Re: another comparison

In lugnet.robotics, Claude Baumann wrote:
> We have compared the sampling and computing speed of NXT and RCX. NXT uses
> standard firmware 1.03 and is programmed with the LabVIEW toolkit. RCX is
> programmed with ULTIMATE ROBOLAB. Both bricks do the same thing: computing the
> DFT on a small dataset of 128 points that are read from the legacy light-sensor
> on a shaft encoder that is rotated with a legacy motor. ULTIMATE ROBOLAB keeps
> the whole system running (managing sensors, sound, display, buttons,
> IR-communication...) e.a. all the things that the standard firmware also is
> doing; so there is no reduced funtionality and thus no tricky speed gain. Both
> programs are absolutely comparable. But the RCX operates the sampling plus DFT
> 22.8 times faster than NXT! This is intriguing.
> Beating the RCX is not that simple !

Now the new LabVIEW NXT tookit 2.0 that includes firmware 1.26 drastically beets
the RCX performance ( http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/4435 ).

We repeated the experiment and now the NXT runs the DFT much faster than the RCX
with more features: power-spectrum (needs floating point data) with graph on the
NXT display; life graphs on the PC. Please consult the new experiment:

http://www.convict.lu/htm/rob/RFT_second.htm

So, congrates to LEGO and NI for this excellent programming work.

( Btw legoengineering (Tufts CEEO) offers free download of fw 1.28:
http://legoengineering.com/library/doc_details/250-nxt-firmware-v128.html )

Claude