on it : verify the modification of the values /F or F on the display.
7. Add a “gamelle” robot alias on the track
8. Place your robot on the start line
9. You can follow on the display the evolution of the information given by the 4 sensors (4 values on the first line).
10. In the meanwhile the robot follows its path, slowly in this case, but surely !
11. You can modify in real-time the position of the optical sensors
12. Adjust the speed by means of the potentiometer on the microcontroller board
13. Pull off the Jack in order to start the robot, hence starting the simulation
14. You can displace the robot towards a turning point in order to validate its good line-follower functioning