|
One way to get sound to come out of your
Robot is Bluetooth. There are now Bluetooth devices available that can transmit and receive reasonable quality sound, much
better then that found in those silly in the ear Bluetooth headphones.
These
new devices have a Bluetooth A2PD profile: http://www.a2dp.info/Headset-Reviews/
In principle this is very simple: have sound files on a device like a
phone or PDA or computer and play them over the Bluetooth wireless link to a Bluetooth speaker inside the Robot.
But
it’s not that simple. These speakers have to be supplied with power, and their audio signal has to be directed to what
ever is being used as a Neon sound interface.
I
got a Sony-Ericsson MBS-100 and cracked it (literally) open:
Unfortunately this speaker has an on/off button that was not easy to interface
to the remote control system I am using. The button (along with the pairing button) is on an extra circuit board that will
have to be accessable.
Wires were hooked up to the power connection and the speaker, simple but tedious.
The circuit board and half the remains of the housing were mounted so they could
be reached thru a torso vent.
At the moment the sound files are all in a phone, a Sony Ericsson w580i, that has
the A2DP profile. Very easy like this. There are also Bluetooth streaming devices that just plug into the audio jack
of your computer or PDA.
To make a sound come out of the Robot just play the sound file in the phone (or
what ever) and it comes out at the Robot. This works very well except for the limited range of the Bluetooth system, 30 ft
really is the max.
|
