Specifications and Controls
12
Similar to the CE model, the battery life of the Pioneer 2 DX and AT, of course, depends on the
configuration of accessories and motor activity. Pioneer 2-AT charge life typically ranges from four
to eight hours. Pioneer 2-DX can run for more than a day.
If you don’t use the motors, Pioneer 2’s native electronics will run for several days on a single battery
charge.
Balance the batteries in your Pioneer 2.
IMPORTANT: Batteries have a significant impact on the balance and operation of your robot. For the
Pioneer 2-DX and 2-AT, under most conditions, we recommend operating with three batteries. Otherwise,
a single battery should be mounted in the center, or two batteries inserted on each side of the battery
container.
Typical recharge time using the recommended accessory recharger varies according to the battery’s
discharge state; it is roughly equal to three hours per volt. The optional Charge Cube allows simultaneous
recharge of three swappable batteries outside the robot.
With the optional high-speed Charger, recharge time is greatly reduced, but caare must be taken not to
overcharge and thereby damage batteries.
Electronics
The Pioneer 2’s standard electronics reside on three main boards: The microcontroller is mounted under the
Console Deck; a power / motor controller board is mounted to the battery box inside the robot; and a sonar
controller (one for each array) is mounted in the base of the sonar array.
A Main Power switch at the back of the robot controls power for the entire system. Processor control
switches and indicators fit through the Deck Console.
Power/Motor Board
Inside the robot, mounted to the battery box, is the Pioneer 2 Motor-Power board. It supplies both the
twelve and five VDC power requirements of Pioneer 2's standard systems. Additionally, it has user-
accessible five and 12 VDC connectors, which supply 1–2.5 amperes of power for accessories, depending
on configuration. The Motor-Power board also contains the motor-driver electronics, as controlled by the
microcontroller.
The standard Motor-Power board has a 12-pin user-power connector that supports four sets of five- and
12 VDC power ports (total one ampere) for custom accessories. An optional computer-power section to
the board supplies up to seven amperes at five VDC power for an onboard PC. The power board includes
special low-power and power-down circuit that lets you gently shut down the computer without direct
connection through a keyboard or monitor. (See Appendix B in this manual and the
Computer Tech Note
s
pamphlet that accompany the Pioneer 2 for details.)
Microcontroller
Pioneer 2's microcontroller uses a 20 MHz Siemens 88C166 microprocessor with integrated 32K flash-
ROM. The microcontroller also has 32K of dynamic RAM, two RS232-compatible serial ports, several
digital and analog-to-digital, and PSU I/O user-accessible ports, and an eight-bit expansion bus. See
Appendix A
for port details.)
All the I/O ports, except those used for the motors, encoders, and sonar, are available to the user for Pioneer
2 accessory hardware, which you may control through the P2OS. Port connector pinouts and electronic
details appear in the Appendices.
