X10 Community Forum

💬General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Knightrider on January 03, 2009, 08:34:31 PM

Title: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: Knightrider on January 03, 2009, 08:34:31 PM
I was thinking about all the possible uses for a ninja base other than mounting a cam to it and came up with the following:

1.  Tuicemen's Antenna Mover (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=11340.0)

2.  Bitman's Microphone Adjuster (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=17127.0)

And I was thinking of modifying a ninja to run my TV antenna rotor.

Anyone else have any ideas?
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: bitman on January 03, 2009, 10:23:57 PM
If I'm not mistaken, Dave_x10's backyard robot uses a ninja as a head albeit with a camera on it but still....
Don't go sneakin' round that yard.
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: Knightrider on January 03, 2009, 10:45:27 PM
If I'm not mistaken, Dave_x10's backyard robot uses a ninja as a head albeit with a camera on it but still....
Don't go sneakin' round that yard.

still not quite there yet, but when he gets it posted, I'll add it to the thread.
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: HA Dave on January 03, 2009, 11:03:30 PM
If I'm not mistaken, Dave_x10's backyard robot uses a ninja as a head albeit with a camera on it but still....

No... not yet. Currently R.E.D. (the XMOP) uses a tiny little camera sealed in the upright PVC pipe. Of coures R.E.D. has it's own Web Page (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9cUA6LaXTs&).

Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: bitman on January 04, 2009, 08:11:06 AM
If I'm not mistaken, Dave_x10's backyard robot uses a ninja as a head albeit with a camera on it but still....

No... not yet. Currently R.E.D. (the XMOP) uses a tiny little camera sealed in the upright PVC pipe. Of coures R.E.D. has it's own Web Page (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9cUA6LaXTs&).


Yea I've been there. I especially that B/W video at the bottom.  ;)
Wasn't a Ninja at least mentioned in the robot's initial thread? If not for parts?
I must be loosing my mind. - Not too surprising.


Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: HA Dave on January 04, 2009, 11:03:20 AM
Wasn't a Ninja at least mentioned in the robot's initial thread?

I built the robot before I bought a ninja. But had planned on using BVC (http://www.davesdomainonline.com/bvc/bvc.htm) to talk to (command) the bot from the beginning. There is only a handful of devices that can receive X10 RF (transceivers, the DS7000, VCR Commanders, and Ninjas) and the Ninja is the easiest to hack. Which is why the Ninja has so much potential for "other" uses. Hence this thread.

But... for MY application with the robot. I will need some sort of on-board smarts... like a micro-processor... so a single [RF sent] command can then be understood as a series of commands/directions. And so on-board sensors can interpet real-time data....  to do things like.. move without running into things. But the robot is a undertaking more like a hobby... and less like a project. I am building that thing from junk and scrap.. off the shelf and home-made parts. It's construction is more about learning and keeping my mind active than completing it. Although I've been really surprised how easily and simply so many things intergrate these days. I have also been surprised at what a money pit it can be.

But the robot experience has reminded me just how far ahead of the curve X10 was with the remotely controlled (even from around the world via the Internet) Robotic [Ninja] camera platform.

Some of the Home Automation stuff X10 users are doing here we've grown used to... so we often forget just how futuristic some of this stuff is. What we except as normal X10 [or even old-school X10] is as far as the general population is concerned... very high-tech. Modifying a Ninja to accomplish other tasks.... well worth a thread of it own.
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: dave w on January 04, 2009, 04:39:46 PM

And I was thinking of modifying a ninja to run my TV antenna rotor.

Anyone else have any ideas?

Don't think those Ninja plastic gears will hold up to a TV antenna.
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: HA Dave on January 04, 2009, 04:50:32 PM
Don't think those Ninja plastic gears will hold up to a TV antenna.

dave w... I had a rather simple plan on modifying a Ninja to operate "other" devices. I was thinking of micro switches and/or magnets and reed switches. knightrider may have a more high-tech solution in mind (he knows more about that stuff than myself).
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: dave w on January 05, 2009, 04:59:18 PM
Our house backs up to a woods. Might be kind of neat to mount a light weight shotgun mike to the Ninja and use it to focus in on bird calls. I am going to put that on the "When I'm Retired" list.  -:)
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: bitman on January 05, 2009, 05:27:23 PM
Our house backs up to a woods. Might be kind of neat to mount a light weight shotgun mike to the Ninja and use it to focus in on bird calls. I am going to put that on the "When I'm Retired" list.  -:)

I, had to read that twice.  ;D
Oh, a shotgun mic
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: Brian H on January 05, 2009, 06:53:30 PM
Though the Ninja maybe be slow on pan and tilt.
How about a pan and tilt automatic BB Gun.  :'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu0OX7MQL5I
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: Jsnlong on January 05, 2009, 07:02:11 PM
Though the Ninja maybe be slow on pan and tilt.
How about a pan and tilt automatic BB Gun.  :'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu0OX7MQL5I

Now that is for sure something I need!!!
Dave_x10_L....... I see this being rodent hunting feature on R.E.D.

I did see a USB missile launcher on Geeks.com. I'm sure it can be played around with!
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=USB-782&cat=TOO
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: HA Dave on January 05, 2009, 08:26:06 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu0OX7MQL5I

Dave_x10_L....... I see this being rodent hunting feature on R.E.D.

Yes.... it was Raymond Little that 1st inspired the idea of a Ninja mod. His idea: Mount a spotlight on the Ninja along with a camera. So the flashlight-like spot might scare off bad-guys. I think he called that a spotlight cam.

That idea inspired me with the idea of a mounting a small handgun on a Ninja.. maybe a 25 or 380 caliber. Which could be aimed with a X10 camera... and triggered [fired] via a macro [for safety]. I called it the "I swear I didn't mean to kill that cheating B**CH... cam".

Life is better with a little humor... on the side.
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: Knightrider on January 05, 2009, 08:32:13 PM
Not that i've tried it, but those things would make great servos for a halloween dummy's head.  Just fill a small rubber mask with expanding foam.
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: dave w on January 05, 2009, 08:54:16 PM
Our house backs up to a woods. Might be kind of neat to mount a light weight shotgun mike to the Ninja and use it to focus in on bird calls. I am going to put that on the "When I'm Retired" list.  -:)

I, had to read that twice.  ;D
Oh, a shotgun mic

Quote my wife;  "Hey! I knew what I meant!"   rofl
Title: Re: Ninjas -- Not Just For Cameras Anymore
Post by: HA Dave on January 15, 2009, 01:03:13 PM
I just did something a little different with a Ninja and thought I might post it here.

Because I have been working on another app for a Ninja: I've been thinking about how when one Ninja moves (pans or tills).. they all do.

I have a Ninja mounted at the roofs peak controlling a NON-X10 IR camera. The camera I have plugged into an appliance module so I can turn it ON/OFF. However the Ninja itself is always ON... and ready to scan. I control this [and everything else] with Voice Command (http://davesdomainonline.com/bvc/bvc.htm). Although I haven't had any "voice errors" I didn't like the idea of the Ninja being in perpetual scan ether.

So this morning... I put an adapter in the cameras applaince module, then also plugged in the Ninja power supply. Now when I turn on the camera [mounted on the Ninja] the Ninja also responds (the Ninjas power supply defaults to ON). And when the camera is OFF... so is the Ninja.