RP6 ROBOT SYSTEM - 1. The RP6v2 M256 WIFI Expansion Module
1. The RP6v2 M256 WIFI Expansion Module
The RP6v2 Control M256 WIFI expansion module (Part # RP6v2-M256-WIFI or in
short RP6-M256) allows you to integrate one or more RP6 and RP6v2 robots in a wire-
less computer network, to control them remotely and to transfer telemetry data. If
necessary the robots can also retrieve data from the internet on their own.
The module contains the biggest microcontroller from the ATMEGA series of Atmel.
With 256KB flash ROM (of which 8KB are dedicated to the bootloader) and 8KB SRAM,
the ATMEGA2560 contains 8x more flash memory and 4x more SRAM than the con-
troller on the RP6 mainboard. Thus it offers more than enough space for very complex
user programs. The user-friendly software library is compatible with the other AVR
processors of the RP6 such that is not necessary to start learning everything again.
A specialty of the module is the highly energy efficient 802.11b/g WLAN module with
built-in processor that is soldered directly on the PCB. The internal processor is man-
aging all WLAN functions, the TCP/IP stack and the AES/WPA2 encryption. This re-
lieves the AVR main processor and simplifies the control for the user (simple text
commands, control via a serial interface). Immediately after power on, the module
can connect automatically to the WLAN network within a second (typical) and start
data transfer.
The energy consumption of the whole module is very low. With active 500kbit/s WLAN
data transfer, maximum transmission performance and a running program in the AT-
MEGA2560 processor, the RP6v2-M256-WiFi module requires less than 460mW in
total. Therefore it is ideally suited for battery powered applications like mobile robots.
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