Make It With Matty

I've added an original Acorn 6502 Second Processor to my BBC Model B. Connecting it is easy. The interesting question is what it actually does. The external unit contains another 6502 processor running at 3 MHz and 64 KB of its own RAM. It communicates with the BBC through Acorn's Tube interface, allowing programs to run on the second processor while the BBC handles things such as the display, keyboard and storage. Rather than just showing the installation, I wanted to answer one question: How much faster does it make the BBC Micro? Test 1 – Raw BASIC Performance First I wanted a simple CPU-heavy test. 10 MODE 7 20 CLS 30 PRINT "BBC 6502 CPU BENCHMARK" 40 T%=TIME 50 FOR R%=1 TO 5 60 FOR I%=1 TO 100 70 X=SQR(I%)+SIN(I%/50)+COS(I%/25) 80 NEXT 90 NEXT 100 E=(TIME-T%)/100 110 PRINT "TIME = ";E;" SECONDS" I ran exactly the same program first on the BBC Model B alone, then again with the 6502 Second Processor enabled: - the BBC Model B alone the BBC wit...

After building my original beginner-friendly 5-axis Arduino robot arm , I wanted to go back to the project and make a few improvements. I didn't want to completely redesign the robot. The original arm was intended to be relatively simple to build, understand and modify, so I wanted to keep that idea. Instead, this version concentrates on two major upgrades: A stronger MG996R servo for the shoulder joint A new Arduino program that can record a sequence of movements and replay them automatically I also had to modify several of the 3D-printed parts to accommodate the larger shoulder servo. Updated Shoulder Joint The result is essentially Version 2 of my original robot arm. New to the project? You can find my original beginner 5-axis robot arm build here: LINK TO ORIGINAL ROBOT ARM POST LINK TO ORIGINAL YOUTUBE POST Why these changes? 1. MG996R Shoulder Servo The original arm used an MG90S servo at the shoulder , this servo was struggling with the weight of lifting objects. The torque...

Fully Assembled Robot Arm Building a robot arm might sound like an ambitious first robotics project, but it doesn't have to be. With a 3D printer, an Arduino Uno and a handful of affordable hobby servos, you can build a fully functional five-axis robot arm while learning the fundamentals of mechanics, electronics and programming. This project was designed with beginners in mind. There are no custom PCBs, expensive components or specialist tools required. Instead, the focus is on building something that is easy to assemble, easy to understand and, most importantly, easy to improve. Like any engineering project, this robot didn't work perfectly the first time. In fact, solving the problems taught me just as much as building it. Rather than hiding those mistakes, I've included them here so you can avoid the same issues when building your own.           By the end of this guide, you'll have everything you need to build your own robot arm and a solid foundation ...