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[GregYohn]

Hello!

When I can not found out basic information about the XO and this guy starts bringing up some new way to use the machine, I just let him know straight up he needs a reality check!

The forum is based on the use of the XO, not to use it a toaster or as a tennis racket, and tell me how many students living outside of the USA ever heard about his Zigbee?

ZERO!

Anymore more questions?

[Jordan]

Try reading Fab by Neil Gershenfeld.  Some of these people have heard of things that you have never even conceived of.  And they have uses for them too.

Zigbee can be found in inexpensive microcontrollers, like the AVR.  They are programmable.  They are very low power.  They are wireless.  They are cheap.  All of that means that they are pretty much standalone devices.  All of that's pretty important if you don't have a grid, and cannot afford a few hundred dollars of equipment at every installation.  If you have a microcontroller with an A/D on it, that $4 to $10 chip (in North America) can be attached to a few cents of electronics.  Need to measure the temperature of milk in a few dozen vats.  You can do that.  Again, for a few dollars you can attach an accelerometer.  Again, a useful tool if you want to do anything from build a network of sensors to measure earthquakes, or just to see if that bridge will remain standing for a year.  Best of all, since the microcontrollers are programmable, you can repurpose them.  Useful in education.  Useful in environments where you don't know what tools you need today, let alone tomorrow.

It is also a great way to promote the constructionist philosophy.

And yeah, we have a few geeks in North America who want to explore this stuff too.  Since the purported purpose of the XO is constructionist learning, a let's get our hands dirty laptop, I think that trying to get Zigbee working even for our self-centred tasks is an amply worthy thing.

I told you to stuff-it earlier.  And I mean it.  You're souring a learning environment.

[heyej]

Greg, you've had your say. No further posts are needed from you on this matter. You should forgive your father for what he did to you and move on.


Thanks again Jordan.

[GregYohn]

Hello!

Why don't you go to a Zigbee or a Linux based forum to get your answers?

You have just shown that this is not the place to find more about this subject in over 2 weeks now.

Greg, you've had your say. No further posts are needed from you on this matter. You should forgive your father for what he did to you and move on.


Thanks again Jordan.

[OtherMichael]

Whoah, simmer down, pardner!

The original question asked for "[a]ny guidance, no matter how basic" -- and that has been provided by several people who are also interested in seeing what will happen with this interaction, and being watched by others who don't have a lot to say (like me).

possibly helpful advice in:

http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=2956.msg23791#msg23791

http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=2956.msg23794#msg23794

http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=2956.msg23917#msg23917

http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=2956.msg23957#msg23957

The forum is based on the use of the XO

and if somebody can figure out how to USE it a toaster or as a tennis racket, I would like to know.

[Wayan Vota]

Hi everyone,

Let's all stop and take a deep breath, hold, now exhale.

First off, this is an OLPC-centric forum for discussion of topics related to One Laptop Per Child, its XO Laptop, or efforts around either.

The use of a toaster, or tennis racket in connection with the XO is a valid topic.  Some folks may be even interested in using the XO as a guidance system for interplanetary space travel to meet the aliens who planted microchips in their butts.  I say welcome to them and their extraterrestrial friends. 

I also say welcome to a thread about using Zigbee.  At least they promote Open Standards, which is more than can be said about other, more official, OLPC partners.

So if you know of Zigbee + XO info, please share.  If you do not, you are always welcome to click on a different forum topic.  As Greg rightly points out, there is much to learn and much to share with the XO laptop.  Let's not be putting parameters around our knowledge base just quite yet.

[cbryer10]

I had never heard of Zigbee before this thread brought it up, but just a few minutes and a google search have found a few interesting things about a Zigbee network.
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct06/4666
http://www.jennic.com/elearning/zigbee/files/content_frame.htm
I can see where a low power XO would fit within this network.
Best of luck with your search heyej.

[heyej]

Thanks all.

I have verified that the xbee devices can be run as serial devices. (thanks Jordan)
I was hoping that the marvell radio built in to the XO could be "reflashed" to run the zigbee topology. I know they both use the 2.4 ghz spectrum so i intuited that maybe a software upgrade was possible. I haven't been able to find any specifics on the marvel radio so was hoping someone here had experience with it. at least specific model number and or/ tech sheet. (marvel site wasnt much help)

The application is to retrieve and manipulate telemetry data outdoors from sensors in the field using the xo as a compact handheld device in tablet mode. The industrial design lends itself very well to this. I would prefer to accomplish this without the additional external zigbee modem.

I am not technical enough to accomplish this on my own but would take the info gathered here to outsource it to the appropriate techs if feasible.

Greg , we know your opinion, so please allow others to respond without your raincloud.

Again thanks to all for the positive responses. I'm 1/3 of the way home.   

[OtherMichael]

heyej, have you dug around on the olpc-wiki, yet?

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Special:Search?search=marvell+radio&fulltext=y

You probably won't find the answers you need, but you might get some good tech contacts.

[Mike Lee]

For one of the sponsor meetings at the Media Lab last year, a group did a demo of Zigbee modules. There was a custom application on a Mac and connected to it was a Zigbee node (there are undoubtly other details I can't remeber). Particpants were each given a Zigbee module to which was added a temperature sensor. Each user briefly registered a code from a sticker on their Zigbee into the Mac. Then four of us held on to each of our Zigbees. As the warmth of our hand was sensed, the Mac changed the pitch of a synthesized musical instrument. We were a wireless Zigbee orchestra!

A drawback of each of the handheld Zigbee modules is that they each had a radio that needed power from a button cell battery. I think the cells only lasted several hours. If I can find the photos from that demo, I'll post them. I'm back at the lab later next week, so I will try to remember to ask what became of those modules and their thoughts on integration with the XO.

~

[heyej]

Thanks othermicheal-
i found the model numbers for the controller and the radio and will start there.

Thank you Mike-
Look forward to hearing more.

[OtherMichael]

Have a look at -- or start a new section? -- at http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Peripherals

Don't forget to keep us posted!

[heyej]

Hi all.
Am having a difficult time getting in contact/ answers from marvel. stand by

[Donny Viszneki]

deleted (sorry!)